Noodler's Black does not completely dry?

[awbosse]

Hi all,

 

I not very active on the forums. I introduced myself quite a while ago, and have not really been posting---just "lurking" from time to time---but a recent "revelation" warranted a post (I was not immediately able to find a similar post using the search feature).

 

First, a very short history ... I primarily use Lamy Safari fountain pens. I have a red Safari filled with red Lamy ink (for editing manuscripts) and a charcoal Safari filled with blue-black Lamy ink for pretty much anything else, including daily writing. Both pens are M nib, and they write wonderfully on pretty much any paper---silky smooth and pretty much what I expect from a fountain pen (I've have bad luck with other pens---but that is another post ...).

 

Recently, I started using Noodler's Bulletproof black in my charcoal Safari---I've heard so many wonderful things about this ink, and I like the look of a DEEP black on white or eggshell paper. Quite honestly, I've been very disappointed with this ink. It is very "think," even thick enough to dramatically affect the writing experience of my Safari (still smooth, but noticeably drier than the Lamy blue-black or red), and it appears to pretty much never dry completely---and I mean that literally. An example, ... I have a Moleskine weekly planner, and since I've been using the Noodler's, I've been adding appointments with this ink. I have added some appointments to my calendar _weeks_ ago, and I have noticed that the Noodler's ink will _easily_ smear upon touching, and if I write in the other side of the sheet, the ink will transfer to the other page. I find this very surprising, to be honest (especially since Mike Shea is often quoted as essentially saying the Molskine + Noodler's Black combination is a "writing gift from the gods"). I've seen similar drying problems on other papers.

 

Essentially, I'm finding this ink interesting, but only in theory, not in practive. Sure it's been proven to be "bulletproof" and it is a wonderfully deep, deep black, but for me it really appears to be more trouble than it's worth as a day-to-day ink.

 

My guess is I'm in the minority, ... but I'm curious if any of you have had similar experiences.

 

--Gus

[Ondina]

If you have a chance, try Herbin's Perle Noir. Serious ink for experienced users. Fabulous may be the best word for it. A member here, Caligula, sells Herbin from WI at good prices. If you're in Europe, www.penandco.com

[tonybelding]

Recently, I started using Noodler's Bulletproof black in my charcoal Safari---I've heard so many wonderful things about this ink, and I like the look of a DEEP black on white or eggshell paper. Quite honestly, I've been very disappointed with this ink. It is very "think," even thick enough to dramatically affect the writing experience of my Safari (still smooth, but noticeably drier than the Lamy blue-black or red), and it appears to pretty much never dry completely---and I mean that literally.

 

I have only experienced this when a pen was filled with Noodlers Black for some extended period of time and had partially dried out, thus over-concentrating the ink that remained. Did this happen when your pen was freshly inked?

 

I suggest diluting it with distilled water. Let's say 2 parts ink to 1 part water, for starters. Fill your pen with that mix and see what happens. You just might love it.

 

I've also observed that Noodlers Black sometimes needs to be shaken a bit if the bottle has been sitting around for a while.

 

 

Essentially, I'm finding this ink interesting, but only in theory, not in practive. Sure it's been proven to be "bulletproof" and it is a wonderfully deep, deep black, but for me it really appears to be more trouble than it's worth as a day-to-day ink.

 

I use Noodlers Black heavily in all my fountain pens, vintage and modern, and I adore the stuff. I haven't found it to be any trouble at all. If I had to use Skrip or Quink, I think I'd just give up on fountain pens and use rollerballs instead.

[awbosse]

Thank for the reply and suggestion.

 

I did think about diluting it with water, but I haven't tried it yet. You think that might help the drying problem?

 

The pen is/was freshly inked, and I always shake the bottle before inking a pen.

 

My primary "concern" is the drying issue. I've already decided that this ink is only appropriate in pens that can handle a "thicker" ink (such as my M nib Safaris), but the drying issue is really weird. I seriously have my Moleskine planner right in front of me as I type this, and I can smudge the ink of calendar entries I wrote days ago (BTW, I cannot smudge the Lamy Blue-Black ink entries).

