Help: Noodlers Ink bleeds...

[ovaltine]

After reading suggestions here, I bought the Noodlers ink (Baystate Blue, to be exact) and while I am satisfied with its colour and tone and smoothness, it immediately starts bleeding on paper.

 

My question is, is that a property of the ink or is the paper not right?

 

Since I will have access to cheap paper more than the good, thick kind, I would like to know what's the second best ink after Noodlers, which has beautiful colour and smoothness. Thankyou.

[ntheo]

 

If I'm understanding correct, when you say bleed, do you mean it bleeds to the other side of the paper or the lines thicken so a fine point looks more like medium or broad?

 

Have you tried X-Feather?

It is supposed to be anti feather/bleeding but it takes a long time to dry.

 

It could be the paper. I notice when I write with recycled printing paper, it bleeds/feathers pretty badly but with normal lines or copy paper, it works fine.

[Yanroy]

I write in normal spiral-bound lined notebooks most of the time, which isn't the best paper. Noodler's inks are my favorite. I haven't noticed significant bleeding (either through-paper, or spreading out from the line, which is generally called "feathering") with the Luxury Blue, Hunter Green, or Black. Also, I was very impressed by the Diamine Florida Blue sample I got yesterday -- I accidentally spilled the sample bottle on my notebook and it penetrated the page i was writing on (front and back) thoroughly, but didn't get any on the next page. Maybe your pen is particularly wet? Which one is it, and which nib?

[wrath186]

I too just started using the Baystate blue in a Haolilai 601F. I'm writing in a spiral notebook and the bleed through is significant. Now I've always had bleed through with any inks I've used in a spiral bound notebook. Levenger and Pelikan cartridges also bleed through, though not quite as bad as the Baystate. I think that it is two things. First, the cheap paper of the notebooks and second the thick wet line that the Haolilai lays down. It's super wet and more broad than medium type point. Not that I don't like it, but the bleed through is significant enough to make me use a plastic sheet between pages to avoid marking the next notebook page.

 

I've used Noodler's in other pens like Pilot and Rotring and have not had this problem to this extent, so my thinking is it may be a combination of the paper and the pen and to some extent the ink. Started to use the pen this morning and while the bleed through is still there it isn't as pronounced as it was yesterday. Will see if that changes as the day progresses.

 

As far as a different ink the only one that comes to mind is Levenger's Skies of Blue for color and smoothness. Perhaps someone else will have another recommendation.

[hamadryad11]

I use Noodler's Marine Green on very cheap notebook paper every day. It normally bleeds through the paper very badly. I found that if I dilute the ink with water it doesn't bleed nearly as much. I ended up diluting my green ink about 50/50 with water. It sometimes bleeds slightly (the paper is a bit inconsistent) but at least it's useable now, and still has a fairly saturated colour. You might have some luck if you add a bit of water to your ink. From what I've seen BSB is intense enough that it can probably be diluted a bit and still look amazing.

[penhound]

There are a few of Noodler's inks that bleed through the paper, especially in thin, cheap papers. Moleskines don't hold up to many of the Noodler's inks. But recently more and more of them are doing okay in the Molskines. The Baystates seem to be not only very saturated in color, but in their wetness, too. They bleed through a lot of cheaper papers. I didn't have any problems with the Baystate Blue or the Baystate Grape when I used it on Rhodia paper. Then again, a lot of different brands of ink go through the inexpensive and recycled papers rather quickly. Good arguement for good paper. Although I know many in the work force who can't change what the company uses in its copiers and printers. There are some that will work well, you just have to search for them. I could give a few clues to less "wet" inks if you tell me your color you use most on the inexpensive papers.

[stevo]

Of the dozen or so Noodler's inks I have, Baystate is THE worst for bleeding through paper. It's not as bad about spreading as Luxury Blue, but man it bleeds through like nobody's business. As a contrast, Black and Legal Lapis sit on top of the paper longer and don't tend to bleed through as much.

 

So if you're looking for a Noodler's blue that doesn't soak through - good luck. I only own Luxury Blue and Baystate right now, but both bleed through significantly. Lux Blue spreads too. Having read through just about every review of Noodler's blues, you're going to have a tough time finding a well-behaved one in the Bulletproof or waterproof lines.

 

Another point - if you switch to Rhodia or Clairefontaine papers, among others, you'll have no worries about these issues. Not that the inks behave differently, but these papers are dense and well-finished such that poor behaving inks don't manage to get through.

 

If you stay with the cheaper papers, Noodler's Black is fine. But you'll have to explore the non-waterproof ones to be happy.

 

S

[limesally]

So if you're looking for a Noodler's blue that doesn't soak through - good luck. I only own Luxury Blue and Baystate right now, but both bleed through significantly. Lux Blue spreads too. Having read through just about every review of Noodler's blues, you're going to have a tough time finding a well-behaved one in the Bulletproof or waterproof lines.

