Noodler's Bad Blue Heron

[dizzypen]

This review also appears on The Dizzy Pen.

 

 

It's been a while since I've done a review, but I've been swamped with work. It takes time to put these things together; time I have not had of late. HOWEVER, since I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Noodler's Bad Blue Heron, I thought I might as well put a review up.

 

I bought this ink because a. someone on FPN described it as looking like the Crayola Cerulean crayon and that was always my favorite color in the box b. this is a darker bulletproof ink and I've been looking for one of those. I have not been disappointed.

 

Firstly the color. This ink does look a bit like Cerulean crayons when it is wet, but it dries to a very attractive dark blue with hints of green and maybe turquoise. It might even be described as a blue-black. It's difficult to capture the color of this ink in pictures, but I've done my best.

 

Pros:

No feathering

No Bleed through

Excellent flow

Good lubrication

Some good shading depending on your nib and paper

It's not just bulletproof, it's part of the Warden Ink series. It is the most fraud resistant ink available. (see comp. below)

Comes in a 3 oz. bottle

No nib creep.

 

Cons:

It has that trademark chemical odor that can down right knock you over if you sniff the bottle.

It sticks to the nib and can be a pain to clean off.

 

Now about this sticking business. This was a bit off putting at first. When I first got the bottle I dip tested it with a dip pen. This ink dried on the dip pen nib and it was really hard to wipe off. This made me nervous. So, I put it in a Sheaffer's Cartridge pen. I did not have the same sticking problem. After having it in that pen for a few days I switched it over to my Levenger Plumpster. I didn't have any problems rinsing the Sheaffer clean, and I can't find any evidence of ink still stuck on the nib. It's been in the Plumpster for several days now and I haven't had any problems at all. No clogging, no nothing. It also is not sticking to or staining the walls of the cartridge I put it in. So, I'm confident that this ink is perfectly pen safe.

 

My one suggestion would be to fill the pen using a syringe or some other method so you don't have to dip the nib in the ink. This makes for easier clean up. But either way you should be fine. I also recommend that you flush you pen every one to two fills of this ink. Good pen hygiene=happy pens!

 

Further Note: When I write a review of an ink I strive to provide the most accurate account of my experiences as possible. My comments about the ink sticking to the dip pen nib should not be misconstrued as a denunciation of this ink. I, in fact, love it and it will likely see heavy rotation in my pens. For some reason, that is beyond my understanding, people tend to have a visceral kind of reaction to Noodler's ink as if it is the devil or something. I am not one of those who subscribes to that sort of nonsense. I have several bottles of Noodler's ink, including two other bulletproof inks, and I use them without reservation!

 

Now for the pictures:

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/4112898808_074f1abc3b.jpg

 

Here is a comparison for reference:

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4112896760_bd79abd5d8.jpg

 

Here are a set of swabs meant to test this ink's bulletproofness. This test was performed on 24# copy paper. As you can see A little of the blue dye is lifted when it come in contact with liquid; otherwise, this ink isn't going anywhere. I got a little carried away with the soapy water test and actually did remove some of the paper. The ink is still there!

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/4112897318_9f2d3a95a4.jpg

 

No affil.

[reprieve]

Great review! I think your photos capture the ink's color quite accurately.

 

I recently had this ink in my italic-nibbed Aurora Optima for just over two weeks without any staining whatsoever. No clogging/flow issues either. I did not notice the problem with Bad Blue Heron sticking to the nib--I believe it wiped off fairly easily (unlike La Reine Mauve--after I-can't-even-begin-to-tell-you-how-many cleanings, there is purple ink still in the grooves of my Omas Milord's nib months later). I accidentally discovered that Bad Blue Heron does not (at least in the not-wet-but-not-dry-either Optima) feather on newspaper--so it is now my newspaper crossword puzzle ink.

[lefty928]

I like your index card system!

[dizzypen]

Thanks. It's super convenient. I've just done an "upgrade." I made a word template so I don't have to write out the categories.

[farseer911]

Thanks. It's super convenient. I've just done an "upgrade." I made a word template so I don't have to write out the categories.

why not post it here, it would be interesting... I may even start doing some reviews.

[pen2paper]

very welll done dizzypen-what brand/size of cards are you using?

