Noodler's ink - dangerous to pens?

[patrik.nusszer]

Hello!

 

I know this topic has already been covered a thousand times.

Recently I bought a Pelikan M200 with a medium nib. I am in love with it as it is the wettest pen I have ever had.

I have a bottle of Noodlers Black Eel. Do not know if someome knows Joost Appelboom (owner of appelboom.com). I did not ask the reason, but the lady who adjusts the nibs for appelboom said "dont use Noodlers." Also I heard bad things from Matt Armstrong (The Pen Habit). He said something about chemicals that make the ink permanent, and something about Noodlers melting pens with sacks.

 

I actually no longer plan to use this ink. I bought a new bottle of Lamy black and my Pelikan seems to like it.

My question is: I also used a previous bottle of Lamy with my Parker and in that I used Noodlers as well, so I believe there may be trace amounts of Noodlers in that bootle of Lamy. I do not know if I am being OCD but I wonder if putting the nib of my Parker that used the Lamy ink "infected" with the Noodlers might have spread "the disease" onto my new bottle as well and I am scared to use it with my Pelikan xd. Please dont judge me for the question.

[OCArt]

You should not have any problems using the Lamy ink.

[txomsy]

Nor the Noodler's. Last I checked the Pelikan m200 was still a piston filler, not any sac inside.

 

Switching inks won't "contaminate" anything. The only inks I know that should not be mixed are the Baystate series, all others should be OK, or at least not worse than any of the myriad of other inks available on the market. Baystate are basic and might form a salt with acidic inks which might then precipitate, so should only be mixed among themselves. But, for all I know, all the rest should not have any problem.

 

Yes, depending on specifics, maybe some inks will feather or bleed-through or even stain the nib, but this may happen with many inks, Noodler's or not. In any case, we are talking chemicals here, not biologicals. Biologic entities multiply, chemicals don't, so if you had a tiny amount of remaining ink (any ink) in the feed and dipped it in another ink, it would be diluted in the bottle of new ink (say, 0.1ml in 30ml?). That shouldn't make much of a difference.

 

Maybe new inks are different. Back in the day, I wouldn't even clean pens, so when changing inks, I'd just bear with the mixed ink colors output until all the all remnants had washed out and the new color showed as it was. Never had any issue then with clogging or staining. But those were the days of only Parker, Waterman and Pelikan inks. Though the permanent ones were iron gall and acidic. And I loved oft derided Parker Penman inks, and heavily preferred permanent IG inks. Now there is a wider variety, but you know, you can just draw water in and out using the piston mechanism until it washes out clear before refilling with a different ink if you feel paranoid.

[arcfide]

18 minutes ago, txomsy said:

Maybe new inks are different.

 

They are. 🙂 A lot of them use much more dye, and back in the days most of the inks were pretty acidic, so it wasn't a big deal if you mixed them all up. Now a bunch are pH neutral or pretty alkaline, with stronger dyes, more saturation, and so forth. I think the extra caution required is just part of the game for the chance to get to play with much more variety. 

 

1 hour ago, patrik.nusszer said:

I am scared to use it with my Pelikan xd

 

Don't be scared at all. Noodler's inks *are* a pain sometimes, because they can be less consistent, more thick, easier to clog, and so forth, than some of the "safest" inks. But take any of the boutique inks and you can get the same issues. Noodler's inks are generally fine, but they *can* be harder to clean out of a pen if you let the ink completely dry in the pen. I have found some Noodler's that stick to the nib or feed more than others, but that's much the same thing that can happen if you let IG inks precipitate out or allow pigmented inks to dry. The pigment and maybe some of the film left from Noodler's inks needs some mechanical erasure (i.e. -- a toothbrush), but generally you won't damage the pen. Sacs can be damaged by very heavy dye loads or some strange pH, in theory, so people tend to stay to safe inks, but even things like the Iroshizuku line of inks can theoretically be bad for sacs, so don't let Noodler's get you down for fears that aren't really terribly justified. Likewise, don't feel like you have to use Noodler's at all. They make some neat products, but that doesn't mean they're always worth it. 

 

I have a few well loved Noodler's inks, and they have never destroyed any of my pens, but I will also admit that I often gravitate to other inks instead of Noodler's because of the thickness or tenacity of Noodler's inks. 

[Ron Z]

Cue the flame war, and get out the fire extinguishers.....  There are some very strong feelings on this subject.

 

I suggest that you listen to the people in the pen shops, and read the article by Richard Binder on inks. 

[amberleadavis]

Having destroyed pens and having used over the top obnoxious super saturated dangerous for you inks,

 

My recommendation is use what you want.

 

There are some guidelines to follow certain inks - this includes the beloved baystate blue, should only be used in pens that you can replace the parts if necessary. Also some inks should never get mixed, again baystate blue.

 

I have stained my pelikan 200 and cleaned it out easily with the right application of cleaning inks.

 

Please forgive any typos I'm using text to speech.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Though Binder is an excellent source of information I do not use good info solely.  I use Noodlers in any pen I own, Pelikan  m600. 200, or any other pen.

 

Except Noodlers Baystate line if inks. They go in one pen.

[Michael R.]

I can second what has been said already.

 

Some inks can stain, are more difficult to clean or clog pens but so far none have physically damaged any of my pens.

 

I don‘t use high maintenance inks in pens were the ink comes in contact with the visible parts (light colors, ink windows,…) or meal trim (section rings). And I do not let inks dry in in my pens.

 

This includes Noodlers inks. And I continue using them.

 

I can easily imagine that some criticism comes from having to service abused pens which have not seen any basic maintenance over a long time. 
 

I’m far more concerned about microbiological contamination and spreading from inks without proper preservation.

