Baystate Blue

[amberleadavis]

I just love working with it. It just needs the right pen.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/slides/2014-Ink_259-Violet.jpg

[jgrasty]

I like Baystate Blue, the color, a lot; Baystate Blue, the ink, not so much. The reason is it bleeds after the fact. What I mean by "after the fact" is the ink doesn't bleed on good paper immediately, it takes a few weeks or months. I have journal entries written in Baystate Blue that were fine after they were written, only to find a few months later that the ink had bled through the paper. Quite annoying, if you are writing something you want to keep. I've seen this behavior on Rhodia and Clarefontaine journals.

[Vgimlet]

Like it. (Not quite love it.) I have it in a Blue Waterman Kulture, and have been using it for about a month - so far no problems. But I do write with it every day, as I am using it for something specific in my daily journal. I like that it is making that section pop right out, lol. So good for my purposes.

[welch]

A bit too bright for working. Maybe a signature ink, though I don;t have one. Maybe, yes, drawing. Reminds me of a day-glo color.

[Lou Erickson]

I like it, and use it for writing. I find it readable, but I use fine-ish nibs, so don't get too wide a line.

 

I have decided not to put it in pens that are hard to clean, because I'm lazy. Any pen I put it in has to be a c/c and have a removable feed. So far, I've used it in a Pilot Metropolitan, a Preppy, and a couple of the Jinhao pens. It's worked fine in all of them.

 

I didn't know about fade-to-zero, which is a bummer.

 

I've also got some other inks I like, too, so it isn't an "this is the only ink EVAR!!!" color. Ordinary Waterman blue and Pelikan 4001 black are very nice inks.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Lou Erickson

[Vgimlet]

Fade to zero? Really. Hmm, maybe not good for my purposes after all. I have to do some research on this. But I still like it, however would not use it for pages and pages of text.

[jkingrph]

I like the color, but will only use it in a cartridge/converter fill pen, and not one of the more expensive ones.

[Glenn Atkins]

I like it. It does have some purple to it, especially when side-by-side with other blues. I bought two pens to dedicate to BSB, an Ahab and a Konrad in Hudson Bay Fathom's Blue, both demonstrators. Both these pens are essentially the same color as the ink, which factored into my plan.

 

Works great in the Konrad. Haven't inked the Ahab with anything yet.

 

Glenn

[amberleadavis]

Fade to zero? Really. Hmm, maybe not good for my purposes after all. I have to do some research on this. But I still like it, however would not use it for pages and pages of text.

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/Tests/Fade/2012/First_Tests/2012-Exp1/slides/2012-07-06_12.jpg

[Strombomboli]

I like it a lot, but only use it for writing in one pen--a Preppy converted to an eyedropper and fitted with a Lamy OB nib. Kung te-cheng is in a similar pen. Both pens are not clear anymore, but I really don't mind. BSB and KTC are also in one of those Kuretake waterbrush pens which Nathan provides along with the big bottle, and BSB as well in a Preppy marker. With the brush pens, I sometimes paint frames on envelopes, while the felt tip pen is useful in some instances which have to do with writing addresses as well. Most of my addresses are written with Baystate Blue, the others with Kung te-cheng.

[Inkydinkydog]

Having read all the threads on the "Baystate Blue" wars, I couldn't resist trying some, and I just received an order from a seller on Amazon. So far it's been a disappointment for two reasons:

 

1. I tested a few drops on a glass nib dip pen and, while it's a beautiful blue, I don't see much--if any--difference between BSB and Lamy Blue (of which I already have a big bottle and which requires no "special handling"). I guess that will teach me to order a sample from Goulet before buying an entire bottle, right?

 

2. Although the seller's page on Amazon clearly states that the 4.5 oz size comes "w/2 FREE Pens," and some of the reviews indicated that people received two pens, I only received one pen--a preppy with just one nib, fountain pen nib (i.e. no ball nib to go with it). In videos I've seen, Nathan demonstrates two pens in the box--one a brush pen (the one I primarily intended to use with BSB) as well as a preppy, and as I recall, those preppies had two nibs--fountain pen and ball nib.

 

Were it not for the clear statement on the sales page that it comes "w/2 FREE Pens," I would not have bought the large eye-dropper bottle, but the 3 oz bottle instead. So buyer beware. I did try to reach the seller, but given the time zone difference they are closed for the day, so I will call them tomorrow. But whatever the excuse for not sending the "2" free pens, I consider this false advertising--or negligent advertising at best. Well, we'll see what they say tomorrow. But if you're planning on ordering from a seller that says there are 2 pens in the box, I recommend that you call them before ordering.

