EFNIR: Noodler's 54th Massachusetts

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Noodler's 54th Massachusetts

This is review #237 in my series. Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: The microscope slide was boring.  Cleaning wasn't too bad for a permanent ink.  You'll definitely need extra flushes.  You may need a pen flush or a swab depending on the material your pen is made of - I found that it left a slight grey film on some surfaces, but no staining.

The color does not like being captured. It's similar to Prussian blue, a greyed blue, with a slight hint of green (only in comparison, really).  Forgot to mention that it tries to bleed through, but doesn't quite succeed.

NOTE: My mini WiFi microscope used for zoom, absorbent paper, and water test images died today so I had to use the old USB microscope instead. These images will seem different from previous reviews - good for the close-up aspect, not so much for color. A new, different model, microscope is on the way - can't get the same model any more.

Audio: There was a thunderstorm while I was recording, so you may hear some thunder or rain in addition to vehicles.

Zoomed in photo (Text is too dark.)

Screenshot (Text is too dark.)

Scan of Completed Review (This is the most accurate color.)

Absorbent Paper Close-up (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper) (Text is too dark.)

Line width (One of the lines used for dry time. Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 360µm, with twelve divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 360µm. With 237 inks measured, the average line width is 296µm.)

Water Test Results (Text is too dark.)

Previous Review: Noodler's Black.

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

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View a list of my inks, complete with review results in a google sheet.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh? Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy. Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

@LizEF…Thanks again for the continuing story and reviews!  I had a sample of this once.  Either I used it up or mixed it.

 

Thunder is appropriate.  This is a thunderstorm color!  
 

PS:  Need to know what Quin used to duplicate the coins.  🤣

[yazeh]

Fabulous review @LizEF ⛈️

The crackling of Quin /Makhabeth and Ethrie's (to borrow Essri's pronunciation) magic was so realistic, one felt being part of the adventure.Even though al Quin was doing was using magic to counterfeit tokens 😛

I like the colour of the ink but I'm disappointed in the long dry times. It seems as long as Kakimori inks. 

Sorry to hear that technology failed you, but to my eyes, everything is as hunky dory as ever, 

 

 

[LizEF]

49 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@LizEF…Thanks again for the continuing story and reviews!

You're very welcome!

 

49 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thunder is appropriate.  This is a thunderstorm color!

Yes!

 

50 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

PS:  Need to know what Quin used to duplicate the coins.  🤣

Me and you, both!

[LizEF]

12 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Fabulous review @LizEF ⛈️

Thank you!

 

13 minutes ago, yazeh said:

The crackling of Quin /Makhabeth and Ethrie's (to borrow Essri's pronunciation) magic was so realistic, one felt being part of the adventure.Even though al Quin was doing was using magic to counterfeit tokens 😛

 

14 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I like the colour of the ink but I'm disappointed in the long dry times. It seems as long as Kakimori inks.

It's almost enough to make me want to become a chemist, so I can figure out the why of these things...

 

16 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Sorry to hear that technology failed you, but to my eyes, everything is as hunky dory as ever, 

  Thanks.  The new mini-microscope, which I think makes its appearance in the next review (can't remember, too lazy to go look) is hard to focus sharply.   Still working on that - though I'm not sure there's anything more I can do about it.

[OCArt]

Thank you for another in the series of great reviews.  I have kept a Pelikan Level 5 pen willed with this ink on my desk for the past five years without incident. INMHO it is very lubricated and just glides over the paper, but then the nibs on Pelikan school pens are particularly good.  Cheers!

[LizEF]

27 minutes ago, OCArt said:

Thank you for another in the series of great reviews.

You're very welcome, and thank you!

 

28 minutes ago, OCArt said:

 I have kept a Pelikan Level 5 pen willed with this ink on my desk for the past five years without incident. INMHO it is very lubricated and just glides over the paper, but then the nibs on Pelikan school pens are particularly good.  Cheers!

Very nice!  Thank you for sharing your extended experience - it adds a lot of value to the review.

[arcfide]

This is one of those inks that worked well for me on good paper and with very fine nibs (a spencerian grind), but the moment I went to even slightly larger nibs, I found this ink to be relatively unusable because of its extreme spread and wetness. 

[LizEF]

7 minutes ago, arcfide said:

This is one of those inks that worked well for me on good paper and with very fine nibs (a spencerian grind), but the moment I went to even slightly larger nibs, I found this ink to be relatively unusable because of its extreme spread and wetness. 

