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Baystate Blue Questions


Tom Traubert

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Those pens all look great! I have just acquired some BSB from a kind forum member, and have got a Platinum Preppy on order which I intended to use exclusively with this ink. It will take a few weeks to arrive though, as it's coming from abroad, and I'm really liking the look of the Platinum and Monteverde pens that you have pictured above. Ooooh...!

 

I've actually got a brand-new Lamy Vista sitting here but that is going to be dedicated to Blue Ghost :)

UK-based pen fan. I love beautiful ink bottles, sealing wax, scented inks, and sending mail art. Also, thanks to a wonderful custom-ground nib by forum member Bardiir, I'm currently attempting calligraphy after years of not being able to do so due to having an odd pen-grip :D

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I speak from my one Vista experience, and also the clear piston of my Ahab. BSB in the pen doesn't look as nice as you'd imagine. Definitely not like those little beach wave desk toys.

 

1. The ink is dark. It's a conundrum how such a dark ink blinds one's eyes. So the sloshing effect doesn't look much different from, say a black ink. There's no radiance in the liquid ink. Here's some in a vial, with a light behind it.

post-30432-0-61004200-1409178322.jpg

 

2. The ink stains everything. Meaning the entire ink reservoir. You'll have dark blue ink, sloshing around a blue barrel. Similarly, don't expect to see the fins of your feed ever again. Basically, if you like to see the insides of your transparent pen, don't put BSB in it. That crystal Vac you posted will immediately become this:
http://www.gouletpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/TW-M7442680-2T.jpg

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Simply out of personal preference, I would go with the Prera or Vac700. If you want to show off the ink the best, you won't be able to beat the Vac700. In fact, I'm almost tempted to buy another one (or another 580) for BSB now so I can see it slosh around!

 

I'm a big fan of Pilot pens, hence my vote for the Prera.

 

For the record, I've been using solely BSB in a Safari on an off for almost a year with no problems. The feed didn't melt, nothing crumbled apart, and the pen hasn't spontaneously combusted. So if you like the Safaris, get a Vista. They are just too light for me and I'm not fan of the triangular grip.

So many inks, so little time...

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I ordered the bottle of Bay State Blue with the eye dropper bottle and a free pen. The pen is a preppy with no markings on it, fine nib. I have been using the pen, as an eye dropper pen for two years with only BSB in it. Once when the ink supply got a little low, I "kinda rinsed" the nib as a half XXXed attempt to clean and then refilled with BSB. Absolutely no problems with pen or nib or ink in the two years of use. I will admit to an odor, at times, but at other times I can smell nothing.

It is a brilliant colored ink, Sandy's description of retina searing is spot on. I would venture to say that if you put that ink into the pens you mention, they may remain colored even after cleaning. Note the word may. Since the preppy was free for me, no worries. You can buy one for under $4 and might consider purchase of the pen and experiment with the blue ink that way, then, if your experience dictates, put it in the other pens.

 

Have fun with it!

Be Happy, work at it. Namaste

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I have BSB in a Lapis Blue Noodler's Ahab too. I figured it was going to stain whatever I put it into so the pen had to be metal or blue to start with.

I don't use it in anything that has a sac, or any Lamy.

The Jinhao sounds like a good idea, they are solid, good writers.

 

I had a bad experience with baystate blue and a Jinhao x450.

The nib was too broad and wet for this ink, and capped the nib dryied very fast, after one day of no use.

X450 has same nib of X750.

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Hi,

 

Of the pens mentioned, to avoid [visible] staining of the section when filling from the bottle, I'd choose one with either a metal or Black section: TWSBI or Monteverde. I might give the nod to the TWSBI as the polished metal section of the Monteverde might be slippery, and the TWSBI can be taken to bits for clean-up, plus I do loooove Vac fillers.

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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I've had BSB in a Lamy Vista with no problems. Cleaned up fine, although I was not afraid to use alcohol on it.

Edited by Lou Erickson

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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BSB is a striking color in a demonstrator. I have it loaded in a Noodler's Ahab now, and both the pen and ink have been quite well behaved.

My ahab is in fact the perfect pen for BSB it is super fun and I can make it look like a Sharpie when I want. I use it in a demonstrator Ahab...because I don't care if it stains, it's only getting BSB.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ooh! I've just had a Pilot Plumix turn up that I thought was lost in the post. Do you think they'd get on?

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

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Yes, BSB did well in my Plumix.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kill it, kill it with fire.

The Blue that Shall Not Be Named was my first blue ink upon reentry into the FP realm, had Quink Black. The Minneapolis FP store folks [no, not the one in Mall of America] recommended it as durable blue ink (something it's not, and it will fade). So, I ordered a bottle.

Thus began several months of FP hell. My Waterman Phileas did not like the stuff and neither did my Monteverde Invincia. With an "M" nib on both, experienced hard starting, skipping, and the ink generally not going where I wanted it to. On the other hand, the ink seemed to go all sorts of places I did not want it to. Had bad nib drool, and wound up inside caps, etc. The feed on my Phileas became "pebbly" and brittle.