 

OK, that's my rant for the day. LOL!

 

 

[amberleadavis]

Having read all the threads on the "Baystate Blue" wars, I couldn't resist trying some, and I just received an order from a seller on Amazon. So far it's been a disappointment for two reasons:

 

1. I tested a few drops on a glass nib dip pen and, while it's a beautiful blue, I don't see much--if any--difference between BSB and Lamy Blue (of which I already have a big bottle and which requires no "special handling"). I guess that will teach me to order a sample from Goulet before buying an entire bottle, right?

 

2. Although the seller's page on Amazon clearly states that the 4.5 oz size comes "w/2 FREE Pens," and some of the reviews indicated that people received two pens, I only received one pen--a preppy with just one nib, fountain pen nib (i.e. no ball nib to go with it). In videos I've seen, Nathan demonstrates two pens in the box--one a brush pen (the one I primarily intended to use with BSB) as well as a preppy, and as I recall, those preppies had two nibs--fountain pen and ball nib.

 

Were it not for the clear statement on the sales page that it comes "w/2 FREE Pens," I would not have bought the large eye-dropper bottle, but the 3 oz bottle instead. So buyer beware. I did try to reach the seller, but given the time zone difference they are closed for the day, so I will call them tomorrow. But whatever the excuse for not sending the "2" free pens, I consider this false advertising--or negligent advertising at best. Well, we'll see what they say tomorrow. But if you're planning on ordering from a seller that says there are 2 pens in the box, I recommend that you call them before ordering.

 

OK, that's my rant for the day. LOL!

 

 

 

 

Sorry about the seller.

 

I can tell you that in a fountain pen, Lamy Blue looks nothing like BSB. BSB is truly retinal searing.

[Inkydinkydog]

 

 

Sorry about the seller.

 

I can tell you that in a fountain pen, Lamy Blue looks nothing like BSB. BSB is truly retinal searing.

I see your point. I will try it in an Ahab with a flex nib then. Thanks for telling me.

[discopig]

I prefer Liberty's Elysium to BSB, both in color and level of maintenance.

[Albus]

I prefer Liberty's Elysium to BSB, both in color and level of maintenance.

 

I think LE is a worthwhile replacement in terms of colour and maintence. However, nothing beats the colour of BSB but LE is very close to a nice blue.

[Lou Erickson]

I got the 4.5oz bottle of BSB and it came with two pens; the Preppy and the brush pen. Yours should have.

 

And, in a fountain pen, BSB is unmistakable. It's BLUE. I like it. I have a Jinhao 159 that puts down ink like a fire hose, and makes a VERY wide line, looking a bit darker than usual.

 

Give it a shot in the Preppy.

[IcySwan1]

I prefer Liberty's Elysium to BSB, both in color and level of maintenance.

I second that. I have used BSB and it worked well and looked better. Enough has been said about pen maintenance. But I also had inadvertent, klutz accidents. My clumsiness is definitely not Noodler's fault, but the consequences were spectacular and permanent. I am a fan of LE and get a vibrant blue with less stress. But more power to the BSB users.

 

Mike

[syoung98]

First of all, I have a Noodler's Ahab dedicated to it. Honest opinion: I have to admit I love it. I'm a sucker for its intense, electric blue! However, it feathers and bleeds for me significantly, even on good paper. For that reason I have found it behaves better when I dilute it: 80% BSB/20% water.

[Inkydinkydog]

Oh, wow! Just tried it in a fountain pen (after being somewhat disappointed in how it looked with a dip pen)--and it knocked my socks off! Brilliant, beautiful blue! It was OK in the preppy that came in the box, but when I put it in a Jinhao x450 with a Goulet 1.1mm nib--it's amazing. Glad I didn't try the 1.5mm nib as that might have been too blindingly bright; but the 1.1mm is perfect.

 

I tested it on the paper of a cheap journal and there was NO feathering or show-through--much less bleed-through. So then I tested it on the morning newspaper, and even on that poor paper it did not feather.

 

Count me among the converts. Long live Baystate Blue!

[amberleadavis]

Glad you tried it. BSB is not for a dip pen, but darn it's awesome!