Question About Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin

[NoahB]

After stalking the forums anonymous for several weeks and gaining heaps of valuable information, I've finally decided to make the leap and join the community. After all the great information, I'm now the proud owner of two Jinhao's equipped with Goulet F nibs (I love the Jinhao's, they are perfect for my large hands and I love the Goulet nibs!). After using cartridges for a few weeks, I decided to make the leap into re-filling my pens using a converter and bottled ink. The ink I chose was Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin, and I love the deep, dark, black color, however, I have noticed that my lines are thicker with the new ink. My Goulet F, which I admit already writes close to a M as it is, but is now a full-blown medium with Bad Black Moccasin ink. Has anyone else noticed if Bad Black Moccasin increases the width of their lines? I’m pretty positive it’s the ink, because with the black Parker cartridges, this was not an issue. To be clear, it is not feathering on cheap paper, it’s just thicker, which with my handwriting, makes most of my writing illegible.

 

 

So, for my follow up, what would be a better choice in black ink for me? I need a daily workhorse ink, because I use it daily, for all of my writing and note taking, and I write exclusively on cheap paper (Notebooks, etc.). I do not require any kind of forge resistant ink, but I'm not opposed to an ink if it should happen to have it. I'm not particularly married to the Noodlers brand either, but I heard their regular Noodler's Black is a great everyday ink. If I'm not mistaken, I also remember reading that Aurora Black is a good everyday workhorse ink.

 

 

In conclusion, I guess I'm looking for everyone's opinion on a good, everyday black ink that will go well with my Jinhao x450 and x750 and perform well on cheap paper. I do like the smoothness that it added to my pen, which I heard that Black Eel also helps with, and I also heard X-Feather is a great choice for cheap paper, but the reviews I have read are very mixed on it. Is the purchase of a new bottle of Noodler’s standard Black in my future? Let me know! Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[ac12]

You ran into one of the characteristics of a WET ink, it spreads.

If you want to narrow the ink line try Warterman (a wet ink, but not as WET as Noodler's) and Pelikan 4001 (a dry ink).

Edited April 22, 2016 by ac12

[NoahB]

Ahhh... So that's what it is, it had me stumped! I'm a complete noobie to fountain pens and especially ink, so I appreciate the help. The Pelikan 4001, being a "Dry Ink", what characteristics does it have, writing wise? Does it cause more feedback from the nib or make the nib feel rougher? The reason I ask is I'm using my pen all throughout the day, so I really want an ink that is comfortable to write with. After reading you post I did a quick search for Waterman Black, the reviews states that it is comparable to Noodler's Black, but without being highly-saturated like Noodler's. They also seem to agree that it behaves well on cheap or inexpensive paper, which is definitely what I'm looking for.

 

 

Although the Pelikan had some great reviews as well, saying it was well behaved on inexpensive paper, resists feathering, and had a nice, lubricated flow to it. Now I'm stuck in between which to try! Maybe I can get a sample vile from Goulet!

Both seem to be a black go-to workhorse of an ink.

 

PS I plan on using the BBM in one of my Lamy Joys, I think it will work well with calligraphy.

Edited April 22, 2016 by NoahB

[Noihvo]

With the Bad Black Moccasin that you already have, I would recommend siphoning out a couple och millilitres and diluting it ten or twenty percent. This will make the ink (ironically) dryer, less concentrated, and slightly less saturated, and will likely make it spread less. The maker and inventor och Noodler's Inks, Nathan Tardif, intentionally makes his inks concentrated to facilitate dilution to the writer's pleasure and preference (and for economical reasons).

[kronion]

With the Bad Black Moccasin that you already have, I would recommend siphoning out a couple och millilitres and diluting it ten or twenty percent. This will make the ink (ironically) dryer, less concentrated, and slightly less saturated, and will likely make it spread less.

That is also my experience with some of Noodler's fantastic inks. Dilute a bit with water, preferably distilled water. This can change the experience sometimes a lot.

Edited April 23, 2016 by kronion

[Arkanabar]

I am a bit wary of Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin. My wife let it dry out in her Ivory Darkness Nib Creaper, and oy have I had a time cleaning it out of that poor pen! As others have said, at full strength it is very wet and featherocious.

