Ink Links

-- Montblanc Meisterstuck Classique Platinum Fountain Pen Review (Palimpsest)

-- Ink Notes: Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun (The Fountain Pen Quest)

-- Refreshed product lineup at Pencils.com (Woodclinched)

-- Review: BIGiDESIGN Solid Titanium Pen + Stylus - Black (Gourmet Pens)

-- Uni-ball Signo Bit (Art of the Letter)

-- Name Those Pens!! Reveal (Whatever)

-- Lamy Al-Star Pearl (KMPN)

-- Notebook Paper - Coming 3.5.13 (Doane Paper)

-- Sailot Fude Brush Stroke Fountain Pen (East...West...Everywhere)

-- Review and Giveaway: Elan Pocket-Size Field Book (Notebook Stories)

-- On Candies. Correction (Cronicas Estilograficas)

-- Inspired: Lamy Al-Star Ruby Red Limited Edition Fountain Pen (From the Pen Cup)

-- writing, stillman & birn, and what comes next (the captain)

-- Michael Rogers Dispatches Notebook Review (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Stationery Geek (espresso coco)

-- A quick look: the ZIG Cocoiro (Leigh Reyes)

-- Burgundy Parker 51 - Medium Nib (Informal Scribble)

-- Paper Users Waste Everyone's Time, Duh (512 Pixels)

-- On Gold and Steel (Cronicas Estilograficas)

-- Birthday Pen 2013 (And All Other Tasks)

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts Ink Review

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

Inkdependence! - Noodler's 54th Massachusetts

LostInBrittany Pens - Noodler's 54th Massachusetts Ink

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 41 - I Liken It To Unicorn Poop

In Episode 41 of The Pen Addict Podcast I talk about the newest addition to my fountain pen arsenal and why it was an important purchase for me. I also discuss my thoughts on ink reviews and some of the challenges I am having with them.

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