 

Another point - if you switch to Rhodia or Clairefontaine papers, among others, you'll have no worries about these issues. Not that the inks behave differently, but these papers are dense and well-finished such that poor behaving inks don't manage to get through.

 

Unless it's Noodler's Polar Blue! I've had that sucker bleed through Clairefontaine. Well, not bleed, exactly, but it seems to leave a grease spot of some sort on the other side - like the kind left by a cookie crumb. Weird.

 

The search for the well-behaved bulletproof blue seems an ongoing thing here. The darker blues and blue-blacks have behaved very well for me, though. Noodler's Navy, Aircorp, Zhivago.

 

[richardandtracy]

I have found that bleedthrough & feathering are a 'feature' of BSB. It's such a nice colour that I'll put up with it though.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[m00t]

On the bright side, BSB is absorbed into the paper so well that the dry time is near instantaneous! ^_^

[RevAaron]

Exactly m00t! It means that I only use it in some pens, the dryer ones less likely to stain or have clogging problems. BSB and my Snorkel Valiant have been married since AndrewC sent me a sample.

 

I wouldn't complain if they came out with a "slo-dri" variant, that was a little less chock-fulla flow promotors.

[stevo]

So if you're looking for a Noodler's blue that doesn't soak through - good luck. I only own Luxury Blue and Baystate right now, but both bleed through significantly. Lux Blue spreads too. Having read through just about every review of Noodler's blues, you're going to have a tough time finding a well-behaved one in the Bulletproof or waterproof lines.

 

Another point - if you switch to Rhodia or Clairefontaine papers, among others, you'll have no worries about these issues. Not that the inks behave differently, but these papers are dense and well-finished such that poor behaving inks don't manage to get through.

 

Unless it's Noodler's Polar Blue! I've had that sucker bleed through Clairefontaine. Well, not bleed, exactly, but it seems to leave a grease spot of some sort on the other side - like the kind left by a cookie crumb. Weird.

 

The search for the well-behaved bulletproof blue seems an ongoing thing here. The darker blues and blue-blacks have behaved very well for me, though. Noodler's Navy, Aircorp, Zhivago.

 

I've used Zhivago and it's a nice ink but very prone to smudging. It never seems to dry on the surface totally. I'm also planning to try Navy. These near-bulletproof inks are perhaps a good compromise. However, if we're talking about near-bulletproof, I can vouch for the mixture of Private Reserve American Blue and Lux Blue - 50/50. It still retains some of the negative aspects of Lux, but to a lesser degree. However, it has nearly ALL the positivies of the PR ink. That being the case, I'm thinking of mixing Namiki Blue with Lux or something similar. Namiki is fairly waterproof. So my aim is 50% Namiki, 25% Lux and 25% PR. Perhaps no PR? Anyhow, check DennisU's posts for a topic called "Rhapsody in Blues". He has some nice experiments with blues.

 

S

[limesally]

I've used Zhivago and it's a nice ink but very prone to smudging. It never seems to dry on the surface totally. I'm also planning to try Navy.

 

you know, I've noticed that in some pen/papers and not others...I think Noodler's, in particular, seems sensitive to dilution rate and pen wetness. I noticed that my Navy sampler from PTP was a little slower to dry and prone to smudging compared to the new bottle I got from Noodlers, and I suspect it might have just been a little older - plus, it had been sitting in my pen for a little while. I have no problems at all with Zhivago in my slightly drier writer in my moleskine, but it has smudged in my fine, but wet Falcon on Clairefontaine. But at least it didn't feather and bleed

 

 

 

[SpinDance]

Another point - if you switch to Rhodia or Clairefontaine papers, among others, you'll have no worries about these issues. Not that the inks behave differently, but these papers are dense and well-finished such that poor behaving inks don't manage to get through.

 

If you stay with the cheaper papers, Noodler's Black is fine. But you'll have to explore the non-waterproof ones to be happy.

 

S

 

Rhodia or Clairefontaine may not have the bleed through, but we have had drying problems with them. There is no one 'perfect' answer, it's different for each ink, pen and paper combination. That's part of the fun, figuring this out for you and your circumstances.

 

I tend to use F or XF nibs, and haven't had much problem with bleed through, even on Moleskin paper. However, using larger or very wet nibs I do get bleeding. I consider this proof that I must have several pens inked, so I can use what works best on the various papers I use.

[bowzee]

I just got a bottle of Noodler's Polar Blue "Winter 2006 Edition", which is "Bulletproof", loaded it into my Lamy Vista extra-fine (EF) nib. It bleeds severely. I tested it on two types of paper:

 

1) multipurpose paper that I use with my printer:

---> looks wider than an M nib with original Lamy ink

 

2) specific laser printer paper:

---> bleeds much less, looks wider than an F nib with original Lamy ink, (thinner than an M)

 

 

I also tried test-writing with the nib upside-down and I got this:

 

3) the same multipurpose paper

---> looks like an F nib with original Lamy ink

 

4) the same laser paper

---> looks like an EF nib with original Lamy ink

 

Another interesting detail is that ink accumulates near the tip of the nib along the sides of the slit, looks pretty scarry.

