Coral Sea by Noodler's Ink

Coral Sea - Photo by Eclectic Psyche

Background

Noodler’s Coral Sea ink is an Australian exclusive edition blue-black ink.

I stumbled across it a little while ago while scrounging through a box of random inks at a local pen shop. I didn’t know the background to the ink at the time, only that I thought it looked a solid dark blue ink, which is what I needed, and the label looked interesting (as most Noodler’s do).

The image on the label is a scene from the Coral Sea battle in May of 1942. To be precise, a squadron of Douglas SBD Dauntlesses preparing to dive-bomb a vessel. A unique piece of Australian history right there on the ink-bottle - representing the exclusive nature of the ink. A most intriguing label theme, something I couldn’t resist.

Coral Sea - Photo by Eclectic Psyche

 
I was a little sceptical though about the quality of the ink as it was the only ink in the box that had more than one bottle remaining – there were three bottles of the Coral Sea ink. I wondered if it was because it was not considered to be good ink. However I still couldn’t resist the colour and the imagery on the label.

I bought one of the bottles of Coral Sea as well as two other inks from the box (Noodler’s Catalpa and Noodler's Upper Ganges). When I got home and tried the Coral Sea ink, I was pleased to find it was a far better ink than I had hoped. It had great colour, saturation, flow and just looked beautiful on paper. 

Noodler’s Coral Sea is described as a blue-black ink but on opening the bottle you soon find it is so much more than a simple blue-black. The ink has a heavy theme of green running through it as well as the blue-black. It is the colour of a tropical sea where the deep water offers just a hint of the sand below. Coral sea is an attractive ink that also projects a solid professional status, yet can be used in any situation – office documents, letter writing, journal entries, sketching, or for whatever other fountain pen needs you have.

A further bonus of this ink is that it is a Noodler’s bulletproof ink. In case you don't already know, bulletproof ink is water resistant ink that has been constructed with properties that also resist industrial solvents and bleaching agents. In other words, forgery proof ink that often also has eternal properties (last longer than the paper it is written on).

Coral Sea - Photo by Eclectic Psyche

 Quick comments on Coral Sea properties:

Feathering and Bleeding - On the Japanese Midori and Life paper that I tried Coral Sea on there was no feathering or bleeding.

Smoothness - It's a good smooth ink with a good flow rate of ink that adds to the pleasure of writing with it.

Shading - On the above papers with a pilot broad nib, I found it shaded quite well. Not excessive but enough to provide an interesting contrast.

Clogging - I haven't experienced any issues with clogging or blockages to the nibs of any pens I have used Coral Sea in (about 6 different pens now). There has been no issues whatsoever with the pens filled with Coral Sea, they all start writing first time. The ink behaves wonderfully from the first stroke of the pen.

Colour - The bottle refers to the colour as being a blue-black. However when you open the lid the colour looks more blue than black. Depending on the thickness of the pen nib and the pressure you apply to the writing the ink can vary in colour. It ranges from a solid blue, to a blue-black and even displays a hint of green in certain pens. As you can see from the single swab swipes below, the colour can appear quite blue. With more pressure or further swipes it ends up quite dark, a blue-black. The colour variations make the ink even more appealing. In a flex nib pen the shading variation is quite fun

Wetness - Quite simply, this is a wet ink. Not overly wet but its wet enough to make it enjoyable to write with. In a Noodler's Ahab flex pen, it flows smooth and wet enough to let the green shades show through the main blue-black colour.


Overall Opinion

The robust properties of the ink, the historical significance of the ink and its attractive colour made it a must have ink for me. Its a fascinating ink all round. I really can't emphasise enough how much I enjoy it; I use it on a daily basis at work and at home. Nathan has done a wonderful job creating a smooth flowing ink with bulletproof qualities in a very appealing and versatile colour. The only problem is it is a difficult ink to get a hold of and there is no indication of when Nathan may produce more (if he does).

Being worried Nathan may not continue to produce this ink, and knowing that my local pen shop had said it would be 18 months before they received a new shipment of Noodler's Ink, I returned to the store and bought the remaining 2 bottles of Coral Sea ink. Now I just hope that my small stockpile will last me 18 months and that Nathan will make a new supply of Coral Sea.

Overall, this is a well-behaved ink with a stunning colour that also offers all the benefits of a bulletproof (permanent) ink. I really like it and can't see any negatives with it. I hope Nathan continues to make this ink. It simply has to be included in my all time favourite ink list.

Coral Sea - Photo by Eclectic Psyche

I reckon even 007 would have given Coral Sea the thumbs up for Q to make it his secret agents fountain pen ink, or perhaps even as the colour of his next suit. Thumbs up, JB!





Artwork by Elliot D.