Noodlers Red Black

[TheNobleSavage]

http://img181.exs.cx/img181/4553/noodlersredblack6th.jpg

[Leslie J.]

When trying to create a burgundy ink, I noticed that just a tad too much of anything and you end up with mud. This one looks like a mud mix. Definitely doesn't have the character of Zhivago which is Green-black, right?

[wimg]

Hi NS,

 

It is a brown; red + black = brown. Again, I find the gradient of the ink colour while you're writing very interesting. But here it seems to be from top to bottom. I did notice myself (this ink is also in the collection at home ), that it has some shading characteristics, but I have never tried it out in a pen yet with which that really could be proven or disproven.

 

I'll do that soon enough, during the Easter holiday or so...

 

 

Hi Leslie,

 

This ink definitely does have character, IMO. I'll have to prove it though, I think .

 

Anyway, an interesting property of this ink is that the black in it is permanent Noodler's black. IOW, when it is dry and gets soaked, the red gets washed out, but the black stays...

 

 

Kind regards,

Wim

[KCat]

here's a sample of Red Black from my Academia which is slightly dry writing. I didn't snap that Noble Savage had drawn a comparison to Black Cherry as I did. I did fail to mention that I didn't like Black Cherry because the flow was stingy. This ink is not thus far.

 

http://www.ghg.net/schwerpt/founts/redblk.jpg

[Mike]

I just picked up a bottle of this from Pendemonium last week; forgive me if I don't post a scan of my thoughts written with the ink, as my handwriting is atrocious.

 

It *is* a dark reddish brown, very dark. When I blotted the first pen I filled (red Esterbrook) with a paper towel, the resulting blotches, when dry, look exactly like dried blood. Kinda creepy.

 

I got it for my wife, who wanted a really dark red that would never be mistaken for pink. As it is, she's happy with the ink, though it's not what she expected. I, who am typically very conservative in my ink colors (black, blue, and blue-black, heh) find the color quite unobjectionable.

 

My only complaint is the obscenely long drying time, even from a fine nib. On Clairfontaine paper, either their stationery or notebook paper, it took more than an hour to dry to the point it didn't smear to the touch. On Rhodia paper it took a mere ten minutes. As a lefty, this is mildly aggravating. On the other hand, it doesn't feather or bleed at all, and it dries in seconds on some papers (really cheap Mead notepad, Miquelrius journal, some 70/30 hemp/cotton paper I've got).

[wimg]

Hi Mike,

 

I didn't encounter your drying problems so far, I must say. What I also find, is that it has a fair amount of shading, for a brown ink anyway. With the right nib, it goes from light brown to a very dark sepia. I'll try to show a sample a bit later this week.

 

Regarding a nice red that can't be mistaken for pink, I'd suggest Ottoman Rose. I know it says rose, but it is normally a young claret in colour, with very nice shading, from a reddish rose, to a very darlkclaret wine colour.

 

Regarding drying times: Swisher does some special Noodler's with quick dry characteristics. Maybe something for you to check out.

 

Kind regards, Wim

[drmarkway]

Hi NS,

 

It is a brown; red + black = brown. Again, I find the gradient of the ink colour while you're writing very interesting. But here it seems to be from top to bottom. I did notice myself (this ink is also in the collection at home ), that it has some shading characteristics, but I have never tried it out in a pen yet with which that really could be proven or disproven.

 

I'll do that soon enough, during the Easter holiday or so...

 

 

Hi Leslie,

 

This ink definitely does have character, IMO. I'll have to prove it though, I think .

 

Anyway, an interesting property of this ink is that the black in it is permanent Noodler's black. IOW, when it is dry and gets soaked, the red gets washed out, but the black stays...

 

 

Kind regards,

Wim

I am still not familiar with this posting format, so please excuse any obvious errors.

 

I participated in a number of experiments at university measuring human sensory ability. The area that I had the most involvement with was human sight. I would have started a seperate thread, and might do anyway, but my thought bear directly upon this product.

 

Human ability to detect shades of color varies widely among individuals. Generally, visual acuity is traded for color discrimination. Put simply, if you can tell fire-orange from deep-orange you probably cannot distinguish if a ship has three masts or two at a mile's distance.

 

Weare all familiar to some degree with color blindness. Red-green is very different from yellow-red color blindness. Some nerve receptors are simply missing. There is a fascinating question, just what do they see? One woman that we worked with apparently saw no color really, only a muddy brown or sepia in grades. But who really can tell? Yellow-red colour blindness is another matter. All of us experience some degree of this as we do blue-green. For testing there are flip books. When you can no longer tell one page from another you have reached your limit. Bragging a bit, I went about as far as is possible, so my perceptions may not be like yours.

