Ink tests
I have tried out the inks I ordered from Goulet pens some weeks ago (see earlier post) , and came to the conclusion that Platinum Carbon Black is going to cause a slight revolution in my drawing habits. There actually is an ink that is black, can be used in a fountain pen AND that I can splash watercolour over without dissolving the lines and smudging the colours. And I´m able to paint over the lines almost immediately after drawing. Heaven!
Platinum Pigmented Sepia is nice too, a light brown shade, very nice to draw with. It does dissolve a tiny little bit when washed over with watercolours, but little enough that I can live with it. The rest of the ink samples I got were not for me. Beautiful colours, nice behavior in the fountain pens, and perhaps even possible to paint over – but not immediately. I hate waiting for ink to dry!
Check out the images below to see how the inks behaved with watercolour. Click them if you want to see the details better, they are quite big. The text is in Swedish, but it´s mostly nonsense, so don´t ask for a translation. ; )
They say with pigmented inks (such as Platinum Carbon black) you have to take better care of your fountain pens, since the ink has a tendency to clog the pen if you leave it unused for some time. I have tried the Carbon black in both my Lamy Safaris and a Noodler´s Flex Nib pen since April 20th, sometimes leaving the pens unused for several days with ink in them. With the Lamys I have had no problems whatsoever (my darling Lamys…), while the Noodler´s pen has dried up twice. However, I only had to rinse the nib under running water (without disassembling the pen, just putting the nib under the tap) and wipe it off and it worked just fine again. I don´t know if this has to do with how airtight the pen cap is, or how the pen feed is constructed, or whatever. I am just saying: be a little careful with your pens with these inks. I´m going to give mine a rinse every time I refill the converter.
But still. Waterproof black fountain pen ink, huh? : )
Hi Nina,
Thanks for this very informative review. Yes this Carbon ink is indeed a revolution. Amazing how it stacks up with all other inks in your test! Though I have not used it on anything except the Carbon pen. Good to know it works on the Noodlers Flex without issues. Love to see some of your sketches using the flex pen. I have been trying to get back to drawing, and loved the dip pen India Ink combination, but the maintenance and setup usually means less chances of sketching. Now I think this is a great combination a nice flex fountain pen and an amazing waterproof ink.
Btw, I love your style. Simply beautiful. Its so inspiring to look at a picture made directly using ink.
–GS
Thanks, GS. Your comment made me curious of the Carbon pen, which I had never heard of before. I found a great review on it on your blog – thank you!
I’ve been waiting to see if you results would mirror mine and they do! I have found that the Carbon Black is wonderful for sketching and then painting over. I did note if I hit it with water right away, it will bleed, but give it 30 seconds and you’re good to go! I haven’t yet put the ink into anything other than a no-name fountain pen until I see just how prone to drying out it really is. Don’t want to ruin my favorites!
Now I need to try the pigmented Sepia! Thanks, Nina, for the info!!
Thanks Laure! Probably wise to try the ink in less expensive pens first, yes… I’m thinking this should probably work in any fountain pen, though, as long as you use it all the time.
Yes I really like the sepia, it does bleed a tiny little bit, but as I wrote – little enough that I can live with it. It’s warm shade does not turn yellow wc into green mud, and that pretty much makes a little bleeding ok for me.
this is really helpful, thank you. I have been trying to find an alternative to a dip pen and ink, but I’m not familiar with fountain pens. I get frustrated with online pen shops not showing drawing or writing examples of the pen’s qaulities.
My problem is finding a pen that has the variation in line width like the traditional dip pen nibs. I am waiting on an order for something called the Ackerman Pump Pen from the states. I think it is like those water vessel pens with a brush, but you can attach your own nibs and I can fill it with indian ink. Anyway, thanks again.
Oh Meegan, please let me know – via email or simply a comment here on the blog – what you think of the Ackerman pen! I am soo curious about that thing, but having read both positive and very negative reviews on it, I haven’t yet dared to order one…
will do. there has been a serious delay in receiving my pens. i believe it was just a side business for the guy who developed it, and he has been inundated with large orders. so will get back to you once I receive it and test it out. cheers!
Thank you for posting the results of your tests! I ordered some samples from Goulet Pens after reading your previous post when you received yours, but I haven’t got around to testing them yet. I got 3 ‘bulletproof’ Noodler’s ones, but the others are not waterproof as I want to try using them with a waterbrush – not IN the brush, but using them with a pen and then using the water brush to shade the lines as Jan Olsen does here: http://jan777.blogspot.com/2010/01/ink-wash-color-tests.html
I have had a Platinum Carbon pen for a few weeks. I have tried to use it at least a little every day to prevent clogging, but some days I only write a few words or nothing at all. So far, it hasn’t dried up at all. My DH has the equivalent brush pen, but he hasn’t put a cartidge into it yet. I don’t have the bottled ink yet, so I haven’t been able to try it in other pens or with a dip pen. I like the way the Carbon pen writes. I like a fine nib, and it is fine enough for me. Of course, it doesn’t have the line variation which Meegan needs. I want to get a Noodler’s flex pen when Goulet Pens have them again.
