Quick Handwritten Ink Review: Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts

[benjitzu]

This is my daily go-to ink - absolutely LOVE it! Have at least two or three pens (few Lamy's, Ahab, and Pilot Metropolitan) inked up all the time with it. Have had no issues so far, love the dry time and bulletproof-ness, and the color is a gorgeous dark navy. Will always keep a few bottles of this stocked up in the ink drawer.

[inkstainedruth]

Hmm. Interesting -- the scan made it look much darker than the sample I tried earlier this year. Mine is more of a dark teal blue-black, which wasn't what I thought I'd like, but the color has grown on me immensely. I've been thinking that it needs to have another run in something, now that I have a full bottle and after seeing the review I'm now curious as to what will come out of the bottle (not from the freebie promo, but ordered sometime earlier this year from isellpens).
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

edited for typos

[Senecabud]

I LOVE this ink. I used it to address my Christmas cards (due to its waterproof character), but I generally enjoy its color and shading. Very well behaved and have not had any problems with it whatsoever.

[Sham69]

i just received my 16 oz special order bottle from nathan, this is my go to ink. i dilute it with 15% distilled water which helps nib dry out. it is always inked in my homo sapiens and montblanc 149, no ink window staining yet in the 149 knock on wood.

i highly recommend adding in 20% distilled water, adds a bit of shading, improves flow and decreases dryout

[blopplop]

It's sometimes funny to read through a review thread and see all the different experiences people have with the same product.

"Best ink ever; worst ink I've ever used; love the color; hate the color; behaves perfect in all my pens; misbehaves in all my pens; feathers on all papers; I've never had it feather, etc,..."

Hilarious!

Actually the review of this one was largely positive. I've just been reading through ink reviews and noticed the above pattern at times.

Dave

[TSherbs]

Hmm. Interesting -- the scan made it look much darker than the sample I tried earlier this year. Mine is more of a dark teal blue-black, which wasn't what I thought I'd like, but the color has grown on me immensely. I've been thinking that it needs to have another run in something, now that I have a full bottle and after seeing the review I'm now curious as to what will come out of the bottle (not from the freebie promo, but ordered sometime earlier this year from isellpens).
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

edited for typos

I feel the pull toward putting this in a wishlist....and I like the dilution idea....

[Sailor Kenshin]

I usually dilute just about all my Noodler's inks.

[Runnin_Ute]

It isn't my favorite blue black that I have (Pelikan 4001 and Diamine trump it) but I do like. Unlike some others, I don't see the teals/greens in it. Right now I have it in my early 1970's Pelikan 120, first fill of it in that pen though. I just had the Diamine in it. But it has been good for me.

[Robert]

Interesting to read all of the varied experiences with this ink - - - and that Goulet Pens named it the 2013 Ink of the Year. Ah, what to make of it all? I think that I'll avoid it - - - too many other safer choices.

[Sham69]

i find it behaves very well on the cheaper papers i have tried..
it certainly has teal in it which is more obvious in dry pens, it can appear almost black in some very wet pens (visconti homo sapiens) comes to mind
when i was organising my special order bottle from nathan he asked me if i wanted it on the darker side or a bit lighter, this question makes me assume there must be a bit of batch differences in the ink which is not a surprise at all knowing noodlers.

with 15-20% dilution the teal and depth comes out in this ink, (including shading)

[feder]

Thank you for your review!

But mine ist a green-green-blue-grey-black ... I cannot describe it in other words, it's an ink that remind me on the colour of 100 year old ink, found in old documents.

[writingrav]

I have two bottles each strikingly different from the other. I love one, the other is just meh . I think Nathan has a quality control issue with this one.

[mtnbiker62]

I use this ink almost every day in a TWSBI Mini with an F nib, and mine is much lighter...almost a gray.

[VertOlive]

I use this ink almost every day in a TWSBI Mini with an F nib, and mine is much lighter...almost a gray.

I have the exact same TWSBI and this ink is also greyish from that pen, but when I use it in a stub nib it is a nice blue-grey.

[mtnbiker62]

Noodler's 54th and Sailor Nano Ultra Black are the two inks I reach for when I want some permanence.

[Jeph]

I finally tried a sample of 54th Mass . I was not encouraged by the way that the sample bottle was coated with ink. I am also a little confused with all of the variation in people's experiences.

My sample was a very nice bluish grey with a hint of teal. The dry times were not problematic at 15 seconds on Rhodia and nearly instant on copy paper. There was no feathering on either paper. What surprised me, especially with people complaining about dryness, was how wet the ink is. I am using it in a fine nib Parker 45 (stains don't matter) that I have already established with Parker Quink Black, Pelikan 4001 Blue Black and Diamine Sapphire Blue that it puts down a legitimate wet, fine line. With this ink the same pen writes a fat medium bordering on broad line.

I wiped the sample bottle and the ink came away easily so I am not as concerned with staining. With this wetness I can't use the ink for my normal purposes and that is probably the only thing that will keep me from buying a bottle. I might just buy a bottle anyway as I do like the color enough. I can't decide but I wanted to add what I have observed.

[jacksterp]

No dry time issues, no feathering issues, no performance issues.

I do dilute it 4:1.

Really enjoy this ink. Have it in a Bexley Onyx and it writes first time every time even if it's been sitting for weeks.

Has performed well on any pen I've tried it in.