Which Noodler's Bulletproof?

[sirgrunthos]

I love Noodler's Bulletproof inks, but lately have found it difficult to find them all listed in one place. For example, some of the "Eternal" inks are considered to have Bulletproof qualities, as are the Polars. Some of the newer ones are listed alone, like Bad Blue Heron. It gets frustrating to visit resellers and see their wonderful collection of Noodler's, subdivided by color, but not have a clue whether they have Bulletproof qualities or not -- especially the proprietary colors. Some sites like Pendamonium do a good job of listing qualities of most of the choices, but some are still missing. The Noodler's site doesn't give much specific help either.

 

Anyway, I'd like to find a nice blackish or brownish red (Tiananmen is nice, but I don't think it's Bulletproof; Fox Red is slightly lighter than what I had in mind, but may be a choice because it is Bulletproof) that is permanent.

 

Any help? Please!!!

 

Jerry

[Pictrix]

You may be able to get what you're after by mixing some of the fox red (which is bulletproof) with some noodler's bulletproof black. Start with 20:1 (fox:black), adding more black little by little till you get the desired shade.

 

Some types of inks can react with each other causing precipitates or clogging... so be careful mixing inks together from different brands (and in the case of noodler's-- I'd be careful with some of the "specialty" inks)

 

I've mixed these two colors successfully myself-- to get various shades from a darker red to brown to red-black.

 

There's a great thread pinned on the forum here about ink mixing, be sure to check it out! Lots of information on known "incompatible mixes" and all kinds of other ideas and tips.

 

Sometimes you can't quite get what you're after straight out of the bottle... doing a little mixing can get what you want when other options aren't available (or are sold out/out of stock!)

 

--Carol

[Ink Stained Wretch]

You have a number of options. One is to see if Noodler's Red/Black ink works for you. The black component is bulletproof.

 

And mixing your own is a good idea, it also gives you a lot of options. I tend to mix a small amount of a bulletproof or eternal ink with a larger amount of a non-bulletproof ink.

 

You could get some Noodler's Red and start mixing that with Noodler's Black. It'd be less expensive than mixing Fox Red with Noodler's Black.

 

You could also explore Nikita/Black combinations and maybe even some of the browns. There are a whole lot of possible combinations among the Noodler's inks, and you're not restricted to those. I'm currently enjoying a brown ink mixture that's a 4:1 = Visconti Brown : Eternal Brown combination. I have had no problems with this mixture at all.

 

I also regularly use a mixture of Noodler's Red with the Swisher Pens exclusive Red Devil, which is eternal.

 

So experimenting a bit could give you exactly what you want.

[sirgrunthos]

Thank you for the suggestions regarding mixing. I must confess that I'll save this as a last resort due to laziness, but I'm glad it's an option. Am I correct in understanding that the red component is pretty much not bulletproof?

 

Jerry

 

Oops, I just realized that Fox Red is bulletproof. It's interesting, sometimes you read that the reds are the first to succumb to chemical attack . . .

Edited November 8, 2009 by sirgrunthos

[Randal6393]

Bulletproof means resistant to check forging, bleaching, UV light, etc. Seems to be dependent on how avidly the ink binds to cellulose. So wouldn't particularly be dependent on color or hue of ink.

 

Heartily recommend choosing four good reds that might work for you and seeing if you can get them in a Pear Tree Pens sampler.

 

Enjoy,

[txinsk]

Be careful here. Bulletproof and eternal are not the same. Eternal will not accidentally be removed nor should it be removed by normal processes (i.e. sunlight). Eternal inks can be removed by intentional means. Bulletproof is designed to frustrate check scams and other possible frauds that involve removing ink and replacing it with something different.

 

To note: the polar inks are labeled bulletproof. The label on the ink will tell you if it is or is not bulletproof. As for a list available on the internet, sorry, I want one too.

[nicolasbdive]

Agreed, I'd like to be privy to that comprehensive list too, nevertheless I intend to continue trying offerings from both the bulletproof and eternal lines from Noodler's. I've been quite happy so far, zero disappointments...

Edited November 8, 2009 by nicolasbdive

[tfwall]

Agreed, I'd like to be privy to that comprehensive list too, nevertheless I intend to continue trying offerings from both the bulletproof and eternal lines from Noodler's. I've been quite happy so far, zero disappointments...

 

I think there is only one person who can supply you with that. A few years back we tried to compile a comprehensive list, with Hana supervising and maintaining it. It turned out then (2+ yrs ago) to be pretty much impossible. Every time we thought we had them all, someone would come up with a SE ink from a pen show or some new distributor in a far away land would turn up with a bunch of exclusive colours. We topped out at around 300 unique inks and based on what I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised if the number is twice that today.

