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Hello there, as it is getting increasingly difficult to purchase Noodler's inks outside of the US, and increasingly expensive to order it from the US, I am looking for some European alternatives. Hence my thought of tapping into the collective wisdom of the esteemed board members. The inks in question are as follows: 1. Noodler's Bad Green Gator --> Used for signatures on account of its specific properties; would like to replace it with an ink of a likewise colour and properties. 2. Noodler's X-Feather --> Used for quick note-taking on cheap paper; does not need to be bulletproof like XF. 3. Noodler's Navy & Burma Road Brown--> Love the colour, and would like to get my hands on a similar ink produced by an European manufacturer; Diamine, perhaps? 4. Noodler's Blue Ghost --> Does anybody else produce such an ink? 5. Noodler's Dragon Catfish Orange --> I know of Pelikan's highlighter inks, but is there an European ink in orange out there that can fulfil a similar role? Thanks for your help! Cheers, Luis

I'm looking into getting a black ink and, since I have a few dry-writing pens, was looking at a lubricated ink. I live in New England, so I thought that Noodler's Polar Black might be a good idea because of the winter weather. However, I've read a few reviews that the freeze resistance isn't very impressive and that the ink is not very well behaved. Would the American Eel Black be a better idea for a general use lubricated black ink? What's the difference between the two, taking the freeze resistance out of the equation? Is there a better behaved option for a lubricated black ink from another brand, or should I just get regular Noodler's Black instead and give up on the lubricated ink idea?

Note: I changed my story a bit in light of new evidence that Noodler's pens aren't made in America like I assumed. You know what they say about assuming... It's no secret that Nathan Tardif, mastermind behind Noodler's pens and inks, is a patriot. In fact, I have an idea that the Henry Repeating Arms Company may have actually stolen Nathan's original idea for a company slogan some years ago; "It will be made in America, or it won't be made at all." His videos often contain heavy political underto... Oh who am I kidding. They're not undertones. He just comes right out and says it. Even his ink names suggest his disdain for the way our country is run. So, you can imagine the disappointment he'd have in me if he knew what I had done to one of his American-made pens designed and inspected here in America. A couple of years ago when I was still new to fountain pens, I found some images or videos of flex writing and said to myself, "I want to write like that!" So... Rather than reading a book or taking a class or practicing, my initial thought was, "Get one of those flexy pens so you can write like that!" Ask me how that worked out with golf clubs, guitars and RC planes. I'll save you the trouble and just say that I'm no Tiger Woods or John Mayer and I sure as heck can't keep a plane in the air. Although quadcopters are my thing... GPS-enabled, can't-crash-me, quadcopters... Glorious little things, they are! That's beside the point though. My point is, I had a flexy Noodler's Konrad. And Ahab. And Creaper. A couple of each, probably. One day, one of my Konrads broke. I think the filling mechanism snapped or something. I don't really remember, but I do remember just throwing the whole thing in the trash and thinking, "To heck with this... I'll just go back to my extra-fine nails and never write flexy again! HUMPH!" Then, I quickly grabbed the broken pen from the trash and removed the nib and feed for salvage. I figured the nib would come in handy if I ever messed up the nib in an Ahab or my other Konrad. Fast forward a couple of years and I have a little parts bin with nibs and feeds and collars. I was digging through said parts bin yesterday to put together a nib, feed and collar for a fellow FPNer and stumbled on that Noodler's nib. I also stumbled on a long-forgotten Jinhao X750 whose nib was a terribly mushy, wet, mess. I did love the shape and weight of the pen though so, naturally, it went into the parts bin with the thought that I might make something of it someday. I looked at the Noodler's nib and then looked at the Jinhao. Back at the nib. Back at the Jinhao. Back at the n... You get the idea. I thought, "Hm... The X750 uses a No. 6 nib and the Noodler's Konrad and Ahab use a No. 6 nib. And I've got these assorted feeds. I wonder..." Yep. I went and fitted Nathan Tardif's American-made steel flexy nib into a Chinese-made Jinhao X750 and did it all with the assistance of some feed that I got from God-knows-where. Oh... And there's an International Converter in there that I salvaged from a Monteverde pen at some point. So, it's a Frankenpen. And... IT'S ALIVE! It works wonderfully! I've never enjoyed a Chinese-made pen OR a Noodler's nib more in all my years of fountain pen writing. Not my Heroes, not my Jinhaos, certainly not my Ahabs... It's like the perfect pen. The feed keeps up. There's no tinkering or adjusting. It just bloody works! So... without further ado, feast your eyes on the Noohao! or Jindlers (although that's awfully close to Schindler which carries a completely different kind of anti-American connotation, but is one of the greatest films ever made; I digress). Either way... Here's the little matte black abomination (please pardon my TERRIBLE handwriting... You can see I still haven't gotten around to the practice part yet): http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/12011697455_95231e2e75_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/12012518496_a4069b990d_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/12012057084_48213b42e6_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/12012056234_8a2ba1e3c1_b.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/12011687875_3b1247b5c3_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/12011698495_e366f71887_h.jpg So yeah... Long live the Noohao! Also... pardon the gunk on the image. My paper had some ink splats from somewhere else. It's ugly, I know, but I had hoped it would detract from the handwriting.

