Not trying to be repetitive, but if you're not following the Hana's Noodler's list then you might not see Noodler's latest color! Here 'tis ........

Sam

Thanks for that usefull picture. Nice standard blue for general use. Do I see some feathering there?

Why would anyone need to write in arctic conditions anyway? I mean, enough people to have a market for this ink?

I like the color and the permanence. Just ordered a bottle! I'm not sure it will do anything for me that Noodlers black or Glacier blue don't already (both nice inks, both bulletproof) but it will be fun to try!

I think one reason is that Nathan enjoys the science of ink. I remember reading how these "polar" inks were tested to write through a coating of frost on the paper.

Now, what I need is ink that will write when it's raining on me!

Yes, you do see some feathering. Primarily due to cotton swab, glass pen and nasty paper (think card stock). Long story about the notecards, printers have a hard time understanding FP ink - LOL I've written with the Polar Blue in a real pen now on real paper and feathering is non-existent .... unless I use the wild, broad, wet flexxies - then I can detect trace amounts as I do with most inks.

Sam

Kenny -


Those are my thoughts exactly, and if it was me trying to write in the arctic I'd have on such thick mittens I probably couldn't hold a pen anyway! Wait! Why would I even go outside?!? However, in spite of my original doubts when Polar Black was in the experimental stages, it has sold very well around the world in cold and warm climates alike. So, yes, there is a market for it, smaller than for some other inks, but enough to go to the trouble of making the polar inks.

The sad truth is none of us NEED more than one ink, if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, none of us NEED a pen either - if we were being strictly utilitarian, pencils work fine, as do sticks writing in the dirt! But not nearly as much fun as fountain pens and being able to feed them different colors of ink. Aside from that, just like those of you who collect pens, there just about as many out there who collect inks for the labels.

Sam

Hi,

I guess it is nice when you are outside shoveling snow and the postman comes with a package. You could then take out your pen and sign for the package right there, out in the snow.

Dillon

NO! One shouldn't live where there is snow except as an occational diversion.

Ron

Actually, you shouldn't live in an area where it never snows, because it's just too darn hot! My wife and I have often discussed the idea of retiring to Canada!


--J. Haney

Is Polar Blue a waterproof color?

Well, I suppose it COULD sell well, but not because the buyers really NEEDED polar-quality ink. Maybe it's just the novelty of buying it. Kinda like these yuppies who buy the go-anywhere Range Rovers and Humvees, even though the vehicle never makes it off a paved road in Los Angeles.

The closest I ever got to the arctic was 2 years I spent training in the god-forsaken town of Rochester, Minnesota. When I used a pen there, it would be in a toasty warm house or office. I wouldn't have been outside trying to write some opus in the howling cold of the February snows there. So the "polar" quality of the ink wouldn't have made a difference.

Don't be so quick to judge people who use these inks! The Polar inks are designed to provide better lubrication for piston-type pens, and to flow better in older pens (ones with widely spaced fins on the feed). In addition, the Polar Black is a denser black than the regular Noodler's Black ink. These characteristics account for the better sales of Polar Black in warm areas.

As I understand it, the Polar Ink has been selling well in Scandanavia, where the winters are genuinely cold and if someone leaves their pen in the car there's going to be trouble. I should think that would be true in Rochester (Minnesota or New York, either one). I was in Owatonna, MN once in February and I'm very sure it was cold enough to freeze the proverbial ears off a brass monkey, let alone freeze fountain pen ink. Probably what worries researchers in the Arctic/Antarctic is having a fountain pen in the outer garment where they can get to it but where it is not warmed by body heat. A ballpoint and maybe even a pencil would be useless in the cold conditions, the only option is a liquid ink that doesn't freeze. I'm sure they take the heavy mittens off and leave on an inner glove when they have to write outdoors. Or maybe they just worry about leaving the pen in the SnowCat. The thing I wonder about is whether the plastic in the pen would shatter when the cap was removed or replaced in extreme cold. Evidently not.

The Polar inks are waterproof and bulletproof. I guess if they were "eternal" they'd have that in the name of the ink, sfaik they are not eternal inks.

I now live where snow is an occasional diversion. That is a very bad plan. Nobody has good tires for snow on their cars, nobody practices driving in snow, and the people who have no clue about snow don't have the decency (or sanity) to just stay home. In winter, I wish I was back where I belong. (which is significantly north of Rochester MN.)

I have a friend who lives in Finland, and he says that he can't take his fountain pens outside, because his ink will freeze

Maybe he would find a good use for polar inks

You don't have to go to the arctic. Just by living, say, in Minnesota and leaving the pen in your car can be trouble!

Polar Blue is listed as Bulletproof

-Bruce

Interesting, the scan from Pendemonium is much more vibrant than the one on the Noodlers homepage.


-Bruce

I was waiting for Pendemonium to get Luxury Blue in stock and at the same time they get this!

Question is, can I reasonably expect to mix it with Noodler's Black to get a rich, saturated and permanent blue-black? I know they're both listed as bulletproof but is there something in the Polar formulation that will react badly where Luxury Blue won't?

