Noodler’s Legal Lapis

It’s Noodler’s week here at The Dizzy Pen, so here is Noodler’s review 2 of 3: Noodler’s Legal Lapis.

For months and months I’ve seen folks on FPN raving about this ink. I’ve seen it described as the best Noodler’s ink on the market and the best bulletproof ink available second only to Noodler’s Black. I’ve seen the color described as a blue-black and a teal ink. On both accounts I’m largely undecided.

I like this ink, but I don’t love it. It’s very good and well-behaved to be sure, but it’s not in a color range that I prefer. It’s definitely a blue-black of one sort or another, but there is a green or teal undertone to it. It doesn’t seem very pronounced, but it is there.

Here are the details:

• No feathering or bleed through.
• Some minor nib creep.
• The flow and lubrication is very good on both accounts. This is definitely a smooth writing ink.
• It dries pretty quickly at about 5 seconds.
• The shading is PHENOMENAL especially if you are a printer.
• This ink is bulletproof. It stands up very well to water.

(click to enlarge this image)

This ink is a Noodler’s exclusive made for Pendemonium. It’s a little more pricey than other Noodler’s inks at $18.50 for 3 oz. You can find more info about this ink including water tests if you click here.

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Noodler’s Eel Blue

I happened upon this ink when I was looking for an ink to improve the flow of my Pilot Custom 823. I have to tell you I was pleasantly surprised by this ink. Not only is the flow magnificent, but the lubrication is out of this world! It is SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH. It’s quite easily the smoothest ink I’ve ever used. This smoothness is the result of additional lubricants that are added to Noodler’s American Eel Inks. You can find Nathan Tardiff’s (founder and maker of Noodler’s Ink) write up for the American Eel Series here (just scroll down past the Legal Lapis stuff). The blurb is too long for me to post in its entirety, but here is a quote:

This new formulation has gone through extensive testing and is being introduced as the first truly lubricating ink in decades: the Noodler’s American Eel series. Any Noodler’s label with the smiling eel contains lubricants for use in moving seal mechanisms. Added benefits are the slightly higher dye contrasts, a slick/super smooth writing effect, and the reduction of wear for BOTH synthetic rubber, natural rubber – as well as nylon seals (previous inks did very little for rubber seals).

I don’t have any pens with stiff seals, so I can’t comment on whether or not Nathan’s claims are true, but I can confirm that slick/smooth feeling.

Here’s the details:

• No feathering or bleed through.
• The flow and lubrication are magnificent.
• The drying time is average to slow at about 10 seconds.
• There is some shading. If you are a printer you’ll notice this more.
• There is absolutely no waterproof-ness to this ink.

I really just wanted an eel ink, and since I use blue inks the most I figured blue would make the most sense, but let me tell you, I was more than pleasantly surprised with this color. It has some turquoise undertones to it that make it more than just your standard blue. I really really like it! So, I not only have an eel ink to improve flow and lubrication, but I’ve also added a very appealing blue to my ink collection. I love it when things like this happen.

(click to enlarge this image)

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Red Comparison

This post originally appeared on The Ink Nouveau, but since I use this blog as an archive I thought it best to put it up here as well.

(Click on any photo to view a larger size)

When Brian put out a request for guest reviewer I immediately volunteered. Since the J. Herbin 1670 ink had just launched I thought it would be worthwhile to do a comparison of red inks from a few of the manufacturers he carries. Brian sent me a sample of every ink reviewed here except the Diamine Monaco Red. I already owned that one. Apart from being a customer of his I am not otherwise affiliated with Brian. I am also not affiliated with any of the manufacturers reviewed herein.

Diamine Classic Red:

I must admit that this was by far my least favorite of the bunch. It is the only one that misbehaved on my everyday paper: HP LaserJet 24lbs. However, it does perform well on Rhodia, Clairefontaine, etc. If you plan to use this ink plan to use it with premium papers. The shading is quite good and the flow is excellent. I’m not much on the color, but the name is fitting. It is a dullish medium red.

Caran d’ Ache Sunset:

This is an attractive pinkish red. It is the outlier in this group. None of the others exhibit this pink quality. This ink is the driest feeling of the bunch. But, has some of the best shading, and it is one of the fastest drying.

Private Reserve Dakota Red:

This is a brightish medium red. When I researched this ink I found some complaints of the ink clogging pens and/or throwing precipitants. When I informed Brian of this he told me the ink has been reformulated, so I decided to test it out for a while. I put it in a Platinum Preppy and left it to sit for one and a half weeks. I am happy to report that there was NO CLOGGING and NO PRECIPITANTS.

