Steadfast is Right

Opening a package of five black, or near black inkdrop samples from gouletpens.com this week, the initial feeling was disappointment. Four of the samples are black, a choice of ink that I use very little. But I do understand Brian and Rachel’s decision to showcase the black inks; a whole lot of people use black ink every day of the week, and next to blue it may be the bestselling ink. They call the samples this month ‘Steadfast Resolutions.’ The ‘steadfast’ is a well-chosen word because it describes something fixed or unchanging, something steady. Good description of black ink.

Disappointment with the samples evaporated when I got a closer look at the one sample that isn’t a pure, true black. That one is Noodler’s Lexington Gray.

As far as ink goes, gray is a difficult mix. Too often it turns out to be a shade difficult to read easily on the page. As much as I like Pilot’s Iroshizuku ink, their Fuyu-syogun and Kiri-same inks are ultimately unsatisfying. Why? Anything more than a card or memo, both are hard on the eyes. Des Atramentis solved that problem in their ‘Charles Dickens’ with a touch of green and the perfect measure of black. Noodler’s Lexington Gray reminds me of the De Atramentis ink.

Lexington Gray has what some would call an antique look, or a feeling of ink you might find in a dusty box of letters from the attic. Of course, it’s only opinion, but it’s this aged quality that makes me feel the Lexington Gray works best on paper less than pure white. Oh sure, it looks good on a snowy Clairefontaine paper, but to my eyes it looks even better on other backgrounds. Strong on cream, impressive on wheat or pale green…Noodler’s got this ink to work well across a wide spectrum of paper types.

Quick drying, this one should please left-handed writers. In my trial, the ink didn’t smear a bit after a count of one-one-thousand. How does it stand up against water? Think invincible. I held a sample under an open tap for thirty seconds and the Lexington Gray didn’t budge; with neither runs, drips or smears, the words remain wholly legible, even clean.

Shading is negligible, but more noticeable on white paper. Saturation excellent, which is one reason this gray works where others don’t. My testing was with a Pelikan Souverän 600, which is fond of Noodler inks. The flow is good, never a concern. Some might call it a wet ink, but this kind of generous flow is a quality I prefer.

Quick to order a bottle of this impressive mix from Noodler, I am already thinking one bottle wasn’t enough. Lexington Gray has been added to my regular rotation of favorites.

Tea & Walnuts

Two very warm and individual brown inks arrived yesterday from Brian Goulet’s Inkdrop. This time Brian has selected an assortment of samples which he very aptly calls, “Mudslinging,” and which includes five shades of ‘muddy’ brown ink, plus a bonus sepia ink new from Private Reserve. Of the six samples, the Lie de Thé from J Herbin grabbed my attention right off, because it’s an ink long on my wish list. The other color that struck me as bold and off the curve is the Noodler’s Walnut.

Hard to speculate on what is prompting the interest, but judging from all the variety out there now, brown ink has suddenly become the new thing in ink colors. Look back as recently as two years ago at what was then available in brown, and you’d have difficulty seeing more than three or four brands offering a brown ink. Seems now that every ink maker out there is stirring up pots of brown.

But in my opinion brown is a hard color to get right. I expect that mixing up a batch of something in the ‘brown’ family is pretty basic at this point, but getting it right, getting all the desired qualities working together in an original shade is perhaps where the challenge lies. And to my delight, there are a few of them who have gotten it bang on target.

J Herbin’s Lie de Thé is one of those, and Noodler’s Walnut is another—one milk chocolaty, the other dark and bold. No hesitation in describing the Walnut ink as dark and bold, but I have sat staring at the Herbin ‘related to tea’ ink for forty-five minutes and still can’t settle on an accurate comparison. It does not look especially like tea, even tea with milk; it doesn’t look like coffee, nor milk chocolate. Because of a faint yellowish cast, what I am most reminded of is a spoonful of water stirred into soil from China. What I can say about this color is that—for those partial to brown—it is a pretty shade, and one that is standard enough to be rated useful, and not merely a mood ink. You could sign your mortgage with this ink and illicit no more than “Mmm…pretty color” from your banker. In the same sense, the Noodler’s Walnut is dark enough to pass for brown-black under ‘civilian’ eyes. For my tastes these browns are a combination made in ink heaven.

Writing… I tested the Herbin Lie de Thé in a Lamy 2000 with what I believe is a medium nib. (The Lamy 2000 carries no identifying marks as to nib size.) Granted the Lamy is a most agreeable pen, but it is sensitive to an ink that lacks cooperation, and with Lie de Thé, ink and pen sort of hit it off and wove themselves into immediate partnership. Great flow of ink; the Lamy 2000 tends to be a wet pen. Shading is good, giving to the lines what most would call a good balance. Saturation is okay, but this is not a shade that invites deep saturation, though there is enough to produce the kind of written page most are comfortable with. I will give this mix from J Herbin a bunch of gold stars, and soon dial up Ink Nouveau for a bottle of Lie de Thé.

For the Noodler’s Walnut I chose a Sailor Professional Gear, medium nib. This pen is what I call picky about inks, and is often quick to stubbornness with certain inks. I have on occasion felt like it was flashing signals telling me to change the ink. But it took right to the Noodler Walnut, and I admit to being surprised at that. With notable exception, Noodler ink has been less than cooperative in many of my fountain pens. Not so with the Walnut, and this too is one I will buy, or beg from Santa. With this one you will get tremendous saturation that leaves the backside of your paper free of all but the faintest show through. Shading is hard to discern, though it is there when you look carefully. Darker inks tend to not advertise their shading.

I scribbled a lot with both these inks and never had a problem with slow drying time. Reasonable and not an issue, though left-handed writers may have some concern.

My conclusion? Click on Goulet Pens and get yourself a bottle or sample of these well-rounded mudslinger browns.