Hi! I just got from an ebay seller a bottle of Noodler's Polar Black. The label also carries "Edition 2006". What does it mean? Was it produced in 2006 or is it just the formulation that was invented back there? If it was bottled 9 years ago, shall I hope that the ink still retain its properties (i.e. bulletproof, anti-icing, etc.)? Thanks for any information!

Found this write-up on Richard's website http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/care/inks.htm And can tell you I've experienced firsthand the clogging issues he mentions in my trusty Pilot Custom 823 with several versions of Noodler's ink. I really want to like Noodler's but can ill afford to keep running into issues or, worse, possibly destroy my feed as Richard mentions is possible. I ordered some Waterman and Diamine inks in the hope they'll perform much better. According to several write-ups, these two brands are supposed to be the two better ones in terms of general purpose inks with good flow properties. Anyone else have this occur to them? Any other ink recommendations? Thanks.

Hellendr Red is now discontinued ink made by Noodler's for Swisher's Pen. The ink is simply indestructible (nor light nor water nor ammonia will do it harm). I dislike the color though http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2043/g0wgEx.jpg Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img903/3849/vTAq5G.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9682/zRXRiF.jpg Software Id http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5321/zgNJhp.jpg Oxford Recycled 90 g, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img540/165/1tBadY.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img901/5845/9p7BI2.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/7033/ZowJLG.jpg Comparison http://imageshack.com/a/img908/5631/JsdbV0.jpg

I've decided I am in the market for a Tuckaway. After hours of trying to decide which body material, trim, filler system, etc that I want, I am leaning toward the older striated vac models. I would prefer a Touchdown sac filler, but I assume they dont exist in striated as that would defeat the purpose of the transparent barrel. Then I got concerned that the vac barrel could get permanently stained and ruin the transparency. Noodler's Bulletproof Black is pretty much my exclusive ink just because I require as much water resistance as possible. All my other pens are sacced or C/C pens. Can someone confirm if this is or is not a problem before I purchase a striated? If not possible, then I will concentrate on a solid bodied Touchdown Tucky. Also, is there a very SIMPLE (eg. one sentence description) of all the different Sheaffer trim levels and a hierarchy? Every time I try to read some posts, the discussion gets way heavy with minor nuances and one-year variants, etc, etc. As someone just getting his feet wet with Sheaffer, I would just like a very simple primer. I'm sure there is a good post on FPN, I just haven't found it yet. I know this is probably wrong, but to give an idea: Valiant: ? Crest: has a metal cap Craftsman: cap and barrel match. Thin wire cap band. Lowest tier

This is a mostly hand-written review of the new Noodlers Park Red. The images are iPhone photos. My scans came out "too electric" where the red simply appeared much brighter than it was in reality. So I did not include them. "Perhaps this will become the infamous Park Red with the drawing of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un firing fountain pens at the balloons of Park Sang Hak. While the supreme leader may not be very well behaved, the ink certainly is. It is not like Diamine's Oxblood, it is a cleaner red, but not a bright red. It sits well on the page. For me this is a good quality. Being able to read a full page of written text without burning out your eyeballs is important. Dries well on the inkjet paper. This is a red that I like. My usual colors are blues and blacks and purples. I don't know if it would meet the needs of those making corrections. My guess is it would show up well enough esp. with a medium or broad nib. If you like your reds searingly hot, this ink isn't it. But if you prefer them to be more subdued yet strongly red, you will probably like this ink. I don't know how much of this ink was produced or how long it will be available.

Hello, I recently purchased my first fountain pen (Lamy Al-Star), along with Noodler's Liberty's Elysium, and Lamy Black. I really love L.E, but now have an obsession with finding new inks! At the moment, I'm looking for an ink that is interesting enough that i will be excited to use it, but still remains professional enough to use in class for notes. Feathering, and bleedthrough are not an issue, as I use a Rhodia Pad. Thanks in Advance! Mutton

My recent short trip to Texas led me to Dromgoole's Pen Shop, which received rave reviews about the service and selection. Naturally, once I got there, I headed straight to their ink selection, which had a large assortment of Noodler's inks. This is my first Noodler's surprisingly, so I didn't know what to pick up. But I remember watching this ( ), so I decided it would be an interesting choice to play with. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the color of it! This review will be in my normal format, with a picture following a short description of it, above it. Another note, this is a VERY hard ink to photograph, so I have done my best to ensure color accuracy. We will start with a preview of the ink. It's a really interesting and bright color at first look. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Ink.JPG For the pen, I used my go-to Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator with a TWSBI B nib. The B nib is a bit thinner than the western B, but nothing major. It's really smooth and awesome. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Nib.JPG The review is written on what is now discontinued, HP 28lb Copy paper. It's my go-to paper as well, at least till I run out of it. HP 32lb is also nice! http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Paper.JPG Here is a swab of the ink, showing some color variation. The label says that it is the only "Sepia shading, carmine ink." I beg to differ. I see no sepia, nor carmine, which I expect to be a dark-ish red. Still, I like the color very much! http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Swab.JPG Onto the characteristics of the ink. The ink is very well behaved, and does not exhibit any noticeable feathering, or bleed through. Also, the color shifts between a bright orange, and a noticeable pink, under different types of lighting. Also, the color is highly saturated, but does not stain any converters, or barrels of demonstrators. Very minimal shading is present, contrary to what the label would have you believe. It flows well, and provides decent lubrication. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Characteristics.JPG http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Characteristics%202.JPG The ink does not have an overly long dry time, but it is definitely not the fastest. I don't mind the current dry time, the way I write, so its not a problem. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Dry%20Time.JPG Here is a small comparison to my other ink colors which I happen to have loaded. Use these as a calibration for the pictures, and your monitor. I didn't intend them to compare similar inks. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Comparison.JPG Lastly, here is the water test. The top grid of the test had water drops placed on them for 10 seconds, then vigorously wiped downwards. The bottom text did not receive any drops and was only wiped, to show ink smearing. The test showed noticeable lifting of the ink, but still leaving a little on the page. The ink has a medium amount of smear. I would not consider it waterproof. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Water.JPG http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Water%20After.jpg Almost forgot! Here is a scan of the ink. Use it to read the review, and not for color accuracy. It is very far off. The pictures are a better representation. http://files.goviralforyou.com/Inks/Reviews/Noodlers/Dragon's%20Napalm/Scan.jpg That's all folks! I would give the ink a decent 8/10, due to the lack of waterproofness. If you like this review, stay tuned for many more!

