A second ink review – and another Noodler’s ink – this time it’s Dark Matter. This ink has a story behind it, which is described on the Noodler’s website and on a small leaflet included with the bottle.

I could not find a supplier in the UK so this was another Ebay Purchase. It came in the standard Noodler’s box, in a 3oz bottle, full to the brim. The label gives more than a hint at the contents. The smell is more subdued (and conventional) than many other Noodler’s inks and I could only pick it up from the bottle (not the inked pen or fresh writing).

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

Flow was generally good with some hard start, although I’m starting to think this is going to continue to be an issue with the Rhodia paper. No feathering or bleed through to speak of. The shading is most pronounced when the flow was worst. Overall though the experience was satisfactory.

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

Flow was good with one slightly hard start. Feathering and bleed through were acceptable. Overall a good experience.

Yellow Post-it

A tiny amount of feathering, writes okay over the adhesive. I would rate this as good.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

No surprises here. I wouldn’t use this ink with Field Notes out of choice.

Mnemosyne Word Card

This came out darker than many samples I have tried on Word Cards, but I did try to get more ink on this time. The shading is less pronounced when compared to the writing samples (especially on Rhodia), and there does appear to be a faint greenish sheen. The bluish colouring also seems to tend towards the green on this paper.

An updated image of the Word Card is here:

Conclusion

I should say that this ink is outside my normal preference. I usually like pitch black inks without any shading or colouring (although I do like some “Deep Dark” colours, but those are to be reviewed another time). Despite that, ever since receiving the ink it has stayed in my “tester” pen (crowding out pens inks that I have received since), until it could be promoted to the black pen I use at work at the moment. It’s a testament to how this ink just works for me, and I am likely to keep it in regular use.

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Well, if I’m going to try an ink review I might as well aim high, with one of the most notorious inks available today – Noodler’s Baystate Blue. Am I insane? I actually bought a whole bottle, which some would say is like bringing a Ouija Board into the house. Fear not dear readers, I had already dipped my toe in with a sampler a few weeks ago, and on that occasion my whole home didn’t turn a brilliant shade of blue and all my pen warranties didn’t spontaneously combust. I did take the precaution of buying a Big Bottle of Bleach to complement the Baystate Blue though.

Noodler’s inks are not easily available from retailers in the UK. There is only one supplier I know of over here (Pure Pens) but the stock is very limited and doesn’t currently include Baystate Blue. This particular 3oz bottle was bought from Ebay. The shipping costs make price comparisons difficult so I won’t attempt to do so on this occasion.

The box is white with standard line drawing. The bottle is simple and functional, filled almost to the brim. The label is attractive, although I can’t claim to be aware of the historical background. The ink itself has a strong smell. I don’t find it unpleasant, but I could understand why some would. So many US inks seem to have strong smells, compared to Europeans and Japanese inks. It’s usually difficult to pin down exactly what the smell is. Often the most I can say is (as in this case) that it reminds me of something I would ave come across in a chemistry lesson may years ago, but I can’t way exactly what. The one word I can think of is “Phenol” – but that’s probably my memory playing tricks. For the purposes of this test I inked up a Pilot MR (similar to a Pilot Metropolitan) with a medium nib.

Rhodia Dot Pad No 16

The flow was very good on this paper, although there were some hard starts. Not a great surprise for a saturated ink with a smooth nib on this paper though. I noted some feathering and bleed through. The colour trumps everything though – it pops off the page and is pretty much everything I could want from a blue ink – striking with a faint hint of violet.

Note to self: take more care with the layout in future.

Ryman Memo Block 9cm x 9cm

I noticed after scanning that I had written 3″ x 3″ – oops. Very smooth writing experience and surprisingly little feathering or bleed through. Looks good.

Yellow Post-it

Skips where the adhesive is (but I’ve seen worse) and feathers a lot. A great contrast with the yellow paper.

Field Notes – Pitch Black

Feathers, bleeds and spreads badly. In the unlikely even that I use a fountain pen in a Field Notes book, it won’t be with this ink.

Mnemosyne Word Card

Update 22/03/2014: Word card now added. Not much to say other than the texture detracts slightly and makes the ink look less saturated.

An updated image of the Word Card is here:

Conclusion

Overall I think the scans give a fairly accurate impression of the colour, which is what makes this one a keeper. It will stay for the time being in my “Lounge Note-Taker”. I wouldn’t use it an expensive pen or even a modestly priced demonstrator, but I’m happy to put it in a Pilot MR which is easy to clean. Fountain pens are all about choice, and that’s mine. I will leave it to others to make their own minds up. I won’t make a habit of linking to loads of other reviews, but I’ll end this one with Nathan Tardiff’s own videos.

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