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Noodler's Manjiro Nakahama Whaleman's Sepia This ink is exclusive to Goulet's and sold in 4.5 oz (128 ml) bottles with a free Charlie pen. I've added links for those interested to read about the creation of this ink. Italics are quotes from Goulet's website. Ink is in homage to Nathan Tardiff's great uncle Reginald Hegarty - who served upon whaleships and whose father was a whale ship captain and Manjiro Nakahama. (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) A fisherman at age 14. he was stranded on an Island (1841) and saved by an American whaler ship who brought him back to the US, (due to Japan's period of isolation) to Nathan Tardiff's hometown. He was "adopted" by the neighbour of the captain and sent to school to study English and navigation. Later he returns to Japan despite the danger of being killed and being one of the rare Japanese who lived in Mainland US, participates in the "opening of Japan" period. He was made a Samurai, later on and his sword was gifted to the Milicent Library Fairhaven, Massachusetts in 1918. While the sword was stolen in 1977, a replica was given back to the library. I would say, this is Noodler's at the best, you buy more than a bottle of ink, you buy a bottle of history, with so many layer. I'm glad it's exclusive to Goulet's and it's such a big bottle. I won't be tempted to buy it (Goulet doesn't ship to my province ) The ink reacts with bleach and creates a magnificent red and supposedly if the bleach is strong enough it'll then become purple. According to the Goulet website: These colors were designed for their symbolic value: sepia brown from 1840s whalemen's ink, red for the color of the Japanese national flag, and purple in honor of Emperor Meiji - for his reasoning affected by Manjiro Nakahama. Ink is a reddish brown, as you can see with the chroma: Writing samples: Quotes are from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, who was also a whaler and sailed from Fairhaven. T The ghosting and bleed through is minimal despite what the scan shows. However, it's best on thicker papers. Photo: Comparison: Watertest: I changed my method and poured some water on the left side of the paper and dried it with a piece of tissue. While it looks washed out I couldn't discern any ink on the tissue paper. I added some bleach and managed to create the red, but couldn't create the purple. And finally and artwork, which I named Creation which is an homage to Herman Melville, Moby DIck: I only used this ink, either in strong concentration or diluted with a touch of bleach to create the red effect. · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Osmiroid Copperplate nib · What I liked: Extremely pleasant writing experience. · What I did not like: I’m nitpicking but maybe the hint of red in the brown, big bottle, and exclusive to Goulet's (though it's a plus, as I won't be able to order it) · What some might not like: Big bottle, exclusive to Goulet’s, tendency to stain transparent sections. · Shading: Faint · Ghosting: Faint · Bleed through: with a gusher, but I’ve seen much worse. · Flow Rate: Nice and wet · Lubrication: Very good. · Nib Dry-out: Not noticed. · Start-up: Nope · Saturation: Nope · Shading Potential: Yes. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. · Staining (pen): Yes. It did stain the transparent section of Kakuno, so you need Doyou or Red Rattler's Eel nearby. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: Easy, like most pigment/bulletproof inks. · Water resistance: Excellent · Availability: 4.5oz ≈ 128 ml Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier