Noodler's Bulletproof Black

[bfrieler]

Got my Lamy Studio Palladium today (special thanks to Julio) and wanted to test drive it with my only ink. Noodler's Bulletproof Black. I picked up some recycled printer paper to show how the ink performs on lower grade paper. Also briefly showed the ink with a Lamy Safari (Dry writer with possible nib issues). Though not written on the paper... the Safari is a fine nib as well. I'll update the post with some camera pics soon.

 

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8203/noodlersblack.jpg

[bfrieler]

A picture of Noodler's Bulletproof Black (picture of 5 minute water rinse below):

 

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9292/prerinse.jpg

 

Noodler's Bulletproof Black after a 5 minute water rinse:

 

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8561/rinse.jpg

[Hugh200au]

I found it slow drying ( a leftie thing) and the pens I used it in needed flushing more often to maintain flow. Otherwise it performed well, flowed well and good black colour. Good review and your clearly happy with it, the "waterproof" test shows how remarkable it really is in that area and adds a lot to your review.

 

Regards

Hugh

[777]

Thank you for the review of this ink. I've heard a lot of good things about it but have never personally tried it.

 

Wow, it's really waterproof! If nothing else that would sell me the ink. I might have to grab a bottle of this next ink order I place. I only have Luxury Blue for my bullet proof ink but I don't really like that color.

 

Regards,

777

[tonybelding]

I've used Noodler's Black heavily in a lot of my pens, vintage and modern. So here are a few things I've observed. . .

 

It's more resistant to feathering and bleed-through than any other ink I've tried. (I haven't tried X-Feather!) As a result, it looks better than just about anything else on Moleskine paper or Levenger Circa paper.

 

It generally doesn't stain any surface that doesn't contain cellulose. It washes off fingers more easily than most inks.

 

It's not only waterproof, but also highly resistant to bleach and sun exposure.

 

It's pure, very dark black.

 

It is not a fast-drying ink.

 

I find that after a pen has been sitting around for a while and the ink has started to dry out a bit around the nib and feed, so it has become over-concentrated, then it starts not wanting to soak into the page at all, and it becomes smeary. Some people have reported getting bottles that were already concentrated enough to exhibit this problem when opened. Dilution with distilled water will solve it.

 

I have observed Noodler's Black beginning to deteriorate in the bottle a couple of years after it had been first opened. The black dye started coming out of suspension and turning to soot. Shaking the bottle only helped briefly, and it even started doing the same inside pens. A new bottle was called for.

 

Still one of my favorite and most-used inks.

[Russ]

It left a smudge in the clear ink window of an expensive pen, and I'm miffed. I can't physically get in there to wipe it out, and the piston won't obliterate it.

[Joe C.]

How is the bulletproof ink color compared to just the plain ole Noodler's Black ink ? I want to order the sample size but only can find it in "plain black" not bulletproof. I like the bulletproof properties, but would like to see in person how black the black ink color is before buying the 3 oz bulletproof version. Any help is with this is very appreciated !!!!

 

Thanks

[trickster]

Noodler's Black is Noodler's Bulletproof Black.

[myyrkezaan]

Anyone know how this compares with Black Moccasin or Heart of Darkness?

[someonesdad]

Anyone know how this compares with Black Moccasin or Heart of Darkness?

Haven't used BM, but I've compared HOD with four other blacks that I like (including Noodler's black) and HOD was my personal choice for the blackest black ink -- it was unquestionably blacker than the four others on the paper I tested it on (and I used the same dip nib for the test). I also like the way it writes in my favorite Hero 616, my black daily writer. Since I want a waterproof black because I write in a lab notebook, HOD is my first choice. Noodler's black is my second choice. If I don't care about waterproofness, I'd use Perle Noire.

[spot]

Anyone know how this compares with Black Moccasin or Heart of Darkness?

 

Noodler's Bulletproof Black is more resistant to water than Bad Black Mocassin, it's also darker than NBBM. Both are permanent though. For your first bulletproof ink I would recommend Bulletproof Black. I have no experience with HOD.