 

There is still another problem with ink perception that relates to chemistry rather than anatomy. If two like paints, one black and one red are combined we get brown, but when we mix red-stained water with black oil we do not get brown at all. This Noodler's ink is much like this last example.

 

I like the Noodler's Red-Black quite a bit. The dried effect is not unlike dried blood, (very familiar to me), but while a liquid the attributes are very different. When using a flexible nib especially, the color is a dark red when and where the pen moves swiftly, but when it slows, or during finials it nears a sort of black. When washing your hands all that is left is a bright crimson.

 

I believe that Noodlers HAS achieved a real Red-Black, although not all may be able to distinguish it from some brownish shade. The color/shade variations in use are very pleasing. I dislike a fountain pen that turns out a line that is not unlike a felt tip marker. Broad, non-stub nibs are not for this ink.

Edited December 4, 2009 by drmarkway

[Nib Joy]

I am a bit frustrated with this ink. I was hoping for more gradients in the shading, with the red and the black separate elements. I fancied a reddish middle with blackish outlines, but it mostly ends up solid brown in all the pens I've tried so far from fine to broad nibs. Brown is not bad, but I wanted something else. I have yet to try it on my dip pens so maybe that will yield more of the character and contrasts.

[lapis]

Mine is a real red-dark brown, or a reddish brown-black.

Has little character, IMO.

 

Mike

[Lloyd]

I totally agree with drmarkway. This is one of my long time favorites. In flexers, it looks red in the hairlines and black in the swells.

[Sholom]

At least on the Ampad papers, my Red-Brown sample changes color a lot as it dries, browner when wet and increasingly reddish over a day or two.

[Gran]

I tried some of this ink and found it a beautiful color, with the red quite prominent.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Gran

[flashvictor]

Mine is a real red-dark brown, or a reddish brown-black.

Has little character, IMO.

 

Mike

 

Completely agree!

 

Chris

[downwiththepc27]

I am a bit frustrated with this ink. I was hoping for more gradients in the shading, with the red and the black separate elements. I fancied a reddish middle with blackish outlines, but it mostly ends up solid brown in all the pens I've tried so far from fine to broad nibs. Brown is not bad, but I wanted something else. I have yet to try it on my dip pens so maybe that will yield more of the character and contrasts.

 

Mine is a real red-dark brown, or a reddish brown-black.

Has little character, IMO.

 

Mike

In my Lamy 2000 EF, Red-Black shades great. The even colored middle portions are a warm burgundy, sort of like the color of a nice brown leather wallet. Then wherever the nib is picked up, the ink pools and creates spots that are most definitely black or a very dark brown. The effect is even more pronounced on glossier papers that aren't very absorbent or quick driers. It's one of my favorite inks - on the right papers, it has an old antiquey look to it, and on everything else it's still really warm and inviting.

Edited December 18, 2009 by downwiththepc27

[Juicyjones]

I just bought a bottle of this and I love it. If you put something brown next to it, it's obviously not brown. Mine, on rhodia, dries deep dark red almost purple but notl quite. This is a color that curious person will stare at a long time. On my G.LALO Verge de France "Champagne" stationery this ink *does* look brown, but it dries into a super dignified color -- dark. It looks great IMO.

 

I am seriously considering trying it in and maybe using this for either my MB 31 or PFM kinda full-time.

 

My biggest problem with it is the nib creep. It's like my Pelikan 140 nib is painted with blood. I am actually concerned about filling this pen with it. This ink won't stain my pens will it?

Edited April 14, 2010 by Juicyjones

[adt475]

This ink won't stain my pens will it?

 

This is one of my favorite inks, but I am selective with which pens I use it. Remember, it does have a Red component, so staining is possible.

[Ed Ronax]

Nice review, am unsure if I like this ink or not will maybe have to get some and try it for myself.

[Russ]

I tried a bottle of RB, fearful that I would not like it, but rejoiced to find a complex ink. It works best in my dip nibs; the red-black contrast is quite noticeable with a flexy nib. The ink appears subtly different coming from different FP's. It's not an ink I use for official business, but it does get used regularly.

[bluemagister]

I use this in a Hero 616 and it's awesome!!

[shuuemura]

Thanks for the review. However, I wonder if I can get the same result by judiciously mixing portions of Sailor Red-Brown and Sailor Black.