Thought this might be useful to some, since many people are attracted to inks that are permanent or at least highly water resistant, but may not be aware of the complete selection. I know most of this stuff has been discussed before, but it would be good to have a complete list compiled. Please feel free to correct me if I make any mistakes, or add more inks that I left out.

I'm not making the distinction between bulletproof, waterproof, eternal, etc... Just a list of inks that survive water well.

Thanks to Viseguy, saintsimon & FLZapped for additions/corrections to the list.

Noodler's Inks:

Black
Polar Black
Luxury Blue
Hunter Green
Fox Red
Blue Ghost (invisible)
Lexington Gray

Legal Blue (Art Brown exclusive)

Legal Lapis (Pendemonium exclusive)
Eternal Brown (Pendemonium exclusive)
Iraqi Indigo (Pendemonium exclusive)

Aquamarine Blue (Swisher exclusive)
Hellbender Red (Swisher exclusive)
Devil Red (Swisher exclusive)
Verdun Green (Swisher exclusive)
Naval Orange (Swisher exclusive)
Goldfinch (Swisher exclusive)
Gulf Stream Blue (Swisher exclusive)
Grizzly (Swisher exclusive)

Recently promoted to "near-bulletproof" status:

Aircorps Blue-Black
Blue-Black
Standard Brown
Golden Brown
Kiowa Pecan
Marine Green
Navy
Red-Black
Walnut
Zhivago

UK exclusive eternals:

El Lawrence
Britannia's Blue Waves
Mata Hari's Cordial
Victoria's Royal Mint
Socrates
The Sun Never Sets
Highland's Heather
Empire Red

Germany exclusive eternal:

Prussian Blue

Russian exclusive eternal:

Rachmaninov (pink)
Tchaikovsky (purple)
Dostoevsky (dark turquoise)
Lermontov (violet)
Tsvetayeva (pink red)
Pushkin (grey)
Akhmatova (green)
Tolstoy (orange)
Esenin (red)
Pasternak (blue)
Chekhov (peach)
Kuprin (magenta)


Advantages:
Will not damage pens, can be rinsed out easily.

Disadvantages:
Ink likes to creep out onto nibs
May sometimes be smudged even when dry


Swishmix (Made by Noodlers, Swisher exclusive):

Nile Ebony
True Rouge
Lakeshore Spruce
Glacier Blue
Burgundy
Tahitian Pearl
Seminole Sepia
Royal Aztec

Advantages:
Quick drying for left-handed writers.

Disadvantages:
May feather on some papers.


Iron-Gall Inks:

Mont Blanc Blue-Black (same as Lamy)
Lamy Blue-Black (same as MB)
Rohrer & Klingner Salix
Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa
Diamine Registar's Ink

Advantages:
Will not creep like Noodler's products.

Disadvantages:
May clog pens and are acidic, but modern formulations should be milder.
Not resistant to bleach, may not be resistant to UV.


Carbon/Particle Inks:

Pelikan Font India
Platinum Carbon Black
Sailor Kiwagura Very Black

Advantages:
Very very black.

Disadvantages:
High clogging risk.


Other water resistant inks, but not waterproof:

Namiki/Pilot Blue-Black
Namiki/Pilot Blue
Namiki/Pilot Black
Sailor Blue-Black
Sailor Blue
Sailor Black
Pelikan Black

Disadvantages:
Not completely waterproof.


Ok, that's the best I can do from memory. Now is the time for everyone to point out my mistakes.

Thank you!

I had been wishing for this exact posting.

Regards,
Ashland

Hey, thanks, NeoTiger! That's a great list !

Edit: I just pinned a topic on Ink Reviews with a link to this thread.

• Noodler's Lexington Gray is an eternal, IIRC.
• I think "N1001" is just Swisher's product number for Noodler's Black. I believe they're one and the same.

Many thanks for this list -- very useful!

Let's not forget the exclusive inks for export markets by Noodler's:

UK exclusive eternals:
El Lawrence
Britannia's Blue Waves
Mata Hari's Cordial
Victoria's Royal Mint
Socrates
The Sun Never Sets
Highland's Heather
Empire Red

Germany exclusive eternal:
Prussian Blue

I have found that the only ink by De Atramentis I've tried so far has a waterproof componet:

'Aubergine'(eggplant) has a greenish-gray water-resistant part.

