Thoughts On Noodler's Inks?

[NewPenMan]

I'm about to pull the trigger on an ink order..the colors I'm liking are all Noodler's. I'd like to get peoples' experience using Noodlers..

 

My understanding is that Bay State Blue has the most tenacious staining of pen parts but that even BSB can be cleansed from pens using pen flush..

 

As for the others, are there any colors which contain things which are harmful to pen parts?

 

The colors I'm interested in are:

 

• Tiananmen
• Noodler's Blue
• Bay State Blue
• Cactus Green
• Nikita
• Noodler's Blue Black
• Apache Sunset

 

Heck, I'd like them all, but this is my short list as of today.

 

Thank you for any information/experiences to share.

 

npm

[Randal6393]

Well, you just had to start another Noodler's thread. Be prepared for a million, contradictory statements about the inks. I have used all of the inks you list, except for Apache Sunset. All are pretty decent inks. I think you ought to enjoy your list as is.

 

Noodler's inks are in the highly saturated category and occasionally work better if diluted some, say 10 to 30 %. Things to watch out for are long drying times, thickness of the ink on the page, extra-shiny deposits on the page. These all indicate a need to dilute, IMHO. Would move a small amount, maybe 10 ml, to another container and dilute a bit at a time. Then fill your pen and write.

 

BSB is in a category all by itself. Do not mix with any other ink, except another Bay State ink. Also can be diluted a bit when needed.

 

I always keep a pen filled with Black and another filled with Bad Belted Kingfisher. These two inks are great for addressing envelopes, as both bond to the cellulose in the paper and are bulletproof inks. My other personal favorite is Noodler's Navajo Turquoise. Reminds me of the lovely turquoise jewelry of my native Southwest America.

 

Enjoy,

[MBFan]

Well, I hate to be the first to start the contradiction, but you shouldn't mix any Bay State colours at all. Have a look on the Noodlers website, it should have brief outline of all ink properties.

HTH

[Frank C]

I only use the Bay State Inks in pens designated for them. They are bold permanent colors that jump off the page. They don't come out of the pens, though, even with pen flush. I have a few Platinum Preppies with converters or set up for eyedropper use that are reserved for the more tenacious of the Noodler's inks.

 

In general, red and purple inks seem to be more likely to stain a pen.

 

When you get to 1000 posts, are you still going to be the "NewPenMan"?

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Other than a word to the wise on the nuances of using NBsBl, I reckon that as the other inks on your list are simple aniline dye inks, one can proceed with confidence that they hold no more surprises than other such inks. (I trust you have perused the Ink Reviews as part of your selection process.)

 

As mentioned by Member Randal6393, diluting Noodler's inks is certainly do-able, and I am amongst those who often do so.

 

Since the line-up of Noodler's inks is vast, some have idiosyncrasies that may only become evident with your chosen pen+paper combos.

 

Oh, my current thinking is that FP ink doesn't harm pens, but inconsiderate / lax pen maintenance can lead to a tedious clean-up / rescue process.

 

Whee!

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

Dilution - A Rough Guide @ Post № 23 : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/218161-need-help-selecting-my-first-japanese-pens/?p=2315439

Edited May 23, 2015 by Sandy1

[NewPenMan]

 

 

When you get to 1000 posts, are you still going to be the "NewPenMan"?

ha! Well I guess all of us get older but compared to the helpful folks here, I don't know doodley about fountain pens. ..

[NewPenMan]

When it comes to diluting noodlers inks, is that done with water? Any water?

Edited May 23, 2015 by NewPenMan

[J85909266]

Noodlers inks have amazing shading and beautiful colors. I just don't get the same satisfaction from other, more watery inks. That said, be prepared to clean your pens thoroughly.

 

As far as Baystate Blue, my experience is not so daunting as others would suggest. A simple bleach/water solution absolutely obliterates BSB from any non porous surface and will clean stained pens that used it.

 

Also, it looks like this:

 

Anyway. It's just ink. Make sure you research the different properties of the inks. It's a lot of info, but it's very useful. It's like the craft beer of ink. Awesome stuff.

[tmenyc]

Well, I hate to be the first to start the contradiction, but you shouldn't mix any Bay State colours at all. Have a look on the Noodlers website, it should have brief outline of all ink properties.

HTH

MB -- contrary to the website instructions, I happily mix BSB and BS Grape and water, 2:2:1. Works wonderfully and looks great.

 

Tim

[amberleadavis]

Correct the Baystate line is meant to mix with each other.

[FLZapped]

I have several, including the blue-black.....I think they should have called it black-blue. Baystate Blue is amazing.

 

I use Borealis Black at work, very black well behaved ink, although not waterproof in the least.

 

My favorite is Legal Lapis, which is only available from Pendemonium.

 

Bad Belted Kingfisher reminds me of old-school blue-black ink.

