on saleNoodler's Manjiro Nakahama Whaleman's Sepia - 4.5oz Bottled Ink with Free Charlie Pen

Product Code N20022

In Stock

out of stock

on saleNoodler's Manjiro Nakahama Whaleman's Sepia - 4.5oz Bottled Ink with Free Charlie Pen

Product Code N20022

In Stock

out of stock

$37.00
Special Goulet-exclusive Noodler's ink! 4.5oz bottle of Noodler's Manjiro Nakahama Whaleman's Sepia fountain pen ink. This bottle has a built-in eyedropper. Comes with a free Noodler's Charlie eyedropper fountain pen. Noodler's inks are handcrafted, so there may be slight color variations from batch to batch.

The Noodler's Ink Company is located just south of the former home of Manjiro Nakahama in Fairhaven, Massachusetts - a town that once was a part of "Old Dartmouth". Dartmouth is the home of Noodler's Ink, and the founder of the company is a member of the Society of Friends - with extensive hereditary ties to the Yankee Whaling Industry that Manjiro knew so well.

The ink is modeled upon whaler's logbook ink of the 1840s. It is a durable deep sepia brown - yet is highly unusual in one respect: it is a security ink that can be tested as genuine with an application of common bleach once dry upon the paper. It will turn brown sepia to red - and if the bleach is strong enough the color changes further still from red to royal purple. These colors were designed for their symbolic value: sepia brown from 1840s whalemen's ink, red for the color of the Japanese national flag, and purple in honor of Emperor Meiji - for his reasoning affected by Manjiro Nakahama.

From the founder of Noodler's Ink concerning the ink design:

What are the sources for determining a whalemen's sepia? There has been mention that sepia is an iron gal based ink. This is completely incorrect. Sepia by definition is based upon a natural, non-synthetic ink in particular cuttlefish and squid ink. Cuttlefish ink makes a classic sepia - dating back to ancient Mediterranean cultures. Whalemen's sepia is different. The Old Dartmouth Historical Society runs the New Bedford Whaling museum - which contains innumerable historical documents written by 19th century whalers. You can see them in person today, but one cannot do much more than that (no chemical analysis for instance).

My source is more personal - that source being my great uncle Reginald Hegarty - who served upon whaleships and whose father was a whale ship captain. Hereditary ties to whaling are extensive, but Great Uncle Reginald is the best source I could hope to have for such an endeavor as the replication of whalemen's logbook ink. A Google search shows who my great uncle was and why his writings and other passed-on information are good sources in the quest to replicate whaler's logbook ink.

Whaling voyages went to the far ends of the earth, and ink from the port of New Bedford would inevitably run out. Quakers, being frugal with any and all capital risked in a whaling endeavor, found a source of ink that abounded any ship in hunt for the whale (particularly the sperm whale) the whale's food: the giant squid. Bits of squid were common - including ink sacs in tact and are able to be refined, filtered through gauze or burlap. Thus, a few preservatives, one had whalemen's logbook ink at little to no added cost to the budget of the voyage.
Condition
New
Brand
Noodler's
Type
Bottled Ink
Color
Brown
Bottle Material
Glass
Bottle Opening Diameter
14.3mm (0.56in)
Fast Drying
No
Fluorescent
Yes
Shimmer

Whether or not the ink contains glittery particles.

No
Freeze Resistant

Whether or not an ink is specially formulated to better withstand freezing temperatures.

No
Volume
4.5oz
Iron Gall

Ink made from iron salts and tannic acids. Though quite permanent and waterproof, these inks are typically known for causing chemical corrosion to metal pen parts (especially the nib) and should be used sparingly or with less-valuable pens.

No
Lubricated

Whether or not an ink is specially formulated to increase flow in your pen.

No
Pigmented

Whether or not the ink contains finely-ground solid particles in liquid suspension.

No
Scented
No
Water Resistant

Whether or not the ink, once dried on the paper, will resist being washed away with water.

Yes

Customer Reviews

Based on 161 reviews
61%
(98)
20%
(32)
12%
(19)
5%
(8)
2%
(4)
J
Jeff H.
Like a Time Machine

TL; DR- A special ink, for special writing and special people.

I've been using Whaleman's Sepia now, for about two years. It's one of my favorites and it's married to a pearl, Ahab pen. It's not an ink I use for general note taking or everyday use. The dry time doesn't lend itself to that kind of casual use. A blotter is definitely your friend with this ink. No, this is for journaling in a book that can be left open to dry, even after blotter use (trust me on this). While this ink is, indeed, pricey. It is absolutely worth it. It gives my writing an almost antique look and feel that I just can't get with any other ink. You will definitely want to use a high quality paper with this ink.
Nathan Tardis is really a treasure for the Fountain pen world, and I find most Noodler's products to be fairly priced and of excellent quality. In my collection of ink, Noodler's is the most prominent. And of course, as always, Goulet pens has been a joy to deal with.

J
Jason M.
Gorgeous Sepia Brown

My 4.5 oz bottle of Noodler's Manjiro Nakahama Whaleman's Sepia arrived today and I wasted no time inking up my Boston Safety Pen to give it a whirl. My first thought, it's gorgeous. I own several sepia inks, and aside from actual cuttlefish ink this is the best by far. It has that classic look reminiscent of simpler times. I would not recommend this as a general-purpose ink, for example using it at work, but for writing letters to friends or making journal entries it rocks!

N
NontradStudent
Six years later . . .

This ink is still one I couldn't see myself doing without. I have used it in various Noodler's pens, including the Charlie that came with my second bottle; a couple of different Pilot Metros and Kakünos; and a gold-nibbed Platinum. It worked well in all of them, but the Charlie burped and messed up the document I was using it on. Oh Well. The Goodwill store was glad enough to get it, along with several others each with its own plastic eyedropper and a sample vial in a zippered sandwich bag.

I said six years ago that this is a grand ink. It's still a grand ink.

M
Mark B.
Noodlers sepia

I’m enjoying this color for drawing

K
Karin W.
Nice brown

I love a good brown ink for fall. This is a huge bottle, but the color is nice and looks lovely on paper. It is not too dark to tell it is a rich brown, like melted chocolate. I wish there were instruction or information about the "Charlie pen " that came in the box. I didn't even realize a pen came with it. I just ordered it for the color, which I really am pleased with. It was packaged securely and shipped fast

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pens can accept this ink? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

Any of these fountain pens will work with bottled ink. Typically, as long as the pen can be filled with a converter, has a built-in filling mechanism like a piston, or can be eyedropper-filled, it can accept bottled ink. You can also refill an empty ink cartridge from bottled ink using an ink syringe.

What's your return policy? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

This product may be returned if it is in new, unused condition; or if it was found to be defective.

We accept returns for up to 30 days from purchase. You can read all our Return Policies here.

To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.