Thanks Viseguy & saintsimon for adding the ones I missed.

Yeah the Black N1001 has been removed from the list now, I just missed it when I copy&pasted from Swisher's site.

I would add that Sheaffer Blue-Black has some excellent water resistant qualities, though not nearly as waterproof as the noodlers products. Prior to Noodlers I considered it the most water-resistant ink out their (I had not experienced any of the iron-gall inks yet).

Thanks for the list - it's a great resource!

John

Actually, I think that was "near bulletproof" . . .


http://www.lux-brands.com/noodlers/New%20Bulletproof.htm

-Bruce

Ah, thanks for that link, it's different from what Pendemonium had up and is much clearer.

And I didn't know Golden Brown was on the "nearly bulletproof" list! Now I am very happy.

Thanks for that, I'll correct my list.

Thanks for the list. I have been wanting one, but did not have the time to do research myself.

Where might I purchase Rohrer & Klingner's iron gall inks?

(I'm in Canada, but expecting to buy online.)

Thanks
David

I bought mine from Inked Nib (http://www.inkednib.com/) and would be happy to recommend them, good service.

I'm sure R&K is available elsewhere, but I can't remember right now.

Is not resistent against mechanikal stress on some paper sorts.


Is not completly UV proof and really not proof against chlor bleach.

Good points Schuttwegraeumer. I'll add those comments to the list too. Thanks!

[/QUOTE]I would add that Sheaffer Blue-Black has some excellent water resistant qualities, though not nearly as waterproof as the noodlers products.
[QUOTE]

This link: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ndpost&p=133962

describes some water resistant inks per Clarks Ink Sampler.



Apparently Pelikan black is considered very good, but not listed above. I'm curious if anyone has access to Clark's to check out how water resistant Sheaffer blue-black is, or perhaps Sheaffer Black or blue.

John

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ndpost&p=136594

Per this link, Sheaffer is only rated as fair in Clarks. According to that book, Pelikan black sounds like one of the more water resilient of the non water proof inks.

John

Actually, if you read it the old Sheaffer Blue-Black is rated as Excellent, and the new Sheaffer Blue-Black is rated as fair.

Too bad I used the old - and don't have too much left

John

I would also highly recommend The Inked Nib for customer service. I bought some Noodler's inks from them and was very pleased. No connection, usual disclaimer.

Mac

Might be easier if we listed sellers of ink that have not been top notch. I can't put anyone in that category, yet. I've bought from Swishers, A Pen Lovers Paradise, The Inked Nib, Pendemonium and I think another that I can't remember and they've all been flawless, prompt and friendly.

I have sometimes bought ink I didn't like, but always from people who were prompt, helpful, & honest.

While Clarks must have put a lot of work into his ink tests, I would prefer to keep the list I posted to just inks that some of us have personally tested or even better, have photos of tests.

I don't mean to say that Clarks isn't trustworthy, but rather it would be a better idea to just buy the Clarks Sampler (rather than repost his work) if we wanted to know his results.

So yeah... has anyone actually tried Pelikan Black? Is it worth adding to the list? (Or would the Pelikan Black mentioned in Clarks actually be Pelikan Font India, which is in the waterproof list already?)

For what it's worth, I've tried the Pelikan 4001 Black. Also in my test were a mix of 3 parts Noodler's Green Marine+2 parts Pelikan Black, and Private Reserve Lake Placid. I submerged written samples on cheap spiral-bound paper and a scrap of letterhead, somewhat heavier-weight and nicer paper.

Submerged, all three showed a bit of lift-off on the cheap paper, less on the letterhead. I agitated the water slightly, and the green aspect of the Green Marine mix started to disappear on both sheets, as did the blue of Lake Placid. Pelikan Black seemed not to budge much from the letterhead, but it faded a bit on the cheap paper, though not as much as the Green Marine Mix. This was in the sink, so I washed my hands with Dove soap and let the soap rinse off into the test (nothing really happened to the paper from the soapy water, and the Pelikan black I accidentally smeared on my hand stayed put, too).

