Noodler's Blue Nose Bear

[jgrasty]

It was with great anticipation that I put Noodler's Blue Nose Bear into a couple of pens this afternoon. After all, the two previous inks in this series, Black Swan in Australian Roses, and Black Swan in English Roses, were amazing inks. In fact, I'd say these are the best inks in my growing collection, both for their color, and also for the "black swan" effect, that is, a dark border around the written characters, especially when used with a pen with a flexible nib.

 

I would have to say, although the color is quite pleasing, Blue Nose Bear doesn't measure up to its counterparts. The main reason is that the ink feathers. On Rhodia paper. NOTHING feathers on Rhodia paper in my entire ink collection, but Blue Nose Bear manages to do it. That's a deal breaker for me.

 

Blue Nose Bear also has been shown to have an effect of putting a light blue halo around the outside of characters written with the ink. I didn't see that effect at all on the two papers I tried here, though it is quite dramatic on a paper towel that I use to sop up excess ink after loading a pen.

 

Below are writing samples. First up is a Waterman's 52-1/2V with a needlepoint #2 nib. The ink is great in this pen, the color and shading are very nice, and the "black swan" effect quite pleasing. If this pen was the only pen in which I'd use the ink, then there are no issues at all. The ink works wonderfully in this pen.

 

Next up is my Pelikan M700 Toledo with its wet BB nib. Again, the ink performs well in this pen, with just the faintest trace of feathering here and there. The color is nice and there is some shading for those that like that effect, like me.

 

Finally, my Waterman's 52 with its juicy #2 nib. This nib verges on being too wet, but still works well with inks that aren't too wet. Here's where feathering shows up. See especially the dark areas of some of the capital letters, especially G, H and P. The feathering is there, but not too bad. I wouldn't use the ink in this pen.

 

I find the color shift of the ink in the Waterman's 52-1/2V, a nice blue-green color, which changes rather dramatically to a more gray-blue-green in the wetter pens, to be a nice feature of this ink.

 

I also wrote a few lines, with the same pens, on Verge de France ivory paper by G. Lalo. Again, the Waterman's 52-1/2V worked well (though this needlepoint nib has some difficulty with the texture of this paper). There is also some feathering with both the Pelikan BB nib and the Waterman's 52.

 

The ink dries quite quickly from the needlepoint nib of the Waterman's 52-1/2V, but dries pretty slowly, on the order of 30 seconds, from the Pelikan BB nib and the Waterman's 52 nib. On both Rhodia and Verge de France, there is no bleed through and not much show through, either.

 

If Noodler's could fix the feathering of this ink, it would be another triumph like the two Black Swan inks, but the feathering is likely to limit which pens and papers can be used with this ink. From that standpoint, I'm a little disappointed with this ink.

 

http://bettygrastymd.com/jgrasty/wp-content/uploads/noodlers-blue-nose-bear-rhodia.jpg

 

http://bettygrastymd.com/jgrasty/wp-content/uploads/noodlers-blue-nose-bear-verge-de-france.jpg

[Gobblecup]

Feathering and halo effects are just not all that classy, I don't know why it is Nathan is trying to engineer inks to do this. The colour and shading are nothing less than what I had hoped for in this ink, absolutely beautiful, and classy. (all in my own opinion of course)

 

The feathering on the Rhodia paper in a Waterman 52 is really a shame to see. And not everyone can afford to use reams of the stuff, leaving it an ink that would be unwise to use away from the desk and one's priciest papers.

 

The poor behavior of this ink seems to be a deal breaker for what otherwise would be a wonderful ink in the wonderful Black Swan line.

 

Maybe the problem is that the name isn't Black Swan in Canadian Bluenose Bears. :roflmho:

Edited August 6, 2011 by Gobblecup

[Mauricio]

Beautiful ink. Gorgeous penmanship. Thanks for sharing with us!

[fiberdrunk]

Gorgeous ink and gorgeous writing!

[watch_art]

Dilute it. If you dilute it the feathering should go away and the shading might be even more pronounced and beautiful.

 

If you try it please let us know how it looks.

 

Thanks!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Your handwriting is so beautiful!

[benborgmeyer]

seriously. looks good to me. im a state employee, my work notebooks are basically toilet paper. even if i write with the blue nose in a flex, using a fine hand, i don't have a problem. and if i intentionally let the pen sit on the paper for a little while, and if the ink does feather out, leaving a blue halo in its wake and a faint blue mark on the page behind, it is a beautiful surprise.

 

watching reaction to this ink is almost as pleasurable as the ink.

[SamCapote]

Dilute it. If you dilute it the feathering should go away and the shading might be even more pronounced and beautiful.

 

If you try it please let us know how it looks.

 

Thanks!

 

Great and fair review, with exceptional handwriting.

 

I am also finding the feathering to be untenable on most papers I use, including Hammermill Copy Plus 92#, Staples Eco sugar cane, Meade, Ampad Gold Fibre.

 

It is OK with HP Laserjet 32#, but the blue (halo color) bleeds through, and I have not found another ink that has bled on this paper to this degree.

 

I diluted it with 1 part distilled water & 2 parts ink, and no improvement with feathering at all. I think there is something else going on here, as this is the most dramatic feathering I have seen in any ink to date.

 

One positive thing is that this washes out of pens the easiest of any ink I have ever used. As a result, I have no concern using it in a vintage Waterman wet noodle.

[watch_art]

Dilute it 1 to 1 with water. Thin it out a LOT.

[meowmda]

I have a sample coming, I'm curious to see how it will do on Clairefontaine.

 

You're penmanship is so awesome!! Written and printed.

[shaylenwilliams]

The feathering turns me off of this one, just as it did with Concord Bream. Just not my cuppa. I don't really care for the color, Syo-ro from Iroshi is quite similar, and oddly I love it... So- I will stick with Syo-ro, despite its steep price tag. Some things are worth paying for I suppose.

Edited August 6, 2011 by shaylenwilliams

[SamCapote]

Dilute it 1 to 1 with water. Thin it out a LOT.

 

Just did 1 to 1 with same feathering results on 4 different papers. That light blue of the halo is what feathers out....and is distinct from a diffuse, even halo. Notably weaker color in flex pen at this dilution also.

[watch_art]

wow. I am really surprised.

 

I guess it's like Mrs.Goulet said, just an artists ink for washes and stuff.

[IWantThat]

I'll have to get some and paint with it, cause I LOVE the color

[PAKMAN]

Ink... ok

 

Your presentation of it... Fantastic!

[CatBookMom]

Gorgeous handwriting. Thanks for the review and the eye candy.

[kushbaby]

Well, I dipped (not enough to fill with my limited sample) the brush pen that came with my Noodlers Kung te Cheng (GREAT brush pen, by the way - need to find a source for more). Neat color, fun to play with, but no special effects.

 

Then on a hunch I filled my Montegrappa Miya (B nib) with it based on that pen's previous outstanding performance (since others had already tried Waterman flexys). Works well on most of the papers I tried (and those it didn't work well on are problematic with other inks as well, so I don't necessarily see it as a BNB-specific problem). Some maybe have a slight hint of feathering (but I was looking REALLY close), but it's more spready than feathery (if that makes sense).

 

It certainly doesn't insult my eye or impact my use - I didn't notice unless holding the paper REALLY close to my face. I noted that when there was a little of what I initially thought might be "feathering", it was actually mostly the halo, I think - it's usually not feathering in the darker color extending perpendicular to the line on most papers - so this is perhaps intentional? And it showed up after a few minutes (not immediately). No bleedthrough for most papers (except as noted below).

 

In writing a line with a pen loaded with Montblanc Blue-black (wet italic nib) adjacent to BNB, the MB Blue-black line edge is definitely sharper, and the line for BNB is... softer? I think that's the best way to describe it - not frank feathering, but softer edges with a very subtle blue halo. This may not be to everyone's taste, of course...

 

 

Papers tried (in no particular order):

 

(Note - when I say "halo", I'm not talking about some huge obvious line of light blue next to the ink, it's really just the barest subtle hint that makes the visual effect interesting.)

 

 

HP Premium Choice paper (32lb) - Very little to no true feathering, but with a particularly nice hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink and especially at edges. By far, this ink was the *prettiest* on this paper. No bleedthrough.

 

Clairefontaine French-ruled - Very little to no true feathering, with a particularly nice hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink and especially at edges (oddly more so than Triomphe, see below)

 

Rhodia pad - Very little to no true feathering, with a nice hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink and at edges

 

Staples Bagasse (pad and spiral) - Little to no true feathering, with a hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink and at edges. No real bleedthorough (though there is a hint of light blue that is seen).

 

Midori regular thickness paper (Travelers Notebook refill) - Little to no feathering, with a hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink and edges. No bleedthrough.

 

Midori very thin paper (Travelers notebook refill) - More definite feathering (of the traditional kind - the darker ink, not the halo), with some bleedthrough if a wet line/section.

 

Quo Vadis Habana (with the white Clairfontaine paper - I think this is the older one) - A little more true feathering (not a lot), with a hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink. Some slight bleedthrough. Looks nice, though.

 

Crane's paper, rag cotton 24lb (which I find to be picky) - Front: Little to no true feathering, with a hint of the halo-colored blue in lighter areas of ink. Back: More traditional feathering, wouldn't use this ink on the back side of this paper. No bleedthough.

 

Clairefontaine Triomphe paper - Best performance. I can't see anything that even looks like the ragged edge of feathering except in a place where I let the nib sit for a little bit at the end of a sentence. Very little halo, though (maybe a hint), so flatter looking. No bleedthrough.

