Noodler's Arthur Brown Manhattan Blue

[Sandy1]

☞ Please take a moment to adjust your gear to accurately depict the Grey Scale below. As the patches are neutral Grey, that is what you should see.

• Mac http://www.computer-darkroom.com/colorsync-display/colorsync_1.htm
• Wintel PC http://www.calibrize.com/

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/27ddb717.jpg
. :~: .

Fidelity
As I could not find an 'official' depiction of this ink online, it could not be determined if the ink I used is as it should be. (Hello online shoppers!)

Figure 1.
Swabs & Swatch
Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/INK373copy2_zps7101b116.jpg
Figure 2.
NIB-ism ✑
Paper: HPJ1124.
Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/21110db0.jpg
Pens: L → R: NN, Estie, 502, 330, 45 & M200.

Figure 3.
Paper base tints:
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20Chocolate/86f3378c.jpg
L → R: HPJ1124, Rhodia, G Lalo, Royal, Staples.

WRITTEN SAMPLES - Moby Dick
Ruling: 8mm

Figure 4.
Paper: HPJ1124.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/be8e4f63.jpg

Figure 5.
Paper: Rhodia.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/455a6451.jpg

Figure 6.
Paper: G Lalo.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/373c6148.jpg
Figure 7.
Paper: Royal.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/a932a273.jpg

Figure 8.
Paper: Staples.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/9b4e1f98.jpg

OTHER STUFF

Figure 9.
Smear/Dry Times & Wet Tests.

 

> Interval between figures is five seconds, executed right to left in countdown fashion.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/b59eaeea.jpg

Hi-Res Samples
Originals are 60x30mm.

No Name on HPJ1124:
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/c5bf1ca5.jpg

502 on Rhodia:
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/7c0679c0.jpg

 

330 on G Lalo:
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/92110934.jpg

 

M200 on Royal:
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Manhattan%20Blue/860bd932.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Type:

• Dye-based FP ink.

Presentation:

• Bottle.

Availability:

• Uncertain.
• This is exclusive to the Arthur Brown International Pen Shop which recently closed its NYC brick & mortar retail outlet.
• Our beatific FPN Member MrsGouletPens strives to make this ink available: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/250114-noodlers-manhattan-blue/?p=2740483

Daily writer?

• Quite possible.

A go-to ink?

• Yes - when a classy Dark Blue is desired.

USE

Business:
(From the office of Ms Blue-Black.)

• I could see NABMBl used for all communication, and is a conservative but interesting step away from the oh so boring 'Blue or Black' inks.
• For personal work product, the ink offers a pleasant writing experience and high readability.
• Tiny marginalia from hair's-breadth nibs may be compromised by line-width gain on lowest bidder papers.
• There might be a bit too much bleed- show-through for those who work on both sides of a sheet. (I often append au verso.)
• Not enough zip for editing or mark-up; and not enough zap for error correction or grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Even at the darkest value shown, the ink is not prone to become so dark as to be perceived as Black, making it a good intermediate between Black and medium Blue for both line and block formats.
• As shown by the Dilution Swab, this ink handles dilution well - retaining its essential character even when pale.
• As a watercolour, NABMBl is a good pick for wet brush application, but if re-working dry ink with wet media, much of the Blue may come adrift/smear, leaving an Deep Aqua artefact, which may prove to be of interest to some who wield both brush & sponge.

Students:

• Possible.
• NMBl has a very readable appearance, so is a good pick for general notes.
• Water resistance is OK, with some dye-stuff coming adrift, though a somewhat legible remnant survived my sampling.
• Bleed- show-through may be too high to expect two-sided use on 'lowest bidder' paper.
• Likely acceptable for hand-written assignments, however when/if a paper worthy of a high grade is anticipated, a more animated ink might be considered. e.g. Sailor Blue, PR Cosmic Cobalt.

Personal:

• Given my personal preference for Blue to Blue-Black inks, this one fits in very well indeed.
• I've used this ink intermittently over the past few years; it hasn't quite captured my imagination, though it is an intriguing ink.
• Definitely suited to pro forma personal business writing, but given that availability is uncertain at present, I'd rather hold this for missives to known persons. (I'm clearing PQBlBk from my shelves.)
• I prefer NABMBl from the wider nibs - emphasising the visual weight upon the page ruled at 9mm; yet from the most narrow of nibs, it looks very good - showing its colour well on a brilliant sheet.
• A good pick for pairing with shaped nibs.
• Use of flexi nibs is supported by the high flow, but with typically higher writing pressure and slower pace, bleed- show-through may occur unexpectedly.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

Flow Rate:

• Wet.
• Controlled.

Nib Dry-Out:

• Not noticed.

Start-Up:

• Prompt.
• With confidence.

Lubricity:

• A bit greater than average, likely due to the flow rate.
• Narrow nibs on textured papers are tolerable.

Nib Creep:

• Not seen.

Staining (pen):

• Not seen.

Clogging:

• Not seen.

Bleed- Show-Through:

• A bit more than expected, though not a deal breaker for those with dry-ish pens.
• The influence of dilution is shown in this Topic https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/250331-dilution-noodlers-arthur-brown-manhattan-blue/?p=2742800

Feathering / Wooly Line:

• A bit on the highly absorbent Royal.