I’m interested in your results with the Platinum sepia ink. I think that has to go on my wish list too!
Thanks for the info, and the link to Jan´s ink tests – some really beautiful ink colours in there. And the Sepia IS nice, I just ordered a sample, but I think I might order a bottle next time.
Nina, Thank you for this fascinating review. I have become so spoiled by my Lexington Gray ink (that I found out about from you), that everything else is a disappointment. Noodler’s Bulletproof Black not only runs (a bit) but smears if you erase over it, plus it clogs up my Lami. Since using Lexington Gray I have become entrenched in the lazy habit of letting my pen sit for days (or weeks?), then picking it up and expecting a perfect line. I am so excited that I have some more options to try now. Thanks again for the great info!!
Glad you like the Lexington grey, I still think it is nice, I like it a lot. But right now I´m really into drawing with black lines with my fountain pens, I haven´t done that in a very long time. : ) I never had my Lamys clogged by Bulletproof black, that sounds weird…
Nina,
I’ve used Carbon Platinum ink in all my fountain pens for years and I’ve never had any problem, even after leaving them idle for months. This includes, Lamy Safari, Waterman Phileas, Hero, and Rotring pens. I first learned of Carbon Platinum ink from Russell Stutler.
http://www.stutler.cc/other/sketchbook/sketchbook.html
The only problem is that I have to order the ink from Japan. I’m not aware of a local supplier.
Thanks for sharing your research.
Good to hear that you had no problems with this ink – sounds hopeful! : )
About suppliers, I don´t know exactly where you live, I´m just guessing USA, and in that case, how about Goulet pens – http://www.gouletpens.com/, or Jet pens – http://www.jetpens.com/?
Interesting tests and findings
Hej Nina!
Var Platinum Carbon black så bra i verkligheten som det ser ut som på dina tester?
Jag hoppas på det för då beställer jag direkt.
Tack så mycket för att du har tagit dig tid till att testa.
MVH
Måns
Hej Måns!
Jag tycker nog det är så bra som det ser ut här. Har testat det på några olika papper, och det verkar funka lika bra på alla. Kolla gärna på kaktusblomman och köksutsikten (i några tidigare bloggposter), där har jag använt Carbon black och vattenfärg. Färgen smutsades ingenstans av bläcket. Jag känner mig helt nöjd hittills. : )
Good to know! I may finally try one out.
I hope you like it if you do, Pete!
Nina, thank you for this! Definitely will try the Sepia, I’ve been looking for one to use in my fountain pens forever! I do use Platinum Carbon Black and like it very much but I’ve found you need to stir or shake the bottle from time to time or the carbon kind of jells or settles! Worth it, though…
And yep, sometimes if it’s too thick, the paper’s heavily sized, it’s cold or humid out, I have to wait a bit to paint over it, but it’s not bad.
Interestingly, Lexington gray ink looks charcoal gray in my Lamy and almost black in my Waterman Phileas. Nifty…
Thanks for your input, Kate – really good to know! I know, some inks look completely different in different pens! I like Lexington grey best as grey, though. : )
Nina, on the topic of inks, is there a good “washable” (non-waterproof) Brown that you would recommend? I had a chance to use some old Rotring Brilliant Brown cartridges , it is “pure” brown.. no shades of red, green etc.. It is so great to use a waterbrush over the ink drawing to produce very nice monochrome washes. wondering if there is a similar brown out there which is easily available in bottles.
I don´t really have any suggestions there, GS, since I don´t usually work that way. I liked the effect watercolour had on the Noodler´s Brown in this test, though. But I can´t remember if I ordered just the “normal” brown or Eternal brown… The regular kind should be more washable, I guess.
Nina, thanks for your note. I will continue my search for this elusive brown
Nina, terrific overview of the inks you tested. I have one more question about the depth of colour of the Platinum Carbon. Photos are always deceptive and here it looks lighter than several other blacks and I’d like a really dark, dark black. I tested quite a few and found Aurora Noire the darkest for writing but not good for drawing.
Thanks Zoe! I´m not sure about the “blackness” of the Carbon ink, I´m used to working with Lexington grey, so to me it is ultra jet black. I can´t really tell if it is lighter or darker than other black inks. But I am sure there is a forum thread about black inks at http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/.
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I’ve been a member of the Fountain Pen Network for quite some time but they didn’t seem to have the answer to my question. I ordered some of this ink, and will see how black it is soon enough, good or bad.