I bought a bottle of Aurora Black ink and I like it. But I find that its too wet? doesnt dry as fast as Id like I think. Is there an ink that doesnt write as wet? I'm not really sure if thats the correct wording since I'm kinda new to fountain pens. Thanks.
Need help with finding a nice, dark, dry? ink
- Thread starter joeboom
- Start date
My first thought is that you need an iron gall ink. They tend to write drier than a lot of inks and are usually very well behaved on the page in terms of dry time, feathering, and show through. There is a drawback. Until very recently I hesitated in using these inks because I mostly have steel nib pens and iron gal ink is at least potentially destructive to such pens. It is thought that modern iron gall inks aren't likely that destructive, but it is possible that if you have a beloved steel nibbed pen the ink would eventually damage it. It is also true that iron gall inks require more regular flushing to preclude clogging.
Private Reserve has a few inks formulated specifically to dry quickly. Noodler's used to have many but I think due to the closure of Chuck Swisher's store (he was a lefty and commissioned several private label quick dry inks) Noodler's may be down to Bernanke Black and Bernanke Blue in quick dry formulation. It is my understanding that increased feathering is a chance you take if you combine fast dry ink with lousy paper.
Private Reserve has a few inks formulated specifically to dry quickly. Noodler's used to have many but I think due to the closure of Chuck Swisher's store (he was a lefty and commissioned several private label quick dry inks) Noodler's may be down to Bernanke Black and Bernanke Blue in quick dry formulation. It is my understanding that increased feathering is a chance you take if you combine fast dry ink with lousy paper.
Nathan actually has a pretty funny video where he shows Bernanke blue and Bernanke Black where he scribbles some lines and then immediately beats the heck out of the paper to show it will not smudge.
My go to dark inks that I have not had an issue with in any pens I have used are Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and 5 O'clock shadow. Usually have one of those in a pen somewhere in the house.
How quick it dries also depends on what size nib you are using, and paper of course.
My go to dark inks that I have not had an issue with in any pens I have used are Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and 5 O'clock shadow. Usually have one of those in a pen somewhere in the house.
How quick it dries also depends on what size nib you are using, and paper of course.
Parker Quink dries fast and has good flow.
Pelikan Brilliant Black fits the bill but you might want to look at the pen/paper combination.
One thing to keep in mind is that the drier your ink is the scratchier your pen will feel. Wet ink acts as a lubricant. Paper type makes a huge difference too...I actually find that cheaper more absorbent paper helps my ink dry faster. The fancier Rhodia or Clairefontaine paper takes longer to dry because of the texture/coating.
Last edited:
Agreed on both. The video is hilarious! And HOD and 5 O'clock shadow are great dark inks that I have no problems with.
- Thread starter
- #9
Thanks for the recommendations. Its been a busy month so I havent been online much but thanks all for the help!
I use Parker Quink black, and it flows well, dries fairly rapidly and is good and dark.