Aroma:

• Slightly sweet. (?)

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not seen.

Clean Up:

• A bit slower than usual, but thorough with plain water.
• After my usual fussy water only clean-up regimen, use of a solution of 0.5% ammonia in water did not release any additional visible residue.

Mixing:

• No stated prohibition.

Archival:

• Not claimed.

THE LOOK

Presence:

• A pleasant formality.

Saturation:

• Moderately high.

Shading:

• Somewhat elusive, but very welcome when it appears.

Line Quality:

• Overall quite good, though for a narrow crisp line one would do well to choose their pen+paper combo with care.

Variability:

• Pen+nib combos used:
  • A bit more than expected.
• Papers used:
  • There was more than the expected variation in line width [spread] across the range of papers.
  • The line may becoming 'sketchy' if running a dry pen on hard paper with low absorbency.

Malleability:

• Moderate.
• The wily practitioner is likely to choose the nib width and shape, then choose their paper to establish 'snap' on the sheet and resistance to bleed- show-through.
• It seems that the choice of nib width and ruling/spacing to determine the % coverage is a key aspect of tuning the Look of this ink.

PAPERS

Lovely papers:

• Ran well on all papers used.
• The Rhodia returned some anomalous results with bleed- show-through, and generated less shading potential than HPJ1124.
  

Trip-wire Papers: ☠

• Any that may be prone to bleed- show-though, and some that aren't.

Tinted Papers:

• Most reasonable tints.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Possible.
• If one needs to suppress the bleed- show-through an array of papers may be called upon.
• For fine tuning along the soft-to-snappy continuum, papers of various base-tints should also be considered.

ETC.

Majik:

• Unlikely - the performance envelope is a bit snug for conjuring.

Billets Doux?

• Not from your truly.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• Being totally predictable, I like the M200 on the G Lalo.
• This scratches my itch for Dark Blue inks on warm paper, generating an interaction between the texture and colour of the paper, the variation of line's width, and the ink's density and colour.
• The subtle shading and the Teal alto are brought forward just a wee bit by the paper's low absorbency and base-tint.
• The wet nature of the ink fully supports the Stub on the low absorbency G Lalo paper which fortuitously suppresses bleed-through.

Yickity Yackity:

• Yes, I always need another Dark Blue ink that has some personality, and this one's a welcome guest.
• Ah kushbaby, too NYC for SAT?

= = == = =

NUTS BOLTS & BOILERPLATE

Pens
Written Samples:
A. No-Name lever fill + 14K nib.
B. Esterbrook J + 9284 firm steel F nib.
C. Waterman England 502 + some-flex 14CT 2A nib.
D. Sheaffer 330 + inlaid steel M nib.
E. Parker 45 + steel B nib.
F. Pelikan M200 + richardpens g-p steel 1.0 Stub nib. *OooLaLa*
Lines & labels: Visconti Burgundy from a Pilot Penmanship + EF.

Papers:

• HPJ1124: Hewlett-Packard laser copy/print, 24lb.
• Rhodia: satin finish vellum, 80gsm.
• G. Lalo Verge de France: natural white, laid, 100gsm.
• Royal: 25% cotton, laser/inkjet copy/print, 'letterhead', 90gsm.
• Staples: house brand multi-use copy/print, USD4/ream, bears FSC logo, 20lb.

Imaging

• An Epson V600 scanner was used with the bundled Epson s/w at factory default settings to produce low-loss jpg files.
• No post-capture manipulation of scanner output was done, other than dumb-down by Epson, Photobouquet, IP.Board s/w, and your viewing gear.

Other Inks

• This Review uses the same Written Sample format, atrocious handwriting and some pen+paper combos common to most of my previous Reviews of Blue inks. Consequently, ad hoc comparisons through manipulation of browser windows is supported.
• Should that functionality not meet your requirements, I welcome your PM requesting a specific comparison. Additional scans may be produced, but the likelihood of additional inky work is quite low.

Fine Print
◊ The accuracy and relevance of this Review depends in great part upon consistency and reliability of matériel used.
◊ Ink does not require a label/notice to indicate (changes in) formulation, non-hazardous ingredients, batch ID, date of manufacture, etc.
◊ As always YMMV due to differences in materials, manner of working, environment, gravity dimples, etc.
◊ Also, I entrust readers to separate opinion from fact; to evaluate inferences and conclusions as to their merit; and to be amused by whatever tickles your fancy.

-30-

Tags: FPN Fountain Pen Ink Review Noodler's Art Brown Manhattan Blue Dark Blue Sandy1

Edited August 7, 2013 by Sandy1

[Pickwick]

A very thorough review and one of my favorite inks. Unfortunately Art Brown has now closed. The latest information from Goulet Pens, Noodler's is trying to find another outlet in New York. Failing that then Goulet Pens are hoping Noodler's will give them the choice to stock this ink.

