Noodler's Switch To Plastic Bottles

[Pelikan_FP]

 

This is a temporary measure. Glass will be back!

 

Great to see it's only a temporary phase.

[luhkey]

over the years i have seen a fair number of comments that the Noodler's bottles were boring or ugly compared to some of the others out there.

i however have always appreciated the tall, rectangular bottles. when your trying to fit as many inks in a limited area that profile is a winner.

the other bottles are pretty perhaps but when i see that fat Sailor bottle taking up as much space as four Noodler bottles for all of 50ml i just want to re-bottle them sometimes.

about the only thing id change about them is to somehow have a glass cap.

 

perhaps when the glass bottles return certain people will be be more appreciative of them.

[Brian C]

I like the idea of the plastic bottles. More ink and the bottles are very unique to Noodler's.

[Strombomboli]

This plastic bottle thing makes me like Noodler's even more. The best ink at the best price, and it shows. Everybody likes to get good things at a discount price, so I think people will feel good about their highest quality ink in the cheapest looking container possible. I will.

 

And one word about Akkerman inks: I don't think that they are very good inks, as someone said above, they are just average inks. (Before I had brought myself to pay the high shipping cost even within Europe, I bought a tiny bottle of Diamine Majestic Blue, because rumour had it that it was the same ink as Shocking Blue. Now I prefer Majestic Blue over Shocking Blue. It's not the same ink, Majestic Blue has very visible sheen which Shocking Blue hasn't. [in addition, it's much cheaper.])

 

I am happy to have a few Akkerman bottles, though, because I can pour other ink into them. I.e., I would buy Akkerman inks only for the bottle now, not for the ink, whereas I would buy Noodler's ink in any container you can think of. Still, I might fill some Noodler's ink into an Akkerman bottle (of which the new ones would not hold an entire fill of Noodler's, be it from the glass, or from the plastic bottle.)

[TSherbs]

I like the idea of the plastic bottles. More ink and the bottles are very unique to Noodler's.

except where millions of them are on CVS and other pharmacy-section shelves

[Brian C]

except where millions of them are on CVS and other pharmacy-section shelves

I don't see any other ink makers using them. It's unique.

[TSherbs]

I don't see any other ink makers using them. It's unique.

Tardif doesn't want to, either (which he said). None of them "want" to use ugly opaque toxic (to the earth) plastic to hold a material purchased partly (or largely) for its aesthetic appeal to the eye. Except for someone being super determined about price.

[drv1913]

This is a temporary measure. Glass will be back!

That's good to know. I want less plastic in my life - especially the disposable kind. The problem with the decanting solution is that it still leaves me with an unwanted plastic bottle to dispose of - one that probably won't be accepted by my city's recycling program. I understand that glass (and other environmentally friendlier options) sometimes costs more, and I am willing to pay that premium. My concern about my impact on the envrionment is one of the reasons why I use fountain pens in the first place, and why I prefer bottles to cartridges. I do agree, however, that many people are very willing to disregard stated eco principles - if they, as you say, even see any "value" in that at all - in favor of the cheapest price.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm not worried about UV protection or a 40 year shelf life. I know some ink lasts 40 years, but if I ran across a bottle of ink that old I'd probably throw it away rather than put it into one of my pens.

Well, I've gotten a couple of (large) bottles of vintage ink (probably from the 1940s or 1950s) that were in clear glass. And I didn't see any noticeable change. In fact, I suspect that there was more of a color shift with the small bottle of vintage Quink Microfilm Black because it isn't really, well, *black* anymore (but is a fairly nice dark blue-black); it remains to be seen how the other bottle of QMBk -- that I got elsewhere -- has fared....

Vintage ink is fine to use as long as it doesn't have any SITB.... As far as I'm concerned the only issue is whether to use it or keep it (the same argument about NOS pens). And if I have it I'm gonna use it. I'm not going to be like the person who sold me the unopened bottle of Quink Violet and called it "museum quality". And I wasn't. And it's a great color....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Brian C]

Tardif doesn't want to, either (which he said). None of them "want" to use ugly opaque toxic (to the earth) plastic to hold a material purchased partly (or largely) for its aesthetic appeal to the eye. Except for someone being super determined about price.

Well, I'm one of "them" and I've voiced my opinion that I like it. Don't speak for me.

[ink-syringe]

I don't always agree with Mr. Tardif's views. And even here I am not in full agreement on all points (but heartily agree on some for sure) but it's hard not to admire someone really sticking to what they view is important. His viewpoint certainly has the virtue of honesty, directness and conviction. It's hard not to admire that. I also like that he hasn't gone in for all that fancy heavy perfume bottle packaging like on the Faber-Castel, Edelstein, Iroshizuku, etc. While I do prefer glass, I like to think most I am paying for the ink and not some fancy container. I have always liked his simple no-nonsense glass bottles even if I am not so keen on the labels and titles sometimes, though i have the weird habit of taking the tables off the bottles if it is an ink I always use and will recognize.

 

There are 2 places here that sell old half evaporated, stained and faded bottles of Noodler's scribble juice. I might go and buy me some. It's been a while.