 

-Bruce

[WaskiSquirrel]

Of the colors you listed, Baystate Blue is the only one likely to cause a problem. The rest can be cleaned out.

 

Feel free to order and try out the rest of the inks.

[Frank C]

When it comes to diluting noodlers inks, is that done with water? Any water?

 

I usually use Evian.

 

Just kidding. I use distilled water. No need to add anything besides water to the ink.

 

All fountain pen inks are water-based—and they are mostly water. I had a bottle of Pelikan ink that had a bad seal. After the ink dried up, there was just a thin coating of black residue on the inside of the bottle. I reconstituted it with distilled water and proceeded to use the ink.

[J85909266]

Seriously, a cap full of regular bleach in a bottle of water will clean Baystate Blue out of anything. It's really not the difficult ink people make it out to be. It is as gorgeous as people say, though. Well worth the extra cleaning.

[SeeksAdvice]

The Blue that Shall not be Named is best addressed by purifying fire. Then again, it might just stain the flames blue. Think Druid Fire from Terry Brooks' stuff (or was that greenish?). I've had it stain me, pens, baked enamel finishes, polymer desktops, converters, etc. to the point it looked like I was using stuff as tools to vivisect Smurfs. Have had similar results with Diamine's Sargasso Sea, and the same/worse with QSH from Noodler's. Not sure if simply opening the bottle of those inks will result in a long-term stain on the surface. The Blue that Shall not be Named was responsible for fountain pens nearly getting banned at the office due to its propensity to turn something blue simply by looking at it. Sargasso Sea probably would have fallen into that category too, except for the fact that it died to contamination long before I could use enough of it.

Apache Sunset shades well, but can be rather light.

Hmm at Borealis Black. My bottle was very "thick." Its behavior on paper was terrible. Loved the utter darkness, hated the fact that it feathered and bled on almost everything. Also, due to the propensity of people to spill things, I really can't use something that easily removed :/

Don't use Bad Belted Kingfisher if you really need water resistance. I know it's a "warden" ink, but I've had it come completely off stuff with water. Bad Blue Heron also has had water issues for me. Noodler's Henry Hudson Blue from FPH releases some red material when wet.

[J85909266]

Hmm, I've seen some ink shed when I've tested BBH and BBK, but what remains is quite permanent and quite legible, for my bottles.

[bardharlock]

Seriously, a cap full of regular bleach in a bottle of water will clean Baystate Blue out of anything. It's really not the difficult ink people make it out to be. It is as gorgeous as people say, though. Well worth the extra cleaning.

This is correct. Pen Flush is most commonly ammonia, water and a little surfactant. For BSB you want to use a bleach dilution. And just in case you don't know and to cover my own posterior, bleach and ammonia are a bad and potentially lethal combination, so don't use a standard flush and follow up immediately with bleach.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Please be aware that bleach has the potential to permanently damage stainless steel and other materials in a pen, including adhesives.

 

The use of household bleach to clean-up a pen after enjoying the wonders of NBsBl should be done with extreme care - if at all. Indeed, the esteemed Ron Zorn, Co-Moderator of the Repair Q&A Forum, has advised that bleach never be used. My personal approach is to use bleach at the lowest concentration for the shortest possible time to achieve the desired results.

 

I will not be so bold as to propose a concentration, but I will suggest that pens not be exposed to diluted bleach for much longer than a few minutes - no overnight soaks - then thoroughly flushed with water.

 

I would rather have a pen stained by NBsBl than damage a pen during clean-up.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited May 24, 2015 by Sandy1

[J85909266]

Good advice. Definitely use a very low bleach ratio when cleaning with it. You can water bleach down enough to nullify corrosion and still get BSB cleaning results. I agree about not soaking a pen in bleach solution for long.

 

I've used a very low concentration of bleach solution for cleaning and sanitizing many surfaces including wood, steel and plastic for years with no corrosive effects. Just be careful not to get any on your clothes. Bleach stains are ugly.

[eyesa]

Love, love, love Noodler's inks! Vast array of colors and properties at a great price (if in the US.) Yes. the Baystates can only be mixed with Baystates. Nathan loves tinkerers, so beyond that proviso, mix away (although, it should be in small batches, not with full bottles, in case you don't care for the result.) Pen maintenance can be a bother, if you don't do it, and let ink dry or go unused, overlong in your pens. The water in the ink simply evaporates, and Noodler's is so saturated that a neglected pen can hard start or 'clog', but no more so than with many other inks. I haven't had problems with staining, but haven't used BSB. The other bulletproof inks haven't been a problem at all. If worried, you may want to consider using converter-filled pens until you've satisfied your question for yourself. But I haven't had any problems at all.
I wouldn't change the waterproof/bulletproof properties for anything. In fact they're precisely why I love Noodler's. I wish ALL his inks were bulletproof! There. I've said it.
Enjoy your inks!

Edited May 24, 2015 by eyesa