Noodler's Monkey Hanger Blue Bulletproof Ink

Noodler's Monkey Hanger is a classic blue fountain pen ink exclusive to Pure Pens. A bright blue, it shades slightly with a broader nib and is water resistant and Bulletproof (see below). It comes presented in a 3oz (approximately 90ml) glass bottle.

Noodler's Ink is a small American company run by Nathan Tardif in Southern Massachusetts, USA. The Noodler's Ink Co. is best known for their massive range of colours, the unique and largely hand drawn bottle label artwork and unique properties of their inks. Nathan Tardif is best known for his political views and historical knowledge, which often spills over into the names and labels of his inks.

The name Noodler's comes from a technique of catching catfish by hand. Noodling involves wading into the water and feeling around for small crevasses and catching the catfish who have backed themselves inside by holding onto the outside edges of their open mouth. Nathan says it is the ultimate battle between man and beast and your bank balance and social standing have no bearing on your ability. The catfish can be seen on all the ink bottles packaging.

The glass bottles are simple and affordable and the cardboard boxes are recycled.

3 oz glass bottle (Approx 90ml)

N.B - The bottles are VERY full, so be careful when opening them!

Please note the below information:

Noodlers 'Bulletproof' ink designed for use in fountain pens for writing and not for watercolour washes. The top layer of the ink will be removed if you try to smudge it with a wet finger or a wet brush - we have a blog above which has a test of 7 Black inks and has a video showing any surface run off from this and 6 other inks.

The ink which is in direct contact with the paper will be permanent (due to a chemical reaction between the ink and paper) but any excess ink will be removed with water (call it 'ink-on-ink', rather than 'ink-on-paper' if you will). This is why the ink is removable from hands, plastic, fabric, etc whereas traditonal permanent ink will not be and why Noodler's will not stain or damage your pen like old fashioned Iron Gall Inks may.

The story of Monkey Hanger Blue

In October 2015, Ross and his father Ray, visited Nathan in Massachusetts to see where Noodler's is made and the man behind the brand.

Over lunch, with Nathan's parents, who help with the ink production and packaging, we discussed a new Bulletproof Blue ink for the UK to compliment the best selling Bulletproof Black and exclusive Prime of the Commons Dark Blue ink. We tried colours that would give the right characteristics and loved the bright Blue that has become Monkey Hanger.

The name... Nathan is a history buff and loves a story behind a name - You may have seen the great names behind some Noodler's inks and pens with a their historical, political and local links to his home town area.

An unusual story came up, which occurred in Hartlepool in the North East of England during the Napoleonic Wars. A French ship was wrecked off the coast and all the crew were lost (or fled). When the local fishermen boarded the ship, they found a monkey in a naval uniform, dressed as such for the amusement of the French crew. Because England was at war with France and because the fishermen had never seen a Frenchman, or a monkey apparently, they took the 'French Spy' into custody and arranged an impromptu criminal trial on the beach. Extremely unfortunately for the monkey, the locals found it guilty and sentenced it to... well, the name gives the end of the story away.

A very sad casualty of war, but it is unfair to criticise the ignorant locals from a different time in history. The story is so unusual that it ignited Nathan's interest and he began imagining label designs almost immediately. A few short months later, the ink arrived and is available now!