Hello everyone, I was told to move my mod over here to discuss it. It is a Noodler's Konrad with a Hunt 56 nib in it. I had to heat set the feed for it and I may have accidentally heat up the grip section during the feed setting but I did squeeze that as well just in case. I say that the grip section may have been set as well because after the mod it appears not to be able to close in the cap as smoothly. That being said, I am very pleased with my work and I tried a few nibs but this one worked the best for this configuration.It flows well and you can see one railroad but I was going pretty fast and trying to go to bed. So these aren't the best pictures but if you guys are interested I can post more detailed photos later or a video to Youtube if anyone really cares. I just don't want to put a lot of effort in if you guys don't care about modding your Konrads. I haven't had any starting issues with the pen and it does not railroad under normal writing conditions. The ink is Noodler's X-Feather and the paper is G. LALO.

I made a short video for the Lamy 2000 just for fun and I thought I'd share it with you guys. The video and editing style is obviously a blatant rip-off of theimmovablemovers' viral Namiki Falcon and Nakaya videos. I prefer the term 'inspired,' but yes, it's a rip-off. The dark background comes off really grainy and awful, so I apologise for that. It looked fine on my camera's display. I hope you enjoy the video.

New Noodlers....

Fountain pen world! There is news! Following Noodler's much awaited release of the Neponset, another new pen from the same company has flown under the radar! Well, okay not actually. but I did find that the ever popular Noodler's Ahab, which as we all know is available as an eyedropper or a piston pump, ACTUALLY HAS A THIRD METHOD OF FILLING! Turns out, a standard international cartridge, when pierced, fits perfectly into the space in the rear of the section of the pen. Depending on the ink, it seems flow is normal, and you can still write, and the semi-flex nib does a decent job of keeping up ink flow. just wanted to share this discovery with the FP community.

I’d like to offer a Group Buy, but with small volumes. I’m thinking of placing two orders for the end of January: one from Diamine (or possibly Cult Pens), and one from Fountain Pen Hospital. Let me know how much you would want of which inks, and if enough people want enough of an ink to complete a bottle, I can guarantee you a vial with exactly the amount of ink you want without having to get a whole bottle. Unfortunately, I’ve got a limited budget, so if I can’t make up a full bottle’s worth, I can’t make any promises. I will add as many inks with partial requests as I can, and you’ll get first dibs on the amount you want. The focus for the order from the UK is Diamine ink. That potentially includes their full “regular” line, as well as the 150th Celebration Inks, the Music Set inks, and the Flower set inks. If I go via Cult Pens, the Deep Dark series becomes a possibility as well. Pricing is a bit of a catch-22: there *might* be a discount on shipping at a certain level, but they need to know how many bottles I’m buying, and it’s hard to know how many bottles will be bought without pricing info. My guess is that the normal Diamine inks will be ~12-13 cents/ml, depending on order size, the Music/Flower set inks will be ~19-20 cents/ml, and the 150th Anniversary Inks will be ~28-29 cents/ml. The focus of the Fountain Pen Hospital inks is Montblanc and the FPH exclusive Noodler’s inks. If there’s another ink with a lot of interest that would be great. Shipping prices depend on order size, but the normally priced Montblanc inks will probably be ~35 cents/ml, and the Noodler’s ~15 cents/ml. Normal costs for vials (24 cents for each 5 ml and 37 cents for each 30 ml vial) and shipping would apply. So take a look at the Diamine inks and the Fountain Pen Hospital Site, and then let me know what you’re interested in. There’s a form here and here with the ink options. I’m going to try to put in the order at the end of the month – not before the 25th, and probably more like the 31st. Orders should start going out mid-February if everything goes well: no customs issues or blizzards or illness or work crises anywhere between here and the UK for the next month. You know what, let’s say orders might start going out the end of February. As some of you know, I’m also selling ink at cost in smallish volumes. (Classified ad with details is here.) Edit: Made links go to the right place.