After about an hour submerged, the Lake Placid is completely gone. The Pelikan Black remains dark on the letterhead, faded but very readable on the cheap paper (looks like it was written in a watery-black ink with a finer nib than before). The green part of the Mix disappeared on both sheets but the writing is still legible, decent on the letterhead and somewhat faded on the cheap paper.

The Pelikan Black did a lot better in this test than I had expected, and its performance varies by the type of paper. It was not difficult to rinse out of the pen, either.

Great list! Thanks all.

Where can you buy the Prussian Blue Noodler's?

Heath

I don't know of a Prussian Blue Noodler's. I just checked the Luxury Brands site, which I think is probably the most comprehensive listing, but it is not listed there either.

Unless it's a limited edition for one of the ink vendors (I did check Pendemonium & Swisher's, and they don't have a PB), you might be thinking of Diamine Prussian Blue, which is fairly well distributed. peartreepens.com, pendemonium, and The Writing Desk in Britian all have it.

As I recently learned, it is a www.missing-pen.de exclusive; note that Noodler's inks do not show up on the web site, yet.

Bye.

Aha, thanks Luca for solving the mystery!

Thanks for the info Luca.

Heath

Hi all,

does anyone know how the 3 Noodler's waterproof Black inks compare: (1) Bulletproof Black, (2) Polar Black, and (3) Eel Black ?

Cannot find any direct comparison of 'blackness', waterproofness, nib creep etc between these three versions, so would be grateful for members experiences, photos etc.

Don't have copy of Clark's sampler, but would prefer FPN'ers personal experiences anyway.

Also, why have 3 waterproof versions of the same colour ?

Thanks,
Peter

Thanks for the list. It is always nice to have a selection of inks that may contain inks not be bullet proof or even trully water proof, but are water proof enough to address letters etc. One that I recently tried was Private Reserve Copper Burst. You can soak it in water and everything but the red color disappears, but the red does remain and remains legible. So, while not truly waterproof it is good enough that you could still get a letter through if it got wet.

I can't help you on how they compare as I only use 'bullet-proof' Black. But, I can say that 'bullet-proof' Black is Noodler's regular black that just happens to be 'bullet-proof'. Eel Black has been discontinued along with all the other Eel colors (IIRC). Polar Black is made to replace the Eel Black (IIRC) and also to satisfy fountain pen users that live where it gets extremely cold.

I'm not too sure about which are blacker or less black, but here are the main differences:

Noodler's Black is just their plain bulletproof black. Moderate to dark in blackness (comes out quite black in most of my pens), designed to minimise feathering, can't be washed out with anything, in some situations can be smudged with a wet finger.

Polar Black is designed to withstand cold temperatures without freezing, not sure if this affects the performance. I'd say don't bother trying unless you really need to use it in cold weather.

Eel Black is part of the Eel series, where extra lubricant is added for piston pens.

I've also heard that the Swishmix Black is very black, quick drying, and bulletproof, but possibly feathers on some papers.

All three are waterproof. Polar Black is the "blackest," Bulletproof Black and Eel Black seem about the same to me.

Different people report different experiences with nib creep in the Bulletproof Black. It seems to depend on the pen as much as the ink. I have seen very little nib creep with the Bulletproof Black, the most pronounced is on a #44 stub nib on a Parker 75, and even then you have to look closely to see it.

Bulletproof Black was the original Noodler's offering, sfaik. Eel Black was devised to solve lubrication and flow problems in piston fillers and in certain older nibs (widely separated combs) respectively. Polar Black was designed for fountain pen users who live in very cold places, and it also has the same lubricating qualities as the Eel Black. So it's three specific formulations for three specific problems/challenges.

Someone else here has said that Eel Black and the other Eel inks have been discontinued. I don't know that to be true, but that doesn't mean anything. I do believe that the Eel inks were never big sellers, and don't seem to be carried by many vendors. I'm thinking I may just go to Polar Black after my current supply of Bulletproof Black runs out, since the Polar Black is the darkest of the three (and pretty darn black compared to all other black inks, too), lubricates like the Eel, and there are no performance issues with it even in a "temperate" climate (if you can think of Texas as "temperate" -- but we don't have sub-zero winters).