Believe it or not, this ink is actually the best behaved out of the bunch. There is some shading, and it is fast drying. It flows well, and it is pretty good so far as lubrication is concerned. In addition, it is one of the least saturated, but also the most water-resistant. All in all not a bad ink.

Diamine Monaco Red:

This ink is from my own personal stash. I tend to use it for grading because its brick red blood color is dark enough to be easy on the eyes, but still red enough to catch the students’ attention. It is very well-behaved even on cheap student paper. I prefer it in an extra-fine or fine nib, but in a wider nib you get lots more shading.

J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite:

Now for the ink of the moment! This ink is FANTASTIC! I have to say that I’m not the biggest red ink fan in the world, but as soon as I got this ink down on paper I was enamored. Furthermore, of the inks Brian sent to me this is the only one I went out and purchased (Brian is expecting a shipment soon. Until then, make sure to contact him to be placed on the waitlist). The color is similar to that of fresh blood. I’d describe it as a red-orange mixed with maroon. It’s very appealing. It’s also quite vibrant, but not unpleasantly so. It has the best flow and lubrication of the inks compared here. It is also the most saturated, which is surprising for J. Herbin. Unfortunately, because of that saturation this ink is slow drying and it remains smudge-able long after it is dry. Do note that this is a limited edition ink, so if you want some you may want to act fast!

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Below are a couple comparison shots and a picture of the water test. I apologize in advance for the colors. I simply could not get these comparisons to display all the reds accurately. Please refer to the card shots above for more accurate representations of these inks.

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Noodler’s #41 Brown

I’ve always liked the color brown. As a matter of fact, Chocolate Brown was one of my wedding colors. The thing is, I never saw brown as an attractive ink for writing. It just seemed a bit too drab for me. I usually prefer bright blues and purples. However, I have recently become absolutely enraptured by brown inks. It all started with MB Toffee Brown, and it’s pretty much been all go since then.

Noodler’s #41 Brown is one of my absolute favorite inks, and my favorite brown ink, along with MB Toffee Brown of course. It is a rich and deep dark brown. There is a certain warmth about it, but I don’t really see it leaning toward any other color. It’s just dark brown, and a bulletproof one at that!

The Details:

This ink is amazingly well-behaved.

• There is no feathering or bleed through.
• The flow and lubrication are simply amazing.
• The drying time is a bit slow, but not terrible at 10 seconds.
• It actually manages to shade a little depending on the paper.
• It’s bulletproof! In the water test I had a little ink run off, but it was only in the areas where the ink could not bind with the cellulose. That Plumpster is a rather wet writer.
• For a bulletproof ink, the smell isn’t as chemically as most of the others.

***Now, a word about the writing samples. I just got a new All-in-One printer. It has a very good scanner. The pictures below are my first scanned writing samples. They were scanned at 600dpi. Please let me know what you think. I quite like the results.***

Since I’ve got a scanner I can also include the review sheet. I actually have one of these for every ink I’ve reviewed, I just could never get a good picture of it. Click it to view a larger size.

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Noodler’s V-Mail North African Violet

When Nathan released the V-Mail line I was Immediately drawn to North African Violet (NAV). The fact that the V-Mail line was somewhat waterproof made this ink even more appealing. Still, I did not get a bottle of it until a couple weeks ago.

If you research this ink you will see occasional mention of issues with it being slow flowing, staining, and generally difficult to rinse out of pens. A friend of mine on FPN also warned me about difficulties she had rinsing NAV from her Visconti Traveling Inkpot. So, just to be safe, I loaded it in a Reform 1745. This Reform is both easy to clean and cheap enough that I won’t be heartbroken if it is damaged.

Because of the high maintenance level of this ink, I’m going to set this review up a bit differently than usual…

Pro:

• Color. This is a gorgeous, vibrant, saturated violet color.
• Waterproof. This ink is waterproof. I consider this a major pro of this ink. It loses little to no color. I tested this by soaking a sample, holding a sample under running water, and doing a water droplet test. The results of the droplet test are below. However, be advised, this ink is NOT BULLETPROOF. I don’t always need bulletproof inks, but I’m always looking for waterproof inks; I’m a bit clumsy.
• No bleeding. There is a little bleeding on cheap copy paper, but it is tolerable. Honestly I just about never use cheap copy paper, so it’s not an issue for me at all.
• No feathering. Same as above.
• No nib creep! I hate nib creep. I couldn’t get NAV to creep if I tried. My FPN friend reports the same. OCD nib wipers can ink with confidence!
• Some shading. This ink is not the best shader, but there is some shading evident.
• Reduced flow? If you need an ink to tame a firehose this may be the one for you. See below.

