Noodler's Bay State Blue

[LuckyR]

I've had a new bottle of BSB for a couple of weeks now and finally worked up the courage to fill my Hero 5020 with it yesterday evening. With 21 hours of elapsed time, nothing has melted or fused yet. The jury's still out, of course, but I have hope for it. I do love the color!

 

Having said all that, would I put it in my Safari Vista? No, I would not. That's why I decided to try it in my Hero pen.

 

 

What's the report a couple of weeks out?

[spotted and speckled]

Ummm...not even considering manufacturers defect? Even NOS can have problems.

 

 

I have used BSB in a multitude of pens. New and vintage. Never had a problem. I do not own a Lamy 2000 because it is tactilely unappealing to me. But I have 7 or 8 Safaris and haven't had a problem there either.

 

As stated prior, problems have been with the FEEDS of the Lamys, or with poor pen hygiene. You can't mix any of the Bay State colors with anything other than a Baystate color.

[majorworks]

I've had a new bottle of BSB for a couple of weeks now and finally worked up the courage to fill my Hero 5020 with it yesterday evening. With 21 hours of elapsed time, nothing has melted or fused yet. The jury's still out, of course, but I have hope for it. I do love the color!

 

Having said all that, would I put it in my Safari Vista? No, I would not. That's why I decided to try it in my Hero pen.

 

 

What's the report a couple of weeks out?

 

I never followed up on this. What happened with BSB in the Hero was that it didn't flow very well. The pen, which is fine with other ordinary Noodler's inks like Cayenne and Green Marine, started skipping a lot and writing very dry. I ended up flushing it.

[withoutink]

Anyone who doesnt want to keep their baystate blue, id gladly take some off your hands.

[Mille]

This is pure silliness. An ink does not randomly attack plastic in different pens. If there was such a problem with the ink it would be well known. Its pH is not higher than the ammonia used to rinse the pens.

 

The P75 is about 40 years old and can have been storen in different places. Plastic ages, especially if it has been stored in a warn place. Just use a modern converter.

[Philosophy Student]

This is pure silliness. An ink does not randomly attack plastic in different pens. If there was such a problem with the ink it would be well known. Its pH is not higher than the ammonia used to rinse the pens.

 

The P75 is about 40 years old and can have been storen in different places. Plastic ages, especially if it has been stored in a warn place. Just use a modern converter.

 

 

 

As far as I am aware

 

1. It is well known

2. we do not keep ammonia in our pens for weeks at a time in pure concentrations. This is what noodler's says about the BSB ink

 

"This ink is unique and has a different pH than other Noodler's Inks - being slightly more alkaline as indicated on the label."

 

Note, a converter will not address the contact the ink would have with the nib or the feed.

[Possum Hill]

This is pure silliness. An ink does not randomly attack plastic in different pens. If there was such a problem with the ink it would be well known. Its pH is not higher than the ammonia used to rinse the pens.

 

The P75 is about 40 years old and can have been storen in different places. Plastic ages, especially if it has been stored in a warn place. Just use a modern converter.

 

 

 

As far as I am aware

 

1. It is well known

2. we do not keep ammonia in our pens for weeks at a time in pure concentrations. This is what noodler's says about the BSB ink

 

"This ink is unique and has a different pH than other Noodler's Inks - being slightly more alkaline as indicated on the label."

 

Note, a converter will not address the contact the ink would have with the nib or the feed.

1. Nope, but people sure do repeat it a lot.

 

2. The degree of alkalinity of Bay State Blue is not particularly unusual for inks, and no one has worried about it much in connection with other inks past or present.

[withoutink]

If I were to get a pen to be used especially with BSB would there be one that wouldn't be too problematic? Obviously, I dont want to spend to much in case there is catastrophe.

[Possum Hill]

If I were to get a pen to be used especially with BSB would there be one that wouldn't be too problematic? Obviously, I dont want to spend to much in case there is catastrophe.

 

I use it in a Reform 1745. I also have a couple of other 1745's inked with other inks. Nice inexpensive pens.

[Bill Smith]

Bay State Blue has to be the most maligned fountain pen in on the market. I have used in a beater Parker 51 Aerometric for over a year now with no issues, period.

 

My experiences with Noodlers ink has been positive 99% of the time save for Blue on the Plains of Abraham which was a nice idea at the time (great label though).

 

BSB is a modern re-incarnation of a vintage ink from the 1940's and yes it is prone to staining, take that into account, you will be fine.

[Mille]

Just think about the probabilities here.

 

First we we the option of an randomly aggressive in which happens to attack ink sacks. That a slight alkaline solution would destroy the plastic in the feed or a gold nib is stupid.

 

We can also consider the option the ink sack after forty years of storage had become old.

 

I think the easiest option is to buy a new Parker converter. I use a modern one and they are compatible.

[lapis]

Well, as mentioned above, I loaded a Kultur with BSB 6 weeks ago, wrote a lot and then washed it out yesterday. Washing here means 20x each with water, detergent, water again, then finally sat overnight filled with a very mild bleach solution. The initial slight staining of the section's insides (like in any other transparent pen) could finally be made colourless. Now filled with a very light saffron ink, it writes as good as ever. Absolutely no touch of a blue hue.

My deduction: some pens just can't handle that ink. Others can. And the Kultur is the least expensive pen I've ever bought!

 

Mike

[ZeissIkon]

My deduction: some pens just can't handle that ink. Others can.

 

Exactly. And the only pens I've seen reported as failing "because of" BSB on more than one occasion are Lamy and (potentially counterfeit) Hero 616s.

[jpr]

As much as I like the color of BSB, I have yet to encounter anyone that used it in a pen worth more than $100 and give a thumbs up.

I use other Noodlers inks with no issues, so far.

Edited November 16, 2009 by jpr

[Possum Hill]

As much as I like the color of BSB, I have yet to encounter anyone that used it in a pen worth more than $100 and give a thumbs up.

I use other Noodlers inks with no issues, so far.

My pens face enough hazards other than the ink in them that I'd be pretty reluctant to spend more than $100 on one I intended to use.

[jpr]

That made my gloomy Monday pretty good, Possum Hill.

[Marlon]

Continuing on the topic, has anybody tried using BSB on a 1990s 14K gold nibbed Parker 45? This pen is among my favourite writes, and BSB is an ink which, from what is saw appeals perfectly to my idea of blue.

 

Could anybody post some suggestions if this will work?

[dizzypen]

I suspect that these complaints about BSB attacks are the result of either known issues with the feeds on some Lamys or BSB mixing with ink residue left in the feed/collector. Nathan does specify that this ink cannot be mixed with other inks lest it cause some serious issues.

[karmakoda]

I'm beginning to doubt this topic will ever be completely resolved or understood, and also doubt that I will completely trust Baystate Blue.

However, so far, no problems, that is no problems with this ink in a Pilot 78G, Parker Duofold and an old Platignum. But still, I do not feel comfortable using BSB in my favorite pens.

As much as this ink has become a surprise favorite, I can find very close substitutes in inks that have no attached questions regarding destructive qualities.

Rats!, i like this colour..... but lack the courage of the Baystate Blue Princess Warrior that uses BSB in her Pelikan White Tortoise.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/141878-the-baystate-blue-journey/

Edited March 19, 2010 by karmakoda

[bpendleton]

Noodler's Baystate Blue has destroyed both my

1. Lamy Vista
   
2. Lamy Safari
   

 

Just in case it's been fixed in a later model, could you tell us when you bought the Lamy's?