Noodler's — Blue Nose Bear — Ink Review #4

Noodler's — Blue Nose Bear

 

Ink Review # 4

 

Originally posted on FPN: May 15, 2020

 

Ink: Blue Nose Bear

Type: Forgery-resistant / water-resistant

Brand: Noodler's

Country: USA

Availability: 3 oz, 90 ml bottles. 

Pens Used: Ahab semi-flex, Jinhao 450 (M, fude)

 

Description

Despite the negative reviews, I bought a full bottle without trying a sample first. In retrospect, I probably wanted to love it.

Noodler’s Blue Nose Bear is named after the famed Nova Scotian schooner Bluenose and the bear Winnipeg, who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.

As a lefty underwriter, the things that matter most to me are water resistance, acceptable dry times and smooth writing. Shading is a plus.

Many reviews mention excessive feathering and bleed-through. My experience was more nuanced. A flexed Ahab on Rhodia was awful, yet I found the feathering oddly endearing on Clairefontaine. With a wet Jinhao M, the feathering was obvious, but I actually liked the effect. Surprisingly, with a fude nib it barely feathered and shaded delightfully.

There was some ghosting and occasional minimal bleed-through with very heavy ink deposition.

The ink is water resistant. After extended exposure to water, a greyish line remains legible. It is also fluorescent.

It seems I don’t like “perfect” inks, but inks with a certain imperfect perfection.

Writing Samples

Rhodia

My initial handwritten review was rather harsh. In retrospect, the worst feathering occurred with excess ink from a flexed Ahab. With other nibs, it was much less pronounced, and the ghosting and bleed-through were acceptable to me.

Back

Fude

Flex nib

Tomoe River 52 gsm

Back

Clairefontaine

Fluorescence

Comparison

Water test

Water resistance after 18 hours under rain, sleet and snow.

 

Prologue: This ink has languished in my ink drawer for years. I’ve kept the spirit of the review as is. I wish I could test it now to have a clearer picture of this ink.

Feel free to share your experience, feedback, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊

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