Con:

• Slow drying. This may not be the ink for left-handed folks. This ink takes anywhere from 10-15 seconds to dry and remains smudge-able for a few minutes.
• Reduced flow. This actually isn’t a big issue at all. I still find this ink entirely useable, but it does slow down the flow a bit. This Reform usually writes about 7/10 in terms of wetness. With NAV it is writing about 5/10. This is not a huge difference, but this does indicate that this ink is best suited for a wet writer. Lubrication is average.
• Sensitive to mixing? I have not tried to mix this ink with any other, but from what I understand, this ink does not play well with other inks. If you want to use it in a mix be sure to do a test batch first and let it sit for 24-48 hours just to be sure it doesn’t throw precipitants or turn to sludge. Just to be on the safe side,  you’ll want to be sure you have thoroughly rinsed your pen of any other color before you fill it with NAV.

Additional Info:

• No staining issues for me. This ink clings, so I was concerned I’d have staining, but it rinsed out of the Reform with no problems. The ink window is just fine. However, the Reform has a black section and a black feed. I do note a bit of a reddish caste on the feed that could indicate a little staining, but  I’m not sure. I’d advice that you use care if you are planning to use this ink in a pen with a light colored section. Just like all purple ink, it may stain.
• No rinsing issues for me. This ink rinsed from my pen with no problem whatsoever. It actually seems to be one of the easiest ink to rinse out of the ones I’ve tried. The pipette I used now has a purple caste, but honestly that is not surprising.

Final Thoughts:

I love this ink. I’ve been searching for a waterproof violet purple ink, and this one fits the bill perfectly. Yes, it is a bit high maintenance, but the pros out weigh the cons so far as I’m concerned. In addition, the cons are not so egregious as to damage my pens.

I’ve presented this information as clearly as I can. I’ve made my mind up about this ink, so now I leave you to come to your own conclusions.

No Affil.

PS: If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to answer the poll question to your right. Thanks!

Pink-Orange/Orange Comparison

Finally, I had a bit of sunlight coming through my window so I could get a good picture of this sheet. These colors are difficult to photograph, but I’ve done my best, and they seem pretty true to color to me.

• Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki. This is a red-orange, but there is something coral/pink about it in my eyes. I like it very much.
• Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm. What a fun color! I don’t know what I’d use it for, but it is visually appealing. Definitely a Pink-Orange color.
• Diamine Coral. This is surprisingly similar to Dragon’s Napalm. It is, however, a bit more orange. Still quite a nice pink orange.
• JH Orange Indien. This is one of my favorite oranges. Seems a straight orange to me. Very little red.
• Iroshizuku Yu-Yake. This has a little more red to it than Orange Indien. It does not photograph well here. Quite a lovely orange.
• Private Reserve Orange Crush. I think my bottle may be turning a bit, which is a problem with this ink. It was a bit more orange several years ago, now it’s an orange-brown sort of color. I still like it though.

Pelikan M205 Blue Demonstrator

First Impressions
The freely admit that this was an impulse buy. I found it on sale at such a great price that I could not walk away from it despite the fact that it is a demonstrator and I generally hate demonstrators. Still, when I opened up the box I was instantly attracted to the pen

Appearance
This pen is small, there is no denying that, but the blue color of the plastic is very attractive. In my opinion, it helps class the pen up a bit. If it were just clear plastic I think it would look quite cheap. I also appreciate the silver-colored furniture. I find gold trim positively revolting except when it is on a vintage black pen. Some have described the plastic as “cheap looking,” and I don’t entirely disagree, but considering the price of this pen I can get over it.

Design/Size/Weight

The dimensions of this pen are as follows: 4 7/8” capped, 5 7/8” posted, and 4 3/4” unposted. This pen is quite small and incredibly light weighing in at about 1/2 oz. (16-17g) inked to capacity!

The design of the pen is simple. It does not vary from the rest of the M2xx line except in terms of finishes. This is not a design that excites me, but it is functional. As one would expect from Pelikan, the pen is well constructed. Despite it’s plasticy-ness (new word?!) it feels quite solid. I don’t feel as though I have to handle this pen with great care.

One thing I don’t like is that I have to post the cap. If I don’t, this small pen is not comfortable in the hand. With the cap posted the pen feels well-balanced.

Nib

This pen has a fine nib on it. This was not my choice. This was the only option available to me at the price I paid. The M205 uses the same steel nib as the M215. It is available in XF, F, M, and B. This steel fine nib is springy and quite smooth though still a little tactile on the page. Out of the box, the nib wrote a bit dry, but I adjusted the flow a little and now it is fairly juicy. I’m surprised at how much I’m liking this nib now.

