Changes In 54Th Mass?

[Checklist]

​​So, I ordered a sample of Noodler's 54th Massachusetts from Goulet Pens and loved it. Great color, well-behaved, quick drying, and waterproof to boot. When I bought the bottle, though, it has proven to be extremely wet and will spread and feather on almost every paper, including the Mnemosyne and Clairefontaine papers I use the most. I go through twice the ink that I used to with this. The distributor says that the latter performance is normal, and they found nothing wrong with the ink that they replaced for me.

 

​1. Has anyone noticed a change to this effect in this ink lately?

2. Which is normal, the sample or the bottle?

​3. Any tips to make this ink work?

 

​I really want this ink to work, but this just will not do it for me.

 

 

[ErrantSmudge]

I have had issues previously with samplers of Noodler's ink being very different from the full bottles when I ordered them.

It turns out there can be a good amount of variability between batches of the same ink, when it comes to Noodler's. If you research the forums you'll find several stories about this.

 

Some of this is due to the fact Noodler's is a one-man operation, and the inks are all hand-mixed. In some cases, the variability between batches is intentional; Noodler's does this as a way to deliberately ensure each batch of certain inks are different, and therefore traceable for forgery prevention.

 

Goulet even carries this disclaimer for all of the Noodler's inks on their website:

 

"Noodler’s inks are handcrafted, so there may be slight color variations from batch to batch."

 

Some people embrace this variation and appreciate the uniqueness of the bottle they have purchased. For myself, while I can accept some variation, I more or less want to know what I am getting when I purchase an ink, and I have curtailed my purchases of Noodler's as a result.

Edited August 2, 2017 by ErrantSmudge

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

When I did a Review of N54M there were comments about inconsistent colour - not so much about performance.

Slinky Linky: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/255965-noodlers-54-massachusetts/?p=2825711

 

As I am lead to belive that Noodler's inks are hand-crafted, some 'wobble' is not unexpected.

(Not all of my chicken pot pies are the same; and the chowder can be an adventure ...)

 

Make no mistake: the ingenious Nathan Tardif is to be greatly respected for his contributions to the FP community. Anyone else straining at the oars like him?

 

But the behaviour that you describe "spread and feather on almost every paper, including the Mnemosyne and Clairefontaine papers" is a gross breach of the performance profile of the ink that I reviewed - far more than wobble or fine tuning the formula.

 

If its N54M version 2.0, then that should be stated on the bottle or on the Vendor's website.

 

Personally I'd just sent it back.

 

maybe its time for the wow-less Pilot BlBk or the more amusing R&K Salix?

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

 

mini-rant: Those of tender years / ears should not read this!

This sort of thing is distressing. I make an effort to give a well-rounded review of an ink, then the ink itself goes sideways, which renders my efforts useless and misleading. this shape-shifting is just daft. While I tend to agree with my dear ErrantSmudge, I might purchase Noodler's inks, but I think my efforts to review them are pointless. Pity, I like to support small scale crafters.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Sandy1

[pajaro]

I rarely bought a second bottle of any Noodler's ink, because it took so long to use one up that I would want something else or just mix the remainder with a black. I liked the ones I tried, but I have awakened to the wetness of Noodler's and some other inks, and am just using Montblanc Midnight Blue until the next urge for Free Love In Ink. The 54th Mass? I wondered why my fine was writing that way.

[Intensity]

I don't have 54th Massachusetts, but I was strongly interested in it (I ended up getting Airforce Blue-Black, because a store I went to was out of 54th Massachusetts). But I wonder if the difference you are seeing is due to the sampler containing a more evaporated version. If it's decanted from a larger container, perhaps staying open for a while, maybe it ends up thickening enough to result in a less wet writing experience. I'm new to fountain pen inks, but I've read it as a suggestion in a Copperplate calligraphy study book that one can leave an ink bottle open for about an hour to make it less runny/more concentrated.

[migo984]

It's not so much the variation between batches/bottles. I think most people accept his QC isn't the best by a long shot. It's the gross deterioration, colour or behaviour changes that happen over time, within an individual bottle, that I find unacceptable. It's happened to me with 54th Mass., Navy, and Burgundy. Do I like some of the Noodler's ink colours? Yes. Do I trust his inks? No.

[Margana]

Has anyone had a similar experience with a new bottle of 54th Mass.? Corroboration would be useful especially as to the paper and pen that produced similar results.

[kiavonne]

My 54th Mass seems to be fine. I haven't had any issues with it, and I have a second bottle going strong.

 

That said, I should also throw in the "disclaimer" that I very much like Noodler's Ink, and I use Noodler's exclusively.

 

Have I noticed variations in some of the inks? Yes. Oddly enough, the most variation I noted was with FPN's own Galileo Manuscript Brown. Regardless, it is still one of my favorite inks.

 

I respect the inks, and I respect what Nathan has tried to achieve with his inks (though I may not always be on the same page politically). He makes his inks by hand, and in over 100 colors, and tops the bottles off for a good price. I don't have an issue with some slight variances, now and again.

[Checklist]

Has anyone had a similar experience with a new bottle of 54th Mass.? Corroboration would be useful especially as to the paper and pen that produced similar results.

 

 

I am mostly using a Parker Sonnet with a fine nib, but the Urban and IM I have (both mediums) are acting the same with this ink. Noodler's Ahab flex also shows excessive flow.

 

Behavior is the same on almost all papers, with Tomoe River being the only one not to feather at all. Still flows very wet, though.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Checklist

[Checklist]

I don't have 54th Massachusetts, but I was strongly interested in it (I ended up getting Airforce Blue-Black, because a store I went to was out of 54th Massachusetts). But I wonder if the difference you are seeing is due to the sampler containing a more evaporated version. If it's decanted from a larger container, perhaps staying open for a while, maybe it ends up thickening enough to result in a less wet writing experience. I'm new to fountain pen inks, but I've read it as a suggestion in a Copperplate calligraphy study book that one can leave an ink bottle open for about an hour to make it less runny/more concentrated.

 

I hadn't thought of the evaporation trick; I'll give that a try. I'll let you know how it turns out after my Sonnet runs out in a week or so and I fill it with 54M again.

[Connly33]

 

I hadn't thought of the evaporation trick; I'll give that a try. I'll let you know how it turns out after my Sonnet runs out in a week or so and I fill it with 54M again.

If you want the ink to be drier writing, and less lubricated what you need to do is dilute it slightly with distilled water, evaporating it will make it wetter. I know it sounds weird, but by evaporating it you are concentrating the components that increase the flow of the ink. By watering it down you are diluting those wetting components, i tend to dilute my 54th 15-25% to make it behave better in my pens. It controls the flow and reduces feathering.

 

When i dont dilute it i have feathering, and hard starting issues with my particular bottle.

 

Surfactant's, that's the word i was looking for, when you water it down you are diluting the surfactant's that decrease surface tension and hens increase flow, the higher amount of surfactant's in the ink, the wetter the ink will be.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Connly33

[Intensity]

That's an interesting point about Noodler's bulletproof inks. I hadn't thought about the effect the concentration of surfactants / lubricants would have on the flow. Seems like the reverse of other ink types (such as pure dye-based or Higgins Eternal).

 

If you want the ink to be drier writing, and less lubricated what you need to do is dilute it slightly with distilled water, evaporating it will make it wetter. I know it sounds weird, but by evaporating it you are concentrating the components that increase the flow of the ink. By watering it down you are diluting those wetting components, i tend to dilute my 54th 15-25% to make it behave better in my pens. It controls the flow and reduces feathering.

 

When i dont dilute it i have feathering, and hard starting issues with my particular bottle.

 

Surfactant's, that's the word i was looking for, when you water it down you are diluting the surfactant's that decrease surface tension and hens increase flow, the higher amount of surfactant's in the ink, the wetter the ink will be.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Intensity

[mhguda]

My experience with 54th Mass also suggested a too-concentrated ink, especially after not having used it for a while. So I added some water, and after that it was better-behaved. I also like to mix it with other inks since it helps them flow better.

[Checklist]

After trying just about everything (drying, diluting, new pen, new converter), this ink still spreads too much for me. Even the Ahab, which seemed to be working, spreads. Short notes are ok, because of the harder-starting nature of the ink, but it won't work for longer notes (more than a sentence) or letters, which is most of what I write. I appreciate everyone's help, but I am going to put this bottle up for sale and continue the hunt for a quick-drying, waterproof blue-black. I might try 54th again someday, since the sample was just perfect, but the current bottle just doesn't cut it.

[Intensity]

After trying just about everything (drying, diluting, new pen, new converter), this ink still spreads too much for me. Even the Ahab, which seemed to be working, spreads. Short notes are ok, because of the harder-starting nature of the ink, but it won't work for longer notes (more than a sentence) or letters, which is most of what I write. I appreciate everyone's help, but I am going to put this bottle up for sale and continue the hunt for a quick-drying, waterproof blue-black. I might try 54th again someday, since the sample was just perfect, but the current bottle just doesn't cut it.

 

I'm still trying out Noodler's Airforce Blue-Black, which is really more like dark green-blue- black, depending on paper and illumination. It's waterproof. I've read some good reviews about it being pretty well-behaved. 54th Massachusetts seems to be a problematic ink in some reviews.