EFNIR: Noodler's Rome Burning

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Noodler's Rome Burning

This is review #245 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: A strange mix of purple and yellow that comes out looking brown and murky green, depending on the paper!  Turns out I don't have anything like this.  My other inks are greener, browner, darker, or lighter...  Cleaning was as you would expect - a pain.  The purple clings to everything and you need a swab or similar material to wipe it off - pen flush didn't help.

This ink attracts people doing yard work and electronic cat toys that start up automatically after a break. The long scratch on my finger is not the ink's fault - that was entirely me and Klaw.

Zoomed in photo (Color is not quite right.)

Screenshot (Color is pretty close, but too dark by a little.)

Scan of Completed Review (Best color of all the images.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Color is all wrong, especially for the top image.)

Line width (One of the lines used for dry time. Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 330µm. With 245 inks measured, the average line width is 296µm.)

Microscope image (400x; a little blob in the middle of the purple and yellow. Colors are too muted.)

Microscope image (100x, using cell phone camera; the yellow (especially) is far too muted - it's like a neon bright chemical yellow to my eye.)

Water Test Results

Previous Review: Noodler's Raven Black.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Want to influence the inky sequence? Take the "next ink" poll.

View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[txomsy]

Thanks for a review as interesting as usual, if not more.

 

If I remember well (which I may likely not) Rome Burning is a dual ink with a washable and a permanent ("bulletproof" indeed) ink component, and designed to behave as described: i.e. initially it looks golden, but when washed out the purple 'senator' component should stay permanently attached to paper. The idea is that if you smear it, it leaves a golden halo around the purple that looks like flames. 

 

So, the golden brown should wash up well, but the purple is intended not to, and so it is no surprise you have trouble with it. One can derive all sort of metaphors from this ink, which adds to its fun.

 

 

 

[LizEF]

1 minute ago, txomsy said:

Thanks for a review as interesting as usual, if not more.

You're very welcome!

 

2 minutes ago, txomsy said:

If I remember well (which I may likely not) Rome Burning is a dual ink with a washable and a permanent ink component, and designed to behave as described: i.e. initially it looks golden, but when washed out the purple 'senator' component should stay permanently attached to paper. The idea is that if you smear it, it leaves a golden halo around the purple that looks like flames.

Ah, thank you - I didn't bother to try finding this info, so I appreciate you adding what you remember.  It certainly behaves as described.

 

3 minutes ago, txomsy said:

So, the golden brown should wash up well, but the purple is intended not to, and so it is no surprise you have trouble with it. One can derive all sort of metaphors from this ink, which adds to its fun.

[yazeh]

An excellent review @LizEF of a favorite ink  

If I were to buy another bottle of ink, this will be one of them. Funny in my tests daytime was below 5 seconds on Rhodia. 

I seem to have forgotten that Makhabesh had fire throwing magic. Wow so cool! 🙀

Thanks for making Tuesdays so special 🙏

[LizEF]

33 minutes ago, yazeh said:

An excellent review @LizEF of a favorite ink  

Thanks!

 

33 minutes ago, yazeh said:

If I were to buy another bottle of ink, this will be one of them. Funny in my tests daytime was below 5 seconds on Rhodia. 

I've determined that dry time may be as mysterious as ink flow and our tests are all but useless....

 

34 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I seem to have forgotten that Makhabesh had fire throwing magic. Wow so cool! 🙀

It's been a while since he used it ("on screen" at least).  It's the enchantment he got when they were sent to find the high wizard - enchanted into his spider pendant.

 

35 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for making Tuesdays so special 🙏

You're most welcome!

[yazeh]

11 minutes ago, LizEF said:

I've determined that dry time may be as mysterious as ink flow and our tests are all but useless....

Hear hear

 

11 minutes ago, LizEF said:

It's been a while since he used it ("on screen" at least).  It's the enchantment he got when they were sent to find the high wizard - enchanted into his spider pendant.

Ah thanks for reminding me. S many powers to keep track of

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I see King Klaw has been at it again...  👀

 

I did have a sample vial of this ink,  but it totally was not for me, in part due to the stainability and Eternal Dry Times.  (I was hoping for more of an Iha Ho dupe).  I gave it to someone who wanted it.

 

Let's see... fireballs, weird purple micro flower, and mystical groans.  Thanks, @LizEF, for these Tuesday Treats of the story and fantastic ink reviews. 

[txomsy]

Don't be too harsh on Klaw. It is the International day of cats after all. It may be entitled to some (limited) abuse.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I see King Klaw has been at it again...  👀

We has a lot of fun.  Sometimes, there be accidents...  (Sometimes he's just a kitten.)

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I did have a sample vial of this ink,  but it totally was not for me, in part due to the stainability and Eternal Dry Times.  (I was hoping for more of an Iha Ho dupe).  I gave it to someone who wanted it.

Giving away unwanted ink is a virtue.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Let's see... fireballs, weird purple micro flower, and mystical groans.  Thanks, @LizEF, for these Tuesday Treats of the story and fantastic ink reviews. 

