Inktober Wrapping Up Our Noodler’s Ink Tests

Noodler’s Inks struggle with UV light in the blue colors.

I can barely draw a stick figure, so for our contribution to Inktober, I thought I would share the last of the results from our deep dive into testing Noodler’s Inks. These are the final 22 inks from our big haul several years ago. Each test sample spent 9 months in our sunniest window. We calibrated our pH tester before we started testing each of these colors.

Check out how Noodler’s Inks “Gen. Army” changes color from mint-neon green to a nearly Prussian blue.

What stood out most were the dramatic changes in the ink colors. Blues by any brand are notorious for fading, but these reds and greens also faded quite a bit. UV light was especially cruel to the feathering “Blue-Nose Bear,” “Bernanke Blue” and the notorious “Baystate Blue.” Baystate Blue is best known for being beautiful but staining the living daylights of anything it touches. However, our sample nearly disappeared after all that time in the sun. We were surprised that “Gen. Army” is a minty neon green, and that it faded to an interesting light blue! “Black & Blue Wilson” fittingly turns from blue-black to medium to slightly dark grey. And the deep-burgundy of “George III” fades to a pale brick red.

The photos of our Noodler’s Inks tell a more complete story.

pH Results

Rounding out our Noodler’s Ink test are several reds that fade substantially in UV light.

Noodler’s Inks often advertise their ink as being chemically inert or pH neutral. Most of these inks came pretty close to the mark. As a quick reminder, water has a pH value of 7, which is completely neutral. The closer something gets to 0 the more acidic it is. The base or alkali side of the spectrum tops out at 14. It is important to note that our results might vary, as we only tested a single bottle of each color. It is also important to note that these results are merely a single data point to consider before using these inks. As we don’t know each ink’s chemical composition, we have no idea how each ink will interact with rubber ink sacs or piston seals.

In no particular order:

Ink Color                   pH Value
Blue-Nose Bear             7.8
Bernanke Blue               8.0
Ganesh Catfish             8.1
Baystate Blue                4.1
Blue-Black                     8.2
Liberty’s Elysium           7.8
Squeteague                   8.0
Catfish Blue                  8.4
Black & Blue Wilson    7.8
Ottoman Blue               8.3
Blue Eel                         8.5
Sequoia Green             8.0
Walnut                          8.1
Red-Black                     8.4
Black Swan in English Roses   8.1
George III                       5.7
El Lawrence                  8.5
Gen. Army                     8.7
Burgundy                      8.5
Black Eel                       8.2
Catfish Black                8.5
Catfish Violet               8.5