Noodler's 54th Massachusetts - Ink Review

 

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts is one of those inks that goes well with just about anything. It is beautiful and has good shading qualities, yet it can still be used in a professional setting. I like a good ink that can be used in a variety of settings. It is a wet flowing ink. I have used it in Pilot extra fine nibs, to the Lamy Joy with a 1.1mm italic nib. The wider the nib, the better the shading. However, this ink shades beautifully in a fine nib too. In this review, I used a TWSBI Vac 700 with a fine nib. So let's get down to the nitty gritty.

 

 



 

 

This ink honestly is a great all around ink. It passed a variety of tests. The paper that I used was a high quality printer paper (in which most of my fountain pen inks do not feather or bleed through. So I decided to do some of the tests on another type of paper that was more familiar to people - Clairefontaine.

 

 

The Smudge Test:

 

This ink is 'almost' completely smudge resistant. I admit, that I probably should have done a 1 second test, but it managed to pass the 5, 10 and 20 second tests. This test was done on both types of paper. Clairefonetaine is known to increase dry time for many types of inks, however this ink performed and dried beautifully.

 

 

The Highlighter Test:

 

This ink performs well under the highlighter test. Due to the fact that this ink dries fairly quick, it also performs well under highlighter use. I would say that it did smear a hair where my pen left more ink towards the end of the line. However, it was very minimal. Writing papers, making notes, and highlighting? Then this ink will perform well for you.

 

Feathering Test:

 

While feathering does in part have to do with the paper you use, it also has to do with the type of ink that is used. Noodler's 54th Massachusetts does not feather, which is great.

 

 

 

Specifications:

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts - 3oz bottle

Price: $10.50-12.50 (depending on the vendor)

Other Images:



Via: Goulet Pen Co.

 



Galen Leather Traveler's Notebook Cover - Review

Galen Leather Traveler's Notebook Cover 

This is a long overdue review of this wonderful Traveler's Notebook cover. The good part about the delay in reviewing this is that I have really had a good chance to see what this leather cover is really made of.  Galen Leather is a small leather shop or of Istanbul, Turkey that is owned and run by a brother and sister team. What amazes me is that is the two of them creating such beautiful leather items to protect our most loved items.... journals, pens,  and tablets (and so much more)! Here is Galen Leather!

The product materials:

The material is 2-3mm vegetable oak tanned cow leather. That is what these lovely cases and covers are made of. That start out a tad stiff (as most leather will) and become more pliable with time. All edges are hand finished

How to care for it:

You can care for this product by using Neatsfoot oil or Olive oil. The leather only requires a light layer of oil 1-2 times a year. You can treat minor scuffs and scratches as follows:

Treating scuffs & scratches 
1. Apply a very small dab of oil on finger.
(If you don't have oil on hand, instructions say you can rub the tip of thumb or finger along cleft between nose and nostril for some oil. Gross as it sounds, I'm sure it would work in a pinch).
2. Rub onto scuff/scratch with circular motion.

If you spill something on it (or happen to smush a bug with it -not that I would know), they clean up really easil. A quick swipe with a baby wipe or paper towel and your set.

Durability:

The durability of these covers is really impressive. This cover comes with 4 elastic straps, which hold the notebooks in nicely.  You can you anything from Moleskine to Piccadilly, and many other journal choices.  The strong elastic straps are great for safely holding and helping to organize you Bullet journal,  Prayer journal,  and General notes journal.

My Opinion:

This cover is beautiful and durable. Well worth the price.  Galen Leather also makes a variety of sizes and options - from iPad covers to mini notebook covers. Their product lineup can be found on their website: https://www.galenleather.com/collections/all
these covers are really nice and durable,  considering my things get packed into my purse and tossed around. There is only one thing that kind of irks me.  The bronze charm, at least the one I have,  trends to scratch up the front of the cover.  Nothing too deep and in most cases a very light application of Olive oil or Neatsfoot takes care of it.  For me,  it adds character.

And finally... the cost:

• Depending on the size -$23 to $48
• Sizes include: passport, pocket, regular, large, A5, extra large. 
• Colors choices vary - GREATLY!

Time to grieve...

It has been a long 6 weeks for me. We found out we were pregnant just to loose the baby weeks later.  What's worse is it was on my husband's birthday.  So I hope you'll forgive me if I done post anything new floor a bit. I have some posts that are long overdue.  However,   I have to figure out how to move forward with life,  without my baby.

Until then....

Photography Share

With the kind of month I have had (2 goat kids die, a third had to be put down), I wanted to share some of the more positive things for me... photography!