I got my Neponset during the first wave, but I was towards the end of my last semester of grad school, so until recently, it sat unused. I noticed that I was getting normal (read: wet) down strokes, but my cross strokes were extremely dry. Upon inspecting the nib with a loupe, I noticed that the middle tine was lower than the outer tines. The outer tines are both bent up a little, and the middle tine is pretty straight, if not bent down a little. I've done my fair share of nib adjustment, but I'm a little apprehensive to do anything with this nib. Any suggestions?

Hello all, As indicated i'm searching for a new BB ink. First, i have tested some inks that I have : Camel Royal Blue (very bright, royal blues are not for me)Diamine Majestic Blue (too wet, even if i didn't test in fine → seems not very adapted to my use)Diamine Twilight (never filled) (wet ?)Waterman BB (color changes to teal → horrible but overal not bad = great backup ink)Noodler's Q'eternity (BB from the Bernanke line) http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2014/01/1419972909-lol2.jpg The ink that i liked the most was Noodler's, I used it for about 1 month 1/2 at school (student) and my only complain about it is → feathering (as advertised for a fast-drying ink). I the color, or at least i can say that i used myself to it, i prefer it a lot more than the others (it can vary from the paper) http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/2014/01/1419972904-lol.jpg I only know this review (from Signum1) : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/233667-noodlers-ink-qternity-aka-qe3/ To my mind the flow appeared to be very good, (i don't know the other noodler's ink), the ink starts well and from my usage (a lot to note at school, relatively quickly) i think that i have a lot less pressure to put on the pen to keep writing right. I'm currently writing with a lamy safari, soon i'll use some Parkers 45, always in fine nibs (so not a lot of ink put down on paper, for wet inks it's surely better). I searched over here for reviews about BB, also on french forums and inks kept my attention : Sailor BB (seems to be very well behaved, i can find it on Paris for 13€, it's a neutral colour so no greenish into it → does it tends to feather on copy paper ?I ordered a sample of this one on ebay as i think it would be a great option for the price. (I can have Noodler's samples, some sailor, diamines and Herbin 1670) I tried Salix and.. it's too grey (too dry also i think, flow was not good in the safari or lubricity i don't know). I don't know for others as there are a lot of BB but i don't like to color (or other aspects) of : WM BB (= Quink BB)Sheaffer Skrip BB (too grey) I can't have all the noodler's ink as i'm in Europe but i can have samples, i ordered mine on purepens (no affiliation). L'artisan Pastellier seems to be good looking with EQ6 but it seems to be pretty expensive even in France.. (15€ min). What do you think about Diamine BB (r2) ? (maybe it will bleed or feather as other diamines?) I'm liscening for any recommendations, i know that this is a wide subject where a lot of you have already answered to others.. I'm looking forward to advices (I'm clearly on the sailor side.. for now)