 

Also, as some posters have rightly pointed out, the terminology underwent a change a few years back and terms like "Eternal" showed up, along with vaguer terms like "resists water". That geometrically increased the information that had to be kept track of.

 

So, to make a long story short, I don't think you will find a comprehensive list.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Thank you for the suggestions regarding mixing. I must confess that I'll save this as a last resort due to laziness, but I'm glad it's an option. Am I correct in understanding that the red component is pretty much not bulletproof?

Yes, in Noodler's Red/Black the red is not even waterproof. Of course this makes it a tamper-evident ink.

[Crim]

What about the ones labeled as "Near Bullet Proof" in the review section? It would really help if the Noodler's site listed which ones where Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, Water Proof etc...

 

It's weird though. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why people still use checks. Here in China nobody uses them (probably because it would just eat up paper). But I can see the benefits with BP inks for thinks like contracts and such.

[JakobS]

Thank you for the suggestions regarding mixing. I must confess that I'll save this as a last resort due to laziness, but I'm glad it's an option. Am I correct in understanding that the red component is pretty much not bulletproof?

 

Jerry

 

Oops, I just realized that Fox Red is bulletproof. It's interesting, sometimes you read that the reds are the first to succumb to chemical attack . . .

 

If you read Nathan's definition of Bulletproof in his "Noodler's Benefits" section on his webpage, he talks about the overall strength of bulletproofness of each general color, mentioning that red is prone to more fading when exposed to strong bleaches than other colors are, and will fade to a yellow under such conditions. Hope this helps!

[Ink Stained Wretch]

What about the ones labeled as "Near Bullet Proof" in the review section? It would really help if the Noodler's site listed which ones where Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, Water Proof etc...

 

It's weird though. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why people still use checks. Here in China nobody uses them (probably because it would just eat up paper). But I can see the benefits with BP inks for thinks like contracts and such.

I use checks because I want to control my money. I don't want to have to hope that the E-mail announcing that a certain amount of money will be taken out of my bank account, in lieu of a check, doesn't end up in a spam trap somewhere. I don't want to forget about a bill and have huge bank charges levied against me for forgetting and "bouncing" a charge.

 

And then there's the problem of the bank getting hacked and the records getting destroyed. I'd like to have some paper that will back up my claim as to how much money I had in that bank account.

[Pictrix]

I use checks because I want to control my money. I don't want to have to hope that the E-mail announcing that a certain amount of money will be taken out of my bank account, in lieu of a check, doesn't end up in a spam trap somewhere. I don't want to forget about a bill and have huge bank charges levied against me for forgetting and "bouncing" a charge.

 

And then there's the problem of the bank getting hacked and the records getting destroyed. I'd like to have some paper that will back up my claim as to how much money I had in that bank account.

 

Oh yes! Call me an old fogie. Receipts for debit cards are too easy to lose or misplace.

I'll be writing checks till they force me to stop. I don't trust the plastic.

 

In fact, earlier this year my bank discovered their processor had a major data breach. They didn't publicize it: they just disabled the potentially-affected cards without warning and my kid got a letter in the mail a few days later. 3 weeks after that, she finally got a replacement card. I told her to make sure she had some printed checks on hand... she didn't listen.(She has printed checks NOW--and walmart will still cash a check. The checks arrived 2 weeks before the replacement card.)

 

She's away at college and she was in a MAJOR bind because of it, as our bank does not have a branch where she goes to school.

[sirgrunthos]

FWIW, I originally thought the terms "bulletproof" and "eternal" had been provided by Nathan T. to describe Noodlers inks. And, originally, as now, I would have been happy with just a listing of the Noodler Bulletproof inks. So instead of several hundred, does this now become a more manageable number?

 

Jerry

 

P.S. To make matters worse, I've just noticed some vendors using the terms "eternal" and "bulletproof" together, as if interchangeable.

Edited November 9, 2009 by sirgrunthos

[Mille]

What about the ones labeled as "Near Bullet Proof" in the review section? It would really help if the Noodler's site listed which ones where Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, Water Proof etc...

 

It's weird though. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why people still use checks. Here in China nobody uses them (probably because it would just eat up paper). But I can see the benefits with BP inks for thinks like contracts and such.

 

I have also wondered why the US people seem to be so behind they still uses checks. Some kind of nostalgia and excuse to use fountian pens?

[Mille]

Be careful here. Bulletproof and eternal are not the same. Eternal will not accidentally be removed nor should it be removed by normal processes (i.e. sunlight). Eternal inks can be removed by intentional means. Bulletproof is designed to frustrate check scams and other possible frauds that involve removing ink and replacing it with something different.

