good black for backing

[Bunyip]

GA Grape is pretty much black for the purposes of backing too, although it transmit purple, it's very dense. I've used it in a pinch.

[Venbead]

raven fine frit for me
onyx is very nice too

[Venbead]

how about tag's blackjack?

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by dlando1

I love the Asian black I get from ABR. Melts easily, doesn't bubble and it's inexpensive!

A couple words of warning about the Asian black...

It doesn't work well with other colors over it. I used it to back some marbles, and whatever colors I put over top of it bled into the black and the edges became all fuzzy.

Also, I've had compatibility problems with larger marbles. I've had it shear off the black in one clean piece on three different marbles. I've talked to others who have had similar problems.

Those two reasons are why I don't use it any more...

[gmkcpa]

The last few beads I made using a base of asian black from ABR all cracked on me.

[Arcane Glass]

TAG's Blackjack is a really nice and smooth self striking black.

[e. mort]

Jet is really stiff, but pretty good. However, I have had chalky boily stuff show up inside the rods from time to time.

I used to swear by GA Black Violet, but I have been getting more and more rods with bubbles in them so I have stopped ordering it. I hate laying down a backing on a large marble only to have a line of bubbles show up. Or to have them start rising to surface after I have already put my pinwheels on.

[Onekura]

just to share this with everyone - the best black I found was TAG Nightrider - easy to work and very forgiving - stays black and melts in easy - awesome as backing for fuming - makes the colors pop . . . . hope to get more soon . . . .

[gmarv]

i like momka,s black rose too seems easy enough to work.

[fourpawsglass]

Onyx and ninja

[Baywinger]

I like the GA Raven but my favorite black is TAG Black Elvis flows very well and stays black.

[Juln]

Yeah, it's really a tossup. They all have tradeoffs...

The faux blacks like Onyx and Walnut work very nicely, but aren't quite black. Walnut's brown, Onyx is green.

The dark transparents like Dark Amethyst, Black Violet and so on work well in some applications, but not where they're thinned out or can transmit light. Black Elvis and the other striking/self striking blacks are nice, but can be transparent other colors if thinned out, too. I haven't tried some of the new ones, but I used to like NS Sable.

The dark blacks like Jet Black, Ninja, Black Blue or Obsidian are dense, very black and generally opaque, but are stiff and need to be worked in an oxidizing flame to prevent cobalt reduction, more so than the other types.

I've probably missed a few but basically, as everyone else notes above, it's hard to find a perfect, all-around boro black.

[LarryC]

When I started Making marbles I was using NS Jet Black but it is very stiff and hard to work with so I switched to NS Dark Amethyst and it is really nice as long as it is not thinned out too much.

[Onekura]

this TAG nightrider is the most awesome black of them all - fume some silver over the top and you never use an other black again - the silver over nightrider will give you those electric blues - I am hooked - - - and it is not stiff and it tolerates any kind of flame - It just won't discolor