Noodler's Iraqi Indigo

June 20, 2008

REVIEW: NOODLER’S IRAQI INDIGO (Bulletproof)

The photographs are of a sample written with a Waterman Carene (fine nib) on 80gsm recycled paper. I cap my pens when not writing so cannot comment on how the ink starts up after a leaving the pen uncapped for a few minutes. The review includes a nib creep rating. I am not worried about nib creep unless the ink creeps onto the section or leaks into the cap and I’ve not had this problem with any of the Noodler’s inks I’ve tried. The reason for including this rating is to inform those of you with differing views on nib creep.

General comments:

Great ink. Not eye popping, but a nice, subdued violet that is really well suited for use on official documents. This ink and Legal Lapis have very similar properties. I have used this ink in my WM Carene, Expert II and Hemisphere all with fine nibs.

Colour:

Medium saturation, doesn’t pop off the page. An interesting effect I notice more in the Expert than in the other pens is that when the ink first lays down it is nearly blue and changes to its purple colour as it dries. This ink and Legal Lapis have become my favourite inks around the office.

Ink flow:

Very reliable. All my pens have a fine nib, but (just like Legal Lapis) this ink lays down a thicker line in my Expert. I have not tried swapping converter cartridges so can’t draw any conclusions about why this might be. It’s a brand new Expert so the nib is in pristine condition.

Dry time:

Fast drying ink.

Nib creep:

Moderate-heavy in Carene and Hemisphere. Iraqi Indigo ink never crept onto the section nor did it leak into the cap, even when travelling. Nib creep in the Expert was minor. Given that the ink flowed more generously in this pen I was somewhat surprised at getting less nib creep.

Start up:

Excellent. It starts up easily and reliably even after the pen has not been used for several days.

Bleedthrough:

No bleedthrough with this ink.

June 20, 2008

Thank you for the review, Harry! Iraqi Indigo/Violet Vote is a favorite of mine; I need to invest in the 4.5oz bottle. (I'm also a fan of Legal Blue, the Art Brown exclusive, which is bluer than Legal Lapis.)

July 21, 2008

Here are the results of the water- and alcohol resistance testing of this ink:

Water test: 30 seconds under running water followed by 30 minute soak.

Alcohol test: conducted after water test by wiping wet page with alcohol soaked swab.

Result: Iraqi Indigo is completely waterproof and no further ink was released by the alcohol swab.

July 21, 2008

thank you - i like that one

i am also more a fan of subdued colours

July 21, 2008

It would be nice to know, how that ink compares to Noodler's Ink Socrates.

June 3, 2010

this one's now in my "must get" list!!

June 3, 2010

This is one of my favorite inks. It's been very well behaved for me. To wit: It doesn't smell funny. It doesn't stain most (non-cellulose) surfaces. It rinses out of pens easily. It withstands long exposure to sunlight without fading. It's quite shelf-stable and doesn't tend to deteriorate in the bottle. It's not a really vivid color; it's a bit subdued and dignified compared with some other purples, but at the same time it's distinctive and couldn't be mistaken for any other purple ink that I've seen.

Taken all together, Iraqi Indigo has been perhaps the most reliable and trouble-free of the "bulletproof" inks that I've used.

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/iraqi_indigo.jpg

June 4, 2010

This is one of my favorite inks. It's been very well behaved for me. To wit: It doesn't smell funny. It doesn't stain most (non-cellulose) surfaces. It rinses out of pens easily. It withstands long exposure to sunlight without fading. It's quite shelf-stable and doesn't tend to deteriorate in the bottle. It's not a really vivid color; it's a bit subdued and dignified compared with some other purples, but at the same time it's distinctive and couldn't be mistaken for any other purple ink that I've seen.

Taken all together, Iraqi Indigo has been perhaps the most reliable and trouble-free of the "bulletproof" inks that I've used.

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/iraqi_indigo.jpg

thx, tony! i hadn't seen it before, til' your post about purple inks in the inky-thoughts sub-forum.