Noodler's Heart of Darkness

[cmenice]

With a dry finger, barely any smear. With a wet finger, it smears.

 

There has to be a footnote though. It depends heavily on the paper. The paper I used is HP 32# Premium. It is a very smooth, almost glossy paper. This means that it doesn't soak all the ink the pen puts out. So the chemical bond that makes these Noodler's inks permanent is not present because some of the ink dries on top of the actual paper with no bond. This is the ink that smears. Make sense?

 

This ink is definitely darker than regular Noodler's black.

[southpaw]

Ok, I think this is the coolest ink review I've ever seen! Well done, and thanks for the good and creative work. It almost makes me want to buy a bottle, but I very, very rarely ever use black ink.

[Sousy]

Quite the creative review, cmenice Thanks, for I have been curious about this ink.

 

Have you tested the included Platinum Preppy pen, by the way?

 

That is a very nice review. My thoughts on the ink (and included pen):

 

1) This is a very smooth-writing ink - lots of lubrication. The Platinum Preppy pens (at least the ones with Legal Lapis and Nikita) have been very dry, scratchy writers. With HoD, the pen I expected to be scratchy writes very smoothly. I loaded a fine-nibbed Sheaffer Imperial (not 'as fine' as the Platinum Preppy) and writing on a Rhodia pad is, as the phrase goes, "smooth as glass".

 

2) I'm not a black connoisseur, but I wouldn't label HoD as necessarily 'blacker' than Bulletproof Black. HoD does seem to be a duller ink than BB, if that makes sense. (i.e. Bulletproof Black seems 'shinier'.)

 

3) The Preppy pens are very nice for having the ink on hand without having to worry about letting a 'nice' pen sit unused with it for awhile. I now carry in my bookbag the eyedroppers with HoD, Golden Pig, Legal Lapis and Nikita in them - each of them starts up very nicely. As a general rule, they're very dry somewhat scratchy writers, and put down a very fine line. (I find them to be perfect for annotating in book margins, particularly the eyedropper with Legal Lapis. Legal Lapis does not bleed through newsprint-style paper as easily as HoD appears to.)

[DilettanteG]

Just wanted to join the throng in complimenting your drawing. I'm not sure I could do that well with a pencil, let alone unforgiving indelible ink. Very Nice Job!

[Garageboy]

Looks like photocopier toner

[krz]

I bought a bottle. I don't like it as well for drawing (yet) as the original Bullet Proof Black but it is a very smooth silky ink that does seem to make my slightly scratchy XF feel smooth. That same XF is my driest nib (that I still like to use) and the HoD seems to have darkened the line a bit.

Most of my nibs are pretty wet so the old standard Bullet Proof Black is still very dark.

 

Thumbs up here, and the clear ED pen that came with it is pretty handy. It's now in my traveling art kit.

[krz]

I love the illustrations in your review!

 

Now - if you were to put a watercolor wash on your pic, what would happen? I've tried to do this with regular Noodler's Bulletproof Black, and it does bleed off a little bit - enough to muddy the color. If HOD stays in place better, then I'd be interested in it.

 

I hadn't gotten around to trying a watercolor wash over the HoD ink but now I don't have too. I've been using it in my main pen for a couple days now, a very smooth gliding ink. I just went to the grocery store in a light rain and my grocery list ran down the page.

 

It says eternal on the bottle, maybe that doesn't mean waterproof too? Perhaps I'm just denser than than the ink.

 

It's a nice black ink but I'll stick to the Bulletproof Black. (I still need to try the Old Manhattan Black.)

[Splicer]

I hadn't gotten around to trying a watercolor wash over the HoD ink but now I don't have too. I've been using it in my main pen for a couple days now, a very smooth gliding ink. I just went to the grocery store in a light rain and my grocery list ran down the page.

 

It says eternal on the bottle, maybe that doesn't mean waterproof too? Perhaps I'm just denser than than the ink.

 

It's a nice black ink but I'll stick to the Bulletproof Black. (I still need to try the Old Manhattan Black.)

 

I've seen this with many of the Noodler's Eternal inks. The top layer of the paper gets saturated, leaving some ink unbonded with the paper sitting on top. It gets damp and smears, but the underlying mark will never go away.

 

Seriously. Try writing on a piece of paper with HOD and then boiling it for five minutes. Your writing will still be there clear as day, and the water will be looking a bit gray from the ink that didn't bond.

[DRP]

Fantastic review. The drawing really illustrates strengths & weaknesses of the ink.

[Goshzilla]

I think its kind of cool that the ink comes with an eye dropper pen, what is the size of the nib?

[krz]

I've seen this with many of the Noodler's Eternal inks. The top layer of the paper gets saturated, leaving some ink unbonded with the paper sitting on top. It gets damp and smears, but the underlying mark will never go away.

 

Seriously. Try writing on a piece of paper with HOD and then boiling it for five minutes. Your writing will still be there clear as day, and the water will be looking a bit gray from the ink that didn't bond.

Thanks Splicer, I haven't had time to play with the HoD although I have it in 2 pens right now. When my grocery list ran it still left plenty to read behind on the paper so it's still a good GP black for me. The regular Bulletproof black holds up well to a wash so I guess I gauge everything to that.

[Rapt]

I think its kind of cool that the ink comes with an eye dropper pen, what is the size of the nib?

 

 

The nib is about a fine...

[krz]

I've kept Noodler's "Heart of Darkness" ink in one of my main pens this week, while I also used about 6 other pens with regular Noodler's Bulletproof Black (my mainstay ink).

 

I had an issue with a grocery list last week (using HoD ink) that ran when I stepped into a light rain. Well that must have been due to something else like the cheap notebook paper I was scribbling on or who knows what.

 

The HoD holds up as well to a light wash as the Bulletproof Black. I just tried it and scrubbed lightly with a watercolor brush. Both bled slightly but both did well. My scanner's on the fritz or I'd post it.

 

Now I'm glad the HoD comes in those big old bottles as I'll be needing more.

 

Thanks again for the review cmenice!

Edited February 26, 2008 by krz

[yeo0070]

great work!

[fx101]

How do you use this with a piston filler? It's an eyedropper bottle, right? Do you need to transfer it to an inkwell?

[downwiththepc27]

How do you use this with a piston filler? It's an eyedropper bottle, right? Do you need to transfer it to an inkwell?

 

I was wondering the same thing before I got my bottle. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...mp;#entry935655

 

All of the suggestions in there are good ones, but at least for now, I am able to fill straight from the bottle with my Lamy 2000.

 

With a thickerpen you will definitely need an inkwell or some other container.

 

[Degutan]

To limesally, Yes this ink (Heart of Darkness) stays put!. I have some written script on a piece of paper sitting in a bowl of water to show just how stable it is.

[Balog]

Is nib creep a universal issue with HoD? I see it referred to a lot in reviews of this ink.

[GladWriter]

Nice review,

 

I use Heart of Darkness as my workhorse black ink for my "writing" pen. I'm very happy with it. It is consistent and possibly the best non-carbon black ink I've ever used.

[rezonatix3]

I can't see the review.