Is it just me or does anyone else seem to dislike this color the more you use it. It seems that it does not matter what pen I put it in or what paper I use it on it always feathers. This is my first bottle of this color and it is sure to be the last. I like the color of it but not so much to put up with the feathering.

I agree. Do like the colour, even more than my trusty Florida blue, but have problems with feathering regardless of paper or nib.

De gustibus non disputandum, as the poet says.

I like BSB better and better the more I use it. I just don't use it on paper that it doesn't get along with. Looks great in a broad signature nib.

I have some on order, I will let you know how I like it (as a new FP user).

BSB works great on good quality paper to include Crane's Crest and Ampad's green 5 square engineer's computational pads.

I noticed a bit of feathering, but I use a fine nib so less noticeable. I'm with Bill, I LOVE the colour the more I use it - just hate the staining! Won't be buying more for that reason. BSB is kind of like a beautiful woman: you see her, you want her, she fills you with desire, but should you manage to get close enough to know her, you realise you need more than looks!

From a recent post by Nathan Tardiff, I got this information. I believe that the following points are correct --
1) BSB is a unique ink made to replicate an ink from the '40s.
2) I understand that it behaves like that ink. That means that it works best in pens built like the ones in the '40s.
3) Point 2) implies that it will work best on papers that are made like the papers made in the 40's.

Point 3 is the biggest problem, finding papers that interact with ink the way papers did 60/70 years ago. So far I have had best results with Stora Enso 4CC paper and Australian Cameron's Ripple Bond Grey, a nice laid paper.

I have tried my BSB in a number of pens, and found that it works best in a dryer writer. Using it in a medium wet, medium broad Jinhao simply resulted in too much ink coming out of the nib.
I found that it behaved nicely in a Hero 100 and a Parker 51 Special with a fine nib. The only problem I have had with these pens is that the cap is not totally sealed, and the nibs dry up and clog if not used at least once a day.
The best results I get are with a Platinum Preppy I have converted to an eyedropper filler. The cap in this pen seals the nib perfectly and so it doesn't dry up, even after a week of not being used.

There are inks that are like a family station wagon, they'll do what you want, reliably, any time. Parker Quink Blue is like that.
Then there are inks that are like an Alfa Romeo from the 1960's. Incredibly fussy about fuel, oil, driving conditions and the like. But once you have got a working combination, what fun to drive! BSB is like that.

After reading all the complaints about how the ink has its way with Lamy Safaris, stains ceramics and human skin - I just placed an order at Swisher for a bottle.

I too, will post a review when I receive it.

I plan to use it in my "51" Special with a medium-ish nib.

You know, my mom told me to never stick metal scissors into an electrical outlet, but I like the tingly feeling and spiky hair.

Oh wait, I'm Asian--I already have spiky hair. I still like the tingly feeling, though.



It's a black one, right, not your burgundy one, or is Lucite-staining one of your tests? It probably won't stain, but hey, it's your pen....

I'm using BSB in a Safari with 1.1mm italic nib, a PeliKano F nib and a Pelikan ink roller. I haven't noticed that it feathers on a random selection of copy paper and envelopes.

Hey, if the metal scissors have a rubber grip you'll be fine

From what I've read, the Lucite on "51"s doesn't stain from BSB. There are many people who swear by their "51"s for BSB, too.

I also have gotten consistent results with a Platinum Preppy ED. No problem with several other pens, either. I do try to use better papers. What's the point of using good pens and good ink on crappy paper? Life is too short and paper is not too expensive unles you are writing hundreds of pages a day, or running off multiple copies in a duplicating machine.

But then it wouldn't tingle!



I've read some anecdotes about using BSB in "51"s, too, but at least the ones I can remember off the top of my head involved blue or black pens. Then again, I do get electrocuted quite often.



Like I said in another thread, cheap pens tend to have great cap seals because they're often preloaded with ink (and may have to sit on a shelf for a long time). More expensive pens don't have this requirement, so manufacturers often don't bother to make their caps seal quite so well. It's both sad and ironic, but true from what I've seen.



Yeah, most pens are alright in this regard, if not at the level of excellence of the disposable pens. One of my pens had a leak in the cap for some reason, which made it a hard-starter after only about an hour, so I sealed it on the inside with some putty. This was only going to be a temporary solution, of course, just to check where I needed to permanently seal it, but it has worked great for several months now--writing at the first touch of the paper after days of lying idle--so I haven't done anything else with it yet.

By the way, I don't really stick scissors into electrical outlets. I'm sure that everybody here believes me...right?

