Bad Blue Heron

[clmurphy]

So I recently acquired a bottle of Noodler's Bad Blue Heron in an ink trade. I like the color (reminds me of Legal Lapis after it has been on the paper for a while), and it seemed to write fine. However, after a few days, the pen was just really difficult starting. I tried it in a different pen, same results.

 

So the last pen I put it in, I laid it down and my wife put some papers on top of it. It sat for about 2 weeks unused. I had to remove the feed and soak it to get the pen unclogged. It was down right horrible. It is like someone put wax in my ink. The ink bled out into the cap and I cannot seem to get all of the ink off of the threads or the section of the pen (I tried soaking and I tried diluted ammonia). I had to scrub the nib and feed to get all of the ink off of them. This is the gummiest, most difficult to use ink that I have ever used.

 

So I want to know, is this just me, or is this similar to other people's experiences with BBH?

 

Please don't think I am bashing Noodler's here. I LOVE ME SOME NOODLER'S INK :clap1: I have just never had an ink that was so viscous, dry, clogging, etc......

 

Please let me know your experiences with this and other Warden's series ink.

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

[FPFan]

I have had similar problems with the warden series, but I still use it. ONLY in Noodlers pens. I figure Nathan planned for these things with his pens and inks. It is definitely wise to make these inks your daily writer and clean it every two tho three refills.

 

Go Nathan, keep the good stuff coming.

 

I'm loading Whiteness of the Whale today to see how the new Noodlers finger blue lights (Goulet Pens, no affiliation.)

Edited June 27, 2011 by FPFan

[watch_art]

I've got this ink in my Bexley 10th anniversary pen, 18k fine nib, and it works perfectly. I haven't even done anything to the nib or feed. I had it in a different pen and it didn't work as well... what pen was that... shoot. Can't remember. Oh yeah, a cheap Chinese button filler. I'd open it up to write or draw and it would act empty, as if the ink had traveled back up the feed and into the sac, and it would take a fair shake or push of the button to get it going. With a different ink, I think Omas green, it works perfectly.

[FlatCactus]

I've got this ink in my Bexley 10th anniversary pen, 18k fine nib, and it works perfectly. I haven't even done anything to the nib or feed. I had it in a different pen and it didn't work as well... what pen was that... shoot. Can't remember. Oh yeah, a cheap Chinese button filler. I'd open it up to write or draw and it would act empty, as if the ink had traveled back up the feed and into the sac, and it would take a fair shake or push of the button to get it going. With a different ink, I think Omas green, it works perfectly.

 

I've found the same thing.It works well it some pens but not others.

 

In my Parker Urban which is usually very dry, it came out with a nice wet saturated line. When I swapped the ink to J'Herbin Lie Du Tea it went back to being dry again.

 

It's a strange ink.

 

-John

[clmurphy]

I have had similar problems with the warden series, but I still use it. ONLY in Noodlers pens. I figure Nathan planned for these things with his pens and inks. It is definitely wise to make these inks your daily writer and clean it every two tho three refills.

 

Go Nathan, keep the good stuff coming.

 

I'm loading Whiteness of the Whale today to see how the new Noodlers finger blue lights (Goulet Pens, no affiliation.)

 

That is the worst part, the pen it gummed up so bad was a noodler's piston filler (IN YELLOW). I haven't been able to get the ink off of the yellow section yet, but will try again tomorrow. I guess I just figured that their ink would work better in their pen.....

[WendyNC]

I love BBH, but find it to be a high maintenance ink with a strong odor and which seems to stain some plastics. If a nib is too fine or dry, it won't flow. If a nib is too broad, it dries outs in the pauses of a few seconds which naturally occur while writing. It also seems sensitive to changes in ambient humidity and the concomitant effect on paper.

 

On the other hand, if you hit the right combination, it can be fabulous. Lovely color, shading, quick drying/low feathering, and little to no surface blurring if it gets wet.

 

Of course, YMMV. I'm just reporting on my experiences (and contemplating in which pen to try it next ).

Edited June 28, 2011 by WendyNC

[MadAmos]

I add 20% distilled water by volume and diluted I have yet to find a pen that it won't work in. I mix 100 ml of ink with 20 ml of distilled water and fill using a syringe, I love it for work as I am required to use blue or black ink that is "permanent" after I had the records management people give it the go ahead I use it daily. I usually have two pens filled with it, one is always a Pilot VP with a fine nib the other could be any thing from a TWSBI to a Visconti.

[WendyNC]

Aha! Does the dilution change the color at all?