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies,
I think I'll try the Polar Black next, as it seems the most black in colour, has good lubricating properties, is now 'bulletproof' (2006 version), is the same price as regular 'bulletproof' black, and could be handy when traversing the North Pole !
Best wishes,
Peter

Hello,


this is my first thread on this forum community.

My name is Rolf Thiel from www.missing-pen.de (Germany) and you can buy the Noodler´s in Prussian Blue (only made for missing-pen / Germany) and the other Noodler´s

inks at me. This blue ink is waterproof and the price is 11,50 € / 90 ml (+ postage).

Payment with PayPal is no problem (my account: info@missing-pen.de)


The Noodler´s ink are still not on my homepage (sorry), but you can order this and some other ink brands (and many, many writing instruments) per E-Mail: info@missing-pen.de

or over my shop: www.missing-pen.de



I have this ink brands on stock: Noodler´s, Diamine, Private Reserve, Yard-O-Led, Rohrer & Klingner, Herbin, Standardgraph, Caran d´Ache and many more...

Look at my ink site (still not all brands online) : http://www.missing-pen.de/shop/lieferprogx...929abe7089c26b3


When you have some more questions, please mail me.

I´m happy to hear from you...


Best wishes...





Rolf

www.missing-pen.de






missing-pen

Rolf Thiel e.K.

-writing instruments & more from the internet-

D-67435 Neustadt / Weinstrasse

GERMANY

E-Mail: info@missing-pen.de

www.missing-pen.de

Um. I'm not sure what that means. Do you mean that you can still tear the paper after it's been written on?

On some kinds of paper, if you rub the dry ink with your thumb, it smudges.

Time to add more inks!!!


Russian and UK eternal inks @ Pendemonium

-Bruce

Thanks for that Bruce.

Russian eternal inks added to the list. Man those names are hard to remember.

I've put the approximate colour of the ink next to each name, but some of the colours were hard to decide in the scans, so don't trust my definitions.

Yeah, I know. Pendemonium must sell a ton of ink to get such a large line-up of exclusive inks like that.

-Bruce

At the Fountain Pen Hospital the other day I saw they had two proprietary Eternal Noodler's inks that I had never seen before, Bank Note Green and Old Manhattan Blackest Black.

Yeah, I'd heard about these. The Bank Note Green sounds interesting.

I'd thought that the other color was some sort of a blue color. It's a black?

Hmm... I hadn't heard of that color, either. It looks like the blue you are thinking of is "Manhattan Blue," which is an Art Brown exclusive. Here we have a "Old Manhattan Blackest Black," which is an FPH exclusive.

"Blackest Black?" Sounds like we have a competitor for PR Ultra Black!

Yes, it must be blacker than Noodler's regular black, which is already extremely black. I keep forgetting if Eternal means Bulletproof or if there's some subtle distinction.

Hi, just pulling out an old topic here... wondering if there are any new waterproof inks we should be aware of and add to this list.

I'm curious too.

I just found out that after being soaked in water, J. Herbin's Violette Pensee survives nicely - nice, clear and readable, and PR Chocolat turns red - the brown part lifts off, but the red part remains strong and legible. Both were as legible as the Noodler's Aircorp BB on the same sheet of paper. Not a scientific test, and just on inexpensive notebook paper. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Platinum blue-black: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=41268

I haven't tried the other Noodler's blacks, but I tried the Old Manhattan black on Ed's (Fountain Pen Hospital) recommendation. Here's a comparison with black Parker Writing ink. The Old Manhattan Black is above (labeled "N") and the Parker is below (labeled "P"):

Original sample: Noolder's above/Parker below

Same sample, under water for about fifteen seconds

Same sample, after gently blotting the water

Even disregarding the difference in indelibility, you can see that the Old Manhattan is much darker and richer than the Parker. I don't know how it compares to the other Noodler's blacks, though.

By the way, the Old Manhattan Black, exclusively from Fountain Pen Hospital, is bulletproof.