The bottle tipped over in a desk drawer, while closed, and there is still a blue stain in the baked enamel finish of the metal drawer. Sometimes my desk looked a bit like I was vivisecting Smurfs. Conversely, my desk never had black in various places.

This ink was single-handedly responsible for getting FP's nearly banned from the office. I tried a sample a bit ago to see if my opinion differed. It did not.

There are huge numbers of other blue inks out there that don't offer all of the "extras" that this ink does.

Imagination and memory are but one thing which for diverse reasons hath diverse names. -- T. Hobbes - Leviathan

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^ Sorry for your trouble. Still going to have a go though.

 

Plumped for the TWSBI Vac 700 in Sapphire Blue with a 1.5 nib. It'll probably arrive before the BSB so I'll restrict it to washable blue Quink until it gets here.

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

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I've been using a Pilot Kakuno (M Nib) for 4 months and no problems.

 

http://static.jetpens.com/images/a/000/055/55242.jpg

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I really do like Bay State Blue however it will stain feeds and reservoirs of pens and while bleach can help remove or abate some of the staining do not think that it will be a 100 cure to all staining and sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. I have several rules about the pens that I use BSB in the first is the pen must be easily taken completely apart, the second is no light colored pens or feeds. (Do not use a Pilot \ Namiki Vanishing point because the feed will forever be stained BSB.} Personally I use no pen that replacement value is above 50 dollars. My Baystate Blue and Bay State Concord Grape (My youngest niece calls Concord Grape "Grapeable"; I also highly DO NOT recommend Baystate Cape Cod Cranberry it is Fugly unless you like weird looking pinkish colors) pens are the Platinum Preppie that came with my large bottle of ink, Noodler's Ahab & Nib-creeper, Parker 45 that I use a syringe and refill a used cartridge , Pilot Metropolitan, Jinhao 159, and a Blue Esterbrook J that I installed a silicon sac (mostly because I had one at the time I refurbished the pen) and have set aside several "Re-New-Points" that are Baystate ink only. I have stopped using Bleach to try and clean the staining of the ink for the most part and use Kon-I-Noor Rapidio-eze in a cheap sonic cleaner to clean nibs and feeds along with a bulb syringe a last but not least 0.002 brass shim stock to floss nibs. One thing to be careful is if you have a pen that you switch between Baystate Blue or Grape and other inks make sure that you clean the pen because the Baystate series inks and other inks do not play well together. All I can say is enjoy your BSB and don't drip any on wood or clothing you like it will permanently stain them I have not had any problems with sealed marble, stainless steel or enameled sinks that reasonable good condition.

 

If you are worrying about staining anything while refilling or cleaning your fountain pen I suggest you a trick my grandfather taught me and that was to get a tray with a lip (The cheapest and closest thing to what he used and commonly available is 1/2 sheet pan (about $6.00 or less at your local mega mart) I lay a piece of rubberized shelf liner (about $5.00 or less a roll at your local mega mart) under it to keep it from slipping around the table or my desk. Note rubberised shelf liner cut in small squares is a great thing to hold onto pen bodies or section when unscrewing them or pulling them apart. I put an old dish towel in tray to catch drips etc I use a some small wide bottom bowls and plastic cups to flush pens in and open all ink bottles above \ keep them in the tray while filling pens . Better to spill a bottle ink in a tray on a towel than on your desktop or kitchen table and drip onto your carpet or hardwood floor etc.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety

Benjamin Franklin

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As for the thought that it damages Lamy Safaris. I had it in a blue one I bought last year. I used it in it and a Jinhao X750 for about 9 months and upon getting another blue ink decided instead of buying a new pen for it I'd just use the safari.

I cleaned out the Safari with bleach and water using a soft tooth brush and a small bottle brush looking brush.

Even though some people will say you can't use any other ink after using Baystate Blue, it is fine. There was no damage to the Safari, and I'd say as long as you thoroughly clean the pen where there is no residue left you can use other inks in it after if you'd like.

Forgot to add, it will stain things that you inadvertently get it on. I've used bleach to remove it from my fingers and our kitchen sink (The sink was just seconds after spilling a tiny bit). But i'd have to say anything light colored or porous would probably been stained for life.

Edited by Rob62158
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Well, the Vac 700 arrived the other day. It's got washable blue Quink in at the moment and, on Tuesday, it's getting fully disassembled and cleaned prior to BSB Wednesday!

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

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Gladly! Don't think anyone needs to see washable blue first though.

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

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The day finally arrived!

 

First two are photos, the last is a scan. The paper is Oxford 90gsm - my current favourite.

 

http://i.imgur.com/cqeHJ5a.jpg?1

 

http://i.imgur.com/6G9z3RZ.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/b3lLtwt.jpg

 

Thanks for all the help in this thread - it's resulted in a quite incredible pen/ink combo!

Edited by Tom Traubert

Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.

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