Prejudice Against Noodler's Ink

[thagbert]

There seems to be some prejudice against Noodler's among several pen experts (unidentified).

It may be that Noodler's is the new kid on the block and more established brands like to take shots at them.

Should I be concerned about using Noodler's?

[KrazyIvan]

Pen hygiene and no issues here.

[wingwiper]

Pen hygiene and no issues here.

Right.........pen hygiene, use only Baystate Blue in less expensive converter pens Parker 45 and the like, no demonstrators or light colored barrels, feeds.
I have had absolutely no issues using Noodlers in a wild range of pens. Becareful of reds, wild colors in snorkels, etc. - but that is with any ink.
Been using Noodlers in my P51’s, 61’s, 75’s, Pelikans, Japanese, etc. ever since Noodlers come out; what is that 15 years?
I will admit that my sac and button fillers are hit or miss though......
Eyedropers love Noodlers......Bernanke inks really are awesome in ED’s


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[Jon Szanto]

Pen hygiene and no issues here.

Right.........pen hygiene, use only Baystate Blue in less expensive converter pens Parker 45 and the like, no demonstrators or light colored barrels, feeds.
I have had absolutely no issues using Noodlers in a wild range of pens. Becareful of reds, wild colors in snorkels, etc. - but that is with any ink.
Been using Noodlers in my P51’s, 61’s, 75’s, Pelikans, Japanese, etc. ever since Noodlers come out; what is that 15 years?
I will admit that my sac and button fillers are hit or miss though......
Eyedropers love Noodlers......Bernanke inks really are awesome in ED’s

The problem with this, as it always is, is that "Noodlers" is hardly one ink. Within all those many formulations that Nathan has put together, there are many different behaviors. One simply cannot say, across the board, that Noodlers inks are either flawless or the worst thing ever. Many of their inks are fine, some are problematic. They almost have to be addressed on a case by case basis.

And that doesn't even address his inconsistency in batches, though I haven't sampled many of the inks in the last couple years, as I've pretty much walked away.

[ethernautrix]

I have had zero problems with Noodler's Black, Walnut... some other colors. I'm glad I don't care about Bay State Blue, otherwise I'd have to think hard about risk.

There are some Noodler's inks that seem to have a greasy consistency. I don't like to use those. I mean, I don't use those.

Whatever ink -- pay attention and flush your pens (clean them). Should be fine.

[Laura N]

I have talked to a fair number of pen restorers and vintage pen sellers, and I just don't know. I think "prejudice" is a strong word, since it implies something unfounded, whereas I can't ignore the experiences they relate.

And on the other hand, anecdotal evidence from Noodler's users is that most Noodler's inks are safe for most pens. I can't ignore that either.

I put it down to this: in my experience, all the more saturated inks, whoever the maker, seem to need more careful pen hygiene than less saturated inks. And all the Noodler's inks that I have used are very saturated. To me, "pen hygiene" includes not just careful cleaning, but also not keeping an ink too long in a pen.

Bay State Blue is a different matter from what I've heard, and not just the staining. I seem to remember someone here posting a picture of a Safari feed that was destroyed by BSB. And I have heard about that with another pen, too, though I can't remember the brand. My friends who use that ink all put it in a special-purpose pen. And they love it.

For myself, I've tried a lot of their inks, and they just aren't my cup of tea. But I love seeing them in my penpals' letters.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I wouldn't worry. Clean your pen regularly and you should be fine.

The exception would be Baystate Blue and its family. They are chemically different. You should be more careful with these. The Baystate Blue in particular has a tendency to stain pens.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I wouldn't worry. Clean your pen regularly and you should be fine.

The exception would be Baystate Blue and its family. They are chemically different. You should be more careful with these. The Baystate Blue in particular has a tendency to stain pens.

I dedicated a blue Peli Jr. to BSB. Just in case.

There are many Noodler's colors I love: Air Corps Blue-Black, Zhivago, Bad Green Gator, 41 Brown. There are many I dilute (yeah...like most of them).

Anyone interested in trying Noodler's, go get you some samples from like isellpens or Goulet. If it makes you nervous to put Noodler's in a vintage pen, don't.

[drgoretex]

I am absolutely not an expert, but yes, I tend to steer clear of Noodler's. Not because of any quality issue, they seem to be good inks, and the bulletproof ones are excellent. But, I have tried several of their inks, and find too much showthrough with all of them. Bear in mind, most of my writing is at work, and the paper quality there is poor. If I used good paper, my response might be different.

Well, there we go.

Ken

[seffrican]

I am absolutely not an expert, but yes, I tend to steer clear of Noodler's. Not because of any quality issue, they seem to be good inks, and the bulletproof ones are excellent. But, I have tried several of their inks, and find too much showthrough with all of them. Bear in mind, most of my writing is at work, and the paper quality there is poor. If I used good paper, my response might be different.

There was a recent thread over in that other forum in which the OP suggested that many of the Noodler's ink are actually oversaturated, and that they may work better for many people if they are diluted 50:50 with distilled water.

I find the Noodler's inks that I have to be somewhat less free-flowing in certain pens than the rest of my inks. I have yet to try the dilution experiment though.