 

One of my penitential practices for Lent is to use only black ink. This is when I use BBM, diluted 1:1, in a Noodler's eyedropper pen similar to this one and this one.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Arkanabar

[NoahB]

Thanks for all of the advice, I really do love the color and the deep, glossy black it produces. Its forge resistance is a big selling point too, however, unfortunately, I happened to spill a drop on my finger when filling my pen. This happened a week ago, and yet as I type this post, I still have a very obvious and visible patch of black ink on my finger, after numerous showers and hand washings. So if you want a painless alternative to a tattoo, Bad Black Moccasin might be the ink for you....

[Uncle Red]

If you are looking for a black, there are lots of options. PR Velvet Black is one I like a lot. The Goulets have sample packs of black inks so give them a look.

 

You might want to try an Iron Gall ink if you want a dry ink for cheap paper. Don't let the ink sit in the pen or dry out and you'll be fine.

 

Diamine's Registrar's Ink or Rohrer and Klingner's Salix and Scabiosa are great choices.

[amberleadavis]

With the Bad Black Moccasin that you already have, I would recommend siphoning out a couple och millilitres and diluting it ten or twenty percent. This will make the ink (ironically) dryer, less concentrated, and slightly less saturated, and will likely make it spread less. The maker and inventor och Noodler's Inks, Nathan Tardif, intentionally makes his inks concentrated to facilitate dilution to the writer's pleasure and preference (and for economical reasons).

 

Ditto on the dilution. Don't dilute in the bottle. You can also dilute BBM quite a bit and not lose the rich color because it is super saturated.

[Randal6393]

It seems the newer Noodler inks spread more than the older, standard types. That's just a general observation, for what it is worth. I still use Noodler's Walnut, Gruene Cactus, and Navajo Turquoise -- they do a very good job of staying where you put them. My normal hand is an italic, so I need an ink that doesn't spread. Otherwise, the hairlines get too thick.

 

So my Noodler's Black has been replaced, over the years, with Aurora Black, Waterman Black, and R & K Salix and Scabiosa. You shouldn't go wrong with Aurora Black, but it may look a bit "gritty" on the page. Salix is a typical Blue-to-Black Iron Gall and is very stable. Scabiosa is Reddish-to-Black Iron Gall, rather unusual, and a whole lot of fun to write with. But for everyday work, Waterman Black is my go-to ink. A number of professional penmen agree with that. Of course, some of the best use Noodler's Black or Aurora Black for test-writings.

 

Enjoy,

 

PS: For many penmen, Noodler's Black is the standard of black inks.

[migla9]

When you say diluting an ink makes it drier, is that just in terms of flow or spread, or does it also dry faster on the paper? I like Navajo Turquoise and Blue Eel, but they do take longer to dry, especially on better paper. Would diluting them slightly improve the dry times?

[Arkanabar]

Ink dries on paper when it is absorbed. I would tend to think that the inks which spread and feather more would also be absorbed faster. I use two basic kinds of paper; inkjet-laser all purpose paper that's pretty absorbent, and super cheap pulp spiral notebooks that are really absorbent, so I don't really have any experience with this.

[Randal6393]

When you say diluting an ink makes it drier, is that just in terms of flow or spread, or does it also dry faster on the paper? I like Navajo Turquoise and Blue Eel, but they do take longer to dry, especially on better paper. Would diluting them slightly improve the dry times?

Short answer, yes. Often Navajo Turquoise benefits from a bit of dilution. Not much, do a sample batch, keep the ration below 25 % or so. Would start with 10 %. That usually works for me. What are you calling "better paper"? Clairfontaine is notorious for long dry times, have to keep that in mind. And, IME, the better the paper, the longer the dry time -- within limits. How long is too long a dry time? One minute? Five weeks? If you are looking at 5 seconds as a long dry time, maybe expecting too much. And how the ink dries and looks after drying also is a factor. Let us know what you think, maybe we can help you fine-tune your problem. I absolutely love the appearance and performance of Navajo Turquoise, not too familar with Blue Eel.

 

Enjoy,

[migla9]

Thanks for the info, Randal. Yes, I was thinking of Clairfontaine and Rhodia. Around 1-2 minutes would be a good time. I'll give it a try when I get a chance.