Ink Review: Noodler's Socrates

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Noodler's Socrates
Pen: Lamy AL-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: none
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 17 seconds

Noodler's Socrates is part of the UK Series of inks from Nathan Tardif.  It's a dusty, pinkish-purple that claims the bulletproof, eternal, forge-resistant and water-resistant associations from the Noodler's ink property list.

Named assumedly for the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates didn't speak to me much as far as the color.  It was surprised by how the ink behaved on the paper when writing with it.  It seems to almost instantly seep into the paper and loose almost all of its vibrancy as it dries.  In looking at the ink itself in bottle form you'd think it would be a nice vibrant purple, but that's oddly not the case.  Despite that, it's still a very unique dusty purple.

Socrates behaves quite well on good paper.  It does have quite a bit of spread, which can be bothersome for some - I'm not a big fan of that myself.  It doesn't feather, though, and I didn't notice any bleedthrough or ghosting even with my 1.1 stub.

No ink that I've seen so far compares to the color of Socrates.  In swab form, it looks more vibrant than it does on paper.

I can't say I'd ever buy a full bottle of Socrates, but that doesn't mean it's a bad ink.  If you're interested in one yourself you'll get 3oz for $12.50.

Thanks for reading!
Lori

Ink Review: Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher

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Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher
Pen: Lamy AL-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 15 seconds

I recently tried another one of Noodler's warden series of inks - Bad Belted Kingfisher - when a family member visited who had it inked up in his pen.  One of the more surprising things about this ink is how similar it looks to Bad Blue Heron, which is also part of the warden series.  In fact when I used it I asked him, "Is this Bad Blue Heron?"  That's one thing that's puzzled me about those two colors - why have a couple inks that are so similar to one another in the same line?  They have black, green and blue covered, so I would have liked to see a red in the mix instead of a second blue - just my opinion though.

Nathan Tardiff created the Warden Series of inks to combat both currently existing forgery techniques, as well as ones that haven't actually been observed by law enforcement as of yet.  The inks are what he calls "combination lock" inks, that have a set aging and component variable that are different on a per-bottle basis.  Essentially they each have a unique fingerprint; this makes it impossible for a forger to have an ink exactly identical to your bottle, making the forgery process nearly impossible.  In addition to the standard Bulletproof and washing-resistent properties that a lot of the Noodler's inks have, the Warden Series inks are also laser proof - pretty cool!

Bad Belted Kingfisher is a nice deep blue with a very high saturation level.  It does a great job of not feathering on good paper, though if you lay it on thick like I did with my 1.1 stub, you'll get some ghosting on the back side of the page; no bleedthrough though.  Compared to Bad Blue Heron, Kingfisher is a tad bit darker and more saturated, so there's less shading.  Heron maintains a very similar color, but has more shading and overall variation depending on how your writing.

Bad Belted Kingfisher is a great forgery-resistant ink.  If you already have Bad Blue Heron, I wouldn't bother picking up Kingfisher unless you're a completionist and want the whole warden set (trust me, I totally understand!).  You can pick up a bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50/3oz.

Thanks for reading!
​Lori

Ink Review: Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses

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Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses - May 2015 Ink Drop
Pen: Lamy Al-Star 1.1 stub
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 20 seconds

The name 'Black Swan in English Roses' is one of the coolest ink names I've seen.  One thing that Nathan Tardiff of Noodler's doesn't lack is creativity, and that shows in this second May Ink Drop sample from Goulet.

Black Swan in English Roses is a deep cherry red that quite aptly resembles the pedal of a red English Rose.  What I love about this ink is that it doesn't sway maroon or pink, but is a true deep red.  Being a Noodlers, is it very saturated and wet flowing, making it rich and eye-catching on the page.

There is quite a bit of shading with my 1.1 stub, which adds to this ink's character.  Dry time was a bit on the high side, though not terrible at 20 seconds.  With a regular F nib, it is right around 11 seconds.  Aside from the ink's awesome deep red color, it is also partially bulletproof, completely forgery resistant, and also partially waterproof.

Compared to some of my other red ink swabs, Black Swan in English Roses most closely resembles Noodler's Antietam, with Diamine Oxblood in close second.  It a bit dustier in swab form, but shows up more brightly on paper.

I really enjoyed Black Swan in English Roses.  I think I would prefer this color over its sister ink, Black Swan in Australian Roses - an ink which has been surrounded by a bit of controversy when it's color formula was changed.  The bulletproof and forge-resistant properties are another big draw.  If you're interested in a bottle for yourself, you can pick it up for $12.50 from Goulet or similar retailers.

Ink Review: Noodler's Army Green

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Noodler's Army Green
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: medium
Flow: moderate
Dry Time: 11 seconds

Apparently I'm on an olive green kick these days, because I've been using Diamine Safari, Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun, and Noodler's Army Green.  I love all three inks, though I think I will still always return to Alt-Goldgrun as my favorite olive green.  Army Green is still an awesome ink.

You may remember when Nathan Tardiff changed the color of Army Green to be a more kelly green color after some customer suggestion/complaints.  Brian Goulet put out a video soliciting feedback on the new color.  Like most people, I liked the old color better, and luckily enough people agreed that Nathan ultimately changed the color back.

Army Green is a very well-behaved ink that does not feather or bleed.  It has a good amount of shading, even with an EF nib, and flows well like most other Noodler's inks.  It's not as highly saturated as some of the other Noodler's inks, but it's not muted by any stretch.  Dry time was 11 seconds, so not short, but not terrible either.  Still may not be idea for some left handed writers, especially on ink resistant paper.   All in all, a great ink with a unique color!

If you're interested in a bottle, you can pick one up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50.