 

To note: the polar inks are labeled bulletproof. The label on the ink will tell you if it is or is not bulletproof. As for a list available on the internet, sorry, I want one too.

 

But are all bulletproof inks also eternal?

[sarai]

What about the ones labeled as "Near Bullet Proof" in the review section? It would really help if the Noodler's site listed which ones where Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, Water Proof etc...

 

It's weird though. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why people still use checks. Here in China nobody uses them (probably because it would just eat up paper). But I can see the benefits with BP inks for thinks like contracts and such.

 

I have also wondered why the US people seem to be so behind they still uses checks. Some kind of nostalgia and excuse to use fountian pens?

 

 

If I remember correctly, it's nearly fifteen years since my bank stopped giving out checks. I was one of the last dinosaurus to start using debit/creditcard...

Edited November 9, 2009 by sarai

[Crim]

I'm still wondering about a list of Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, and Water-Resistant inks for Noodler's brand. Maybe we should write Nathan a letter and ask him to clarify?

 

Example... Noodler's Blue-Black is not listed as "Near BP" in the review section. But people in Henry Louis's review mention that it's Near BP.

 

Blue Ghost is listed only as Water-Proof. However, at least on my bottle of the

 

I have also wondered why the US people seem to be so behind they still uses checks. Some kind of nostalgia and excuse to use fountian pens?

 

I wouldn't say they're behind. Behind would be if they only had checks and didn't have debit cards in use. Most people use debit cards, some still use checks. Personally I don't like checks. It's just as easy for me to keep track of my money either way, but I like how the money comes out right away with a debit card. I can instantly see how much I have left in my bank after using it. Plus I do a lot of buying online, and I don't even really know if most online vendors would take a check. It's just so much easier to do it electronically. As long as you keep tabs on your internet banking you can see what's going on. I've also never had a problem with my bank statements ending up in my spam. But then again I use gmail and the spam filter is pretty good there.

[dizzypen]

Here is what we have in terms of a list of Waterproof ink. Nathan has introduced several new Bulletproof inks since this was last updated, but there you go.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I have also wondered why the US people seem to be so behind they still uses checks. Some kind of nostalgia and excuse to use fountian pens?

Checks for the monthly bills allow me to keep track of what's paid and what's not paid. Otherwise I'd have to trust both my landlord and my bank. I'd also have to trust my utility companies, which I've learned I cannot do.

 

So every month I get out the stack of bills, my checkbook and my Sheaffer Imperial IV that's filled with Noodler's Black ink and I write out those checks.

 

But some of those checks go to pay my credit card bills. So it's not as if I only use checks.

 

But are all bulletproof inks also eternal?

I think that all bulletproof inks are "eternal" but not all "eternal" inks are bulletproof. And I put quotes around eternal because nothing's really eternal. In 500 million to one billion years from now the Earth will dry out completely and in all likelihood everything that can burn will burn. In five billion years the sun will expand into a red giant star and the Earth will be incinerated. And if we're really unlucky and certain theories are right then in about 10³¹ years protons will be mostly gone and there won't be much left of that ink.

 

I'm still wondering about a list of Bullet Proof, Eternal, Near Bullet Proof, and Water-Resistant inks for Noodler's brand. Maybe we should write Nathan a letter and ask him to clarify?

 

Example... Noodler's Blue-Black is not listed as "Near BP" in the review section. But people in Henry Louis's review mention that it's Near BP.

The black component of Noodler's Blue/Black ink is Noodler's Black, which is bulletproof. When you soak Noodler's Blue/Black ink the blue washes away in nothing flat but the black stays just as pure Noodler's Black would. the difference being that there's less of that ink on the paper so it's grayer looking.

 

I think people have asked Nathan to give us a canonical list of his inks before, but I suspect that he's too busy producing and selling them to do so.

 

I have also wondered why the US people seem to be so behind they still uses checks. Some kind of nostalgia and excuse to use fountian pens?

I wouldn't say they're behind. Behind would be if they only had checks and didn't have debit cards in use. Most people use debit cards, some still use checks.

Credit cards are the big thing in America. I use credit cards all the time. It's really the only way to purchase anything on line. But when it comes time to pay off that credit card I want to use a check.

 

And just because one's E-mail seems stable now does not mean that it'll always be so. If an E-mail from a utility were to go astray and you didn't know it you could end up with insufficient funds in the account and both the utility and your bank will gleefully slap you with fees. The fact that they have a conflict of interest in this, they profit from gotchas, is another reason why I am not so trusting of them.

 

Also, my landlord sends a paper bill and it can only be paid with a check.