I'm not a huge fan of blacks, because I think they look uninteresting. They all look kinda the same, even when they're from different brands. As a result, I prefer Blue Black or Brown when I have to write something normally.
LOL on school and black ink. I think ours had some kinda bulk deal on Royal Blue because black was strictly forbidden unless you were a teacher or in the Sixth Form. So, naturally, the naughty boys used black. Then corporal punishment ceased to be a thing ('85, maybe?), and then everybody started using it.
I have just one black ink, the Pelikan 4001 and that is enough for me. In Germany it is cheap (3,50$ for 30ml), flowes and writes well. Drys in around 13 senconds and is black.
Just curious about accuracy of cotton swab over paper test for writing inks , could you clarify Which "Standardized Testing Method for writing Ink color/tone comparison" you used (i,e. ASTM E1422-05 or ASTM D1535-14)? :)
stuart semple is apparently beta testing an ink version of black 3.0, might be worth keeping an eye out
Even when you don't like the ink, I appreciate how you include Waterman inks in your reviews. I am the odd ball where I really like Waterman inks. They always work and work well no matter what pen or paper that I am using, even the cheap printer paper at work, they just work. So thank you for including them in your reviews, even when you don't like them...
Which one is the blackest one?
I like Cross Black and Blackstone Stump Black. However my go-to Black is KWZ Foggy Green.
Sheen doesnt matter for me, because you only see it in swabs but not in normal writing.
Illustrator / Artist here, Platinum Carbon Black is the only fountain pen black ink I trust when I need something permanent. For normal use, Pilot black and Pilot iroshizuku take-sumi will do the job for me.
Black inks for me must be as dark as possible and have no shading or sheen at all. I can't stand inks like Parker Quink black where it is a dark grey being sold as black. My regular black is Diamine Onyx, it has a little more sheen than I would like but apart from that it's great. I've hear Jet black is good too but Quartz black is another dark grey.
I'm not seeing any love for my favorite washable black: Sheaffer black. The darkest black ink I've used is either Noodlers Black or Noodlers Heart of Darkness, but they are both far from washable. The Sheaffer, for me, was almost as dark, but its washability raises it to the top of the list. I seldom use black ink, my preference being for blue in a variety of tones. My dislike of black comes from the lack of blackness in most black inks; their lack of saturation gives them neutral dark grey tones. If I use black ink, I want it to be black.richardThe road to Hell isn't paved with good intentions; it's paved with "It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Very nice vid as usual Dave...thank you.I have several black inks too...Noodlers HOD and eel blk, Quink and Hero. HOD will 'haze' if used for watecolour sketches so i use Noodler's Lexington Grey which never clouds up when wet. I have also discovered that if i use a blinding white paper any black ink will be dark enough for me.
Test it Noodles X-Feather
Try jinhao black 3001.. I have found it as darkest black and really wet
Sailor Kiwa Guro is the only black I will ever need...so good. (Pigmented, so not vintage safe, but amazing for modern pens.)
Aurora black seems to be my reliable black. See @aag24 & others also suggested.
I have only two black inks, both of which I really like- Aurora black and J. Herbin Perle Noir. Excellent inks in their own right, very saturated and black.
Thanks for the good review. I am considering either the Parker Quink Black or the Watermans Black. I assume these will be good on the pen in terms of low or no corrosion and easy to clean? I have seen cartridges with Pilot Namiki Black ink, but I think that may be more on the permanent inks and more damaging to a pen. Grateful for your views please, I dont want to damage my expensive Alfred Dunhill fountain pen.
I thought that Diamine Jet Black was the darkest they made, partly because it's no. 001 in their catalogue. Now I see comments about Onyx Black. Is it blacker?
That's cool men, thanks! :)
thanks a lot
I used to think those inks were the same, but with different packaging/marketing. I experimented by putting a syringe of water in the manga 60 ink, and it's not as dark but is more controllable from a pentel pocket brush than the standard ink.Shame on Pentel for making pens that don't take universal cartridges.
Nice video! Thank you for sharing. May I ask. Does this ink work with pen brushes such as pentel? I am a complete beginner used to technical fine liners and don't want to clog the brush pens.
can you use this ink with fountain pens?
