Ink 13: Platinum

By Chas Wallace

Platinum is the name of the company, Japanese, and in the Ridge Walker's opinion they make some of the finest fountain pens on the planet. As has been mentioned before, it seems requisite that companies that make fountain pens also make ink to put into them. This is the twelfth black ink I have tested and this is enough to start to come out with a framework. Here is what I see:

The black inks can be sorted into four buckets this far.

Black Black - This is a group of inks that come closest to being truly black. All others are therefore possessed of some shading. So far Noodlers, Private Reserve Ultra Black, and Sailor Black are in this group
Cool Black - These are the group of inks that are cool in color which means they have a very slight blue or yellow tint to them. Waterman and J Herbin are the two colors in this group so far.
Gray Black - These inks have the look of dark putty, dark slate. Generally they are fully saturated and when shown on the page have the slightest appearance of translucence to them. I have mentioned before that I like this look because it gives an immediate "aged" look, like it has been lying around for years. Interestingly all the inks in this group are Japanese; Sailor, Namiki, and Platinum. This should make you stop and pause for a moment. It did me. Is this an aesthetic that is unique to Japanese? In terms of Saturation, Sailor is the darkest, followed by Platinum which is a shade lighter, followed by Namiki which is a shade lighter still.
Red Black - There really is no other way to describe it. Mont Blanc has a decidedly reddish tint to in.

As I have previously mentioned the black ink one would choose, unless you make your measure one of value as in, "bang for the buck," is largely a personal preference. I wouldn't have known where I came out on this until I was well into this project. I have to admit though that the Gray Black inks are very appealing to me, which is unfortunate as they are a bit pricier than the others. Having said that I could also easily get behind the Black Black simply because it is the ultimate in terms of "Blackness."

Platinum is a very fine ink, even if it does come in an itty bitty bottle. The color, as I mentioned above, is exquisite. It flows well in a fine point fountain pen and will dry quickly on the paper. If I were to gift you with a bottle you would be honored. Having said that, the bottle itself is a bit garish. I like the lines but the label is something I would just as soon turn around towards the wall. Then again, I'm not buying the label. I'm buying the bottle and the very fine ink that goes inside.