Brutal Ink Water Resistance Test

[Bill]

Today I looked for my current daily notebook, an Ecosystem cahier, and found it in a pair of pants that went through the wash last night.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/spanielgang/pens/WashingMachineInk1.jpg

In the back I normally keep a running log of some currently inked pens. The cahier was still damp so I was able to separate the pages easily and, ta da, an unplanned ink waterproofness comparo.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/spanielgang/pens/WashingMachineInk2.jpg

BEST:

Noodler's #41 Brown (rock solid; easily readable throughout the notebook)

Noodler's Black (obviously; unfortunately, it was not used elsewhere in the notebook)

 

OKAY:

Diamine Chocolate Brown (washed out to a pale orange but most notes were generally readable)

Montblanc Racing Green (washed out to gray but generally readable)

Montblanc Oyster Gray (similar to RG)

 

FAIR TO MIDDLING:

Levenger Empyrean (washed out to a very light blue but left a teal haze over several pages making readability difficult)

 

POOR:

Lamy Blue (gone)

Iroshizuku yama-guri (maybe; I believe that was on the two lines below the #41 entries)

 

NOTE TO SELF: Don't do this again.

 

Bill

[PatientType]

Sometimes the unintended tests are the most telling. This data is real world rather than swabs run across recently written ink and, in a sense, more useful. I know that my next ink purchase will be Noodlers #41 Brown as a result. I'd read several positive reviews of the ink along with reviews of Noodler's Polar Brown and other browns. The #41 got very good comments but I like waterproof inks and that characteristic seemed ambiguous until your post.

 

Thanks for recognizing the value of your "experiment" and taking the time to share!

[MrsGouletPens]

Wow, that notebook got destroyed! Go Noodler's!

[jde]

Sometimes the unintended tests are the most telling. This data is real world rather than swabs run across recently written ink and, in a sense, more useful. I know that my next ink purchase will be Noodlers #41 Brown as a result. I'd read several positive reviews of the ink along with reviews of Noodler's Polar Brown and other browns. The #41 got very good comments but I like waterproof inks and that characteristic seemed ambiguous until your post.

 

Thanks for recognizing the value of your "experiment" and taking the time to share!

 

 

 

Yeah, what he said! Appreciate your posting and identifying what survived.

[Alohamora]

Thanks for sharing! #41 just went on my wish list.

[benkalziqi]

That's pretty awesome/unlucky. You should tell Nathan about this--I'm sure he'd find it amusing .

[fitypoundpdog]

Thanks for getting me the Noodlers Black. I had tried (unsuccessfully) to use a fountain pen in the field last season. It was partially the ink (by necessity Lamy), but also the pen (a Lamy Al-star). I thought this robust school pen might survive. My conclusion was that field geology and fountain pens do not mix well.

 

So now that I have an ink for field work, I need a bomb-proof (or at least: hammer-proof, rock-proof, and sheep-proof (well it is the Alps) pen...any suggestions?

[Fuddlestack]

Glad the pens weren't in there with it.

 

In the 80s a friend of mine put a shirt through the wash with a wad of French Franc notes and a wad of D-Marks in the pocket. The DM came out unaltered, but the French wad turned into a French wadge in ever so many pretty colours, all binnable. The Euro is made of sterner stuff, at least as regards the materials.

[Possum Hill]

Hazards of weather are trivial compared to the hazard of the user himself. I settled on bulletproof ink after trying to recover transaction data from a checkbook that went through a flood and another that was dropped in a mop bucket. Neither of those was mine, but I prefer to learn from others' mistakes.

[WOBentley]

That Noodler's Black is very good but the #41 is amazing, doesn't even look like there was any bleeding at all!

[gadgetjunky]

Sorry to read about your notebook! A somewhat similar (but less dire) event happened to me Friday night. We were at a Mardi Gras parade and got caught in a downpour. I have my PocketMod (printed on Office Depot 24# multi use paper) in my shirt pocket and it got quite socked and stayed that way for an hour or so before I realized it. I use these for To Do lists, notes and appointments for two weeks at a time, so it had notes from several pens and inks (all in the blue family though) on it.

 

Best:

Noodler's Navy - all the blue washed away leaving very distinct, clear letters

Platinum Blue-Black - basically looks the same (started out kinda washed out from an ex-fine nib, still looks washed out)

Bay State Blue - basically looks the same; bright clean blue hairline

 

Next:

Diamine Midnight - blue letters remain with a blue and purple haze around them.

 

Worst:

Noodler's North Sea Blue - gone, POOF, not a trace left.

[WOBentley]

 

Worst:

Noodler's North Sea Blue - gone, POOF, not a trace left.

Nah...it just went back to the sea

Edited March 8, 2011 by WOBentley

[mholve]

Most impressive - both the ball of a notebook - and #41!

[mateo44]

Sorry to read about your notebook! A somewhat similar (but less dire) event happened to me Friday night. We were at a Mardi Gras parade and got caught in a downpour. I have my PocketMod (printed on Office Depot 24# multi use paper) in my shirt pocket and it got quite socked and stayed that way for an hour or so before I realized it. I use these for To Do lists, notes and appointments for two weeks at a time, so it had notes from several pens and inks (all in the blue family though) on it.

 

Best:

Noodler's Navy - all the blue washed away leaving very distinct, clear letters

Platinum Blue-Black - basically looks the same (started out kinda washed out from an ex-fine nib, still looks washed out)

Bay State Blue - basically looks the same; bright clean blue hairline

 

Next:

Diamine Midnight - blue letters remain with a blue and purple haze around them.

 

Worst:

Noodler's North Sea Blue - gone, POOF, not a trace left.

 

Just picked up a bottle of Noodler's Navy today. I'm really digging the color, and its bulletproof (or nearly so) qualities are just gravy.

[s5s]

Alas an example of why you should always use a waterproof ink if you are to keep something for more than a few weeks. Sh1t happens. It doesn't cost anything to use a waterproof ink - they come in the same colour ranges, same price, pretty much same properties except that they are waterproof.

[ObserveClosely]

Bill, I love that pic of the Ball of Notebook! Very sculptural! I am glad you snapped a pic before you unraveled it. Classic.

[DwarvenChef]

This is something that I have found in the laundry as well or after a long night at the dishwasher. Strong statement to keep inportant notes in a "sticky" ink

[pictogramax]

Great story, great pics and one great ink!