  You're very welcome!

[LizEF]

8 minutes ago, txomsy said:

Don't be too harsh on Klaw. It is the International day of cats after all. It may be entitled to some (limited) abuse.

  My clever boy has learned that when my skin is bare, he must be gentle; if I'm wearing a long sleeve, he can be a little rough; and if I'm wearing two sleeves, or have a towel wrapped around my arm, he can go to town.  ETA: Accidents do sometimes happen, but he's worth it.

[arcfide]

This is such a strange ink! Thanks for the review. I'm glad that Noodler's exists to commercially market what other people would consider mad science. 

[LizEF]

35 minutes ago, arcfide said:

This is such a strange ink! Thanks for the review. I'm glad that Noodler's exists to commercially market what other people would consider mad science. 

Yes it is.   You're very welcome. Nathan would probably like being considered a mad scientist.

[InesF]

Thank you @LizEF for continuing with ink reviews, even if you were wounded in action.

 

Besides the story part, second most interesting is the microscopy image. It reminds me more on Burning Celluloid film stuck in the projector - if the movie was an Italian historic drama acting in Rome, the title could be well fitting.

 

From your photos and scans I see the colour somewhere in the middle between R.Oster Bronze and Iroshuzuki ina-ho. How would you position the Noodlers ink?

 

Thank you for releasing some of the thrill and emotional tension by finding a way to fight the nasty crust and for sending hope to Quin. Back to real life, I learned today that fireballs may be a decent solution against crusty inks on fountain pen nibs ... 

[LizEF]

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you @LizEF for continuing with ink reviews, even if you were wounded in action.

You're most welcome!

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Besides the story part, second most interesting is the microscopy image. It reminds me more on Burning Celluloid film stuck in the projector - if the movie was an Italian historic drama acting in Rome, the title could be well fitting.

  Yes!  It does look like melting film.  What a lost opportunity.

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

From your photos and scans I see the colour somewhere in the middle between R.Oster Bronze and Iroshuzuki ina-ho. How would you position the Noodlers ink?

That sounds exactly right.  Ina-ho is more yellow, Bronze is darker and greener.  Rome Burning is browner than either.  (Bronze still wins my murky ink contest. )

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you for releasing some of the thrill and emotional tension by finding a way to fight the nasty crust and for sending hope to Quin.

  (Gladly!)

 

8 hours ago, InesF said:

Back to real life, I learned today that fireballs may be a decent solution against crusty inks on fountain pen nibs ... 

Please turn on the camera before launching your first fireball - we want to see the action!  (I see a new paper in your future - instead of ink flow, ink flammability.)

[Sailor Kenshin]

22 hours ago, txomsy said:

Don't be too harsh on Klaw. It is the International day of cats after all. It may be entitled to some (limited) abuse.

Every day is the Day of Cats.

 

@LizEF, I remember now why I wanted Rome Burning, aside from the possible-dupe factor:  its weird halo.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Every day is the Day of Cats.

Just ask a cat - they'll explain.

 

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF, I remember now why I wanted Rome Burning, aside from the possible-dupe factor:  its weird halo.

I don't remember any halo except when it got wet.  Though who knows what you'd get with a big, wet nib...

[namrehsnoom]

Thanks for this review @LizEF. This totally is a complex & interesting ink. Also an ideal one for wet-on-wet drawing because the yellow and purple separate so easily, resulting in some nice effects. And the ink’s colour is intriguing… really difficult to describe, definitely not your run-of-the-mill ink.

Best thing about this review: I’ll dig out my bottle of it out of the ink stash. Haven’t used it in years, and am looking forward to re-acquaint myself with it.

[LizEF]

3 hours ago, namrehsnoom said:

Thanks for this review @LizEF.

You're very welcome!

 

3 hours ago, namrehsnoom said:

This totally is a complex & interesting ink. Also an ideal one for wet-on-wet drawing because the yellow and purple separate so easily, resulting in some nice effects. And the ink’s colour is intriguing… really difficult to describe, definitely not your run-of-the-mill ink.

Exactly!

 

3 hours ago, namrehsnoom said:

Best thing about this review: I’ll dig out my bottle of it out of the ink stash. Haven’t used it in years, and am looking forward to re-acquaint myself with it.

Hope you enjoy it - and if you create fun art, share it with us!

[wallylynn]

I started with a sample vial and didn't really like rome burning. The color is just weird. But for reasons forgotten I decided to get a full bottle anyway.  I use it because it's neither blue nor black.

 

And now my story : I don't write much anymore. The result is a really bizarre phenomenon as it sits unused  in my pen. The yellow and purple separate in the feed.! My writing starts yellow, then purple, then finally the mix as it pulls from the main reservoir. The end.

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, wallylynn said:

The result is a really bizarre phenomenon as it sits unused  in my pen. The yellow and purple separate in the feed.! My writing starts yellow, then purple, then finally the mix as it pulls from the main reservoir. The end.

That is totally cool!   Thank you for sharing your story with us.