Baystate Blue

[FLZapped]

The blue in this scan looks a bit watered down compared to what comes out of my pen.

 

I have to agree here.

 

-Bruce

[Namo]

Nice, enjoyable colors. I don't understand why so angry... there are dozen of threads about BSB, very useful. The ink does have drawbacks, but it really depends on what you want to do with it.

I just find it joyful to see this bright, happy color on paper.

[politovski]

Very nice !!

 

Drawbacks? (careful...)

 

hhhmmmm....drawbacks? well...

1.stains

2.runs

3.burps

4.feathers

5.bleeds

6.nib creeping

7.clogs nibs

8.eats feed mechanisms

9.not bulletproof for all the fuss

1. Staining is not new with BSB and there are several threads on removing BSB stains.

2. Not for me.

3. Not for me.

4. Not for me -- probably a function of paper.

5. Not for me.

6. Not in my Pilot 78G.

7. So does lots of other ink. It's a FP; put the cap back on.

8. Just a lie - a really old lie.

9. Some people have posted lengthy explanations of why ink doesn't need to be bulletproof. Some people just don't want to be happy.

 

as for an update:

i got my bottle in 9/2007. still have a bit left too. the old version has eaten away the ball off my nib creeper (a noodlers pen) 3 different times now. i can photograph the ends if you like, but no little ball and a dramatic increase in friction each time. despite this, i really wish i could use it. no other blue (and i have tried many) compares. liberty's elesium, diamine imperial blue, pelikan blue and blue black, noodlers polar blue, upper ganges, aircorps blueblack, navy, regular blueblack, sailor blueblack and some more; none of these have the brilliant blue. sigh....

-p

[mhosea]

i got my bottle in 9/2007. still have a bit left too. the old version has eaten away the ball off my nib creeper (a noodlers pen) 3 different times now. i can photograph the ends if you like, but no little ball and a dramatic increase in friction each time.

 

I think the pen that came with Noodler's Nikita had a "nib creeper" nib on it. The tipping of this nib was dreadfully brittle. It remains the only nib I've yet owned that I couldn't smooth. I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. I couldn't smooth it because the tipping material was chipping off. I don't use BSB, so it wasn't a factor.

[Fabienne]

It is about the prettiest blue ink in the world and I have dedicated a couple of pens to it. I really don't believe it eats feeds, haven't seen that happen...yet. Don't expect to. I think the lore of this ink is immense, as is the lure.

[tonybelding]

It is about the prettiest blue ink in the world and I have dedicated a couple of pens to it. I really don't believe it eats feeds, haven't seen that happen...yet. Don't expect to. I think the lore of this ink is immense, as is the lure.

 

It was verified here on FPN that it did, in fact, damage some Lamy Safaris and some Esterbrooks. That problem is quite rare, though -- probably as rare as the (also verified) instances of Waterman ink corroding metal parts. And yet, Waterman is often named as a "safe" ink. Go figure.

 

I also found that BSB had some tendency toward feathering and bleeding. I also found that the color was a bit too harsh for my taste. What really kills it for me, though, is something nobody here has mentioned. After the ink has been on paper for a while -- weeks and months -- it stains through to the other side! It's obvious in my journals, it's ugly, and it's an effect that I've never seen with any other fountain pen ink.

[notVirtuThe3rd]

Wow, what a helpful review!

 

I liked it so much. Thanks for sharing.

[RickH9]

Anybody know if this will stain the inside of a TWSBI Diamond 540?

[Mags]

I have a dedicated TWSBI demonstrator and it is stained blue. I am lead to believe 3 parts water 1 part bleach and soak 15 min and it will be all pretty much unstained.

 

That was a YouTube video with Nathan from Noodlers I think where I saw it. Anyhow I like the ink and use it only in one TWSBI pen with a 1.5 mm stub.

[Mags]

I CONFIRM WATER ALONE DOES NOT UNSTAIN A TwSBI.

[Scrawler]

I have one pen, a Regal, dedicated to this ink. I have only ever used that ink in this pen. The body is black, so if it stains, I will not see it. It is in use right now and is the pen I used at a meeting I attended this evening. The nib itself, a rhodium and gold nib, is stained, but I do not care. When I flush it I will not try to polish the nib.

[lapis]

I don't like it (optically speaking), so I just don't use it anymore.

 

Mike

[politovski]

so, don't take my word for it, but this is right off Richard Binder's site:

CAUTION

We have observed at first hand that Noodler’s Baystate Blue can destroy the translucent plastic feeds used in Namiki and Pilot pens. We recommend that you not use Noodler’s Baystate inks in these pens.

goto http://www.richardspens.com/ and look for the namiki pilot page

the BSB also chewed up 4 nibs/rollerballs from my noodler's piston fill nib creeper and eventually the whole feed and piston mechanism. i love the color. but, beware.

-p

[mhosea]

And in this thread

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/238403-a-pen-and-ink-mystery/

 

it seems to have damaged a Sheaffer feed which, BTW, doesn't look that different to me than what is used in No-Nonsense, Connaisseurs, Preludes. What's not clear there is whether letting this ink dry out in the pen is a necessary condition for there to be a problem. It is plausible, as this can result in a very high concentration of ink in the feed. I suppose it depends on the pen and its orientation as it dries out, but in experiments I have observed some pens on their sides continually wicking ink into the feed as they dry out, resulting in a much higher concentration of ink there than you would think if the ink just dried out in the pen where it lay.

[althanis]

It absolutely bled and feathered on everything I tried; disappointed.

[FountainPenCowgirl]

I had a "living on the edge" moment a few weeks ago and ordered a bottle (after trying a sample). It has its own Safari, a non-limited edition (so no big deal if it kills the pen). Found myself caught up in the 'danger' of it all while inking up.

 

It definitely has its challenges - and I doubt I'll throw it in my purse for the day. But it's a fun alternative to have in the mix. What shocked me was not the color but the silky flow from the pen. Even after forgetting it for a few days.

 

Not my first experience with the color, though: It's identical to a Le Pen that I always have nearby and pretty close to another porous ink pen that I use from time to time.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I recently wrote up some practice problems for my physics class that used some graphing. One graph had a variety of colors in it (3 different moving objects) so I used 3 different pens. The colors all rendered accurately with a color photo copier except Baystate Blue. Make of that what you will...

 

I love the ink though!

[politovski]

here is an update on this one, with the last several mL of ink from my 2007 batch:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/politovski/12448684645/

enjoy

-p