Ink Review #1640: Van Dieman's Devil Black

Today’s black ink is Van Dieman’s Devil Black. This ink is available in 30ml bottles at most retailers, including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Devil Black is a dark neutral black.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Vanishing Point and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of black sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

*For my writing samples I use:

• EF, F, M, and B Pilot Vanishing Points

• Vintage Mabie Todd Swan (flex nib)

• Rhodia Goalbook

• Taroko Enigma notebooks (68gsm TR)

• Leuchtturm A5

• Pen & Gear Paper from Walmart

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: no shading, low sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there was a little bit of bleeding and feathering.

Comparison Swabs:

Devil Black is pretty close to Van Dieman’s Abyss. Click here to see the black inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 823 Smoke with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a nice wet flow.

Overall, this is an okay black, but for some reason I can’t quite quantify I just don’t love it. It behaves fine, it’s just not a must-have for me.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.