[myyrkezaan]

Haven't used BM, but I've compared HOD with four other blacks that I like (including Noodler's black) and HOD was my personal choice for the blackest black ink -- it was unquestionably blacker than the four others on the paper I tested it on (and I used the same dip nib for the test). I also like the way it writes in my favorite Hero 616, my black daily writer. Since I want a waterproof black because I write in a lab notebook, HOD is my first choice. Noodler's black is my second choice. If I don't care about waterproofness, I'd use Perle Noire.

 

 

Noodler's Bulletproof Black is more resistant to water than Bad Black Mocassin, it's also darker than NBBM. Both are permanent though. For your first bulletproof ink I would recommend Bulletproof Black. I have no experience with HOD.

 

Thanks for the info, I'm going to get HOD.

 

I already have Bad Belted Kingfisher and was looking for a black, red and a purplish. One figured out 2 to go.

[spot]

What is your choice for the red ink? I'm thinking of buying one myself, preferably with waterproof qualities. I've noticed Noodler's Red Fox recently, but it is quite expensive.

[Neuroform]

What is your choice for the red ink? I'm thinking of buying one myself, preferably with waterproof qualities. I've noticed Noodler's Red Fox recently, but it is quite expensive.

 

I have a Noodlers Flex pen always inked with Noodlers Fox and it is fantastic. My 14 year old son "had to have it" for a drawing he wanted to do, and so I bought a bottle, thinking I would never touch it, but I was wrong. At the same time, I bought a bottle of the (even more) expensive J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Red ink. It is nice, but the Herbin tends to show a lot of gold after it drys, while the Noodlers Fox stays the pure, deeply saturated red color. I really like the Fox, although it stains the nib profoundly and I will not load it in an expensive pen. Hope this helps.

[myyrkezaan]

What is your choice for the red ink? I'm thinking of buying one myself, preferably with waterproof qualities. I've noticed Noodler's Red Fox recently, but it is quite expensive.

 

Thats the one I was looking at too and 1oz costs more than the other 3oz bottles.

 

Here's a review with a good pic: http://www.fountainp...rs-eternal-fox/

 

There is also Empire red: http://www.fountainp...ire-red-review/

 

Based on those 2 pics I would choose Fox over Empire, just looks much better to me.

 

For non bulletproof: Nikita, Rattler Red, Red, Widow Maker (hadn't really looked these over because wanted bp)

 

I might just pass on red for now and go for the bp purples since they have 5 choices and they all look good: Tchaikovsky, Socrates, Pasternak, Mata Hari's Cordial, La Reine Mauve (1oz expensive).

 

Was also considering an ink with more flare: Rachmaninoff

 

While writing this noticed NeuroForm's post and that clinches Fox for me. Will decide on purples/Rachmaninoff at a later date.

[myyrkezaan]

Was curious if there were others of the more expensive 1oz variety and found 6:

 

Fox, Hunter, La Reine Mauve, Luxury Blue, Periwinkle and Whiteness of the Whale.

 

Wonder what makes these more expensive?

[crunchmaster]

Noodler's Bulletproof Black is more resistant to water than Bad Black Mocassin, it's also darker than NBBM. Both are permanent though. For your first bulletproof ink I would recommend Bulletproof Black. I have no experience with HOD.

Is BpB really more waterproof than BBM? Isn't BBM part of the Warden's series? Or are the Warden's inks more about being tamper-evident? Of course, I suppose it depends on your definition of waterproof.

 

 

Was curious if there were others of the more expensive 1oz variety and found 6:

 

Fox, Hunter, La Reine Mauve, Luxury Blue, Periwinkle and Whiteness of the Whale.

 

Wonder what makes these more expensive?

They are "Eternal" inks--I think they are more expensive to produce. I'm quite fond of Luxury Blue. Some say it's "chalky"--to me it's gentle: an especially good choice for some kinds of personal letters.