 

Do you think I got a bad bottle of Noodler's?

 

--Gus

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, I started using Noodler's Bulletproof black in my charcoal Safari---I've heard so many wonderful things about this ink, and I like the look of a DEEP black on white or eggshell paper. Quite honestly, I've been very disappointed with this ink. It is very "think," even thick enough to dramatically affect the writing experience of my Safari (still smooth, but noticeably drier than the Lamy blue-black or red), and it appears to pretty much never dry completely---and I mean that literally.

 

I have only experienced this when a pen was filled with Noodlers Black for some extended period of time and had partially dried out, thus over-concentrating the ink that remained. Did this happen when your pen was freshly inked?

 

I suggest diluting it with distilled water. Let's say 2 parts ink to 1 part water, for starters. Fill your pen with that mix and see what happens. You just might love it.

 

I've also observed that Noodlers Black sometimes needs to be shaken a bit if the bottle has been sitting around for a while.

 

 

Essentially, I'm finding this ink interesting, but only in theory, not in practive. Sure it's been proven to be "bulletproof" and it is a wonderfully deep, deep black, but for me it really appears to be more trouble than it's worth as a day-to-day ink.

 

I use Noodlers Black heavily in all my fountain pens, vintage and modern, and I adore the stuff. I haven't found it to be any trouble at all. If I had to use Skrip or Quink, I think I'd just give up on fountain pens and use rollerballs instead.

[Possum Hill]

Thank for the reply and suggestion.

 

I did think about diluting it with water, but I haven't tried it yet. You think that might help the drying problem?

 

The pen is/was freshly inked, and I always shake the bottle before inking a pen.

 

My primary "concern" is the drying issue. I've already decided that this ink is only appropriate in pens that can handle a "thicker" ink (such as my M nib Safaris), but the drying issue is really weird. I seriously have my Moleskine planner right in front of me as I type this, and I can smudge the ink of calendar entries I wrote days ago (BTW, I cannot smudge the Lamy Blue-Black ink entries).

 

Do you think I got a bad bottle of Noodler's?

 

--Gus

I expect the smudging is just more dye than can be bound to the available cellulose in the paper. Possible solutions include using a pen that doesn't lay down so much ink, and as others suggest diluting the ink with water. Diluting sounds like the better choice, since many people have done that and have been pleased with the results.

 

I use Noodler's Black regularly without any smudging problem, but I have it in a couple of Japanese F nib pens that don't flow a lot of ink.

[ethernautrix]

I experience smudging only on the slightly-coated paper I was using in a notebook a couple of notebooks back. Only Noodler's inks made using that notebook viable, and I kindv liked it. But this current batch of same brand, same model notebooks doesn't have the slightly-coated paper, and it's much better. Drying times are typical (less than 4 seconds, if I had to put a number on it); a slight pause before turning the page.

 

I use Noodler's Black, Levenger Raven Black, and Pelikan Blue-Black in this notebook. So I'm thinking that maybe the paper is a factor in the smudging problem.

[awbosse]

I expect the smudging is just more dye than can be bound to the available cellulose in the paper. Possible solutions include using a pen that doesn't lay down so much ink, and as others suggest diluting the ink with water. Diluting sounds like the better choice, since many people have done that and have been pleased with the results.

 

I use Noodler's Black regularly without any smudging problem, but I have it in a couple of Japanese F nib pens that don't flow a lot of ink.

 

Ahh, that makes sense ... I can easily see how dilution could help this problem. I'll give it a try. And it also makes sense in the context of the Safari M, as it leaves a VERY think like of wet ink.

 

--Gus

[wallylynn]

Don't forget that Noodler's Black was designed for newspaper. Newsprint is more absorbent than others. The Noodler's Black was designed to not feather and not bleed through.

