EFNIR: Noodler's Raven Black

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Noodler's Raven Black

This is review #244 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Indentations in the swatch cards courtesy of Klaw...  Cleaning wasn't too bad: I used only water, but also needed a swab in a few places where the ink left a grey film behind.  The ink looks dark grey to black on paper and the images seem to match.

My sample of this ink was very small, a gift sample from a generous FPNer.  It has a slight green undertone.  I first saw this in the microscope slide, and just in case it was a fluke related to the glass (like Pelikan Edelstein Rose Quartz (2023 Ink of the Year)), I did a chromatogram, and the green is real. (The microscope slide was otherwise boring so I didn't capture a photo.)

It is a Canadian exclusive, but appears to be discontinued. https://wonderpens.ca/ have a blog post about it, but no product listing.  Attributes, per Noodler's: bulletproof, eternal, forgery resistant. 

Zoomed in photo (I think this is closest to what the text looks like.)

Screenshot (Text looks a little too dark.)

Scan of Completed Review (Text looks a little too dark.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Both look close to what my eyes see.)

Line width (The "h" in Rhodia. Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 262µm. With 244 inks measured, the average line width is 296µm.) (Might be the first Noodler's ink to write a skinny line! :D)

Water Test Results

Chromatogram (Hope you can see the green - I can.)

Previous Review: Colorverse Redwood Forest.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[txomsy]

Thanks for another interesting ink review. Not my kind of black (i do not like undertones) but I'm sure mushy green lovers will appreciate it.

[LizEF]

6 minutes ago, txomsy said:

Thanks for another interesting ink review.

You're most welcome!

 

6 minutes ago, txomsy said:

Not my kind of black (i do not like undertones) but I'm sure mushy green lovers will appreciate it.

  It's amazing just how different black inks can be!  And the differences are really hard to describe or photograph.  SPOILER: I have Jinhao Black in my review pen right now, and none of my other blacks quite match it.  Alone, it just looks like black.  With other blacks, it still just looks black, but a different temperature (I guess).

[Sailor Kenshin]

@LizEF, I see Klaw has been at it again.  😝

 

Not only do I have too many black inks but this Eternal Dry Time thing would rule this one out.   Though I do like the green undertones!  Thanks once again for your unique reviews and wonderful story.

[LizEF]

7 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF, I see Klaw has been at it again.  😝

Little boy must explore everything!

 

8 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Not only do I have too many black inks but this Eternal Dry Time thing would rule this one out.   Though I do like the green undertones!  Thanks once again for your unique reviews and wonderful story.

  You're most welcome!

[inkstainedruth]

I thought of Klaw a day or two ago, when a friend of mine posted pix on FB of a bunch of black kittens in a box all wearing bat wings. 

As for the ink, I considered buying a bottle of it a few years ago when I was in Toronto for a conference, and made a special trip to Wonder Pens before going to the site hotel (which was at the airport).  So hit Friday evening rush hour traffic both inbound AND outbound -- after getting stuck in a traffic jam in a construction zone on the US side of the Peace Bridge.  Decided I didn't need another black ink, since I really like Noodler's Heart of Darkness -- but did pick up a bottle of Noodler's Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham, which is a very nice grey-blue.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

17 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I thought of Klaw a day or two ago, when a friend of mine posted pix on FB of a bunch of black kittens in a box all wearing bat wings. 

Klaw would not have cooperated with that!

 

18 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

As for the ink, I considered buying a bottle of it a few years ago when I was in Toronto for a conference, and made a special trip to Wonder Pens before going to the site hotel (which was at the airport).  So hit Friday evening rush hour traffic both inbound AND outbound -- after getting stuck in a traffic jam in a construction zone on the US side of the Peace Bridge.  Decided I didn't need another black ink, since I really like Noodler's Heart of Darkness -- but did pick up a bottle of Noodler's Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham, which is a very nice grey-blue.

Good choices, IMO.

[yazeh]

Another grew review @LizEF  . Both Canadian inks from Noodler's were culled I believe after the controversy.  They are both officially unobtainium

If I recall well, it mimicked the raven's feathers with a wider nib, but it was the least black of the other three I had. 

I like Klaw's contribution. He seems to take after his Mama

Thanks for making our Tuesdays brighter

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Another grew review @LizEF  .

Thanks!

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Both Canadian inks from Noodler's were culled I believe after the controversy.  They are both officially unobtainium

The intolerance of tolerance...

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

I like Klaw's contribution. He seems to take after his Mama

On the contrary - he likes black ink, as long as it's on something he can chew...

 

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for making our Tuesdays brighter

  Gladly!

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

The intolerance of tolerance...

This is my assumption. Nathan could have just own an honest mistake, it would have all been solved. Sad

 

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

On the contrary - he likes black ink, as long as it's on something he can chew... !

He must like liquorice 

[LizEF]

14 minutes ago, yazeh said:

He must like liquorice 

We'll never know - I can't stand the taste of black licorice!

[inkstainedruth]

8 hours ago, LizEF said:

Klaw would not have cooperated with that!

 

Yeah, none of ours would have either....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[InesF]

Thank you @LizEF for another story part, for the cliffhanger and for the ink review! Now that I know about this field of orange creep, some paranoia manifested: I avoid stepping on orange coloured ground tiles .... 😁

 

Raven Black will not take some room in my heart, the same as for any other black inks. So far I own a red-leaning, a blue/purple-leaning and a green-leaning black ink and non of them appeals to me.

[LizEF]

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you @LizEF for another story part, for the cliffhanger and for the ink review!

You're very welcome!

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Now that I know about this field of orange creep, some paranoia manifested: I avoid stepping on orange coloured ground tiles .... 😁

 

4 hours ago, InesF said:

Raven Black will not take some room in my heart, the same as for any other black inks. So far I own a red-leaning, a blue/purple-leaning and a green-leaning black ink and non of them appeals to me.

You're not alone.

[yazeh]

13 hours ago, LizEF said:

We'll never know - I can't stand the taste of black licorice!

You never know, Mahabesh might do a flyby

[LizEF]

27 minutes ago, yazeh said:

You never know, Mahabesh might do a flyby

  Makhabesh's Delivery Service - faster than DHL, apparently.

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

  Makhabesh's Delivery Service - faster than DHL, apparently.

After many adventures Makhabesh, Quin and Essri settled down, delivering highly specialized magical potions created by Quin, stirred by Essri and delivered Makhabesh. (MQE) 

[LizEF]

37 minutes ago, yazeh said:

After many adventures Makhabesh, Quin and Essri settled down, delivering highly specialized magical potions created by Quin, stirred by Essri and delivered Makhabesh. (MQE) 

Hopefully this ending to their adventures doesn't come for a few years at least!

 

The ending to this current adventure is quite exciting - I know because I can see it in my head, but am struggling to write it (lots of action and detail to get right and yet keep it concise).  I only have until next Monday to write at least the next scene, but fortunately the rest of my week is pretty open.

[yazeh]

1 minute ago, LizEF said:

Hopefully this ending to their adventures doesn't come for a few years at least!

Until you run out ink 😛

 

1 minute ago, LizEF said:

 

The ending to this current adventure is quite exciting - I know because I can see it in my head, but am struggling to write it (lots of action and detail to get right and yet keep it concise).  I only have until next Monday to write at least the next scene, but fortunately the rest of my week is pretty open.

I'm looking forward to it. Action scene are tricky to write for me. I often over write, then I start pruning  the excess  give it try