Anyone tried it?

The regular Blue-black is already listed as bullet-proof.....although earlier, they said "near bullet-proof" .....

-Bruce

Is it as chalky as the luxury blue, or maybe we finally got a waterproof ink that has a vibrant color like any dye-based ink?

A bit more info for ya'll on Noodler's Polar inks ..... and Noodler's in general.....

The Polar Black was originally developed because Nathan had a request from researchers in the Arctic for an ink that would stay fluid in sub-zero temps. We have to give Nathan credit for even taking the time to study this, no less come up with a workable product. I doubt any of the big ink companies would have given this request a passing thought.

The very first version of Polar Black was quite persnickedty! It would only work well in high flow feeds with widely spaced fins, the majority of which are vintage. Plus the flow would slow as the temps you used it in got higher - you did not want to be in Arizona trying to use the first Polar Black in a new pen! And we warned people about this. Still they tried. The formula was tweaked and improved on and now you can use it in any pen in any temp without any hint of a flow problem.

I've only had the Polar Blue in my possession for 5 days and so far I haven't been able to make it *not* work. I'm pretty picky about our inks. Not cold enough outside and unlike Nathan, I don't freeze multiples of pens filled with ink in ice blocks to test the sub zero reliability, but I do trust him on that part of it. Actually I trust him on the rest of it, too.

What many people don't realize is that Nathan probably makes more inks that never make it to the marketplace than we'll ever realize, I've seen what I thought were some pretty dud inks! They just don't pop out overnight, all of the inks go through extensive testing by Nathan and sometimes by others, too. I dragged a dozen bottles of Noodler's prototype inks around with me for 3 weeks on our Portland Pen Show trip last summer trying to find something wrong with them. They sat in the hot car, went thru the Rockies, went to the Pacific Ocean and hung out in a lot of hotel rooms! Some of those inks are the new Russian Inks just recently introduced. Even after I gave him my thumbs up, it was another 5 months before they hit the marketplace. The inks are made in small batches and constantly monitored so they have the latest biocides. Once in a blue moon, the big ink companies will make changes to colors or formulas, but you have to remember that most of them are selling ink to go with the pens they sell, not selling ink to be selling ink, although there are some exceptions to that (PR and Diamine). What you have basically is a conscientious and very creative ink maker!

Sorry, now I'm getting off the beaten track here ..... enough on Noodler's! It's all I can do to try and keep up with Nathan's ink mixing!

Sam

Well, someone else has outlined how these "Polar" inks came to be.

But I can tell you that I've had ordinary ink freeze in the nib while I've been out writing. And, yes, some of us do scribble away in extreme conditions.

Here's my sample:


Not a great photo, but the colors look pretty accurate to me. Polar Blue is softer than the Waterman and leans more purple.

Blame Canada, Kenny.

Good one!

RyanL27, would you have any idea of whether it looks like Namiki blue? Your description made me think if that.

Stephen

Hey Stephen, It's a little like Namiki blue because it has that soft appearance about it, but it's more purple where the Namiki seems to be all blue with no purple tones.

There's another application for polar ink which hasn't been mentioned:

sometimes, people work in walk-in freezers, and sometimes they need to do inventory. A freezeproof ink would be very handy, as such commercial freezers generally maintain a temperature of 0 to -10 F.

Greetings. I have been reading posts on this site for years, but thought I would finally break down and post.

I bought Polar Blue a day or two after its release. I think it may very well replace Waterman's Florida Blue I have been using as a standard for about five years or so. The color is a relatively subdued blue when compared to Lamy's blue or American Eel blue.

When I was in college several yeas ago, I was required to keep fieldbooks that required updates in relatively extreme locations. I chose to use fountain pens because I like them and because very little pressure is required to write. Great for sitting in cars. I have several pages of notes that can no longer be read because I was writing in a snowstorm on skis somewhere between 9k and 10k feet. I never noticed a problem with freezing, but succeptibility to water was a regular concern.

I like Polar inks because they are good all-around inks. I tend to use piston fillers, and they are lubricated, permanent inks that will not freeze should I leave a pen outside in the winter. It would be one thing if they did not write well, but my experience (mostly with the reformulated black) has been favorable. The new Polar Blue is a great addition to the black.

S

Fine debut post! And thanks for the report on this interesting ink.

Seconded. I'd like to see a sample of it in hand before buying it though. James?

Stephen

Hey - are you calling me out?!

I plan to make samples of Polar Blue available after I get my next shipment in. The initial order sold out so quickly, I didn't even take a bottle for myself!

I placed another order and expect to receive it early next week, so if I can dig myself out of the huge pile of orders I have to ship (note to self: Hire staff before offering 2 fer 1 ink sale!), look for the samples being available in the next week or two.

James P.

And it sold out with good reason - it's lovely stuff!

Glad your promotion is going well James.

Who, moi? I'll take the fifth on that.

Glad to about your successful ink sale though.

Stephen