Platinum Carbon Black: Fountain Pen Ink Review
Platinum Carbon Black is slightly different than conventional fountain pen ink because it is pigmented instead of dye-based. This waterproof, pigment-based carbon ink is highly regarded by artists and is ideal for brush pens and fountain pens used on paper where you need ink to dry on the surface instead of soaking in. Read on to learn our impressions below!
Ink Review
Supplies Used:
- LAMY AL-star with medium steel nib
- Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, 80g white paper
- Tomoé River 52 gsm white paper
- Leuchtturm1917 80g notebook
Smear Test (Dry Time):
- 30+ seconds – We found this ink to be pretty wet writing, taking 30+ seconds for the ink to dry on Rhodia 80g paper.
Drip Test (Water Resistance):
- High – Artists favor this ink for its waterproof properties, making it an excellent option for line work to wash over.
Saturation:
- High – From Swabs 1 to 3, this ink stays impressively dark, and not much variation is noticed.
Ease of Cleaning:
- Low – While water resistant as long as it's not left in the pen for extended periods, for this reason, it does require more maintenance to clean or keep flowing in most pens we use.
Shading:
- Low – This is a pretty solid black with no difference in loops or crossed letters.
Flow:
- Wet – Along with longer dry times, this ink goes down readily onto the paper, and with the Medium LAMY nib, it has a smooth, consistent flow.
Packaging and Aesthetics:
- The 60ml glass bottle comes with a built-in ink reservoir. It is effortless to fill from the bottle.
If you're interested in similar colors, check out our Swab Shop, where you can compare shades side by side.
Summary:
This is an incredibly dark black ink with a slight matte finish on most papers. It was smooth and wet while writing and is definitely one of the more water-resistant inks out there. It's a great addition to the Platinum ink lineup.
This color is available in bottles, samples, and cartridges.
