Let’s check out a review of an interesting fountain pen ink, Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm. It’s a fluorescent, highly saturated, and very vibrant red ink. There isn’t really any shading, but heavier areas dry to more of a sepia tone and when you get the ink wet, it separates into some orange and yellow tones. While the characteristics that make this ink unique might not be used by the average writer, they still make this a pretty interesting ink. Check out the review below for more details:
Materials Used
For this ink review, I used my trusty Lamy Vista fountain pen with a 1.5mm nib, a q-tip to make the ink swabs, and a variety of popular papers. For the main review, I used some Clairefontaine Trimomphe 90gsm bright white stationery, and for the secondary reviews, I used some white Rhodia (80gsm,) champagne G. Lalo Verge de France (100gsm,) the ultra lightweight cream Tomoe River 52gsm, and a piece of off-white Moleskine notebook paper (about 70gsm.)
Secondary Reviews
Results
Flow - Smooth and Wet
I didn’t experience any skipping or starting issues with this ink and it lays down a fairly wet line (though that does add to the dry time.)
Bleed Through - Very Low
The only bleed through I experienced was on the Moleskine paper with the ink swab – so no complaints here!
Water Resistance - Low
This is definitely not a water resistant ink. This characteristic might be good for watercolor and art, though likely not the best for longevity/archiving.
Dry Time - Long (15s+)
It doesn’t really matter which paper you use, you’re going to have to give this ink some time to dry. None of the papers in my test dried in less than 10 seconds, and some were still wet after 20 seconds.
Show Through - Average
There was a little show through, but that’s not surprising and you’d still be able to legibly write on both sides of the paper (well, maybe not the Tomoe River since the paper is so thin.)
Saturation - High
This is a highly saturated and ultra vibrant ink.
Shading - Low/none
I didn’t experience any shading with this ink. If you dilute it, though, you may be able to get some shading.
Feathering - None
I didn’t experience any feathering with any of the papers used, and since this ink takes so long to dry, I’m not surprised.
Clean-Up - Easy
The cleanup with this ink is easy. Since it’s not really water resistant, it flushes pretty fast and I didn’t experience any shading or stubborn color.
Final Thoughts
As seen in the reviews, this is a highly saturated, smooth/wet flowing, red ink without much shading. Due to its low water resistance and long dry time, I’m inclined to believe that this ink dries more on top of the paper rather than soaking into it (which also contributes to the absence of any feathering.
Even though I won’t likely be using this ink too often, it’s still an interesting color that I will probably grab from time-to-time. If I ever need my writing to really pop off of the page, then this’ll definitely be one I’d consider filling my pen with.
If you’d like to set your writing ablaze (pun intended,) then I’d encourage you to check out Noodler’s Dragon’s Napalm. Just like all other inks of the Noodler’s Ink line, these inks are some of the best mL-for-mL values around at $12.50 for a 90mL bottle. We also have ink samples available while supplies last.
What’s an interesting ink quality you look for? Let us know in the comments below!