Thanks
Hi Teoh! Could this ink be used on a fountain pen? I was using Black Noodler's ink but suddenly is not waterproof anymore :o( ... Thanks for all the info you share!
This was posted four years ago, nevertheless thank you very much. I love ink drawings and thinking of trying out myself. This video helped a lot!
Wow thank you...was just about to buy sumi for ground work under watercolor....thanks !!
thanks For the review Teoh!
Can i use Sumi ink 60 in zig mangaka brush pen or pentel brush pen?
for me inksticks are better eventhough we grind it long but the results are good
thanks so much! Im very confused choosing between two. This covers everything I need to know about the inj
That problem with the paper seems to be oil. Sometimes we don't notice our fingers are oily (not really dirty, just oily because the skin produces oils) and touch the paper, leaving an unnoticeable oil print on the paper. We only notice said oil prints when painting or writing something.
Sumi ink is supposed to be slightly watersoluble as thats the effect Sumi artists want to achieve when using only Sumi ink in different dilutions and no other colours. It's not a fail, rather it did its job.
Thx for the info Theo... Are these ink ok to refill copic gasenfude or any other brush pen? Thx...
A very helpful video Teoh, Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for your helpful video :)
Could I use the Manga ink to refill a Pentel Color Brush
hi, can these inks be used in brush pens?
hi?, what skin you use?
What type of skin is that
How I know wich one is the original one?
I would think that it being thick that it would be bad for working off the tip of the needle . But ok if riding the tube . Wdyt?
Thanks for sharing. I'm always for a hunt for blackest black ink :D
This ink not for linings only for big works like tribles and paking colors.
its a great dark ink , not made for lines tho - its a tripple black so from mario himself and many others said that if used on pale skin straight it will cause brusing due to its thickness . if you line with bigger rls like 11 - 14 it should be fine but 3s would cut straight trough the ink its great for filling and tribals but would not trust the lines to hold up over time that well . had it years ago , it needs ALOT of paper to wipe off hehe , never tried gtrey wash with it tho .
I've used it too, but due to its thickness it gets dried up soon.. Great ink tho
Use the same ink. Great ink
This inks brush pen for accessible?
Thank you! Very helpful.
Very helpful! Thank you so much!
the bombay india ink seems like it would clog in a pilot parallel, and it drys extremely fast on dip pens.
dem birb sounds in the background so soothing :)
A real art material researcher here. Very informative love the content!
Thanks for the review ..does it work well on canvas surface too?
Great comparison! Thank you.
What about SPEEDBALL?
Teoh, excellent review! Which would you suggest is the least reflective (light and photography): Dr Martin's matte or hicarb? Thanks again for an excellent review! Bravo!
Great comparison. Thank You!
I cannot find a comparison for Dr Martin's 3available white inks.Only calligraphy tutorials for the Bleed proof white.I want to KNOW which one works with glass dip pens.
You got all videos than an artist need.
Ohhh I saw the different ones in the store and was curious what the difference was, nice vid!
Can i use black Star matte with fountain pen?
Matte can be used for Pentel brushe pen
I have been following your discussions on ink with great interest. I am using a fountain pen to draw with and want to add watercolor to finish the sketches as you have illustrated. I am using Heart of Darkness ink but can not find a watercolor paper that works with the ink. The ink is not waterproof on all of the watercolor papers that I have tried !After some research, I find that the ink is waterproof on plain copy paper; but that paper is too thin and wrinkles up when watercolor is applied.Would you please let me know the correct combination of fountain pen ink and drawing paper so the dark ink lines do not run and the paper holds it's shape and doesn't wrinkle after the watercolor is applied?ThanksWilliam May
Wish I'd seen this before I got Yasutomo Sumi Ink which was listed as waterprood but is not. Fortunately I saw it before I ordered the Kuretake 60 which was my second choice. Would have had the same problem twice!
I have speedball super black ink, I really like it but after months of use and being almost empty, it's too thick and gets difficult to flow or even clean the nib. Is dr ph martins hi carb ink a good substitute for this? I really need a waterproof ink, since I paint over with watercolour. Please give your opinion on this Teoh- just a dip pen friendly, easy to clean, good flow, waterproof, deep deep black ink ? Is it too much to ask..;)
Very helpful! Thanks ! Love from France, Marjorie