 

G. Lalo Verge de France - Very nice as well. While it's hard to tell the irregularities of the ink line due to the raised/textured surface of the paper form feathering, on close inspection, I actually see essentially no feathering. There is little if any halo, though - just some light blue tinge in the areas with lighter ink.

 

Original Crown Mill cotton writing pad stationery paper - Slightly more noticeable traditional feathering (not atrocious), with soft halo. No bleedthrough.

 

St. James linen resume bond paper (24lb) - Some slight feathering, mostly it's halo. No bleedthrough

 

Southworth cotton paper (unsure of wt -"resume paper") - More traditional feathering (not atrocious, but not tidy looking). Slight bleedthorough (this pen lays down a wet line)

 

Moleskine notebook paper - Noticeably wider line on this paper. A little bit of true feathering, but mostly soft with a nice looking halo effect (light bluish at edges). Looks pretty nice, actually. Unfortunately, LOTS of bleedthrough to the other side (the most of any paper I tried) - Of course, this is a wet pen. All the bleedthrough was in the halo color (light blue). Perhaps this paper is more absorbent for the halo part of this ink.

 

Levenger notepad paper (got this free with something, don't like it, so I have it lying around) - Essentially exactly like Moleskine, but less halo (flatter looking) and slightly less bleedthrough. Wouldn't be bad if you only intend to use the front (looks nice on the front, if wide).

 

Picadilly notebook paper - Definite traditional feathering (not particularly pleasant). Some bleedthorough (this pen lays down a wet line)

 

Boise recycled 20lb copy paper - More traditional feathering (but not atrocious, just not particularly pleasant). But definitely some bleedthorough (this pen lays down a wet line)

 

Borden&Riley sketchbook paper (for pencil, pen, watercolor), 60lb - LOTS traditional feathering (obscures any halo that might be there) - as might be expected for this sort of paper.

 

 

(I would upload pics, but the effects I'm describing are hard to see on a scan, best in person. Also, they're written on random scraps. :embarrassed_smile: )

 

I like the color, and I have all of the range of the Iroshizuku blue and green inks - this isn't really too much like them in my eyes. Even with a wet pen, it is a lighter color, and it almost has a touch of grey, but not quite. I would say that in person it doesn't look quite like the colors on the computer screen in the video (to me). And it is LOVELY on bright white paper (where you can see the hint of halo best). I'm probably going to get a bottle.

 

Conclusions (IMHO):

 

1) I have way too much paper.

 

2) My personal preferred papers for this ink are Clairefontaine notebook paper, Rhodia pad paper, and HP 32lb premium Choice laser (I think it's a tie between Clairefontaine notebook and HP for the best, but I have reams of HP in blank unlined, and it looks really nice on unlined paper...). Clairefontaine Triomphe, G. Lalo Verge de France are also good with excellent behavior, but show little halo, so the ink looks "flatter" and less interesting.

 

3) I will happily use this ink on Staples paper, Midori regular paper, linen resume paper, Levenger (front only) and Crane's paper (front only). (I do not feel the "preferred" papers above like Rhodia or HP are *required* for this ink for my tastes/tolerances.) Probably will not use in Crown Mill (I have other stationery options).

 

4) I personally do NOT plan to use this on Midori thin, Southworth, or cheap copy paper. I also probably won't use in notebooks by Moleskine, Picadilly, and the older Quo Vadis (because of the bleedthrough).

 

5) I think that this ink probably behaves very differently depending on the pen it is in. I would think that folks should get a sample first to see - I'm glad I did. If I went by the reviews here, I wouldn't have gotten it. Now I will. I'll be loading up my Montegrappa Modiglioni with its springy B nib as soon as my other sample arrives.

 

Boy, that was long-winded! Shutting up now.... :embarrassed_smile:

[watch_art]

you make it sound like it performs almost exactly like bad blue heron and midway blue. those are just really wet inks and turn my fine nibs into mediums. fat mediums. but feathering? not so much. i'm more interested the more i hear about this stuff.

[kushbaby]

you make it sound like it performs almost exactly like bad blue heron and midway blue. those are just really wet inks and turn my fine nibs into mediums. fat mediums. but feathering? not so much. i'm more interested the more i hear about this stuff.

 

I haven't got any Bad Blue Heron, I don't think... let me look... nope, I don't. (It was out of stock when I last ordered ink.) But yes, definite fat-ish line with soft edges. Noodler's Bernanke Black and Bernanke Blue give a wide line too (in my experience).

 

Oh, and one more paper:

 

Whitelines - Wider line (like with Moleskine), little to no feathering, and a hint of halo. But wicked bleedthrough. Of course, MANY inks give me bleedthrough with Whitelines, which is why I have it lying around (mostly unused...)

[watch_art]

Yeah - I had a whitelines and gave it to one of my students at school. He loves it, but doesn't use fountain pens in it much.