 

I've not heard of it smudging in Moleskines until your post, but there are many who report smudging on higher quality and smoother papers like Clairfontaine and the HP32lb where NB will bead up and sit around. Moleskines are reputed to have widely ranging quality papers. Maybe your planner has better paper than the plain journals which are prone to bleedthrough.

 

Do give the dilution a try (in a spare container of course). You can probably go a long way before you notice a drop in darkness. Less dye = less smudging.

 

Another thing you can try is to make the ink more free flowing. Rinse your pen with soap water (about a drop of detergent/cup of water). When you refill your pen, the trace soap should reduce the surface tension of the ink allowing it to soak more into the paper. (Just repeating things done by others, haven't done it myself. Search for other posts.) Obviously this will reduce the non-feathering and non-bleedthrough qualities.

[psfred]

You should also flush your pen again -- mixing inks from different suppliers together in the pen can cause trouble, and it's not easy to get all the old ink out. I've had several precipitate inside the pen unexpectedly, and making a gooey mess is also possible.

 

Another problem could be a poorly sealed inner cap on the pen, allowing the ink to dry out in the nib. In that case, the ink will be very sticky and thick, and take forever to dry since it's not being absorbed by the paper as it normally is. Try dipping the nib in water and see how it writes then -- if markedly better, suspect a poor cap seal.

 

I've never found Noodler's black to be particularly slow drying on ordinary papers. Every fountain pen ink dries slowly on fully sized 100% cotton paper, though. No experience with Moleskine, but I do know that there are reports that the paper is highly variable and you may have some that is non-absorbent. However, all fountain pen inks will sit on top and dry slowly if that is the case, not just Noodler's Black.

 

Peter

[beluga]

Don't forget that Noodler's Black was designed for newspaper. Newsprint is more absorbent than others. The Noodler's Black was designed to not feather and not bleed through.

 

 

 

 

Hmmh, interesting....

 

 

I hadn't heard that one before and I am curious since at work I need to enter information and put my signature on the cheap paper that is used in our office printers.

 

Would you care to elaborate?

I would appreciate more information and/or any sources that you may have come across.

I have just moved away from Waterman black and have been experimenting with various other black inks, including several Noodler's.

 

 

 

Beluga

 

(White whale - black ink)

[wallylynn]

Would you care to elaborate?

I would appreciate more information and/or any sources that you may have come across.

I have just moved away from Waterman black and have been experimenting with various other black inks, including several Noodler's.

Here you go:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=55847&st=90&p=539738entry539738

 

I tried to paste in search results for "crossword" by "Eternally Noodling" but that didn't work. Also check out the Ink Review forum.

 

One issue I have using Heart of Darkness (I personally never used regular Black) is that often it's too dark and blends in with the rest of the printed toner. Montblank or Lamy Bottled Blue-Black is a well behaved alternative for signatures if you don't need the ultra-high tamper resistance. You can search for threads on signature ink, and you can search for copy paper.

[beluga]

Would you care to elaborate?

I would appreciate more information and/or any sources that you may have come across.

I have just moved away from Waterman black and have been experimenting with various other black inks, including several Noodler's.

Here you go:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=55847&st=90&p=539738entry539738

 

I tried to paste in search results for "crossword" by "Eternally Noodling" but that didn't work. Also check out the Ink Review forum.

 

One issue I have using Heart of Darkness (I personally never used regular Black) is that often it's too dark and blends in with the rest of the printed toner. Montblank or Lamy Bottled Blue-Black is a well behaved alternative for signatures if you don't need the ultra-high tamper resistance. You can search for threads on signature ink, and you can search for copy paper.

 

 

WallyLynn,

 

Great help, thank you!

I have been Googling ink reviews and extensively gone through "Inky Thoughts" and the ink reviews there to find a better alternative to Waterman Black.

It is difficult to find a perfect ink, as my different pens have greatly different strengths and Achilles' heels.

 

Unfortunately, per company policy it has to be a black ink for anything I write on company documents and stationery.

(Well, I guess no one could object to Noodler's Aircorp).

 

 

 

 

Beluga