[GourmetPens]

Yup, aside from BSB and the staining issue (which I knew about so I only put it in certain pens), I've had zero issues and I have.. *thinks*.. 8 bottles of Noodler's? I've put them in vintage and modern pens. I just don't let inks dry out in my pens, whether vintage or modern, especially saturated inks. But that goes for all inks over here, not just Noodler's.

[vhr5]

Lately I have been getting some samples of Noodler's inks and trying them out with some of my pens. If I like a particular color of ink I buy a bottle. So far I have not had any issues with any of the inks, therefore I am still very fond of Noodler's inks. I've tried only one of the eels (Rattler Red), and found it slow to dry on certain papers, therefore causing some smearing if I am not careful.... so I'm careful. As for Baystate Blue, I use it in my Twsbi Vac 700 Clear fountain pen. I thought that it would permanently stain the pen internally, but after I cleaned it with soap and water, most of the staining was removed. The remaining stain, which was very light, was removed with a mild solution of bleach and water. Although I am very fond of BSB and still use it, my new love is Noodler's Liberty's Elysium.

[caleath]

8 bottles here and I can't even tell you how many samples, only one problem. Whales mans sepia stained my Konrad, I have tried bleach, ammonia you name it.

[pajaro]

I have used several of the Noodler's inks. No issues, it seems economical.

I have read some of the rants and articles by pen repair persons about Noodler's damaging pens. They don't seem to be able to present proof positive that Noodler's caused the damage in each case, but they have a hunch Noodler's is the cause. In some cases, like ruined sacs, there have been defective sacs on the market. How can they prove that's not the cause. Then came the "boutique inks" statement. The Pelikan people threw that at me about using non-Pelikan ink in their pen, causing the section to become unglued. It's easy for repair people to accuse the ink of being the problem. I say poor materials and/or poor workmanship is the issue.

There's about a snowball's chance in hades that I will buy any Pelikan ink.

These arguments blaming the ink are posh, tosh and gibberish.

[mhphoto]

I have used several of the Noodler's inks. No issues, it seems economical.

I have read some of the rants and articles by pen repair persons about Noodler's damaging pens. They don't seem to be able to present proof positive that Noodler's caused the damage in each case, but they have a hunch Noodler's is the cause. In some cases, like ruined sacs, there have been defective sacs on the market. How can they prove that's not the cause. Then came the "boutique inks" statement. The Pelikan people threw that at me about using non-Pelikan ink in their pen, causing the section to become unglued. It's easy for repair people to accuse the ink of being the problem. I say poor materials and/or poor workmanship is the issue.

There's about a snowball's chance in hades that I will buy any Pelikan ink.

These arguments blaming the ink are posh, tosh and gibberish.

My thoughts exactly.

[AtomicLeo]

Lots of great posts here, and I'll add mine.

When I first decided to purchase a fountain pen, I read several sites that recommended Noodler's Black ink. I had not discovered FPN and didn't see any of the negative, over the top claims you'll find. All of these sites recommended Noodler's Black because it was a waterproof ink and many of other fountain pen inks would run on the page just looking at water. I use my pens at work and for journal writing. The water proof capabilities are critical to me. That's what sets Noodler's apart from the rest of the market. Later I found forums like this and was amazed at the vitriol toward the brand. Personally, if a pen restorer tells me that Noodler's voids their guarantee, I'm looking for someone else.

I think much of the negative opinion of Noodler's comes from the owner's personality. He is aggressive and a bit paranoid. I must admit with the heated political climate we have in the U.S. the past decade, I am turned off by anyone attaching a partisan label to their products. I have found myself buying other brands the past few years. That said, I love Noodler's Black Eel, Black, Zhivago, Belted Kingfisher, and Black Swan in English Roses. I've stayed away from the more exotic colors like BSB.

And for what it's worth all my bad ink experiences have been with J Herbin (stuff in the bottle TWICE!), Sailor Apricot (ate and tarnished the metal on a K5 converter), Diamine (The reds all leave 'crud' and Sargasso Sea took FOREVER to clean) and Private Reserve (Black Cherry stained a nib). All brands members here would swear are the best brand ever. Other than Sailor, the reaction with metal spooked me off the brand, I still own other colors in those lines. All a part of the joy of fountain pens!

[jacksterp]

Have used 54th Mass. and Red-Black with absolutely no problems. I do dilute the 54th Mass. 4:1 with distilled water.

All in all, from what I have read, I would not be concerned about using Noodlers inks with the exception of Bay State Blue.

[thagbert]

Have used 54th Mass. and Red-Black with absolutely no problems. I do dilute the 54th Mass. 4:1 with distilled water.

All in all, from what I have read, I would not be concerned about using Noodlers inks with the exception of Bay State Blue.

What is the purpose of diluting 54th Mass.?

[GardenWeasel]

Three of four of my currently inked pens have Noodler's in them. 5 O'Clock Shadow, Black Eel & Whaleman's Sepia. No issues and no problems. YMMV.

[thagbert]

Three of four of my currently inked pens have Noodler's in them. 5 O'Clock Shadow, Black Eel & Whaleman's Sepia. No issues and no problems. YMMV.

That is my experience too. I'm checking out the rumors.

I had heard about Bay State Blue. Apparently it is the superman of inks.

I use the Bulletproof/Eternal inks for writing that I want to survive the ages.