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People kindly send me a lot of Noodlers samples, and I have a few bottles from The Beforetime. I just took two Noodlers inks that I disliked, mixed them together, added a shot of yellow and a shot of orange, and got the perfect Murk, which works like a dream in an old Reform calligraphy pen. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
Depends, some of the ones marked "bulletproof" can settle over time, and may need a really good agitation/shake otherwise you mostly fill with the content on top which may either take forever to dry, or won't be water resistant. (not a huge fan of the pens)Quote:
Originally Posted by dkatiepowellart
Far as my perception of noodler's inks in general. They're very affordable, that makes it attractive to new users. But they are also available in a huge range of properties. So where with something like Pilot, Waterman, Pelikan, etc the inks tend to all behave about the same with just different colors. With Noodler's there are the very "easy" inks and the more temperamental ones depending on what you are filling with it. Likewise because of the huge variety, pen maintenance is also much more important.
Like KTC is a nice purple, but you can't just go sticking it into any pen, especially if it's a cheap one without good cap sealing. And certainly not one you want to run the risk of it drying up in.
The main four I've kept around and used has been :
- X-Feather (my every day utilitarian black that's waterproof and tends to behave with most paper, used to use Black Eel before this one)
- Apache Sunset (easy to clean, nice pretty color, varies on paper depending on nib/wetness)
- Texas Blue Steel (a Dromgoole exclusive, one of the nicer teals I've had before switching over to Tsuki-yo, runs a bit wet, but is bulletproof).
- Kung Te-Cheng (Nice solid purple, no real shading, waterproof, doesn't feather much for me, I keep it inked in an eye droppered Platinum Preppy)
I like his products, too.
He is honest. You know where he stands.
And he adds value: e.g., fills ink bottles to absolute top and does not use wasteful cartridges.
I think Mr. Tardiff often gets a 'bad rap'.
Thanks for thread.
There's a longer thread on the same theme that you might like to read through. Some posts are quite informative. Others, not so much. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by resipsa
https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...-Noodler-s-Ink
Me too, I don't care about his political beliefs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor KenshinPeople kindly send me a lot of Noodlers samples, and I have a few bottles from The Beforetime. I just took two Noodlers inks that I disliked, mixed them together, added a shot of yellow and a shot of orange, and got the perfect Murk, which works like a dream in an old Reform calligraphy pen. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by calamus
Have seen how he has created different inks based on world politics and some humor on the history of politics. I wish he could get something in regards to " The AGENDA 21" and the history of the Illuminati and Rothchild Cult.
I already have several Inks from him and love them and have a few more ink to add to my collection.
The only ink I don't like is Bay State Blue- Is is a weird ink and I am very careful when I use it.
I suppose it's conceivable that I might find someone's beliefs so repugnant that I would not want to do business with him at all. I can't recall that this has ever come up in practice, and certainly doesn't apply to Nathan Tardiff. If I did have any objection to his products, it would be on the basis of people writing that his inks had clogged or even ruined their pens. But Bay State Blue never tempted me, and although I do recall clogging issues with a couple of his inks, most seemed relatively benign, and none did any lasting damage.
That said, after some early fascination with his inks, I don't use them much any more, and haven't ordered any in a few years at least. The three inks I've bought in the last three years have all been De Atramentis Document inks. I would not be averse to breaking out the Noodler's "Bad Blue Heron or Kingfisher" again some time, but when it comes down to it, I generally find myself inking up with something from Pilot, Sailor, or De Atramentis. I have been thinking, though, that the next time I put ink in my Esterbrook Dip-Less well, I'll rinse it out really well and then fill it with Noodler's Kung Te Cheng (if I'm recalling the name correctly).
Just a note on Bay State Blue and cleaning: knowing that the ink stains badly, I've been quite careful with it and used it only in pens with steel nibs and low value, which could moreover be cleaned thoroughly. One of them is a large Indian ebonite pen with a Schmidt broad nib. Yesterday I decided to withdraw that pen and started cleaning it, first with warm water. It went well but slowly. At a certain moment, I decided to use 97-proof ethanol and the results came very fast and were astounding. The nib and section are very clean, only the feed has a blue tint. I inked the pen with a washable ink with good flow (Rohrer & Kingner Blau Permanent) and it writes beautifully.
Cleaning your pens with alcohol is a bad idea. Maybe ebonite can handle it, but many plastics cannot.
If you have to use alcohol to clean it, it would be better to just not use Bay State Blue. It’s a god awful color anyway.
I like Bay State Blue. Each to his own :) I use a cheap (but good) Chinese pen that is never used for anything else. Between fills I flush with water in the usual way and it cleans well.
Noodlers was my introduction to fountain pens, looking for a waterproof, non-clogging drawing ink. HoD was my first stop, but not the last. It feathered quite badly on my chosen paper with chosen instruments, but it works well enough for writing. Which is fortunate because I've most of that big bottle left.
I can titter at the audacity of Nathan's ink labels, even if I don't quite agree with them. The main problem is that, while I like some of the colours, the few I've tried do seem prone to feathering and the UK stockist can't seem to offer a large, consistent range. (Bought a sample of English Roses, liked it, went back to buy a full bottle and it had vanished) The pens - I have an Ahab and a couple of Creapers - are alright, though 'pens you have to tinker with' feels like an excuse rather than a feature, and the flex seems a bit overhyped. The Boston safety pen was another exploration of waterproof ink in a pen. It was the most I'd spent on a pen at that time, and it was a disaster.
At this point I don't feel animosity, or elation, towards Noodlers, so much as ennui. Can't be bothered anymore.
