Noodler's Golden Brown Smudges?

[linearM]

I am noticing that I am getting smudging with Noodler's golden brown ink after it is dry. It isn't that it is not dry and smears the ink, but almost like after the ink dries there is an excess of pigment laying on the paper surface and any disturbance of the surface with fingers or rubbing against something else results in brown smudges.

 

Would diluting the ink help? I'm looking for suggestions before adding water to the whole bottle. Perhaps someone else has had the same experience and has a solution.

[Pterodactylus]

Yes it does smudge, as well as Apache Sunset.

 

When I fill the pen I cannot observe this behavior, but if the ink sitting longer (about > 2 weeks unused ) in the pen it's getting worse and worser.

Not even a blotter paper can really help.

They shade fantastic, but IMO they are not well behaving inks on the long run, at least when you don't write much with the pens loaded with them.

 

After a while they become almost unusable.

Edited December 20, 2013 by Pterodactylus

[Randal6393]

Diluting with water is often a fix for this smudging. But, YMMV. I love Noodler's -- have at least eight different inks on hand at a time. Performance is excellent, even though not all Noodler's inks are equal. There are many I love, some I don't find worth it. And some that -- after revisiting -- improve in performance. So, it's definitely a tinker-with ink. By the way, almost all my pens have italic nibs.

 

My faves:

Black Swan in Australian Roses, in a Lamy Safari and in a Noodler's Ahab. Excellent shading, dark ink with lots of character.

Navajo Turquoise, Pelikan M200 Broad made into an Italic Fine. Beautiful, pure color with memories of my childhood.

Black in a Lamy 2000 Broad made into an Italic Fine. Good writing on the cheapest of paper. Add water carefully every six months or so.

Bad Blue Kingfisher in a Bexley 802 Broad into Italic Fine. Good, restful blue that works great with a stark white paper.

Walnut in a Nemosine 0.6 Italic Fine and a Bexley 703 Broad into Italic Fine. What a bad, bold brown!

 

Enjoy,

[Centopar]

I find paper's got a lot to do with it; if you use either Golden Brown or Apache Sunset on a paper that's smooth and not particularly absorbent, you'll get smudging if you don't handle it carefully. (And it's a shame, because those are characteristics I think a lot of us look for in paper for FPs.) Go for crappy feathery copy paper, and you'll find your problems are much diminished. And replaced with new ones.

[linearM]

I love Golden Brown for it's shading properties, it is my go to ink for correspondence. It wouldn't behave however on the envelope I was addressing. Some papers do work better than others, that I agree with. I draw with Kiowa Pecan, enjoy Apache Sunset, and others. I have no quarrel with Noodler's inks but I am wondering if diluting would lesson this particular problem. I think I will give it a try, but will add a bit at a time to see if diluting the ink might help.

[Ted A]

Instead of diluting the bottle you might want to draw out and dilute small quantities in a vial. You can control the amount of dilution and won't risk the whole bottle with a mistake

[Bo Bo Olson]

Yes it does smudge, as well as Apache Sunset.

 

When I fill the pen I cannot observe this behavior, but if the ink sitting longer (about > 2 weeks unused ) in the pen it's getting worse and worser.

Not even a blotter paper can really help.

They shade fantastic, but IMO they are not well behaving inks on the long run, at least when you don't write much with the pens loaded with them.

 

After a while they become almost unusable.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Run quickly into the bathroom, moisten the sponge stamp licker in it's rubber holder, dip my Ahab that some nice poster made into an Angel Wing Easy Full Flex . That is the pen I have Noodler's Golden Brown loaded.

 

 

Four of my six roller blotters are loaded with blotting paper. I do need one, if I use Golden Brown....ie, if I want to write on the back of the page.

 

I flew into the States a year or so ago, and my ink package of Golden Brown and Apache Sunset was waiting for me at the motel reception......from THE master packer....

 

It took a full written page on a second sheet for Golden Brown to dry.

If I wish to write on the back, I have to use my blotter on the last 1/8th -1/4th of the page.

I don't write enough with Apache Sunset to notice that problem....but will take Pterodactylus's word on that.

 

It's sad, you folks in the States have to look around for a stamp licker sponge in you no longer have lick stamps. I find that wet sponge in the rubber holder real good for moistening a nib. In Germany we are still in yesterday with licking stamps, and I bought mine at the Post Office.

I often have 17 or so pens sitting in cups of the ink color that is in them....and don't use them often enough, so dipping a nib into a wet sponge helps a lot.

I don't have to worry about spilling water form a small very wide glass.

 

I do recommend either using your Dremil or sending your nib or could be buying an already Angel Winged Ahab nib from Pendleton Brown who made my Lamy Persona 18 K nail OB into a usable CI. It makes a huge difference in fighting for flex with the Ahab nib's semi-flex or enjoying the nib when it is made Easy Full Flex.

 

 

 

 

[SallyLyn]

1+ Please Do Not dilute the whole bottle. Mix small amounts. You may find you want different dilutions or back to full power. Maybe want to use for a mix. Maybe the price of undiluted Golden Brown has become in terrible short supply and huge high demand, sell a portion of your bottle fully funds your retirement on a tropical island.

Never limit your options.

[linearM]

I am retired. I guess I'll have to start hawking my undiluted ink in hopes of making enough money to go back to Hawaii!!! The one airlines had a computer glitch and a fellow bought 4 round trip tickets, first class, to Hawaii for just over $80 each this past week. I am under no delusions that undiluted ink will get me very far however.

 

Thanks for the comments. One question will diluted ink encourage shading characteristics?