I’m not a big fan of fine nibs, so I was going to send it to Chartpak for an exchange. However, I’ve decided to keep this nib. I figure I need a good fine nib and I can always buy a replacement for $30. I can even spring for a Binder Stub (.8mm) for $50.

Filling System
Now, this is the real reason I bought this pen. This little guy is a piston filler and I wanted another one for my little accumulation. The more I use them the more I realize that the piston filling system is my favorite of all. As others have noted, the Pelikan filling system is quite smooth in operation and boy does it suck! (which is a good thing for FPs) This pen holds about 2ml. of ink, which combined with the fine nib, makes for quite a lot of writing between fills. I have nothing bad to say!

Cost and Value
You can find these online for anything from $95 to $75. If you are in the market for a used one you might be able for find one in the $60 range. I’d say this is a pretty good buy even at $90, but if you can find it for $60 you’ll really have an excellent bargain on your hands.

Conclusion (9/10, A-)
While I didn’t expect it, I think I quite like this little pen. I can see this fitting right into my rotation as a great school and annotation pen especially with this great ink capacity. I’d certainly recommend this pen to anyone looking for an inexpensive, practical, and functional piston filling pen.

The perspective is a little wonky in this photo. The M205 is about the same size as the Esterbrook J next to it. Both are dwarfed by the Levenger Plumpster.

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Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review, but I’ve been swamped with work. It takes time to put these things together; time I have not had of late. HOWEVER, since I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron, I thought I might as well put a review up.

I bought this ink because a. someone on FPN described it as looking like the Crayola Cerulean crayon and that was always my favorite color in the box b. this is a darker bulletproof ink and I’ve been looking for one of those. I have not been disappointed.

Firstly the color. This ink does look a bit like Cerulean crayons when it is wet, but it dries to a very attractive dark blue with hints of green and maybe turquoise. It might even be described as a blue-black. It’s difficult to capture the color of this ink in pictures, but I’ve done my best.

Pros:
No feathering
No Bleed through
Excellent flow
Good lubrication
Some good shading depending on your nib and paper
It’s not just bulletproof, it’s part of the Warden Ink series. It is the most fraud resistant ink available. (see comp. below)
Comes in a 3 oz. bottle
No nib creep.

Cons:
It has that trademark chemical odor that can down right knock you over if you sniff the bottle.
It sticks to the nib and can be a pain to clean off.

Now about this sticking business. This was a bit off putting at first. When I first got the bottle I dip tested it with a dip pen. This ink dried on the dip pen nib and it was really hard to wipe off. This made me nervous. So, I put it in a Sheaffer’s Cartridge pen. I did not have the same sticking problem. After having it in that pen for a few days I switched it over to my Levenger Plumpster. I didn’t have any problems rinsing the Sheaffer clean, and I can’t find any evidence of ink still stuck on the nib. It’s been in the Plumpster for several days now and I haven’t had any problems at all. No clogging, no nothing. It also is not sticking to or staining the walls of the cartridge I put it in. So, I’m confident that this ink is perfectly pen safe.

My one suggestion would be to fill the pen using a syringe or some other method so you don’t have to dip the nib in the ink. This makes for easier clean up. But either way you should be fine. I also recommend that you flush you pen every one to two fills of this ink. Good pen hygiene=happy pens!

Further Note: When I write a review of an ink I strive to provide the most accurate account of my experiences as possible. My comments about the ink sticking to the dip pen nib should not be misconstrued as a denunciation of this ink. I, in fact, love it and it will likely see heavy rotation in my pens. For some reason, that is beyond my understanding, people tend to have a visceral kind of reaction to Noodler’s ink as if it is the devil or something. I am not one of those who subscribes to that sort of nonsense. I have several bottles of Noodler’s ink, including two other bulletproof inks, and I use them without reservation!

Now for the pictures:

Here is a comparison for reference:

Here are a set of swabs meant to test this ink’s bulletproofness. This test was performed on 24# copy paper. As you can see A little of the blue dye is lifted when it come in contact with liquid; otherwise, this ink isn’t going anywhere. I got a little carried away with the soapy water test and actually did remove some of the paper. The ink is still there!

No affil.

Noodler’s Purple Wampum

I received this ink in a trade with someone on this board.

I have to say that I LOVE the deep dark purple with gray/black undertones. It is definitely purple in appearance, but sufficiently dark to be used for everyday purposes (even at work depending on your field and work environment).

A few key observations:
This ink has a very wet flow and it will feather in a wet writer if used on cheap paper. It really shines in a dry writer with a F/M nib.
I didn’t notice any nib creep.
Bleed through was only an issue if used with a wet writer.
It dries very quickly even in a wet writer (2 seconds or so).

No Affil.