[CatBookMom]

I love BBH, but find it to be a high maintenance ink with a strong odor and which seems to stain some plastics. If a nib is too fine or dry, it won't flow. If a nib is too broad, it dries outs in the pauses of a few seconds which naturally occur while writing. It also seems sensitive to changes in ambient humidity and the concomitant effect on paper.

 

On the other hand, if you hit the right combination, it can be fabulous. Lovely color, shading, quick drying/low feathering, and little to no surface blurring if it gets wet.

 

Of course, YMMV. I'm just reporting on my experiences (and contemplating in which pen to try it next ).

 

I have had Bad Belted Kingfisher in my Platinum Plaisir now for 2 months according to my ink diary (yikes!-didn't realize it had been that long!) It still writes the moment I take off the cap and put nib to paper. Guess the Plaisir boast about the air-tightness of their caps may be right.

 

Am I just lucky or is BBK a bit better behaved than BBH?

[WendyNC]

My experience is that BBK is a bit better behaved than BBH. On the downside, BBK isn't nearly as good in spill situations, at least based on my sink tests.

[79spitfire]

I had issues with my Bad Blue Heron, I fixed it by adding a drop of dish soap. Now I use it in a Lamy Alstar when the mood hits me for that ink, and it works and flows great!

 

YMMV!!

[CatBookMom]

quote name='WendyNC' ]

My experience is that BBK is a bit better behaved than BBH. On the downside, BBK isn't nearly as good in spill situations, at least based on my sink tests.

 

 

And what sort of 'spill situations' are you meaning? Should I get my plastic-covered apron from Burchart Gardens?

Edited June 28, 2011 by CatBookMom

[uojfe]

I always thought BBK was well behaved. 2 months in a preppy and I've never had starting issues.

[MrBlue]

BBH is my current favorite blue. In a Pelikan m605, I have had absolutely zero problems with it. I also had it for a while in a Parker 51 Vac, again, without problem. In contrast, I have found Bad Belted Kingfisher to be a little "gummy" at times. I guess I have had the reverse experience from other users.

[WinBagel]

Just for reference I've had BBH in a Preppy fine for over a month now and it works brilliantly every time I use it. I haven't tried to clean it out yet though. It does have quite a strong smell but I love the color...

[reprieve]

I've only used Bad Blue Heron in my blue Aurora Optima (factory italic nib) and my XF-nibbed Lamy 2000. There were zero issues with the ink in either pen, other than a good bit of nib creep in the 2000. It does smell terribly, though (like a very strong-smelling sharpie).

[Mike]

I've had the exact same problem with Bad Blue Heron, in about a dozen different pens. Piston filler, lever filler, cartridge, converter, American, German, Chinese, plastic feed, ebonite feed, gold nib, stainless nib... didn't matter. It turns into a very-hard-to-remove gunk within a day or two. (It ultimately did in the pink Cartelo 100 that I have, in which the feed isn't, apparently, removable.) After trying various things, I suspect I simply have a bad bottle, in much the same way as I wound up with a completely useless bottle of BSB that exhibited similarly unfriendly behavior.

 

Theoretically it seems like a nice ink, when it works. I just won't be buying another bottle of BBH (or BSB) to find out.

[watch_art]

I've had the exact same problem with Bad Blue Heron, in about a dozen different pens. Piston filler, lever filler, cartridge, converter, American, German, Chinese, plastic feed, ebonite feed, gold nib, stainless nib... didn't matter. It turns into a very-hard-to-remove gunk within a day or two. (It ultimately did in the pink Cartelo 100 that I have, in which the feed isn't, apparently, removable.) After trying various things, I suspect I simply have a bad bottle, in much the same way as I wound up with a completely useless bottle of BSB that exhibited similarly unfriendly behavior.

 

Theoretically it seems like a nice ink, when it works. I just won't be buying another bottle of BBH (or BSB) to find out.

 

I bet you'd have good luck unloading them in classifieds to people like me who don't mind fiddling with an ink to get it working. I had a bottle of the original formula Ever Flo blue black, and diluted it 50% with water, and now it's just amazing. In fact, I just gifted one of the bottles to an FPN buddy of mine since I won't use it all up any time soon.

[Mike]

You want 'em, you can have 'em for the cost of shipping; they're both probably 95% full, still in the boxes. May they bring you more joy than I ever found from 'em...

[watch_art]

WOW! Great offer, but I already have a bottle of each, and it may be a couple of years before I empty either of them.

Thanks though!

 

Does anybody want to take him up on this great offer??