Whats a good black ink?

[JTillman]

Hey guys and gals!

I have been writing with a fountain pen for about a year now, and I am finally about to run out of ink. I need to order some new ink, and wanted to see if y'all have any suggestions.

I have a Lamy Safari pen with a medium nib. The ink I currently use is Pelican Brilliant Black. I really like it, I just wish it was waterproof. What are some good black inks out there that are waterproof? I like the ink to be really really black, not greyish or blueish or some other color.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Eeyore]

Really black? Aurora Black.

I don't know how waterproof it is.

 

[Jut]

I really like Sailor Kiwa Guro, also called nano black (i think). it is more expensive than the pelikan black you have been using, but it is well lubricated, dries quick, is water proof and has a nice sheen to it (imho).

 

[RichieRich3902]

Noodlers Heart of Darkness is really black and water proof.

 

[Eeyore]

Wasn't Cross black relatively water resistant too? IIRC it is a nice intense black.

 

[syngent]

Regular pilot black ink is a good rich black as well

 

[RichieRich3902]

Diamine Jet Black is a good shade of black it's a little darker than 4001 black

 

[JTillman]

Ok thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into all of those. The reason I want a waterproof ink is because I am currently in law school, so I use a highlighter a lot. It drives me crazy when I highlight over something I've written and it smears!

 

[Snargle]

Noodler's Black...it's very black, behaves well with most pens and papers, is waterproof and "bombproof" (resistant to forger's attempts to remove it with various chemicals). It chemically bonds to the cellulose fibers in the paper so any attempts to remove it will destroy the paper before the ink is gone. It's also relatively inexpensive.

 

[Jut]

It drives me crazy when I highlight over something I've written and it smears!

I just bought the books that already had the important stuff highlighted

 

[Doc4]

Get this ... http://www.gouletpens.com/Ink_Sample_Package_Waterproof_Blacks_p/isp-blacks-wp.htm

... find your favourite and buy a bottle.

 

[Eeyore]

Of course! I forgot Platinum carbon black. Excellent ink!

 

[Philosophy Student]

My favorite is the Pelikan edelstien onyx black especially for its performance. Second to that is the carbon black by caran d'ache but it's performance isn't as good, that is it bleeds more.m

 

[JTillman]

Thank you for all of the suggestions!

 

[the_edski]

Get this ... http://www.gouletpens.com/Ink_Sample_Package_Waterproof_Blacks_p/isp-blacks-wp.htm

... find your favourite and buy a bottle.

+1. The Goulet samplers are the perfect solution to this question.

 

[mikeschu]

Get this ... http://www.gouletpens.com/Ink_Sample_Package_Waterproof_Blacks_p/isp-blacks-wp.htm

... find your favourite and buy a bottle.

This.

I also recommend Noodler's X-Feather if you need it.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Noodler's HoD

 

[Doc4]

I like the ink to be really really black, not greyish or blueish or some other color.

I use a highlighter a lot. It drives me crazy when I highlight over something I've written and it smears!

Okay, I tried the black inks I have at hand and inked up, including Noodler's Black, Noodler's Heart of Darkness, 5 O'colck Shadow, and (to see how others did) Noodler's Polar Brown & Blue ...

... as well as my perennial favourite, Kung Te-cheng.

I wrote a few words, let the inks dry well, and then used a highlighter (Noodler's firefly in a Pilot Parallel).

Heart of Darkness and Polar Brown fared the worst. Good, but certainly a bit of smearing. Black and 5 O'clock did pretty well, but still a bit of smudging. Polar blue did very well.

But the best ... with basically no smudging or budging of the ink that I could see at all? KTC.

I'd suggest getting a sample of KTC added to whatever samples order you put together. You will have to get used to the ink not being black, but IMHO it's a great and unique colour that would do very well as a dark, conservative business-oriented ink.

 

[JTillman]

I just read up on the Kung Te-Cheng ink you recommended. Do you just use it with the pens provided? It says that it has a tendency to clog other pens, and I'm curious if you find this to be true.
I have several fountain pens and I have always used the same ink in all of them. Maybe I'm boring and need to branch out and start using different inks in different pens, but I don't necessarily believe in over complicating things (at least as far as pens go, as for shaving I tend to). I'm just curious as to how your experiments have fared.

 

[JTillman]

And thank for doing your little research project on my behalf!