 

love the pen pic, but miss Beaker:)

edited to add, have you ordered the new Noodlers dark blue?

Edited December 22, 2009 by pen2paper

[dizzypen]

Thanks. It's super convenient. I've just done an "upgrade." I made a word template so I don't have to write out the categories.

why not post it here, it would be interesting... I may even start doing some reviews.

 

You know, I didn't even think of that. It's nothing fancy. I just typed up the heading and spaced things so that print within the lines. I doubt it would be useful to anyone else since line spacing will be different for different cards. I guess if you really want it I can upload it, but really it's very plain. Pinned to the top of the forum is a topic with two review templates in it. Those are much nicer and are for a full sheet of paper.

[rroossinck]

Oh man, now I'm really salivating! I've got 10 bottles of this stuff inbound, and I can't wait to get one open to try it! If it's anything like Heart of Darkness in its speed of drying, I'll definitely love this blue.

[Randal6393]

Hi, dizzypen,

 

Thanks for a great review on a lovely ink.

 

Enjoy,

[professionaldilettante]

Sounds like a good ink to pick up one day... time to add to the list!

[Lloyd]

What...no laser test?

[pen2paper]

What...no laser test?

yes must see laser... set on 'stun'...

[irbyls]

This is one of my favorite inks. Its purported staying qualities made me a bit nervous, so I always fill the converter of my Parker Frontier directly.

Edited January 24, 2010 by irbyls

[Toolan]

"... I accidentally discovered that Bad Blue Heron does not (at least in the not-wet-but-not-dry-either Optima) feather on newspaper--so it is now my newspaper crossword puzzle ink.

 

That's interesting to know - I was contemplating Noodlers' X-Feather for this very same purpose but having come across conflicting reviews of it I remain undecided. This testament

comes as a nice bonus.

 

Toolan

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review, thanks.

[aget19]

may have to pick some of this up soon.. when i get paid of course :hmm1:

[farseer911]

Did my own more abusive test on this ink.... nice color but was not impressed by the results. It is posted in ink reviews, comparisions scans tests.

 

but then again how often do you meet bleach to ink...

[Bill Smith]

Nice review, I picked up a bottle of the Bad Blue Heron recently after trying a sampler a few months ago. It works great in one of my black Parker 51 Aerometrics. The odor I guess from a couple of the active ingredients is unmistakable and um, quite unique.

 

I will be doing a review of my own at some point.

[arikol]

Nice review, I picked up a bottle of the Bad Blue Heron recently after trying a sampler a few months ago. It works great in one of my black Parker 51 Aerometrics. The odor I guess from a couple of the active ingredients is unmistakable and um, quite unique.

 

I will be doing a review of my own at some point.

 

 

Unique, yes, that's one way to describe the smell

 

I have one bottle of this ink, but just two pens to test it in. This ink works beautifully in a Lamy Safari with a fine nib (I need an EF nib as well, ordering REAL soon), but does not work well in a Parker Jotter fountainpen as it doesn't start well in that pen and skips and just doesn't play nice. That's not a pen I recommend, BTW.

The colour is very nice, IMO, and the flow in the Safari is excellent. Less lubrication than Noodler's Black, and quite a bit lless than J.Herbin Perle Noire (which is almost too smooth), but is still very nice to write with.

 

It stains the hands like crazy, and if you spill any in your kitchen sink you'll have to lightly scrub to get the stain out.

Water and bleach don't seem to do much, the first drops of water seem to move something like 2% of the ink, then more water just washes that loose ink off.

UV, don't make me laugh.. this stuff eats UV rays for breakfast.

 

All in all I like it almost as much as I dislike Parker Quink Washable (an uninspiring colour which fades away if it doesn't float away in the humidity of your breath first, and is unfortunately many people's first and only foray into fountain pens).

 

P.s. the smell doesn't bother me, but is quite... interesting

[kathleen]

Great review, thanks Dizzypen.I like this ink and choose it for addressing envelopes because of its permanence. I like its flow properties in my vintage Esterbrook pens with a medium nib and the fact that it does not feather on the inexpensive grade of paper we use at school. The color is as you described, "attractive dark blue with hints of green and maybe turquoise", it is very pleasing to my eye, dark enough to be suited to business writng while being a bit more interesting than many other blue/black inks.