Noodler's El Lawrence

[RyanH]

There's been a few reviews of this ink posted already, but, given the variation people seem to have had in color and performance, I figure there's room for another one.

 

Ink: Noodler's El Lawrence

Pen: Lamy Safari, F

Paper: Staples sugarcane notebook

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/El%20Lawrence/Review_zps1408cd66.jpg

 

The color has often been compared to that of used motor oil. IIRC, the official description is that it was based on the color of a WWI British officer's uniform. I would describe it as an olive drab, somewhere between green and khaki. I've come to think of it as the green equivalent of Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, if that makes any sense.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/El%20Lawrence/Passes_zpsd2d1aa38.jpg

 

Swab images I found online led me to expect a close relative of Noodler's Zhivago - a longtime favorite of mine - but in writing they are unfamiliar cousins at best. While it is dark enough to appear black in anything broader than a Japanese EF pen, Zhivago is a true green without any brown or khaki tones. El Lawrence, while dark, is very clearly not black, even from a broad, wet nib.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/El%20Lawrence/Compare_zpsc09b5192.jpg

 

Shading is appreciable but not extreme.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/El%20Lawrence/Sample_zps090bee7c.jpg

 

Feathering is about on par with Noodler's Bulletproof Black. The very worst papers can still be problematic (note that I have very sharp eyesight and an intense dislike of even the merest hint of feathering), but it is about as good as any non-IG ink I've used.

 

Other reviews mentioned severe problems with nib dry-out. I suspect that there has been a reformulation, because I have not had single hard start, even after several days of not being used.

 

Waterproofness is fantastic. As with other Bulletproof inks, there is a slight residue of ink that remains susceptible to smearing or running for a day or so, but after that, it is virtually indestructible.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/El%20Lawrence/Waterproof_zps1fa50f8c.jpg

 

Show/bleed-through is this ink's biggest weakness. It's hasn't been an issue with my dry-ish Safari, but when I used it in my wetter TWSBI 580, double-sided writing was not guaranteed.

 

Oh yeah - the smell. It has that same distinctive surfactant smell that many Noodler's inks possess, but with El Lawrence it is so, so much worse. Namiki Blue is practically a perfume next to this stinker. You do get used to it, though, and it is better in some pens than others. I choose to think of as a posture aid, for those like me who tend to lean too far in to their writing.

 

...

I think that about covers it. This is my first real ink review; I hope you guys find it informative.

[Fabienne]

+1 It looks wonderful!!!

[Guillermo]

Thanks for posting this great review, RyanH. A very comprehensive approach with great pictures that makes me put this ink on my shopping list, as a priority due to its waterproof and permanent qualities. (Priority 1: El Lawrence)

[RobbW]

Waterproof with some shading--I LOVE that combination. Thanks for the review, this just moved to my "want" list. It looks to me like this approaches the Diamine Salamander and Noodler's Burma Road Brown end of the color spectrum. Comparison scans would be most welcome.

 

Thanks again.

[Tas]

I love muted dark vintage looking inks and this has been on my radar for a while but I've not been able to get a sample.

 

Like you mentioned, there's quite a few reviews floating around but yours really seems to make me want to order it.

Thanks for your time and expertise.

 

I'll have a little Google and see where's best to get hold of yet another bottle for my Drawer of Shame.

That's two this week, the other being Noodlers Green Marine thanks to dcpritch's recent post.

[inkstainedruth]

I like El Lawrence a lot (although I don't go around sniffing ink bottles unless they're advertised as being scented ). It, along with Kung Te Cheng and 54th Massachusetts, get regular use for when I need to sign checks or address envelopes, due to its permanence. It (like KTC) behaves a little better when diluted slightly with distilled water.

It *is* a weird color, though, isn't it? I got a sample of Diamine Salamander, as a comparison, but that ink is definitely a green. El Lawrence? It's sort of a dark greyish-green sepia-ish color; okay, I'll bite -- what color *is* used motor oil, anyway? Anyway, if someone had told me when I first started buying inks I'd like an ink that looked like used motor oil, I'd have thought they were nuts. But I find I reach for it a lot more than pinks and purples, due to its properties (and the fact that it is a much more professional looking color than bright purple -- all the while being a little more, well, exotic than basic black...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Chrissy]

I tried this sample today and decided it wasn't for me. I'm just not a fan of dark green black inks

[Tas]

Just ordered a sample from ebay.

Can't wait.

[The Good Captain]

I've only the Salamander. The colour is very similar.

Hope these help.

[RobbW]

Thanks, The Good Captain. Salamander is also a beautiful color with gorgeous shading.

[RyanH]

They do appear very similiar, TGC, even down to looking more brown in some pics and more green in others. I'll admit I was drawn to El Lawrence as much by its "cool factor" - both from its association with T.E. Lawrence and from being one of the elusive U.K. series Noodler's inks - as by its color. If you're just a fan of the color, though, (and don't mind a lack of water resistance) Salamander is definitely the more economical and readily available ink of the two.

Edited March 5, 2014 by RyanH

[Masque]

Salamander - at least in the bottle I have - is definitely an ink with green tones. Salamander is much closer to Jonathan Swift than to El Lawrence. El Lawrence is the color of exquisitely refined dirt.

[Tas]

I'm sure there's room for both, especially after having just seen how Salamander behaves when wet - gorgeous split of colour.

 

*Puts Salamander on the "to buy at The Cambridge Pen Show" list.

[Biber]

Waterproof with some shading--I LOVE that combination. Thanks for the review, this just moved to my "want" list. It looks to me like this approaches the Diamine Salamander and Noodler's Burma Road Brown end of the color spectrum. Comparison scans would be most welcome.

 

Thanks again.

Agree, but Burma Road Brown doesn't shade like that unless it's diluted considerably. At least that's been my experience.

 

I'm quite liking the Diamine Salamander. Unfortunately it's in that whole category of inks that I really really like (some of which I've actually obsessed over) but don't see myself ever using in real life. I really should do something about that though. My life could probably be well served with a little more color in it. Ink that its.

[Tas]

Sample arrived today.

Mine looks like Alt Goldrün, perhaps a smidge darker.

 

No hint of "old engine oil" more like "gone off pesto sauce"

Shame.

[RobbW]

That is disappointing. Did you shake it really well? Many of the bulletproof Noodler's develop an opaque layer near the bottom that need to be shaken really well.

[Tas]

Ooo, yeah. The postman shook it alright.

 

I've been scribbling with it tonight.

 

My verdict is that my sample won't be used for sketching, not dark enough but on the plus side it writes really well with gorgeous shading and with a colour that I wanted / expected Alt Goldrün to have.

 

Not a complete waste.

Looking forward to trying the Salamander - an FPN friend has kindly offered me hers after trying a bottle and, well, let's say she didn't enjoy the colour very much

[rudyhou]

it's been a while since i wrote with El Lawrence. i wonder how much (or little) i have left in my bottle to start playing with the color again. oh wait! i have finished the entire bottle . guess i just have to make do with my other grey inks.