 

I am not sure if the advantages of this ink are that important. And the idea of writing with the nib upside-down all the time seems kind of pointless...

 

Edit:

When I used the verb bleed I was actually meaning feather. (thanks someonesdad)

Edited May 20, 2009 by bowzee

[someonesdad]

After reading suggestions here, I bought the Noodlers ink (Baystate Blue, to be exact) and while I am satisfied with its colour and tone and smoothness, it immediately starts bleeding on paper.

 

My question is, is that a property of the ink or is the paper not right?

 

Since I will have access to cheap paper more than the good, thick kind, I would like to know what's the second best ink after Noodlers, which has beautiful colour and smoothness. Thankyou.

Just to make sure we're using the same terms, bleeding is used to refer to the ink soaking through the paper and being seen on the opposite side. Feathering is where the ink wicks into the paper fibers, making small, "spidery" threads of ink attached to the main line of ink. Spreading is where the ink soaks uniformly into the paper, making the line width larger than the nib.

 

Bay State blue is known for feathering and bleeding. I have seen it bleed on more papers than any other ink. Nevertheless, this bleeding behavior is a combination behavior of both the ink and the paper. If you are stuck with using the cheap, crummy paper most businesses buy, then I'd recommend staying away from Bay State blue. If you can choose your paper (like I do), BSB is superb and is why it's my favorite blue. Two papers it works well on are Domtar Solutions and Nekoosa Linen.

 

There is no "second best" ink, as the performance of an ink is subjective. For some applications, I don't care if an ink bleeds, but feathering is unacceptable. For other applications, feathering doesn't bother me but bleeding is unacceptable.

 

I use Private Reserve DC Supershow blue as my other blue ink because I like the way it writes. Herbin Eclat de Saphir and Waterman's Florida Blue are also excellent inks.

[hamadryad11]

I just got a bottle of Noodler's Polar Blue "Winter 2006 Edition", which is "Bulletproof", loaded it into my Lamy Vista extra-fine (EF) nib. It bleeds severely. I tested it on two types of paper:

 

1) multipurpose paper that I use with my printer:

---> looks wider than an M nib with original Lamy ink

 

2) specific laser printer paper:

---> bleeds much less, looks wider than an F nib with original Lamy ink, (thinner than an M)

 

 

I also tried test-writing with the nib upside-down and I got this:

 

3) the same multipurpose paper

---> looks like an F nib with original Lamy ink

 

4) the same laser paper

---> looks like an EF nib with original Lamy ink

 

Another interesting detail is that ink accumulates near the tip of the nib along the sides of the slit, looks pretty scarry.

 

I am not sure if the advantages of this ink are that important. And the idea of writing with the nib upside-down all the time seems kind of pointless...

If you're using the Polar ink in less than optimum conditions it will have some performance issues. The polar inks are really designed to be used in sub-zero temperatures, and will behave strangely if you're using them in warmer environments. Adding water to the ink will make it behave a lot better if you're using it in above-freezing temperatures, although I'm sure it'll become much less freeze-resistant.

 

The advantages of the polar inks are really only advantages if you're writing outside in the winter, or in a freezer. It might be better to get an ink more suited to your purpose if that's not where you do most of your writing.

[scribbler77]

I have no problem with BSB bleeding on Staples copy paper. I use it in a Platinum Preppy ED conversion, and the nib is fine, but a relatively wet writer. It will bleed on low-quality papers thinner than 20lb.

 

If you want a more normal behaving bright blue, try Visconti. Not as vivid as BSB, but quite bright and has fair water resistance.

[skipwilliams]

Baystate Blue is a unique, ultra-intense ink. But it doesn't have any more bleed-through than most other inks, in my experience.

 

The problem is likely two-fold.

 

1. Your paper is either thin, has a lot of recycled content, or is uncoated, all of which can contribute to bleed

 

2. Your pen is putting out too much ink, which is a problem with the pen.

 

Skip

 

 

After reading suggestions here, I bought the Noodlers ink (Baystate Blue, to be exact) and while I am satisfied with its colour and tone and smoothness, it immediately starts bleeding on paper.

 

My question is, is that a property of the ink or is the paper not right?

 

Since I will have access to cheap paper more than the good, thick kind, I would like to know what's the second best ink after Noodlers, which has beautiful colour and smoothness. Thankyou.

 

[bowzee]

someonesdad: I read your post, I meant feathering not bleeding in my post.

 

hamadryad11: thanks for the tip I will try to add water. I pretty much picked this "Polar Blue" because it is dark blue, opaque and "Bulletproof", no other more elaborate reasons.

Edited May 20, 2009 by bowzee