Noodler's 54Th Mass Alternatives?

[NCGibbon]

Good morning,

 

I was hoping someone might have a suggestion for an ink to try that is similarly colored to Noodler's 54 Mass. I love the color of the ink but the fact that it dries on the nib 6 seconds after you stop writing has left me completely disappointed. I have tried it multiple times and with each of my pens I get the same problem.

 

Suggestions anyone?

 

Thanks,

 

-B.

[farmersmums]

I've become fond of Diamine Denim recently- it's a similar shade of dark navy blue but with less of the issues you mentioned. You might give it a go and see what you think...

[jjlax10]

Noodler's Legal Lapis is somewhat similar. I would also look at Diamine Twilight and my favorite, Eclipse. There are some swabs on the Goulet website.

[bardiir]

You can use the similar inks feature here... it's not 100% accurate but it can give you some good suggestions: http://www.fp-ink.info/en/details/482.ink

[RobbW]

Try diluting a small sample with 10-20% distilled water. My bottle of 54th is a bit concentrated and responded well to dilution. IF you like the color, this may help the performance and save you money.

[katerchen]

Ugh. Is it that bad? I just ordered a bottle that's already on the way ...

 

-k

[aardvarkbark]

Considering the previous posts....I use both Denim and 54th, like each very much, but find them to have different color. I don't have the problem with drying that you do with 54th though. I wonder whether the dilution suggested might be the ticket.

[Runnin_Ute]

I haven't inked anything up with it recently but not all my pens dry out with it either or exhibit nib creep. Nib creep is mostly an aesthetic thing as it doesn't really affect performance. I don't recall which pen it worked best with.

[Vlad Soare]

Ugh. Is it that bad? I just ordered a bottle that's already on the way ...

 

Yeah, me too. I didn't know about this "feature".

Now I'm worried. Is it really that bad?

 

Diamine has some nice colors, some of which may come close enouqh to 54th, but they are not waterproof. The "bulletproofness" was precisely what aroused my interest in this ink.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Vlad Soare

[Komitadjie]

Now I've had very good luck with the 54th Mass myself... I suspect it is mostly a case of finding a good ink-and-pen combination. I certainly wouldn't be worried about it.

[tinysnail]

To those worried about 54th Mass: don't panic! It's a great ink. It didn't flow well in my Pilot Metropolitan M (that pen has been really picky; it doesn't like Diamine Saddle Brown or Private Reserve Orange Crush either...), but it's been wonderful in my Lamy Al-Star, EF nib. I use it every day as my main ink with no issues. Lots of nib creep, but I don't mind.

[A144]

I've got a bottle of 54th Massachusetts that I really like. I haven't had many problems with it drying out in any of the pens I've put it in including a Lamy Safari (lots of nib creep in this pen though), Pilot Metropolitan, and TWSBI 580.

 

If it had serious problems, it wouldn't be one of Noodler's most popular colors.

[Vlad Soare]

That's great! I can't wait for mine to arrive (just ordered it this morning, so it will take quite some time).

[DaveBj]

I have a sample from the Goulets; y'all have me curious now. I'm going to load it up into one of my uninked pens and try it out for a few days. Watch this space.

[Jodyw]

I am a lefty .. so Diamine inks take WAY to long to dry for me to really use. I have red dragon and I LOVE the color but dry time is SUPER bad .. and Ancient Copper which is usable if I am careful. I have found that Pilot Iroshizuku and Noodler's 54th are the best inks for me. I have had 54th in a couple of pens and its dry time is great, it looks great and has never dried in my pen/NIB. Right now it is loaded in my Pilot Vanishing point (capless) with an EF NIB and it is a pleasure to write with. I mention this specific pen because it is a Eastern EF NIB, which would be similar to a Western EEF, and I have had not had it dry out in the NIB/Feed .. even after a 3 day weekend with NO use.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Jodyw

[DaveBj]

I loaded it into my Invincia and left it capped for a couple hours while I did a bike ride. Then I used it to pay some bills. After sitting capped, it was hard to get it going. Then every time I put it down to stuff envelopes, it would again be hard to start. Even sitting capped for a few minutes, it dries out. In sum, at least in this pen my experience is the same as the OP's. I may dump it and try it in one of my Jinhao M-points.

[NCGibbon]

I loaded it into my Invincia and left it capped for a couple hours while I did a bike ride. Then I used it to pay some bills. After sitting capped, it was hard to get it going. Then every time I put it down to stuff envelopes, it would again be hard to start. Even sitting capped for a few minutes, it dries out. In sum, at least in this pen my experience is the same as the OP's. I may dump it and try it in one of my Jinhao M-points.

That is the exact problem I am having with it.

[penhand]

I left it inked for 1.5 months in a Pelikan M800 (fine nib) and certainly didn't use it every day. But every time I picked it up, started immediately and great flow. Horrible dried nib creep on the nib, but a pleasure to write with. If I recall, it was an almost complete fill (which is why it took so long to finish) and I ran it dry.

[vossad01]

I had an initial negative reaction to 54th Mass's color when I started my sample so did not use it much. I think I need to revisit it know that I know a bit more and have a better sampling technique. What I am trying to say is that I have seen it but am not especially familiar with it.

 

Near the same time as I sample that I was mixing two of the very few inks I had bottles of at the time: Diamine Steel Blue and Diamine Monaco Red. I got a resulting color that I thought was very similar to 54th Mass. Most people are not looking for mixes in these things, but if it is something you want to know I can see about re-creating it and doing a more proper comparison.

 

I do believe I have elsewhere read that some dilution helping with the hard starting. Sandy1 has some notes about hard starting in her excellent review.

[Scootz]

For inks with a color similar to Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, try Diamine Twilight, Diamine Midnight, Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai, or Organics Studios Manganese. None are exact, but each shares elements of blue-gray.