This is the second round of ink testing that I am doing - the first is already three months in and you can find those posts on my blog. I figured that for this one I would start from the beginning on here and post updates as I go along. Eek! I am so excited about this. After taking nearly a month to fill up a new page full of inks (partly because I went on vacation for a week), it’s finally ready: As with my first epic ink test, I will have four tests running in parallel: a control which will be kept in a plastic sleeve in a notebook, an ambient light test which will hang on my fridge, a water test, and a sunlight test which will hang in my bedroom window. The ambient and sunlight tests are already in place, so let’s meet our contenders for this round, shall we? Just in case you cannot easily read my handwriting, here are the inks that will be tested: Pilot Varsity disposable pen in black Diamine Salamander Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine Iroshizuku Tsutsuji Private Reserve Shoreline Gold Paradise Pen Turquoise Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku Fisher Space Pen, black ink Yoobi gel pen Organics Studio Gregor Mendel Diamine Poppy Red Standard Sharpie marker Noodler’s Sequoia Green Organics Studio Edgar Allen Poe Noodler’s El Lawrence Pilot G2 in purple Sharpie pen in purple *The test indicator was written in a black sharpie pen* This is sad because it also shows you just how far behind I am on posting reviews. I will eventually post reviews for all of these inks except probably the Sharpies… Anyway, I am very interested in seeing how these inks perform because a lot of them are not marketed as being “bulletproof” or “archival” or “eternal” - they are just regular inks. The paper used is Staples bright white 24 lb inkjet paper and the pens were mostly a mix of M and B nibs. Right away I can share the results of the water test: To do this test I submerged the paper in a bowl of cool tap water and let it soak for a few minutes. I then pulled it out, gently blotted off the excess water with a paper towel, and allowed it to air dry on a metal rack. I would say the following inks “passed” my water test, in that they would be easily still readable by someone who did not do the original writing: Pilot VarsityDiamine Salamander (this is weird, because as I noted in my review I saw some water resistance there but then retested on different paper and it was not there, but this is the same paper I used in the review so…?)Noodler’s BSiAR and El LawrenceIroshizuku Ku-Jaku (I saw similar performance on the water test which will accompany my review)Fisher Space Pen and Yoobi gel penOS Gregor Mendel and Edgar Allen PoeBoth Sharpies The rest of the inks I would say are not terribly water resistant. Obviously this is my opinion and you might feel differently, but a lot of them washed out just a bit too much for me to write anything that needs to be permanent. So, that’s where I will leave this for now. In a month I’ll update on how the other two tests are coming along and in the mean time I’ll start working on the page for round 3! :-)

Hello everyone! I'm new to the FP network (about 5 minutes ago) and am still learning the ropes of both the network and the fountain pen itself. I am a student in high school and just started using fountain pens this semester and am loving it. I own two Noodler's Ahabs and am looking to get something that will work better with cheap paper, as I cannot shell out money for Rodia, Clairefontaine and the like due to the fact that I take about 2-3 pages of notes a school day.I have been drawn to the TWSBI mini because of the modern design and because it seems to work well with cheap paper. Is this a good choice? If not what else? At the same time, I am looking for cheap paper that will bring out the best in my inks without feathering and such. Is Staplers Bagasse any good? And finally, if I do get the TWSBI mini, would Noodler's "Bad Blue Heron" be safe to use in it?

Hi everyone, Bad Blue Heron is in my opinion an excellent ink. Well behaved, great color and bulletproof. Except the strong odor, which is downright terrible, this is easily one of my top inks. The image is color corrected with ColorChecker Passport. Enjoy! - Daniel

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/2014-Ink_2194.jpg

This may seem like an odd request, but I've been thinking about this for a while now. So, the first time I bought a Noodler's Konrad, I was stunned at how perfectly it fitted my hand...Although the Lamy 2000 is my favorite pen (due to various reasons), the Konrad is still the better shaped pen for me. That being said, do you know pens with the same size/shape as the Noodler's Konrad? (not the Ebonite or Acrylic...those are longer) Cheers

I'm considering getting a Noodler's Konrad as well as a 1.1 stub black Monteverde #6 nib. Have you tried to put a Montverde nib on a Noodler's Konrad? Does it work very well? Does it sit far down into the section like the Goulet nib? thanks.

Hey, I take a lot of notes at school, and usually carry cheap, lined paper sheets in my binder. My inks tend to have a lot of bleedthrough and feather on the cheap paper, and i was wondering if there is a company that sells lined paper sheets made for fountain pens. I know i could just use a notebook, but it makes it frustrating not being able to have individual sheets to work on. If anyone knows of any paper that would suit my needs, please leave a responce. Thanks Mutton

A few weeks ago I was watching Nathan Tardiff's video concerning BSiar. I posted a question in the comments (I'm muskndusk on youtube) asking about the colour changes. Recently I received his response. He said: To which I responded: He has also changed the video description to include this information. If anyone wants to check this, the link is: (Click on the 'watch on youtube' button to read the comments.) I'm not criticising either Nathan or Noodler's, I'm just confused. There does seem to be an appreciable difference in the ink, many people on this forum have commented upon it, so what is really going on? If I order an ink, will I receive the colour I expect? I'm confused.