 

As for metric v old school, I like old school, gives me a chance to do math in bases other than 10. heh.

[TSherbs]

Well, I'm one of "them" and I've voiced my opinion that I like it. Don't speak for me.

Which ink manufacturer are you? And why do you sell it in plastic? I was referring to the ink manufacturers that you seemed to acknowledge all use glass containers--except for Noodler's (reluctantly). I certainly wasn't speaking for "you," unless you are one of those ink manufacturers selling your ink in glass.

[TSherbs]

That's good to know. I want less plastic in my life - especially the disposable kind. The problem with the decanting solution is that it still leaves me with an unwanted plastic bottle to dispose of - one that probably won't be accepted by my city's recycling program. I understand that glass (and other environmentally friendlier options) sometimes costs more, and I am willing to pay that premium. My concern about my impact on the envrionment is one of the reasons why I use fountain pens in the first place, and why I prefer bottles to cartridges. I do agree, however, that many people are very willing to disregard stated eco principles - if they, as you say, even see any "value" in that at all - in favor of the cheapest price.

+1

[El Gordo]

 

Can you clarify? How is ink currently poured from big mixing / storage tanks? I am an engineer who worked for major pharmacutical company, I am very familiar with vial filling mechanisms. Are current inks being bottled one at a time using big pipets?

 

I am trying to help.

 

Switching to plastic pouches that are thermally (permanentaly) sealed should lower production cost considerably. Then Nathan would have to design a mechanism (think of using IV fluid pouches or pouches with special septum) to transfer the ink safely to a specialty bottle.

 

At the very least, Nathan should provide his customers with an adapter that helps pouring new ink to the our existing empty glass bottles.

 

Something like this, not American though, oops ...

By far the lightest, cheapest without much investment in new equipment would imo be PET preforms (barrier, UV resistant, ... name it) and an origami cardboard shipping box converted into a ink vessel stand to prevent tipping over.

Beware © = Mine, now, pm me for royalty deals

Edited August 21, 2015 by El Gordo

[Sailor Kenshin]

Seems the supplier of the famous Noodler's ink glass bottle is cranking the price and Nathan wants to keep his prices for ink same as they are now.

 

His primary concerns aside from price are: non-reactivity with the ink, and slowing/eliminating evaporation from the container. Nathan says that the Noodler's inks can be re-constituted by adding water, should you ever have a container where most/all water does evaporate. I can't imagine having a bottle of ink long enough for that to happen, unless you forgot to put the cap back on and forgot about it for a few years..

 

The plastic bottle is cheaper, I think for the bottle itself, but also shipping is probably cheaper for the much-lighter plastic as well. I don't know how the numbers mash out for Nathan, but if anyone is dancing on the edge of a knife, it's Noodler's Ink.

 

The video was posted yeterday and you can find it here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6L0lL-VzSE

 

 

I would wonder how well plastic bottles ship without breakage. Guess we'll find out.

[tfwall]

I would wonder how well plastic bottles ship without breakage. Guess we'll find out.

 

Initial feedback from retailers is positive.

[edebill]

Well, I've gotten a couple of (large) bottles of vintage ink (probably from the 1940s or 1950s) that were in clear glass. And I didn't see any noticeable change. In fact, I suspect that there was more of a color shift with the small bottle of vintage Quink Microfilm Black because it isn't really, well, *black* anymore (but is a fairly nice dark blue-black); it remains to be seen how the other bottle of QMBk -- that I got elsewhere -- has fared....

Vintage ink is fine to use as long as it doesn't have any SITB.... As far as I'm concerned the only issue is whether to use it or keep it (the same argument about NOS pens). And if I have it I'm gonna use it. I'm not going to be like the person who sold me the unopened bottle of Quink Violet and called it "museum quality". And I wasn't. And it's a great color....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I remember some stuff about how the Parker 51 was especially designed to work with some special ink that would destroy other pens.

 

I buy ink so much more quickly than I use it. I've never used up a 3 oz bottle of Noodler's, much as I love several colors. I can't imagine using up one of those giant vintage bottles. As it is I'm having a hard time making myself let go of ink samples for colors I didn't like.

[dcwaites]

I have just been able to watch the video. I know that he is a dyed in the wool capitalist and I am just as much a socialist but I applaud him for trying to do the best by his customers and his country's economy.

 

As he said, the bottle is just a container for the ink and even if Nathan kept using it I would happily keep buying his inks.

 

All I can say is "Nathan, keep on mixin' "

[VinnyCordeiro]

I'm going to start a glass bottle business just for Noodler's ink, so you can decant to quality bottles.

 

This video can get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUF_5zrFG9c (I know that it isn't bottles for ink, but I think it is the same idea and production process.)

[pkoko]

 

Something like this, not American though, oops ...

By far the lightest, cheapest without much investment in new equipment would imo be PET preforms (barrier, UV resistant, ... name it) and an origami cardboard shipping box converted into a ink vessel stand to prevent tipping over.

Beware © = Mine, now, pm me for royalty deals

 

Love the pen pouches idea... It will also be awesome for those who travel.