This is the point where I realized reviewing inks is going to be very difficult.
I am really happy with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts for many reasons. What I found challenging was showing the features of the ink that I enjoyed so much. The picture above is my second full pass at reviewing the ink, and there were several false starts in between. In fact, I nearly drained my 2ml sample from Goulet Pens before getting this done.
My first review was done with a Lamy Vista M nib. The ink worked great with the pen, but when it was time to photograph it I didn't think my picture showed off the ink well enough. I thought a wider nib might solve that problem, so I ordered a TWSBI Mini with a 1.5 mm Stub Nib. I had never used such a wide nib so I wasn't sure what to expect, but needless to say, I am very happy with my purchase.
What the 1.5 mm nib allowed for was more expressiveness in showing off the ink. Photography is hard for me to begin with, so on a dark ink like this it is nice to be able to show off the shading and color variations a bit. It still shows up dark though, so I do have some work to do on my lighting and editing.
On the ink itself, Noodler's 54th is classified as a blue black. It obviously leans more on the black side, and shows a lot of gray on the page. Sometimes I wonder where the blue actually is, but it shows up on the right paper and in the right light. This is an ink that I believe would grow on me the more I use it.
My ink reviews will be a work in progress. As my collection grows I will continue to add samples and work in more color comparisons. If there is anything specific you would like to see in the future please leave me a comment and I will do my best.
For more details on Noodler's 54th Massachusetts check out these great reviews:
Ink Nouveau - Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Inkophile - Noodler's Has The Blues
