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Noodler’s La Reine Mauve This ink could be the doomed sister of Kung Te-Cheng. They have the same distinct scent, viscosity, and behavior. The colour is not "mauve" in my book Ink comes in 1 oz/30 ml bottles and is thus more expensive, it's supposedly guillotine-proof, though I won't dare to test it, in the regard It isn’t as bad as I thought, but I won’t recommend to people who are not used to permanent inks. I recommend it for well-sealed pens that can be easily dismantled and cleaned, and dunked in a c leaning solution for 30 minutes. It is pen/nib/paper dependent. It bled through TR 68 gr/ Mnemosyne and copy paper with all nibs. It’s best for Midori, Rhodia and thick absorbent paper (like Peter Pauper) notebooks. I had to prime my pens a few times, but in general it was a pleasant writing experience. At one point I had to change my Kakuno’s EF nib to M. In Lamy it behaved reasonably well, I enjoyed journaling with a Stub as much as with the Ef nib. Let's start with the uninspiring chroma: Writing Samples: Note: this quote is apocryphal Photo: Comparison: Water test: and finally an artwork: La Reine Mauve inspired by a portrait of Marie-Antoinette: The background is Noodler's Socrates. · Pens used: Plilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B, 1.1), Osmiroid Copperplate nib · What I liked: Gorgeous colour, short drytimes. · What I did not like: Scent, and some flow issues and bleed through. · What some might not like: It stains and the scent can induce headaches. · Shading: None. · Ghosting: Yes, on copy/ TR 68gr/Mnemosyne papers · Bleed through: Same as above. · Flow Rate: Medium, viscous · Lubrication: Above average · Nib Dry-out: Not really. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Very · Shading Potential: Nope. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Didn’t look for it. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Didn’t notice. · Staining (pen): It stains be forewarned. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Not as bad as I thought. I rinsed and soaked with water and then let the feed/section rest in cleaning solution as a safe measure. · Water resistance: Excellent. · Availability: 1 oz, 30 ml bottle. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

Noodler’s Socrates This is a gorgeous purple, very wet but alas with long dry times on coated paper. Despite that, I enjoyed using it for sketching with a Japanese Ef or journaling in my Peter Pauper notebook with its thick absorbent paper. I would recommend it only with finer nibs on coated papers and with any nib on thick absorbent paper. It is surprisingly very well behaved on copy paper. Like most purples it has the tendency to stain clear sections, and I had to resort of a cleaning solution to clean my pen. This is pricier than the normal lineup of Noodler’s ink and I believe it was originally destined for the British Market. Let's start with the chroma: Writing Samples: While the scan shows ghosting, to the naked eye, there's none. Photo: Comparison: Water test: And finally some art work: Socrates and this was part of Inktober challenge, "old" · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B, 1.1), · What I liked: Very well behaved on copy paper. Gorgeous purple. · What I did not like: Long dry times. · What some might not like: Same as above. · Shading: I didn’t see much. Nope. · Ghosting: A bit when I used the flex nib. · Bleed through: A few dots when I pressed hard. · Flow Rate: Wet through · Lubrication: Slightly below average. · Nib Dry-out: Did not notice. · Start-up: Did not notice. · Saturation: Very saturated. · Shading Potential: Dismal · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Yes · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Medium to high maintenance · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 3 oz, 90 ml bottles Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier