FPN Review: Noodler's Lotus Grace (Singapore Series)

Here's a link to the second review I did on FPN (The Fountain Pen Network): Noodler's Lotus Grace ink. I'm not thrilled with the color corrections, and my scanner didn't quite capture the proper color. (Later on, I switched to taking photographs of handwritten samples, as they captured the colors more accurately.)

A review of Noodler's Lotus Grace (thanks to penguinmaster for the review template!):

(click on picture to enlarge)

This ink is from Noodler's Singapore Series. It's billed as bulletproof, though I haven't tested its waterproofness or UV-fastness, etc.

The handwritten sample was written on HP 32# Premium Laserjet paper with a Sensa Meridian chrome nib, custom ground to an XF 0.3mm round point.

Drying time: somewhat slow. There was some smudging after 10 seconds, and even a tiny bit at 30 seconds where the ink pooled in the center of the X.

Flow: When it's flowing, it flows fine. However, it often dries up overnight (capped). I don't mind that much--I just drip a drop or two of water on the nib then wipe it off, and it's fine for the day, but this may bother some people. After this treatment, it doesn't dry up in the nib with moderate pauses, but if you leave it uncapped for a couple minutes it needs a stroke or two to start up again.

Feathering/Bleedthrough:
• MiquelRius - no noticeable feathering. No bleedthrough, but there is a fair amount of showthrough, especially where the ink pools at the end of a downstroke.
• Alvin Saray graph paper - minimal feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal to moderate showthrough.
• Derwent - moderate feathering, no bleedthrough, no showthrough.
• hand*book - minimal to moderate feathering. No bleedthrough, only a hint of showthrough.
• Pen+Ink - moderate feathering, no bleedthrough, moderate showthrough.
• Exacompta Nostalgie/Basic - no feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal to moderate showthrough.
• white onion skin paper - no feathering. It's translucent, so it shows through completely, but does not bleed through the paper.
• random cheap copy paper - minimal feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal showthrough.
• Apica - no noticeable feathering. No bleedthrough, but some showthrough.
• Pentalic (ivory paper) - minimal feathering, no bleedthrough, moderate showthrough.
• Clairefontaine - no feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal to moderate showthrough.
• Markings by CR Gibson (off-white paper) - minimal to moderate feathering, no bleedthrough, moderate showthrough.
• Exacompta Journey - no feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal to moderate showthrough.
• Rhodia - negligible feathering, no bleedthrough, minimal showthrough.

Shading: minimal--a little bit where the ink pools on some papers. I only use XF Sensa Meridians, so I have no experience with other pens/nibs.

Nib Creep: minimal. Clearly visible in the center nib slit, but doesn't significantly extend past the slit.

Overall, this is a beautiful, bright magenta-pink color. It looks a lot pinker on my monitor than it does in real life--not sure if that's my scanner or my monitor. (I plan to send it to someone who can calibrate the scan.) On paper, it's much more magenta and much darker than it appears on my monitor--it looks a lot like Rachmaninov on my monitor, but it looks nothing like Rachmaninov in real life. It looks closer to scans I've seen of Socrates (I don't have Socrates) in real life. In Deirdre's picture in this thread, it looks more purple to me on my monitor than it does in real life. It's a little purpley, just not as much as it appears on my monitor. Interestingly, Deirdre appears to have gotten some shading with this ink.

This ink frequently dries in the nib overnight. I'm willing to put up with it for the color and bulletproof nature, but others may find this too high-maintenance. I haven't experimented with adding InkSafe or water to it yet (I usually dilute Rachmaninov with water, which makes it quite usable).

(click on picture to enlarge)

I played with the settings a little, and this appears a bit closer on my monitor to the color in real life. It's still a bit more magenta than this in real life, but this is closer than the original scan!