I completely agree about the alcohol; it was a calculated risk. I do like BSB, though. It's a bright, cheerful colour.Quote:
Originally Posted by guyy
I am a natural tinkerer. I love taking things apart and seeing how they work, then putting them back together and if possible, improving their operation.
I've been that way my entire life and I've only ever encountered two items that garnered my absolute disgust and disdain.
A foreign made PC I found at a junkyard back in 1995 and the "Noodlers - Ahab".
Neither were of quality...both nearly drove me to drinking.
Even at the amazing price point of $5.00 USD, The "Noodlers - Ahab" had many horrid qualities that I attempted to overlook in order to "Experience" its claimed versatility.
And it lived up to the $5 that I spent for it...ugh.
1. It stinks!!!
Not a slight chemical smell...but a full on BUTT FUNK! It smelled so bad that if I put it in my pocket with anything else, it made the other items in my pocket smell. (Only did that once)
Ever tried putting on chap-stick that smells like a monkeys asscrack? I almost threw that thing out after almost vomiting twice!
I even tried de-funk-ing the pen by storing it in a jar of coffee grinds for 2 days. That worked for about 5 hours then the horrid "Butt smell" came back...requiring another spell in the coffee grinds.
The smell of that pen was much akin to a prank item I've used in the past to harass people I hated...it's called "Liquid Ass" and literally smells like the exit-port of a dairy cow.
The outer shell of the pen stinks, the cap stinks, the inkwell/piston-converter stinks, the ".308 Cartridges" stink....IT ALL STINKS!!!
PFAUGH!
2. It requires DAILY tinkering!!!
When I attempted to use the Noodlers Ahab over the course of 2 months I literally had to reseat and set the feed/nib every day. It's like the position of the earth changing would make the feed stop functioning and you had to adjust it for the earth's rotation around the sun in order to get the pen to work. Fiddling with the pen every blooming day just to have a working pen got old REAL fast! Then after watching one of Mr. Tardiffs videos and modifying the feed as recommended, I found out that the ebonite feed sent with the pen was not only different than what he showed in his videos, it was also of substandard quality with bits breaking off and entire fins falling from the feed as I widened the ink channel.
Ordering a replacement feed from Ebay only led to further disappointment as the feed supplied was smaller than the section of the pen. I had to shore up the end of the feed with paraffin wax to get it large enough to seal properly in the section.
After busting my brain and hands trying to polish this turd of a pen, I decided to take the advice of members here and simply do better. I invested in PENBBS pens and started saving up for a Vintage fountain pen immediately.
I buried the Noodlers Ahab in my backyard and just as I figured, the grass in that small area has grown very lush and thick...good fertilizer.
Nathan Tardiff might be a great thinker and tinkerer, but the Noodlers Ahab is just not a reliable specimen of fountain pen for someone that just wants to write.
I like the cut of the guys jib, but his pen...not so much.
I tried...I really tried...but even tinkerers get tired of tinkering after a while.
Hahahahaha...I can tell you that I LOVE cows. They are the CUTEST animals on the planet to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by A Smug DillI'd hate to imagine why you'd be so uncommonly familiar with that class of smells occurring in nature, and able to readily identify them distinctly; but you do seem to be inviting conjecture by your choice of emphases. :bad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Detman101
If I could have one for a pet, I would...however, I hate cleaning up after living things...
Maybe one day when there are robotic cows.
I've been homeless before. I've lived(survived) around other homeless people.
Homeless people smell (butt funk).
And anyone that's been to a zoo knows how the monkey cage smells...*barf*
Very pompous . . . .
"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."
~ Benjamin Franklin
Nathan Tardiff is a good man.Quote:
Originally Posted by resipsa
He has saved members lots of money illustrating how dumb it i to use cartridges.
I am a supporter of Nathan . . . .
I have about 4 bottles of Noodler's ink and numerous samples. Noodler's Blue was my first and it is still my favorite shade of blue even if I don't use it as often anymore. I think if you have a level of pen hygiene that is warranted they are okay inks. What get's me is the dry time. Apache sunset for example. I can write with it in a freshly inked pen and it will still smear days later. Midway Blue behaves a little better but the shade of blue changes too fast in my pen.
I've been sent samples of Noodlers Ink over the past few months. ("Bad green gator" and "Apache Sunset")
Honestly...
I'm afraid to put them in any of my pens.
=\
From the reports of them not ever really drying...to the claims that they stain...I just can't.
I use mostly demonstrators and I don't feel like going through the hassle of ruining them with discoloration.
So the samples sit.
Maybe to be used with a dip/glass pen...
The only Noodler's I've been tempted to try is Fox Red, because I would love a tamper resistant true red. But even then, I believe Fox Red leans a little orange. :shrug:
I’m beginning to think that I am not smart enough to realize I have problems. I have used BSB in a Sheaffer Imperial touchdown filler for many years now. It is continuously filled with BSB and sometimes sits for weeks unused and filled. Beyond staining, I have had no problems. It starts right up whenever I use it, no leakage, etc. I must be missing something.
For the last couple of week, I have been using two Ahabs (one with Libertys Elysium and the other with Heart of Darkness) with no problems. Granted I lost most of my sense of smell thirty years ago when I crashed my road bike, so I can’t attest to smell issues, but my wife with her sensitive nose, has never complained. Both pens even went camping with me and experienced elevation changes of 5,000 feet with no problems. I must be missing something.
I have a dozen or so Noodlers inks, the majority of what I use. Can’t say I have any problems with any of them. For me, Noodlers gives good value for a reasonable product.