I still adore the color but as some of you noted, I haven't worked out the best paper / pen / nib yet. It is really flashy in the pen I am currently using it in and I couldn't tell if it stained or not! My translucent blue Pelikan 200 (blue puddle?) seemed to be the perfect pen to try because the color is close to Baystate blue and the ink looks great in the pen. I currently have a Binder .9 ItaliFine nib in the pen so she flows like a river. I want to switch the nib out for one of my fine points and try that but I don't intend to grab that nib until the pen is empty and cleaned out!!! Took me two days to scrub the blue off my fingers the last time! Had to use clorox to get it off the sink! I decided on a Pel because I used my Blue stripe Pel 400 with Parker Penman Sapphire for two years straight without a single problem so Figured a Pel would handle Baystate as well.

I just received my bottle of BSB and my Preppy to use exclusively with it. I love the color. It makes Pelikan brilliant blue look blue-black. I asked for an in-your-face blue in a different thread, and I found it. I haven't noticed an exhorbinant amount of feathering. I've used it a composition book and Mead notebook paper. I don't think I can count the paper plate I started the pen on because that is where I filled it. I don't have the more expensive papers like Moleskine, Clairefontaine, Rhodia, so I cannot comment on those.

I love the color it so vibrant. I haven't had much trouble with feathering on even plain ordinary Staples note book paper. However I can barely use it along with most inks in my Franklin Planner. I think the paper has become very poor. I should go to circa, but my company pays for the planner refills

I use BSB exclusively in a Danitrio $33 pen from winedoc that has a finish almost the exact same color as BSB. It stands out and gets a LOT of comments. I use this pen for receipts and checks the majority of the time, but pull it out for other stuff now and again. I have 3 bottles of the stuff, so I won't run out for a while, but I haven't lost the joy of using it. I just use caution when refilling the converter, though. I like to keep it in the pen, not on my hands or clothes or furniture...

Maybe I just need to accept the small amount of feathering that I am getting and just continue to use the bottle that I have left.

If the ink isn't pleasing to you, pass it on and get another ink that does please you. That's why we have so many choices in so many brands of ink. Your writing experience needs to be the best for you, and not settled on because the ink is ok for others but not for you in your eyes.

I get feathering with BSB on lower grade papers, and I wouldn't use it at all on plain ruled notebook paper, as it just wouldn't hold up and would bleed and feather like mad. I like using it on my checks, though, because it doesn't bleed or feather on the check paper my bank uses, and it dries pretty much instantly, so I'm not worried about blotting it before handing it over. I don't use it every day, but the pen is in its own place in my bag where I can grab it quickly.

Every time this topic comes up 1) gets mentioned, at which point I ask for someone to identify the ink(s) in question. No-one ever has, except for the occasional vague mumble about a Carter ink (which has yet to be precisely identified). As for 2), it's hard to imagine why this ink would work better in a pen from the 40s. All such pens I have are wet writers (as, in my experience, are most vintage pens). Since Baystate Blue feathers on every paper I've tried from cheap stuff (the worst) to Rhodia and Clairfontaine (much less, but still noticeable) in a Lamy Safari (which is less than wet), I don't see why feathering wouldn't be terrible if the ink is used in a vintage pen. (I could test it for myself, of course, but given the staining properties of this ink I'm reluctant to put it in a pen that isn't ultra-cheap; anyone out there willing to try it in, say, a coral Carter?) Perhaps 3) will fix the problem, provided someone can identify sufficiently similar paper. Seems to me to be an ink for cheap pens with fine nibs on the dry side.

Simon

I also use a Franklin Planner, for the same reason. My planner pen is a Parker 51 Demi, with a fine point, fille dwith BSB. No feathering, ever on any of the Franklin pages. Now this Parker is a dry writer and that is probably why it doesn't feather. But the color just pops off the pages and is highly readable. It works great for me.
PMS

Guess I am either lucky or just living right... LOL
My first experience with BSB has been outstanding! No problems.

I'm using it in an Esterbrook J with a 9668 nib and writing on my squared moleskin. Performance has been flawless for three days of journaling. There is nib creep, but that doesn't bother me at all. It is a beautiful, vivid ink and I love writing with it.


-Gawain

Just received my bottle today.

Loaded it into my P51, and it works wonderfully. Not the wettest ink, though. AMAZINGLY BLUE. It smells fruity, too.

Didn't stain the P51, either, but I made sure to wipe it off almost immediately.

Ah, composition book and Mead notebook paper. I'm starting to feel better about my purchase yesterday!


And this is even more encouraging! I use Staples spiral notebooks all the time. How could I not when they were selling packs of 6 spiral notebooks for 30¢ in mid August?


At last! A use for those dry writing, fine nibbed cheap fountain pens I bought before I realized that I preferred wet writing, broad nibbed cheap fountain pens!

A very enlightening thread.