None. None more black.
[/end obligatory Spinal Tap reference]
I toned down my CB-4 reference for fear some folks might not get it and would get offended.
blacker than Duncan hills coffee?
My wife once had a job working at the local art supply house. She had a fellow ask for a black pen. “Sure, we have several.” He tried them and said, “These aren’t black!” and left in a huff.
It was an epiphany. She was in the wrong business.
blacker than the blackest black… times infinity
I prefer their Air Corps blue-black ink, though that one is listed as only “partially” bulletproof.
I’ve been happier with faber-castel carbon black. Seems to flow better, and suitably dark. “Document proof”, whatever that means - I haven’t run it under water or anything extreme.
But how is it for dip pens?
I’m probably barking up the wrong tree. Dip pens can write with just about anything, but I haven’t found a black ink I really love.
For purists, try mixing pine soot, oil lamp soot, donkey gelatin and musk. That will leave a mark on a medium for a fair amount of centuries.
I love Noodler’s Bulletproof Walnut ink. It’s a nice rich brown with a red fringe on the bleed (depending on the paper, or course) that gives lettering a luxurious textured look.
Too bad my handwriting is still no better than a childish scrawl.
It jumps off the page and slaps you when you try to write with it? Seriously, what a weird phrase.
‘That,’ he said, ‘that… is really bad for the eyes…’
Ford looked. He too stood astonished.
It was a ship of classic, simple design, like a flattened salmon, twenty yards long, very clean, very sleek. There was just one remarkable thing about it.
‘It’s so… black!’ said Ford Prefect, ‘you can hardly make out its shape… light just seems to fall into it!’
Zaphod said nothing. He had simply fallen in love.
The blackness of it was so extreme that it was almost impossible to tell how close you were standing to it.
‘Your eyes just slide off it…’ said Ford in wonder. It was an emotional moment. He bit his lip.
Winsor & Newton Black. It’s completely, perfectly black. Black-hole black. Like all their drawing inks (dip only, not usable in fountain pens), it’s basically lacquer, so it’s one hundred per cent waterproof, sits slightly raised on the page (which is pleasant to the touch), and dries quickly. You need this.
And if you like coloured ink, which I do, they make over twenty colours, and you can intermix them to your heart’s content to make a personalized ink (teal! oxblood! silver blue!). Half-ounce bottles, very inexpensive, very worth it.
Noodler’s Bulletproof Eel Black for me! Whatever they put in the “Eel” line makes it nice and smooth if you prefer a really fine nib (EF for me!).
And for fountain pen folks, here’s a link to the Noodler’s color swatch page:
http://noodlersink.com/noodlers-ink-color/
donkey gelatin
I very seldom cook donkey. would there be any discernible difference if I were to use chicken gelatin?
I am very pleased that this is the first comment. As obvious as it may be, it is, indeed, obligatory.
The Order of the Seekers For Truth and Penitence would like to know if it is just a very black black, or actually blacker than black? This will significantly affect whether stains are an issue or not…
There may be schmaltz differences in the emulsion.
Is anyone else side-eyeing the name of the product in relation to Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella of the same name? Especially considering the jungle scene on the label?