Thanks, @arcfide, for sharing your experience.  Just shows that nib size and wetness make a difference in one's experience with ink.  (And with Noodler's, I suppose batch variations may also make a difference.)

[Mayo]

Great review!

 

This color has grown on me and is now probably my favorite ink from Noodler's. It works very well on my Jinhao x159 with a Fine nib (which is more like a medium, really), and I'll try it with the #8 M nib as well once I get one of those. Also used it for a good while on a Platinum Soft Fine.

[InesF]

Thank you @LizEF for taking the effort to educate and entertain us! 😊

I'm really looking forward to the progress of the current adventure - time seems to run faster when there is a weekly event, such as your reviews, to wait for. 😋

 

The ink colour looks nice and, as you describe, the behaviour seems to be excellent for a permanent ink.

How would you compare it with SketchINK Frieda?

[LizEF]

8 hours ago, Mayo said:

Great review!

Thank you!

 

8 hours ago, Mayo said:

This color has grown on me and is now probably my favorite ink from Noodler's. It works very well on my Jinhao x159 with a Fine nib (which is more like a medium, really), and I'll try it with the #8 M nib as well once I get one of those. Also used it for a good while on a Platinum Soft Fine.

And thanks for sharing this experience - always nice to know there are folks happily using an ink long-term.

[LizEF]

5 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you @LizEF for taking the effort to educate and entertain us! 😊

You're very welcome!

 

5 hours ago, InesF said:

I'm really looking forward to the progress of the current adventure - time seems to run faster when there is a weekly event, such as your reviews, to wait for. 😋

  Thank you!  Very nice to hear it.

 

5 hours ago, InesF said:

The ink colour looks nice and, as you describe, the behaviour seems to be excellent for a permanent ink.

How would you compare it with SketchINK Frieda?

Frieda looks paler and greyer.  Frieda didn't flow as well and was harder to clean from the pen.  Frieda had immediate water resistance (54th needed time to set).  Frieda writes a finer line, by far.

 

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks as usual for the stellar review.  

54th Massachusetts is one of those inks that I don't hesitate to use for signing checks or addressing envelopes. But I discovered that the sample I got was much more teal-leaning than the full bottle I have (which was actually a nice surprise).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LizEF]

18 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks as usual for the stellar review.

You're most welcome.  And thanks!

 

18 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

54th Massachusetts is one of those inks that I don't hesitate to use for signing checks or addressing envelopes. But I discovered that the sample I got was much more teal-leaning than the full bottle I have (which was actually a nice surprise).

Yes, I think I'd like that better, too.   And there's that thing with Noodler's batches - always a surprise.

[InesF]

21 hours ago, LizEF said:

Frieda looks paler and greyer.  Frieda didn't flow as well and was harder to clean from the pen.  Frieda had immediate water resistance (54th needed time to set).  Frieda writes a finer line, by far.

Thank you @LizEF for the additional effort.

Indeed, when I saw your review I expected the Noodlers ink to be more wet (and more intense). Your comparison is very helpful! 

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, InesF said:

Thank you @LizEF for the additional effort.

Indeed, when I saw your review I expected the Noodlers ink to be more wet (and more intense). Your comparison is very helpful! 

Glad to help!sa                                         ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssz           I         jk ]is})

 

That last bit was from Klaw.  He's still learning how to type.  For that matter, he's still learning English.  And manners...

[InkyColors]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:07 PM, arcfide said:

This is one of those inks that worked well for me on good paper and with very fine nibs (a spencerian grind), but the moment I went to even slightly larger nibs, I found this ink to be relatively unusable because of its extreme spread and wetness. 

I’m amazed at the number of people who use this ink successfully. Goulet sent me a free sample and it was so wet and runny that it was useless in all my pens. None of my pens were as fine as yours. I ended up having to throw it away. At least I could reuse the vial!

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, InkyColors said:

I’m amazed at the number of people who use this ink successfully. Goulet sent me a free sample and it was so wet and runny that it was useless in all my pens. None of my pens were as fine as yours. I ended up having to throw it away. At least I could reuse the vial!

I appreciate you sharing your experience, too!  Perhaps you prefer wet pens.  Perhaps that was a particularly wet batch.  Perhaps there was something wrong with the sample...  Glad it was a sample and not a whole bottle.

[yazeh]

5 hours ago, LizEF said:

Glad to help!sa                                         ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssz           I         jk ]is})

 

That last bit was from Klaw.  He's still learning how to type.  For that matter, he's still learning English.  And manners...

Maybe Klaw is saying, Makhabesssssssssssssss, Papa