A bucket-o-goats! Sadly one of them in this picture was one of the kids we lost,  but it's still a cute photo. Trying to get 7 kids in a bucket and to stay in a bucket is no easy deal.

Feeding time! I had to be quick with this rear shot. My husband was putting hay in their feeder for them.  A good handful of our Nigerian Dwarfs,  but not all of them.

Sebastian.  Born outn of a new doe and buck. He was 1 of three babies, however sadly one of his brothers didn't make it :(.

Lady, our 10 (ish) year old Alpine x Boer doe who have us triplets this year!  2 girls and 1 boy. We are keeping both her daughters.

Millie, one of our doeling girls born this year.

And my favorite shot of a country road...

Exacompta Journal 21 - Page per day

5.25 x 8.25

I have been looking forward to reviewing this daily journal from Exacompa. This is from their "page per day" challenge.  This planner has been wonderful for me worth my busy life.  You can mark appointments by the half-hour starting at 8:00am to 9:00pm. Although my day stays way before 8am, I am still able to utilize this with no problem. What is nice is that it gives you a full day for Saturday and Sunday too! Many calendars share one page for both days (if your lucky that is). When my wetlands are busy and is nice to be able to schedule things or note things I have done. This also comes with a soft, thin,  edit durable leather cover and is refillable.  Which does not contain PVC. What is PVC you say? "PVC leather is a type of faux leather that is made by covering a base of natural or synthetic material with vinyl, made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plasticizers". (www.shopinfluxx.com › blog ›).

This planner is also fountain pen friendly ...for most fountain pens.  No feathering or bleed through. Smooth paper that is reasonably fast to dry as well.  Thr paper is 72g, acid-free and pH neutral paper. While  I don't fill in every line or day,  I use my journal for other things too. Such as:

• My grocery list
• My to do list
• things of note that I heard 
• spending transactions
• last or songs I heard and like. 
• Keep track of things that were not scheduled that I did

and the list goes on...

This journal also had prefferated edges in the lower corners to tear out after each day had come and gone. It makes it really nice when you are trying to flip straight to the day you are on. You do not have to spend long seconds flipping around to find the right day. Just flip it open. 

It also lays flat with minimal to no effort. Very flexible journal that can fit into your purse (okay, larger type purse), messenger bag, school bag,  and more.  And you can use it with confidence that the spine is all bound and will not start producing loose leaf paper. This little journal is a tough one.

I have never been a person to use planners or calendars much.  However this one had had me working now and more organized than ever before in my life. The can be purchased for around $30 and it includes the journal. Tells can be purchased from $22 to $25 depending on where you go.

Oberon Designs celtic pocket notebook

Oberon Celtic knots leather cover on Rhoda Web
notebook & Pilot Decimo vp.

This is one of my favorite pocket books to carry around with me in my purse.  You can put just about any 3.5" x 5.5" notebook (s) in them.  Field notes makes some notebooks that would fit beautifully - and more than one at a time too. A well built journal to jot down your daily to-do list,  favorite recipes,  favorite songs and artists,  daily thoughts, and much,  much more.

A nice thick Rhodia webnotebook fills my Oberon cover.  The best part is that is refillable. A nice, durable piece of elastic holds the notebook closed.  The layer is thick and stitched around the edges. It also has a ribbon book marker.

There is some ghosting on the Rhodia paper.  Mine makes a great weekly ink tracker.

The costs can vary for different covers. This exact design is $39. You can request larger covers,  covers for phones, and much more.

• Oberon designs 

A Moleskine find!

It's not very often that I find a good journal deal around where I live. Heck,  the nearest fountain pen show is down in Portland,  Oregon. But just yesterday, I happened to stumble upon quiet a nice find while my family and I were out shopping. Plus it was at Costco of all places! With a deal like that I couldn't pass it up.

A 6 pack of large Moleskine cahiers! Usually a 3 pack will cost around $14 at Moleskine. However at Costco,  you get 6 for $20 (at least at the Costco near us.). Being a pen and Journal lover,  this was a very exciting find for me.  

You get two grey,  two tan, and two black journals. These journals are the perfect size for taking notes or staying on that memoir you have been doing to write. I have yet to figure out what I will use mine for. 

I find that these journals tend to be fairly fountain pen friendly,  with quiet a few inks. There is very minimal ghosting...so minimal is almost non existent.  No bleed through. I didn't see any feathering,  but I am sure the effects may vary with different inks and pens used.

I am not sure how long Costco will have this awesome deal,  so go get your Moleskine while you can!