Noodler’s Ink #41 Brown

Did I ever mention how much I like brown ink? Next to black I find it to be the most versatile of colors. Conservative enough for business, elegant enough for correspondence, and perfect at giving nature drawings a vintage quality. So any announcement of a new brown gets my attention and Noodler’s Ink #41 Brown proved no exception.

Noodler's Ink #41 Brown

Named in honor of Senator Scott Brown from Massachusetts, the color is a deep, dark sepia. No flash but a rich color that shows subtle shading with the right nib. The color leans yellow rather than red though not pronouncedly so. That makes it a neutral brown that won’t be mistaken for black. Excellent on any cream or buff paper, it will also work on colors like those of G. Lalo Verge de France Pistache or Rose stationery.

Coverage is consistent and the flow is excellent. In fact my Pilot Elite Socrates pocket pen worked as well with #41 Brown as any ink it’s ever met. On Rhodia paper drying time exceeded 10 seconds for the wettest dots but on the more absorbent Apica 6A10, it dried significantly faster. For those of you keeping track of such things, #41 is archival, bulletproof, eternal and pH neutral, all of which means your writing will out-live you and likely most of your descendants.

The color is similar to Sailor Deep Rust Black, Iroshizuku yama-guri, and Diamine Chocolate Brown so #41 might be redundant if you already own one of those inks. But if you don’t, The Pear Tree Pen Company amongst other retailers currently offers #41 Brown at $12.50 for a 3 oz bottle. That’s 89 ml which sounds like a veritable bargain for anyone who uses lots of ink and has a penchant for a truly versatile brown.