Noodler's (Bulletproof) Black

[carpedavid]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4414747621_94a51d7052_b.jpg

 

Noodler's (Bulletproof) Black is the first bottled ink that I added to my ink collection. I had heard many good things about the ink, and while many of those things are true, there is one major issue that is difficult to overcome.

 

First, Noodler's Black is as black as night. Pitch black. When poets refer to an inky blackness, this is the ink that they have in mind. It is extremely saturated and lays down a very opaque, non-shaded line in every nib and on every paper that I've used it with. It's so saturated that it doesn't matter what color or texture paper one uses – the result is a solid black line.

 

Second, the ink is viscous. Neither wet nor dry, it is better described as thick and lubricating – making any pen I've used it in write smoothly. Because it of its viscosity, it tends to sit on top of the paper instead of being absorbed. Thus, I have never noticed any feathering on either Moleskine or Rhodia papers. It is also remarkably well behaved when it comes to bleed-through and show-through. It doesn't bleed through, and, despite its remarkably bold presence on the page, exhibits very little show-through.

 

All of the admirable qualities above are the ones that I had heard expressed about Noodler's Black prior to my purchase, and I found all to be true. However, the one quibble that I had heard was that it took a while to dry, and this I also found to be true. On Moleskine and Rhodia papers, Noodler's Black takes upwards of a minute to completely dry. In my experience, I would often finish writing a note, wait for a minute for the ink to dry, close the notebook, and then open it up later to discover that the facing page was now covered in dark, black spots.

 

It is because of the enormously long drying time that Noodler's Black is not an ink that I use regularly. I do use it for calligraphy, when signing documents, and for those special occasions that I need a pitch black line, but only for those occasions. If one doesn't mind the drying time, or regularly carries a sheet of blotting paper, then Noodler's Black is a solid ink that's appropriate for every day and business use.

 

Speaking of business use, Noodler's Black is marketed as both archival and bulletproof, meaning that it can't be removed from a document. According to Noodler's, the bulletproof inks bind with the cellulose in the paper, making it impervious to most forging techniques. As one can see from the smear test on the review above, it isn't completely waterproof, but it is still quite readable even after the water is applied.

 

Noodler's Black comes in a very full 3 oz. bottle. I would advise setting the bottle down on a level and stable surface before opening it for the first time, as it comes filled to the brim. Since Noodler's intentionally uses stock bottles and lids to keep their prices low, there isn't much to say about the bottle other than it does an admirable job of keeping the ink contained.

 

Noodler's Black is a bold, black ink that I'm glad that I have in my collection, even if I don't use it regularly.

 

Review materials: For the wide strokes, I used a Lamy 1.1mm steel calligraphy nib in a Lamy Safari. For the narrow strokes, I used a Lamy EF steel nib in a Lamy Safari. The review is written on Rhodia 80g paper.

[Possum Hill]

Very nice review; thanks for posting it.

 

I've found drying time fairly quick and entirely acceptable for use with my Rhodia pocket notebook, but I'm writing with a Sailor Recruit with a F (Japanese fine) nib.

[bluemagister]

I dedicate a Prera F nib to this ink and it never disappoints. Nice review and penmanship!

[tonybelding]

I have a lot of experience with this ink, as I've used it more than anything else. Several things in your review lead me to suspect your bottle of Black is more concentrated than any I've yet gotten hold of. I suppose that could be due to batch-to-batch production variations. But let's go down the list. . .

 

First, Noodler's Black is as black as night. Pitch black. When poets refer to an inky blackness, this is the ink that they have in mind. It is extremely saturated and lays down a very opaque, non-shaded line in every nib and on every paper that I've used it with. It's so saturated that it doesn't matter what color or texture paper one uses – the result is a solid black line.

 

It's very black. . . However, I get some shading when using Black in a dry pen. Heart of Darkness is noticeably darker.

 

Second, the ink is viscous. Neither wet nor dry, it is better described as thick and lubricating – making any pen I've used it in write smoothly. Because it of its viscosity, it tends to sit on top of the paper instead of being absorbed.

 

Black may be slightly more viscous than your typical ink, but not usually to the degree you describe. I've only experienced that when a pen had been inked for a while and partially dried, thus over-concentrating the ink in the nib and feed.

 

However, the one quibble that I had heard was that it took a while to dry, and this I also found to be true. On Moleskine and Rhodia papers, Noodler's Black takes upwards of a minute to completely dry. In my experience, I would often finish writing a note, wait for a minute for the ink to dry, close the notebook, and then open it up later to discover that the facing page was now covered in dark, black spots.

 

I found Black takes longer to dry than your typical ink -- by which I mean, maybe 15 seconds. Maybe 20. The effect you describe with it not drying fully is something I've only experienced with a partially dried-out pen.

 

As one can see from the smear test on the review above, it isn't completely waterproof, but it is still quite readable even after the water is applied.

 

It should be completely unaffected by anything you throw at it. In my tests it always has been unaffected -- except if I was using a pen that was partially dried out, so the over-concentrated ink didn't fully soak into the page. Then it can smear, and the ink that didn't soak into the paper and bond with the cellulose can then be rinsed off.

 

Noodler's Black is a bold, black ink that I'm glad that I have in my collection, even if I don't use it regularly.

 

It's my all-time favorite ink, and I use it heavily in all my pens, both vintage and modern. But, as already noted, mine doesn't behave like yours. I suggest you try watering it down, just as an experiment. Try mixing a vial with 2 parts Black and 1 part distilled water, and ink your pen with it, and see what it does. Nathan may have stubbed his toe when putting in the dye and given your batch an extra dose.