 

Cheers

 

Michael
 

 

[amberleadavis]

Oh, and I just re-read your post.  Eel Black is super safe and great to use in a piston filler.

[dftr]

On 3/12/2022 at 2:29 AM, Michael R. said:

I can second what has been said already.

 

Some inks can stain, are more difficult to clean or clog pens but so far none have physically damaged any of my pens.

 

I don‘t use high maintenance inks in pens were the ink comes in contact with the visible parts (light colors, ink windows,…) or meal trim (section rings). And I do not let inks dry in in my pens.

 

This includes Noodlers inks. And I continue using them.

 

I can easily imagine that some criticism comes from having to service abused pens which have not seen any basic maintenance over a long time. 
 

I’m far more concerned about microbiological contamination and spreading from inks without proper preservation.

 

Cheers

 

Michael
 

 

what is this microbiological contamination?  you have an eldrith octopus invading an ink bottle as your profile pic?  are you talking about mold?

 

[Aysedasi]

I have two bottles of Noodlers.  Had them for years and haven't used them for a very long time.  I can't even remember what they are - one might be Walnut.  I find them too saturated for my liking and there are plenty more inks that I find more 'manageable'.  

[Michael R.]

3 hours ago, dftr said:

what is this microbiological contamination?  you have an eldrith octopus invading an ink bottle as your profile pic?  are you talking about mold?

 

 Yes, mold is the most likely microbio contamination for inks. You will note as floaters, slime in the bottle or mycelia, change in color and/or scent. Never had such problem with Noodler's. They seem well preserved.

[dftr]

Yes, I have a bad experience w/ two other brands but this was years ago and it is likely I was less careful storing ink.  Still because of the mold I'm averse to returning to these brands even though I know these are very reputable inks and rated high.

[gerigo]

I feel Noodler's have been unfairly singled out primarily because Nathan is always interested to push the boundaries of what inks can do and how they perform. I will say that one of the reasons why I was pulled back into fountain pens were the amazing colors Nathan offered over 15 years ago. Of the many pens I have there have been only 2 pens specifically affected by the ink I used in a negative way.

 

One was an Edison pneumatic filler where the rubber diaphragm was destroyed by Iroshizuku Tsukushi. I used it continuously for a few months, put the pen away, and when I returned to it, the rubber was completely melted.

 

The other was a Visconti transparent demonstrator where the body was stained pink with Noodler's Rome Burning. I tried using all sorts of methods to clean it out to no avail. It had to take a trip back to Italy to get a new body. I attribute it to user error rather than a fault in the ink.

 

No other horror stories. I have a few Noodler's that have become favorites. Their version of Walnut, golden brown and black swan in English rose. I use these inks all the time, and they are quite inert.

[TSherbs]

On 3/9/2022 at 1:00 PM, patrik.nusszer said:

Hello!

 

I know this topic has already been covered a thousand times.

Recently I bought a Pelikan M200 with a medium nib. I am in love with it as it is the wettest pen I have ever had.

I have a bottle of Noodlers Black Eel. Do not know if someome knows Joost Appelboom (owner of appelboom.com). I did not ask the reason, but the lady who adjusts the nibs for appelboom said "dont use Noodlers." Also I heard bad things from Matt Armstrong (The Pen Habit). He said something about chemicals that make the ink permanent, and something about Noodlers melting pens with sacks.

 

I actually no longer plan to use this ink. I bought a new bottle of Lamy black and my Pelikan seems to like it.

My question is: I also used a previous bottle of Lamy with my Parker and in that I used Noodlers as well, so I believe there may be trace amounts of Noodlers in that bootle of Lamy. I do not know if I am being OCD but I wonder if putting the nib of my Parker that used the Lamy ink "infected" with the Noodlers might have spread "the disease" onto my new bottle as well and I am scared to use it with my Pelikan xd. Please dont judge me for the question.

 

No, using that nib in another bottle has not put any noxious Noodler's qualities in it.

[FLZapped]

On 3/9/2022 at 3:05 PM, Ron Z said:

Cue the flame war, and get out the fire extinguishers.....  There are some very strong feelings on this subject.

 

I suggest that you listen to the people in the pen shops, and read the article by Richard Binder on inks. 

 

And so you bring up an article that has proven to be, well, unproven....and there HAVE been people who have tried. Binder based his opinion on HEARSAY and has admittedly never tried himself to recreate what he claims...or I should say, what his customer claimed. Falsehoods always travel faster than the truth and the people in the pen shops are most likely basing their opinions on what Binder wrote.

[Al-Muizz 953]

On 3/9/2022 at 3:05 PM, Ron Z said:

Cue the flame war, and get out the fire extinguishers.....  There are some very strong feelings on this subject.

 

I suggest that you listen to the people in the pen shops, and read the article by Richard Binder on inks. 

thanks @Ron Zfor the link to the Binder article, it is helpful and has persuaded me to give up on Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts, much as I like the color and concept/history associated with the name

[Karmachanic]

I am of the opinion that people are more dangerous to pens than inks.

[fiberdrunk]

I have had Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng destroy a couple of Platinum Preppy pens (interestingly, those pens used to come free with the 4 oz size bottles of this ink).  I think the trouble was that the ink would partially evaporate through the plastic and sort of congeal and clog the nib.  I couldn't even get it to unclog with an ultrasonic cleaner and ammonia.

 

But I've never had any trouble with it in any other pen.  I mainly use it in Pilot Metropolitans and Parker Vectors.  I'm a fan of Noodler's most permanent inks and am willing to do the little extra maintenance on my pens to keep them flowing well with this ink.  I'm more of an ink person than a pen person, though.

[Ron Z]

1 hour ago, Karmachanic said:

I am of the opinion that people are more dangerous to pens than inks.

 

That may indeed be true.  The number of creative ways that people find to damage their pens is impressive.