Noodler's is a one-man production, and there can be small variances from bottle to bottle as a result of the small batch process. If you're someone who requires absolute integrity in your ink, I'd likely skip Noodler's. I've never had an issue, but I've also never actually owned two of the same bottle of Noodler's.
A word of warning to everyone who orders Noodler's ink, if you haven't heard this already: these bottles are filled right to the brim. Be incredibly careful when you unscrew your fresh haul for the first time: the last thing you want is a puddle of ultra-saturated ink soaking into your carpet.
Regardless, they're very plain and functional containers; certainly nothing to write home about. They carry ink, and that's what you need them to do.
The name of the ink is a nod to the Kiowa pecan, but also the Kiowa indigenous people. Kiowa Pecan is a golden brown color.
Inks in the broad category of containing red dyes have always been a bit problematic in my experience, and Kiowa Pecan certainly isn't any different. I don't know if I should chalk it up to the ultra-saturation of Noodler's ink, or a general issue of red dye. Kiowa Pecan takes a long while to dry, and sometimes doesn't even fully dry down, especially on paper like Tomoe River. In heavier applications, you're looking at something of an overnight wait (completely serious). Dilution has always helped me with inks that refuse to dry in a timely manner, and my current bottle of Kiowa is getting 5ml of distilled water added to it every time I make enough room in the bottle. I almost certainly need a new bottle at this point to hold all my dang ink!
On Tomoe River paper, this ink bleeds. Not much, but it happens. I've had bleeding issues with another Noodler's ink, Air Corp Blue Black. Strangely enough, Kiowa Pecan doesn't bleed on Midori MD paper (though it is much thicker, so that could help). I'll have to test to see if more dilution will help, and I'll report back. Just a word of warning to you.
Kiowa Pecan is a little waterproof. Your words will still be visible, but it might take a little effort to figure out what you were trying to say.
I absolutely love this color, but I do need to be careful with what pens I put it into. I'm 99% sure that it melted the feed of my TWSBI Diamond 540. My Pilot Metropolitan was a real trooper, and handled it well. Please be careful with this ink: put it in a pen that you wouldn't mind replacing, just in case.
Would I buy it again? That's a tough question to answer. First, I probably would never need to, because Noodler's was practically made for dilution, and at this point I almost certainly have more ink in the bottle than I started with. I've heard people dilute some of their more saturated inks 1:1, and I think I could probably pull it off, if not something close. I think if I could find an ink similar in color without the issues, I would have to say that I would pass on Kiowa Pecan next time.
Where to buy
- The Goulet Pen Company: bottle / sample
- JetPens: bottle
- Wonder Pens: bottle + sample
For my rambly thoughts on Nathan Tardif, the founder of Noodler's, please visit my review for Noodler's Antietam. An abridged form is that I understand many people don't really mind the politics of the companies they purchase from, and that's okay. I don't believe in boycotts, but I do think that you should do your own research as a consumer. This is certainly the case for every company you buy from, I think.
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