[Sandy1]

A very thorough review and one of my favorite inks. Unfortunately Art Brown has now closed. The latest information from Goulet Pens, Noodler's is trying to find another outlet in New York. Failing that then Goulet Pens are hoping Noodler's will give them the choice to stock this ink.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for your kind words!

 

I touched on the availability of this ink in the Review, but it seems to be a fluid situation at this time.

 

In addition to the thread I linked to in the Review, there may be additional updates in the Market Watch Forum which address availability of all Noodler's Arthur Brown exclusive inks.

 

Bye,

S1

[carlosviet]

Sandy1: Thank you very much for sharing this and all the others reviews. I have to confess that I have bookmarked many of them to compare between some colours to arrive to a decision.

 

Now. One thing I have been always wondering, because the sentence behind it always makes me raise an eyebrow... What do you mean by "majik" in the ETC part??

[Jadie]

Now. One thing I have been always wondering, because the sentence behind it always makes me raise an eyebrow... What do you mean by "majik" in the ETC part??

 

I'd always assumed she meant the ability for an ink to make you sprout wings and fly to Cloud 9 in Ink Heaven based on performance/sheen/other misc. intangible properties.

 

Disclosure: I always look for the "majik" part of every Sandy1 ink review first. It's actually quite an important deciding factor to me regarding inks! =p

[majorworks]

Thanks for a nice review of one of my favorite inks. I've had a bottle for about two years now and have greatly enjoyed Manhattan Blue in a number of different pens.

 

It's a shame about Art Brown's closing. I certainly hope that Noodler's finds a new outlet for this ink.

[carlosviet]

 

 

Disclosure: I always look for the "majik" part of every Sandy1 ink review first. It's actually quite an important deciding factor to me regarding inks! =p

 

Me too, actually. It keeps me thinking about them for a long time after reading the review... In this one "Unlikely - the performance envelope is a bit snug for conjuring " Errr... Well. I can think months about this one...

[Sandy1]

D I L U T I O N >|< D I L U T I O N

 

 

Hi,

 

Results of diluting this ink are next door in the ICS&T Forum. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/250331-dilution-noodlers-arthur-brown-manhattan-blue/?p=2742800

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Sandy1: Thank you very much for sharing this and all the others reviews. I have to confess that I have bookmarked many of them to compare between some colours to arrive to a decision.

 

Now. One thing I have been always wondering, because the sentence behind it always makes me raise an eyebrow... What do you mean by "majik" in the ETC part??

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

I am flattered that you find these Reviews useful when making comparisons, as that is one of the key aspects that has shaped the manner in which the Written Samples are produced.

 

Ah, the 'Majik'. That really is up to each person to decide, but for me it is a certain something that is beyond mere words. Most often not seen on a computer display, and may take some time to be revealed.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

 

I'd always assumed she meant the ability for an ink to make you sprout wings and fly to Cloud 9 in Ink Heaven based on performance/sheen/other misc. intangible properties.

 

Disclosure: I always look for the "majik" part of every Sandy1 ink review first. It's actually quite an important deciding factor to me regarding inks! =p

 

Hi,

 

Oh my that's good! And some people think that choosing ink is all about performance, colour, etc. Ha!

 

Bye,

S1

[inkstainedruth]

A very thorough review and one of my favorite inks. Unfortunately Art Brown has now closed. The latest information from Goulet Pens, Noodler's is trying to find another outlet in New York. Failing that then Goulet Pens are hoping Noodler's will give them the choice to stock this ink.

Oh no! When did this happen? I was just there in December, and Manhattan Blue was one of the inks I picked up when I was there.

BTW -- thanks to Sandy for the review of what is possibly my favorite blue ink (having pushed Liberty's Elysium out of the top spot, and currently running neck and neck with Diamine Denim).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sandy1]

Thanks for a nice review of one of my favorite inks. I've had a bottle for about two years now and have greatly enjoyed Manhattan Blue in a number of different pens.

 

It's a shame about Art Brown's closing. I certainly hope that Noodler's finds a new outlet for this ink.

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

I share your thoughts about the closing of Art Brown in its NYC location. Who knows what might happen next?

 

I can see how Manhattan Blue could easily become a favourite.

 

For me it seems that after I use it, I think I should use it more often, but somehow get lured away by other inky adventures.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Oh no! When did this happen? I was just there in December, and Manhattan Blue was one of the inks I picked up when I was there.

BTW -- thanks to Sandy for the review of what is possibly my favorite blue ink (having pushed Liberty's Elysium out of the top spot, and currently running neck and neck with Diamine Denim).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Hi,

 

BTW -- you're welcome!

 

It sounds like things are getting interesting as some very fine inks struggle to become your 'favorite blue'. You must let us know the outcome of such a titanic pushing match. And what of new inks that are released? Do they go sumo with the resident favourite?

 

Bye,

S1

[inferno2086]

Nice looking blue. Sorry i wont get a chance to test it out since AB closed for goods. I should have bought a bottle last time i went there.

[amberleadavis]

This ink has become one of my daughter's favorites. Thank you for the review. I'll let you know how it does in the fade test.

[Monophoto]

Art Brown's closed in late 2013. But Manhattan Blue lives on and is now available at Fountain Pen Hospital.