[myyrkezaan]

Was curious if there were others of the more expensive 1oz variety and found 6:

 

Fox, Hunter, La Reine Mauve, Luxury Blue, Periwinkle and Whiteness of the Whale.

 

Wonder what makes these more expensive?

They are "Eternal" inks--I think they are more expensive to produce. I'm quite fond of Luxury Blue. Some say it's "chalky"--to me it's gentle: an especially good choice for some kinds of personal letters.

 

It has to be something else because there are others that are eternal and about the same price for 3oz. I noticed on the properties PDF that the above mentioned inks (excluding La Reine Mauve, wasn't listed) have the these 5 properties: bulletproof, eternal, forgery resistant, water resistant and flourescent (Mata Hari has partial fluorescence). La Reine Mauve listed elsewhere, Kung and Socrates are not fluorescent and higher priced. Manjiro, Lawrence, Empire, Mata, Dostoyevsky, Pasternak, Rachmaninoff, Golden Pig and Tchaikovsky have the 5 properties and are higher priced.

[spot]

What is your choice for the red ink? I'm thinking of buying one myself, preferably with waterproof qualities. I've noticed Noodler's Red Fox recently, but it is quite expensive.

 

Thats the one I was looking at too and 1oz costs more than the other 3oz bottles.

 

Here's a review with a good pic: http://www.fountainp...rs-eternal-fox/

 

There is also Empire red: http://www.fountainp...ire-red-review/

 

Based on those 2 pics I would choose Fox over Empire, just looks much better to me.

 

For non bulletproof: Nikita, Rattler Red, Red, Widow Maker (hadn't really looked these over because wanted bp)

 

I might just pass on red for now and go for the bp purples since they have 5 choices and they all look good: Tchaikovsky, Socrates, Pasternak, Mata Hari's Cordial, La Reine Mauve (1oz expensive).

 

Was also considering an ink with more flare: Rachmaninoff

 

While writing this noticed NeuroForm's post and that clinches Fox for me. Will decide on purples/Rachmaninoff at a later date.

thanks for the info. Fox seems just right for me.

 

Noodler's Bulletproof Black is more resistant to water than Bad Black Mocassin, it's also darker than NBBM. Both are permanent though. For your first bulletproof ink I would recommend Bulletproof Black. I have no experience with HOD.

Is BpB really more waterproof than BBM? Isn't BBM part of the Warden's series? Or are the Warden's inks more about being tamper-evident? Of course, I suppose it depends on your definition of waterproof.

The Warden's series contain certain ingredients that wash off under water, but what remains afterwards is permanent ink.

The regular Noodlers Bulletproof Black contains no ingredients that wash off under water and is thus 100% waterproof.

[crunchmaster]

It has to be something else because there are others that are eternal and about the same price for 3oz. I noticed on the properties PDF that the above mentioned inks (excluding La Reine Mauve, wasn't listed) have the these 5 properties: bulletproof, eternal, forgery resistant, water resistant and flourescent (Mata Hari has partial fluorescence). La Reine Mauve listed elsewhere, Kung and Socrates are not fluorescent and higher priced. Manjiro, Lawrence, Empire, Mata, Dostoyevsky, Pasternak, Rachmaninoff, Golden Pig and Tchaikovsky have the 5 properties and are higher priced.

Each ink has different ingredients, so some are more expensive to make than others. I suppose even a washable ink that used expensive components could cost more than the most durable ink. I think it's a very individual thing

 

The Warden's series contain certain ingredients that wash off under water, but what remains afterwards is permanent ink.

The regular Noodlers Bulletproof Black contains no ingredients that wash off under water and is thus 100% waterproof.

Are you sure it's that simple? For example, even BpB can be observed to "wash off" to some degree if it's deposited in a concentrated area on less-absorbent paper, because not all of the ink penetrates into the paper. I can imagine BBH and BBK having some color components that would wash away, but what about BBM? My point is basically that when declaring an ink to be "100% waterproof", there are many variables at stake that affect the perception of waterproofness, not to mention the ink's actual formula.