on saleNoodler's X-Feather Blue - 3oz Bottled Ink

Used in a TWSBI 580 extra fine, after reading a couple of negative reviews beforehand I thought this might be a mistake. Not to be, smooth writing on Rhodia and legal. I like it!

I have a pretty big ink collection, and a paper collection to match. These two generally go together because fountain pen inks tend to look best and work best on high quality papers.

This one's different.

Knowing X-feather's properties, I chose a fairly fine, dry writer for my first test: a Pilot Metal Falcon SEF (soft extra-fine nib). As advertised, this ink writes on even the worst papers -- e.g. cheap government copy paper and a Mead spiral notebook -- without the awful bleeding and feathering I'm used to on those papers.

It is slow to dry when used on good paper, but using a fairly dry, fine pen really helps. I got it specifically for use on papers I don't really trust, so it's rare that I find myself pulling out the blotting paper.

I used to use Waterman ink, but decided that I want to use a permanent ink on high-quality paper for letters to my kids, grandkids and friends. We discuss national and world events along with what is happening in the family. I'm a history buff and love reading old letters. Letters of a Nation is one of my favorite books. I so wish I had a letter from my great grandfather as he prepared to fight, as a Confederate cavalry soldier, at Shiloh during the Civil War or one from his grandson and my uncle as he flew a PBY searching for the Japanese fleet and downed American pilots during WWII. What were they thinking and doing..and why? I met the famed historian David McCullough many years ago. He talked about visiting New England archives and reading letters and journals of both American and British soldiers during the Revolutionary War. "They were just as they were the day they were written," he said. I remember him also saying, "If you want to do future historians a favor, write letters and keep journals using high-quality paper and good ink. We don't know how long emails and electronic documents will last." I have tried several Noodler's inks including Black, Baltimore Canyon Blue, Lexington Gray, Black Eel and X Feather Blue. I have decided that X Feather Blue is the ink I will use for all of my correspondence. Black Eel is excellent in my Lamy 2000, but I prefer a a subtle darker blue for letters. X Feather Blue is a wonderful permanent ink that works well in my Lamy 2000 (M), Waterman Charleston (f), Waterman Carene (f), and Lamy Safari (f). Thanks to Goulet Pens for helping keep the fountain pen tradition alive.

It is blue and it is permanent. It's challenging to find a waterproof, archival blue ink. After it dries, you can hold your page under running water, and the ink does not budge. Impressive. It's a safe blue for the office. It's not purple, it's blue. But, it's on the purple end of the spectrum. There is an interesting and very subtle red sheen. You might not notice it, unless you're writing with a wet nib or bigger nib (medium or broad). I don't know why I was surprised to learn that it's not the same formula as the black X-feather. If you know what I mean, compared to the black, the blue goes on a lot wetter but dries a lot faster.Using an extra-fine nib, after a few days, it wants to dry out. I can scratch the nib on paper and get it to write again, so it still works okay. This didn't happen using a medium nib--stayed wet for a few weeks until I used up the whole converter. Be prepared though: if you use a medium or broad nib, you will probably be able to smell it. It's not too strong as long as you keep it away from your nose.Does it feather? It depends. On most paper I've tried it, including low-quality paper, it does great--little to no feathering. I have noticed, however, on the paper in my Leuchtturm notebook, it does feather a bit. It's not bad: you have to look closely to see it. While there's no feathering with the black X-feather, there is just a tiny bit with the blue.

Does exactly what it claims.....- low/no feathering on cheap paper- takes forever to dry on 'good' paper (rhodia. romeo, etc.)Great for bulk Christmas card envelopes, which are now often on recycled/cheap paper.