Edited March 8, 2010 by tonybelding

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks.

[carpedavid]

I have a lot of experience with this ink, as I've used it more than anything else. Several things in your review lead me to suspect your bottle of Black is more concentrated than any I've yet gotten hold of.

 

Ah! That could very well be. As my experience with this ink is limited to the one bottle I own, it is certainly possible that I've got an irregular batch.

 

Black may be slightly more viscous than your typical ink, but not usually to the degree you describe. I've only experienced that when a pen had been inked for a while and partially dried, thus over-concentrating the ink in the nib and feed.

 

I can assure you that both pens in question were freshly inked. I've been doing a flurry of ink reviews lately, so they've been filled and rinsed and filled with a variety of inks over the past two weeks. However, I did notice something interesting when I sat down to write the review. When I initially filled my pen, after having let the bottle sit untouched for a couple of months, the ink suffered from a distinct lack of saturation. I was quite surprised, as it didn't look or act anything like I remember from the last time I used it.

 

I suspected that perhaps the ink had settled, so I emptied the pen, shook the bottle, and then refilled it. That's when I got the rich, dark saturation that I'm used to. Since you've gone through many bottles of the stuff, can I ask whether you shake the ink before you fill it? Does that seem to make a difference?

 

I found Black takes longer to dry than your typical ink -- by which I mean, maybe 15 seconds. Maybe 20. The effect you describe with it not drying fully is something I've only experienced with a partially dried-out pen.

 

After reading this, I have a hunch that our writing styles may be different. I write on an incline, and this ink has a tendency to pool at the bottom of each letter, which is responsible for the long drying time. To test this theory, I conducted another drying time test on Moleskine paper - this time with the book laid flat on a table. My results are closer to yours. With the ink evenly distributed, I recorded a drying time of about 30 seconds - less than half of what I normally observe.

 

I suggest you try watering it down, just as an experiment. Try mixing a vial with 2 parts Black and 1 part distilled water, and ink your pen with it, and see what it does. Nathan may have stubbed his toe when putting in the dye and given your batch an extra dose.

 

I will certainly try this. I'd love to use the ink more than I do, so if I can get it to behave better for me, I'd be very happy!

[tonybelding]

When I initially filled my pen, after having let the bottle sit untouched for a couple of months, the ink suffered from a distinct lack of saturation. I was quite surprised, as it didn't look or act anything like I remember from the last time I used it.

 

I suspected that perhaps the ink had settled, so I emptied the pen, shook the bottle, and then refilled it. That's when I got the rich, dark saturation that I'm used to. Since you've gone through many bottles of the stuff, can I ask whether you shake the ink before you fill it? Does that seem to make a difference?

 

This is a phenomenon that I had recent experience with, actually.

 

I never used to shake the bottle, it never even occurred to me. I got a bottle of Noodler's Black in Dec 2005 from which I used ink occasionally until around the beginning of this year. About that time I started seeing the settling effect, where the bottle needed shaking -- more and more often. Even pens inked with the stuff started to look "weak" after sitting idle for a few days, more like pencil markings than black ink. (This was opposite of what I'd been accustomed to seeing if a pen was starting to dry out around the nib.) After puzzling over the problem for a while, I opened up a fresh bottle of Black from a recent batch, and the problem ended.

 

I don't know what caused the dye to start coming out of solution after four years -- whether it was just age, or whether the bottle had gotten contaminated during that time with something, or both.

[amateriat]

Dave & Tony: I'm quite interested in this, as I've only recently gotten into Noodler's, in my case a bottle of Old Manhattan/Blackest Black, which so far is wonderful (although a few clicks shy of "bulletproof"). Flow and saturation are very good. Currently used in a Pilot Custom 823, and (occasionally) a Lamy 2000. Of course, since it's a fairly new bottle, I won't know about the issue of settling/separation in the ink for a while.

 

(If no one's written up Noodler's Old Manhattan yet, perhaps I'll take a crack at it, as my very first review of anything here.)

 

 

- Barrett

[Pen Nut]

Great review that, the smearing and longish drying time annoys me a bit, very rarely 'fuel up' with this ink now.

 

(edited due to awful spelling)

Edited March 21, 2010 by Pen Nut

[Viseguy]

Sounds like you're using a very wet nib. If Noodler's Black is smearing, it means the pen is putting down more ink than the paper can absorb. So you might want to try it with a drier-writing pen. This would make for faster drying, too.

[DavidB]

Sounds like you're using a very wet nib. If Noodler's Black is smearing, it means the pen is putting down more ink than the paper can absorb. So you might want to try it with a drier-writing pen. This would make for faster drying, too.

 

That was my thought, that the pen is putting dye or pigment down on top of paper that has already been inked. Thus, the "smeared" ink is ink that never actually soaked into the paper, but dried on top of already-dry ink.

 

David B.

[LexieS]

Very nice penmanship! I cannot wait for this ink to come in the mail!

[HeartMan]

Thanks for this post. I read it a few days ago and picked up a bottle today. Noodler's filled the bottle without any room to put the pen in without having some spill over. It soaked through a paper towel in no time. Next time I'll use a few towels. Hoping my wife doesn't see the slight smudge I couldn't get out of the tile.

 

I've been looking for an ink to replace the ballpoints I've been using for check writing. The sales person at Flax in San Francisco showed me their test results with this ink. They couldn't bleach it off the paper. Glad to be able to use my FP's for check writing.

 

With a fine point nib the ink was a little wet on the check paper after a few minutes. I'll be using blotter paper in the future. I might also prefer a broader nib than the fine point.