Noodler's Air-Corp Blue-Black: Ink Review

Noodler's Air-corp Blue black ink splatter on white with LAMY pen

Hello there, ink lovers! Today we have a review of the intriguing Noodler's Air-Corp Blue-Black. This ink was created by Noodler's to commemorate a really fascinating piece of history, the Flying Tigers. Before the US officially entered World War II, a squadron of American volunteers joined the Chinese Air Force to fight in the Sino-Japanese war. Their colors were somewhat close to this ink- an almost black green-blue.

Jenni used it in her recent Monday Matchup and I was intrigued when I saw what she did with it. I'm a big fan of deep blue ink, even ones named blue-black, and this is definitely a unique color. Water-resistant and wet flowing, this is a good ink if you are looking for an interesting and permanent ink. Read on to to discover more!

Nood Air-Corp Blue Black writing and smear test

Nood Air-Corp Blue Black writing test on yellow Moleskine paper and white Tomoe River Paper

Nood Air-Corp Blue Black shading test on Tomoe River paper

Supplies Used:

LAMY Al-Star with medium steel nib (also EF and B nib)
Rhodia No. 16 dotpad, 80g white paper
Tomoé River white paper
Moleskine notebook

Smear Test (Dry Time):

Slow– This is not a quick drying ink! It took over 30 second for it to dry. This is something to keep in mind if you are planning on using it for its water-resistant property. Until it is dry, you will see some smearing. Wait awhile before applying water!

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

High-This ink is water resistant! Like a lot of water resistant Noodler's inks, it needs to be allowed time to dry before that water resistance kicks in. Allow for some dry time and you should have a pretty permanent ink.

Saturation:

High– The dark and unique hue of this ink is highly saturated. There is virtually no difference between the first ink swab and the last!

Ease of Cleaning:

Medium– While this one is not an ink I'd suggest leaving to dry in your pen and then attempting to clean, it wasn't too terribly hard to clean out.

Shading:

Medium-There was certainly some shading to be had with this one, especially on the Tomoé River paper.

Flow:

Wet– This is a free flowing ink! That may be the reason it takes so long to dry, in fact. It could be a good option in a flex pen, with such a heavy flow. If you are a lefty, you might want to stay away, however.

Packaging and Aesthetics: