If you have a problem with something getting stained with Baystate Blue, just put the item by a sunny window where direct light will reach it. It's among the most fugitive inks I've ever tested for lightfastness, leaving only a light yellow stain after a few months! (No fading if not exposed to light. :) )
I LOVE Baystate blue! It’s just high maintenance but it’s absolutely gorgeous. The color is unmatched. I have dedicated a Metropolitan Fine pen, been 4 years and still going strong. I also periodically use it in my vanishing point and Twisbi mini….but use Goulet flush after I’m done using it. No issues. 👍
A guy once wrote his girlfriend's name, "Maisie", on his arm in Baystate Blue. They broke up a few weeks later. It took him 31 years to find another girl named "Maisie".
I know this is a joke, but unfortunately thats impossible. Skin changes every week and even if you superglue your skin together the skin and glue would fall off. But otherwise the dog could get stained as their hair, especially not in the summer, gets stained and won't fall out for long.
Brian, you don't have to know where your diploma is for Bay State Blue to stain it. Simply open up the bottle for a fraction of a second, and your diploma and myriad other random objects in your home will become stained.
Brian K! Just helped me out on a journal question. I’m on the west coast and didn’t realize it was closing time for Goulet when I contacted them. So even with that, he was patient, professional and helpful. Great team there!
There's some mixed messaging here. "Don't be afraid of it, but dedicate a pen to it." "I'm not afraid to use it, but I coated the inside of a Kaweco with silicone grease to protect it." My opinion - it's a great ink, but you have to respect it. I too have a TWSBI ECO that I dedicate to the ink, mostly because it stained my Lamy Vista; and no, mechanical cleaning/bleach solution didn't remove all of it. Furthermore, when filling it, I'm aware of how easily it stains everything nearby, so I make sure to completely clear off half of the kitchen table, lay down a couple of grocery bags as a fluid barrier, and then fill slowly and deliberately. It's a great ink, and there's nothing like it. The tradeoff is that you have to be aware that the ink needs some more delicate handling. The way I recommend most people try BSB is with a Platinum Prefonte or Preppy, something where they can decide if they like the color, and then dedicate a pen to it like an ECO or a 580. Having the proper care from the start manages expectations and leads to better outcomes for all.
Hello and greetings from India! Baystate blue was one of the first three noodler's inks that i purchased-in 2012- from Goulet. Over the last many years, i have gone on to purchase many 4.5 oz bottles of this ink. The flow is wet, the colour eye-catching, the price amazing, and the ink lovable. Disclaimer: I have it in an inexpensive pen. Thanks.
Love Brian from Customer Service giving his point of view! (BTW: can we get a reprint of Brian’s Diploma for him? Might be a cool gift for him to receive after giving us such a great review of Baystate Blue?)
I love Baystate Blue. I didn't at first, but a long time friend of mine recently died at age 52 and years ago she touted a cobalt blue wool coat. It's in her honor and when I ordered my bottle I accidentally ordered the 4.5 oz or 133 ml bottle but that is very much in order with who this tribute is for!
I can’t believe I sit here at night sipping tea and watching fountain pen videos. My friends are talking about an intervention. I don’t understand what they have against tea.
@@Stitchxavi Speaking on behalf of my gender (if I am allowed to do that these days) men really aren’t all that bright. But it’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.
I've personally never used Baystate Blue but for anyone out there who's still nervous of it and looking for a less intimidating alternative, I can highly reccomend Baltimore Canyon Blue. I got my bottle three or four years ago and it remains my go-to blue. I've used it in my Lamy Safari, my TWISBI Eco and my Scrivener, and I've never had any problems with it aside from some light staining in the Scrivener converter (and that's only because I left it in there for a year oops). Beautiful blue, goes down smooth, will treat you right if you use common sense with it.
I've used some inks that have bad reputations in vintage pens. The horror story of Noodler's inks eating vintage ink sacs is HIGHLY exaggerated, and seems to be only Apache Sunset. On occasion. Even vintage ink sacs tended to be very durable, or the truly pen melting Parker Superchrome or "51" inks would have eaten the diaphragm out of the early 51s easily. I have examples of Waterman's, Parker, Sheaffer's, Wahl-Eversharp and Esterbrook still on the original ink sac after 70+ years, and the replacement ones are made of the same recipe of latex, on the original molds, to the same specifications, so I also don't get it when people say that the replacement ones can fail in around 10 years. Sure. They can. But it's kind of unlikely, IMO. (Maybe Conklin uses a lower quality? I'm sure that the modern Wahl-Eversharp is a high quality ink sac.) My only concern with BSB is the staining of the sac and "does not play well with others" with vintage. That might be a problem, then. I'm not adverse to a little bit of extra cleaning, so, though I'll probably alienate Brian by this, although blue inks are not my favourite (see, I'm sure I upset him 😉), I'd have no problems with using BSB.
Very vibrant blue,well bahaved & a fantastic ink! As long as you don't mix it with others. Writes everytime,anytime & does not dry up even after 5-6 months! And waterproof,one of my requirements in my work. My signature ink & I ink them in my Pilot VP, Custom 742, Pelikan M200, Diplomat Esteem, amongst others. Am on my 3rd bottle so far. Treat it well & it'll treat u well in return. No need paranoia !
Brian K. of the most excellent Customer Care team has gone above and beyond being helpful and caring in my experience with Goulet Pens. He has certainly quelled any anxiety I may have had in purchasing a new pen. Nothing but love&respect for him and his knowledge, experience,and advice. I won't put Bay State Bleu in my Pilot E95S but may purchase some for my ECO-T. The color is growing on me. And,if I may be so bold;Drew is rockin in that vest;his sartorial style is impeccable.
Good lord, I’ve had a waterman 52 filled with it constantly for over three years. It hasn’t eaten the sac, it hasn’t turned the red ripples blue, and it hasn’t melted the nib. I wouldn’t put it in any celluloid pen, but I don’t put any staining inks in celluloid pens.
I really love this ink. I myself dedicate my TWSBI 580 ALR Navy Blue for this ink and it's a beautiful combination! The only downside is not all paper is able to handle this ink properly, so my paper option are limited.
I was thinking about buying a 580 ALR Navy for Baystate. Do you still like the combination, even with the staining of the barrel, and does it stain more over time? Like, does it get to the point where you can't see through the barrel anymore?
I don't like the color enough to make Baystate Blue worth bothering with. I don't want to deal with staining. If I did, I'd devote a specific, inexpensive pen to this ink. It might have been worth mentioning that the other two Baystate ink colors (Grape and Cranberry) also have the same properties and also should not be mixed with other inks (as far as I know).
Reposting from the longer video: I disassembled a clear Noodler’s Konrad and left it to sit for a couple weeks in a container of Baystate Blue. It was a pain to take out, but it’s now a “Baystate Blue Demo” Konrad. It was meant to be my devoted Baystate Blue pen, but I swapped my Triple Tail nib to it (the “Trip-rad”) and still need to work on finding a paper that can handle that much Baystate Blue...
I use Noodler's Baystate blue and Platinum Carbon and honestly Baystate blue is much more manageable than Carbon because the Carbon is deposing residue everywhere inside the pen and on the nib in a blink of an eye and you have to clean your pen really frequently and your nib daily to avoid any problems. Baystate blue stains certain materials yes but as a watercolor user I can say that the more the blue pigment is high quality the more it will stain so it's normal for an ink as pigmented and good as Baystate to be like that. You just have to use dark high-end pens or cheap pens with it if you really care about staining, clean your pen regularly (or just a few times a year if you want) with a pen cleaning product (or not if you want too) and always have some really diluted bleach to remove stains in your pens and cleaning stone (Universal Cleaning Stone) to remove stains on your tables, etc.. like you should already have in your house to do your house chores. I have this ink in a vintage Waterman Heritage marbled blue with a gold 18ct nib (with converter) since 4 years now and my pen is totally fine. Ps: Cleaning stone is amazing to clean your oven, glass tables, stone countertop, it cleans and polishes hot plate too not matter if it is a ceramic or induction one and cleans perfectly any jewelery or metallic surface too. I really recommend it, in France we use it all the times.
@Anaïs L That’s the trouble with carbon inks. They are not easy to clean out of your pens and the gunk they deposit is a pain in the butt to remove. You also have to clean your pens really well if you want to switch from carbon to non-carbon inks.
Forget BSB, it dissolves instantly with a little bleach. Kung Te-Cheng is the ink everyone should be talking about, as a heavily pigmented ink that stuff is like loading your pen with a family of microscopic beavers. After the bottle sits long enough you will see the purple silt resting on the bottom of the bottle, it can be pretty hard to reintegrate into the fluid. So why would anyone use it? Kung Te-Cheng is one of the few fully sunlight-proof inks on the market, 100% archival and a beautifully saturated color.
Shockingly, some fp users care more about color & flow than permanence. I go back & forth. I love Kung Te Cheng's color and permanence, but dislike its flow on most papers: I cannot make fine lines with it. BSB, otoh, flows beautifully for calligraphy, but I only use it for my own amusement, not for art that needs to last.
My main problem with Baystate Blue is that mine feathers and bleeds through like crazy, even on Tomoe River paper. From what I have heard, this isn't the case for every bottle, but it seems to be a common problem. If anyone else has this problem, apparently it helps to add a bit of water. I haven't tried it myself yet, but will do so next time I use Baystate Blue.
Hi Brian K!! Thank you for recommending De Atramentis black for document writing! I might go for the Baystate Blue a try for my regular documenting. Thanks for your expertise!
So, now I have my own Bay State Blue story to tell. I purchased a bottle for myself and a friend a little less than a year ago before looking into the various colorful anecdotes about the ink. All I can say is that I love the vibrant blue of BSB, but it does not come without some caveats. Cut to the chase, and I soon chose to dedicate a pen to it, a blue Noodler’s Ahab (the first I ever purchased) and I enjoyed several refills of the converter. Until . . . I now have what appears to be a converter barrel stuck inside the pen barrel as the result of what I believe to have been a small leak of the BSB. I’ve let it soak for several days in water, but so far no efforts of persuasion on my part have convinced the converter barrel to emerge from the pen barrel. I now find myself at the mercy of the forums pending the purchase of a new ‘BSB only’ pen. Any advice is welcome.
Thank you so much; now I will use my three Baystate inks like I do the many others. I too had an instance where I had spillage. I got it on my vinyl floor tile and I am a renter; thought I was going to die! I had to use comet powdered cleaner and it ALL came off the tile!
I’m loving bsb! I’ve been using it for about a week. I put it in a noodlers ahab blue demonstrator so no prob with stains. I use it to journal and have had no problem
My newest adquisition. This is just the second ink I ever acquire. I’m an attorney at law and notary, and I wanted a permanent ink to sign legal documents; so this is the one I have, with Lamy turquoise. So far, I’ve loved the colour.
When I flush any of my pens, either with an ammonia- or bleach-based solution, I then flush it well with (distilled) water to make sure no residue remains.
I bought a bottle because it was so beautiful. I'm glad I did before I heard the horror stories. I'm being careful with it now that I know, but I just use it with a dedicated pen and a dedicated brush for washes and that's it. It is so pretty, I absolutely love using it with my watercolors. This and pecan are my absolute faves. So pretty and vibrant. Not lightfast but that's fine, I make prints anyway.
I do think there is one expensive pen not mentioned that was pretty much designed for BSB: the Schon dsgn ultem. It might be nerve-wracking to eyedrop, but you can also just use a converter and feel safe knowing the ink will never stain the ultem. As for the nib and feed, it's just standard jowo #6 stuff, so you can just pick up an extra feed and housing to be the designated BSB
If I got a $100+ pen that can't handle any fountain pen ink that I want to put in it, I'd be pretty pissed. Anyway, this video is very reassuring, as I had come to grips that BSB is a lifestyle, not just an ink, and I was prepared to sell my house and children so I could commit fully to it without any distractions. You guys make it sound like I just need to exercise a reasonable amount of caution, which would be waaay easier. Come to think of it, that keeps happening to me with Noodler's. The first time I bought a bottle, I opened it in a room fully covered in clear plastic tarps, like in Dexter, because I heard the bottles were so full that they tended to explode in a 12 foot geyser that would destroy every exposed surface. There must be hundreds of reviews confirming this. I've since learned that the secret is really just not to spaz the eff out or try to stand the bottle up on carpet when it is open. Then I bought a fume hood for storing the free pen I got because of the absolutely *horrific* smell that they are known by all to be constantly off-gassing, to spare my family and I the constant agony of dry heaving every time we walked past my desk. While I still think it was a solid precaution, both of my Noodler's pens are only smellable when dragged under the nose like a fine cigar, and maybe I am all messed up from covid because it doesn't seem _bad_ to me. I am honestly worried. Stay vigilant of Noodler's my friends. Nathan Tardif is on a one man mission to stain, melt, and stink up every last fountain pen on earth.
I love the colors of Noodler's Baystate inks, I have Baystate Blue and Baystate Concord Grape. Both are very pretty but I've been a little weary of using them since my dedicated pen I got hasn't come yet and all of my pens so far are demonstrators that I'd like to keep clean and pretty. Ig I'm in the market for a second purple ink too that won't stain everything since I love purple inks so much. Probably gonna go with Waterman's purple ink. Anyways thanks for the video!
I use a dedicated pen (Jinhao 159), converter and syringe for BSB. I have had some slip-ups with the ink but aside from a few stray marks on my desk surface, nothing permanent. Quick tip: Hand sanitizer works well for dispelling fresh BSB stains.
I just got Platinum 3776 in soft fine and Charles Blue. Nib is a litte too scratchy for my taste. I've tried a few other blues, but seem too dry still. I'm making up on mind to use Baystate blue as the only pen for this pen. Hoping I don't regret this later. Wish me luck
Yea Brian K! I am a fan of BSB. It's bright, it dries fast, it's well behaved! I wear gloves when cleaning pens anyway, so I have fewer worries about hand staining. I also agree with Brian G, bleach solution is the way I roll for cleaning! 🙂
Now, I intrigued whether you have a no hassle vibrant ink recommendations content. Quick dry on paper yet not easily clogging uncapped nib, no or less stain when accident happen and easy to clean/flush from pen.
Incredible that out of all the inks available, I suddenly find a video on this beautiful ink. I have it in a LOT of pens. I have never found another ink that is as pretty of a blue. IT IS GORGEOUS!! I have several reserve bottles. It is my favorite, and I even have it in a Pilot Custom Urushi! Rut roh!! I wondered about the staining because I noticed that it stained some of my converters and my syringe. Then, I had an accident in a WHITE & blue striped shirt. The shirt pocket was full of ink! I thought it was ruined! I put whitening tooth paste on it, and overnight the stain was gone! So… I became less afraid of the ink after that! That toothpaste is Arm & Hammer Whitening…has a lot of peroxide. And it is probably less aggressive than a bleach solution, as it did not whiten the blue stripes on the shirt; just removed the ink. So, perhaps a diluted solution of this, would work as well, and be less potentially damaging than a weak bleach solution. Never mix bleach with anything except water though! Great video guys!!
follow-up BSB questions: 1) Is it "Safe" to use in pens such as the HERO 329; 616; 1107 and others that have a AEROMETRIC fill system, and CANNOT be completely disassembled for cleaning? Personally, I am not worried about the ink staining the ink sacks ... of my eight Aerometric fill pens (including a vintage Parker Super 21) only two have a transluscent ink sack, anyway. 🙄 2) I have a circa 1948 - 1960 Waterman's "IDEAL" lever fill. At best it can be flushed with water or pen flush by working the lever. The section/feed/nib cannot be taken apart -- at least not without specialized toold and jigs I don't have. I don't know if the ink sack is original, or if it has been replaced at least once by a previous owner (or owners) or what ink sak material was used if/when the sack was last replaced. Is BSB suitable for use in a vintage lever fill pen? Obviously staining the ink sack is a non-issue, since it will not be seen unless it needs replaced. I'm more concerned about the ink deteriorating the ink sack. I used Noodler's 54th MASS ink exclusively in this pen for a couple years. I recently cleaned the pen and re-inked with Noodler's Warden Bad Blue Heron ink. As far as I know, these two inks have not damaged the ink sack. (it loads ink, AND it is not leaking ink at the lever fill. I'm pretty sure if the ink sak was bad, it would not load ink and it would be leaking at the fill lever.)
I love this podcast! I just started using fountain pens last summer. Listening to your podcasts have helped me to learn so much about what I was getting into! Have you done any videos on Vinta Inks? Have you tried them? If so, what's your take?
I do love me some baystate blue, I have a designated sailor with a SS nib on it…. LOVE IT! AND I have my violet custom74 inked with Baystate Concord grape, and I LOVE that! I will probably just forever use that ink in THAT pen. But I do have a question, are waterproof inks in general, harder to clean out of our pens? Is there more maintenance I need to do for a waterproof option? ARe there shimmer or sheening inks that have a waterproof or resistance to them? Thanks in advance…. Denise
No! No you should not fear BSB! Respect it, yes! Put it in something you expect to put any other color in...no! It will stain...not maybe...WILL. So, blue is the most beautiful color to come out of whichever pen you put it in for the rest of eternity!
Baystate Blue was my first ink. It isn't the nightmare most think it is, it does ghost and bleed easier than most. Also wow does it not stick to skin like you would expect, and a simple bleach solution soak removes any staining from most pens. I really dont care about staining though. My Preppy was eye droppered and filled with Baystate Blue for months.
I use BSB daily!!! I use it in my Lamys (Lamies!?! Including Vistas), Esterbrook (1950's LJ; lever fill), Zebra, and Pilot (Preras and Varsitys (Varsities!?!?). Since 2015, it is all I use and the only caveat is be aware and careful with the surroundings where you refill your units. I've had very good results with a diluted bleach solution to clean my pens, and they 're as good as they can be (even the Estie's sac). Thank you, for your time, and service!
I was about to take a lunchtime nap during my break, but... well. This reminded me that I haven't used Baystate Blue in a long time. Time to pick a victim and fill it up with BSB!
I read all the 'horror stories' about BSB and still bought it. It's now in two dedicated pens, and one just past the 2-year mark of being constantly inked. Everything is fine for me. I'm (totally) guessing that maybe someone didn't clean their pen well before inking with BSB - and there was a bad reaction when it mixed with the former ink... 🤷🏾♀️
Wait, it is taking more than 2 years to melt your pens? I thought this stuff was like xenomorph blood, instantly eating through 3 decks before even slowing down...
Yea I 😍Bay State Blue myself..... though you might want to dedicate it to 1 pen and keeping it that "ink" collor only. Also note that it will stain the inside of your pen's body. Reminds me I need to order a 4.5 oz bottle in the future. Another Noodler's Ink I like is there "Lightning Blue" Ink (matches fantastically with a Twisbi Eco in Cerilum).🥰
I took no chances and dedicated a blue Wing Sung 699 demonstrator (a cheap clone of the Pilot Custom 823) to Baystate Blue. I've had no issues with the ink staining anything other than the already-blue pen. However, Baystate Blue DOES have one drawback: it fades if exposed to sunlight. Other than that, it's one of my favorite colors and it's nicely wet, but still well controlled. As to interaction with steel, I saw no effect on the stainless steel vacuum filler shaft in the year or so that I've kept it inked. The same shaft (in a different pen) had a WILD chemical reaction with Lamy Erasable Blue and I had to dismantle that pen to scrub the weird blue crust off the shaft.
Does it stain Ultem? I just bought the Schon Design Ultem and haven't loaded it yet, mostly out of trepidation, but also because I don't want it to ruin a $250 pen.
I used to love Baystate Blue. Until it ruined the plastics in my Graf. It's more than stain, it erodes the seals and some metals. Despite Brian K's assertion on the TWSBI, it melted one of mine (yes, melted). It dissolved the seals in my Graf, as I mentioned, and a couple of Visconti Rembrandts. If you want to use it, use it with a dip pen. and be careful with it. It stains irrevocably.
@@DragonsinGenesisPodcast so the holes in my fins and the ink oozing from around the nib is a myth? Thanks, good to know. Now if I could figure out how to get the blot off my desk…
So just to make sure I have this timeline right... It melted a nice pen, so you put it in another pen, which melted, which then made you decide to put it in at least 2 more pens? Help me understand your endgame here...
@@doc_sav Actually, I had several pens inked with it simultaneously. It is a lovely colour, but the damage done came at different times. Some was quick, like the Graf (sadly) some was long-term, like the TWSBI, and giving it up was hard. I did not want to think it was the ink. When I took the Graf in, the Pen Doctor looked at it once, shook his head, and said never use the ink in quality pens. So I tossed the bottle and haven't used it since.
I like my Baystate Blue. But just a couple of weeks ago a young woman serving at my only local B&M FP store warned ma about the terrible Noodler's inks that would destroy my pens.
I only use Graf. I trust Faber-Castell. Why would anyone make an ink that dissolves your pen? It just seems like that ink isn't really intended for fountains. You might try painting with it. IDK.
There was a sale of Pilot Metropolitan FPs here, about $4.40 incl. tax. Since it has a squeeze converter, I bought one, and "sacrificed" it a la Thanos 😂 Not seeing it stain my demonstrators lets me sleep well at night
I don't even own a fountain pen but I must know more about Baystate Blue than the average pen fanatic... this is the second video youtube has recommended me on it lol
If you have a problem with something getting stained with Baystate Blue, just put the item by a sunny window where direct light will reach it. It's among the most fugitive inks I've ever tested for lightfastness, leaving only a light yellow stain after a few months! (No fading if not exposed to light. :) )
What would YOU know about ink and sunlight? ;) - Drew
@@Gouletpens Lightfastness of inks would make a very interesting video!
I LOVE Baystate blue! It’s just high maintenance but it’s absolutely gorgeous. The color is unmatched. I have dedicated a Metropolitan Fine pen, been 4 years and still going strong. I also periodically use it in my vanishing point and Twisbi mini….but use Goulet flush after I’m done using it. No issues. 👍
A guy once wrote his girlfriend's name, "Maisie", on his arm in Baystate Blue.
They broke up a few weeks later.
It took him 31 years to find another girl named "Maisie".
LOL....ROTFL
😂😂😂
😮😐😐🤨🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I know this is a joke, but unfortunately thats impossible. Skin changes every week and even if you superglue your skin together the skin and glue would fall off.
But otherwise the dog could get stained as their hair, especially not in the summer, gets stained and won't fall out for long.
@@danilvinyukov2060 you started out fine, but then the dosage must have run out...
Brian, you don't have to know where your diploma is for Bay State Blue to stain it. Simply open up the bottle for a fraction of a second, and your diploma and myriad other random objects in your home will become stained.
My Labradoodle is now a Bluetick. What kind of mystical alchemy does Nathan practice!
Brian K! Just helped me out on a journal question. I’m on the west coast and didn’t realize it was closing time for Goulet when I contacted them. So even with that, he was patient, professional and helpful. Great team there!
There's some mixed messaging here. "Don't be afraid of it, but dedicate a pen to it." "I'm not afraid to use it, but I coated the inside of a Kaweco with silicone grease to protect it." My opinion - it's a great ink, but you have to respect it. I too have a TWSBI ECO that I dedicate to the ink, mostly because it stained my Lamy Vista; and no, mechanical cleaning/bleach solution didn't remove all of it. Furthermore, when filling it, I'm aware of how easily it stains everything nearby, so I make sure to completely clear off half of the kitchen table, lay down a couple of grocery bags as a fluid barrier, and then fill slowly and deliberately.
It's a great ink, and there's nothing like it. The tradeoff is that you have to be aware that the ink needs some more delicate handling. The way I recommend most people try BSB is with a Platinum Prefonte or Preppy, something where they can decide if they like the color, and then dedicate a pen to it like an ECO or a 580. Having the proper care from the start manages expectations and leads to better outcomes for all.
Thanks for sharing
Planning on dedicating my Prefonte to it.
Hello and greetings from India!
Baystate blue was one of the first three noodler's inks that i purchased-in 2012- from Goulet. Over the last many years, i have gone on to purchase many 4.5 oz bottles of this ink.
The flow is wet, the colour eye-catching, the price amazing, and the ink lovable. Disclaimer: I have it in an inexpensive pen.
Thanks.
Chal be karorapati
Tell me someone is scary hard-core without telling me someone is scary hard-core....
_Brian K. uses Baystate Blue on a regular basis._ 🤯
😂
Love Brian from Customer Service giving his point of view! (BTW: can we get a reprint of Brian’s Diploma for him? Might be a cool gift for him to receive after giving us such a great review of Baystate Blue?)
Can we get a reprint of his diploma IN Baystate Blue?
@@ICGTOH He's already got the original in Baystate Blue! :D
I love Baystate Blue. I didn't at first, but a long time friend of mine recently died at age 52 and years ago she touted a cobalt blue wool coat. It's in her honor and when I ordered my bottle I accidentally ordered the 4.5 oz or 133 ml bottle but that is very much in order with who this tribute is for!
Condolences to you on the passing of your friend. 💙
I absolutely LOVE Baystate Blue. I currently use it in my Conklin Endura Deco. It's a blue that REALLY pops.
I'd love to see Brian K more often in the show.
I appreciate him sharing his wisdom & experience with BSB. His understated style of delivery is a breath of fresh air.
Bay state Blue is like tequila, you gotta respect it and it will respect you.
Well said! - Drew
I can’t believe I sit here at night sipping tea and watching fountain pen videos. My friends are talking about an intervention. I don’t understand what they have against tea.
Best comment ever. I forced my husband to watch 2 videos and he doesn’t get it. 😂
@@Stitchxavi Speaking on behalf of my gender (if I am allowed to do that these days) men really aren’t all that bright. But it’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.
I wonder if my parents would prefer me to do drugs. Would be better for my finances XD
I've personally never used Baystate Blue but for anyone out there who's still nervous of it and looking for a less intimidating alternative, I can highly reccomend Baltimore Canyon Blue. I got my bottle three or four years ago and it remains my go-to blue. I've used it in my Lamy Safari, my TWISBI Eco and my Scrivener, and I've never had any problems with it aside from some light staining in the Scrivener converter (and that's only because I left it in there for a year oops). Beautiful blue, goes down smooth, will treat you right if you use common sense with it.
"Enjoy doing something other people might be afraid to do." DEEP!
I've used some inks that have bad reputations in vintage pens. The horror story of Noodler's inks eating vintage ink sacs is HIGHLY exaggerated, and seems to be only Apache Sunset. On occasion.
Even vintage ink sacs tended to be very durable, or the truly pen melting Parker Superchrome or "51" inks would have eaten the diaphragm out of the early 51s easily. I have examples of Waterman's, Parker, Sheaffer's, Wahl-Eversharp and Esterbrook still on the original ink sac after 70+ years, and the replacement ones are made of the same recipe of latex, on the original molds, to the same specifications, so I also don't get it when people say that the replacement ones can fail in around 10 years. Sure. They can. But it's kind of unlikely, IMO. (Maybe Conklin uses a lower quality? I'm sure that the modern Wahl-Eversharp is a high quality ink sac.)
My only concern with BSB is the staining of the sac and "does not play well with others" with vintage. That might be a problem, then. I'm not adverse to a little bit of extra cleaning, so, though I'll probably alienate Brian by this, although blue inks are not my favourite (see, I'm sure I upset him 😉), I'd have no problems with using BSB.
Thanks for the insight, Paul! - Drew
Very vibrant blue,well bahaved & a fantastic ink! As long as you don't mix it with others. Writes everytime,anytime & does not dry up even after 5-6 months! And waterproof,one of my requirements in my work. My signature ink & I ink them in my Pilot VP, Custom 742, Pelikan M200, Diplomat Esteem, amongst others. Am on my 3rd bottle so far. Treat it well & it'll treat u well in return. No need paranoia !
Brian K. of the most excellent Customer Care team has gone above and beyond being helpful and caring in my experience with Goulet Pens. He has certainly quelled any anxiety I may have had in purchasing a new pen. Nothing but love&respect for him and his knowledge, experience,and advice. I won't put Bay State Bleu in my Pilot E95S but may purchase some for my ECO-T. The color is growing on me. And,if I may be so bold;Drew is rockin in that vest;his sartorial style is impeccable.
We all appreciate the kind words, Michael! - Drew
The quiet chaos that lives inside this man is something to behold.
I love this ink. And have used it in a Pilot 823 for about three years now. And it's worked like a dream.
I really enjoy just listening to these guys talk.
Love to Brian K, who has helped me on multiple occasions with questions and issues, with patience and courtesy.
Good lord, I’ve had a waterman 52 filled with it constantly for over three years. It hasn’t eaten the sac, it hasn’t turned the red ripples blue, and it hasn’t melted the nib.
I wouldn’t put it in any celluloid pen, but I don’t put any staining inks in celluloid pens.
I have a pilot kakuno F dedicated for BSB. I love using BSB with a fine nib
I really love this ink. I myself dedicate my TWSBI 580 ALR Navy Blue for this ink and it's a beautiful combination! The only downside is not all paper is able to handle this ink properly, so my paper option are limited.
I dedicated a blue Lamy al star and my turquoise retro pop Metropolitan to this ink.
I was thinking about buying a 580 ALR Navy for Baystate. Do you still like the combination, even with the staining of the barrel, and does it stain more over time? Like, does it get to the point where you can't see through the barrel anymore?
I don't like the color enough to make Baystate Blue worth bothering with. I don't want to deal with staining. If I did, I'd devote a specific, inexpensive pen to this ink. It might have been worth mentioning that the other two Baystate ink colors (Grape and Cranberry) also have the same properties and also should not be mixed with other inks (as far as I know).
Love the Baystate Blue. It's my favorite blue ink. It's married to my Indigo blue, fine point Diplomat Magnum. They complement each other perfectly.
Reposting from the longer video:
I disassembled a clear Noodler’s Konrad and left it to sit for a couple weeks in a container of Baystate Blue. It was a pain to take out, but it’s now a “Baystate Blue Demo” Konrad. It was meant to be my devoted Baystate Blue pen, but I swapped my Triple Tail nib to it (the “Trip-rad”) and still need to work on finding a paper that can handle that much Baystate Blue...
Whoah. Can Brian K give a demo of his franken-pens. I know this voids warranty and all that, but that would be super cool :)
I use Noodler's Baystate blue and Platinum Carbon and honestly Baystate blue is much more manageable than Carbon because the Carbon is deposing residue everywhere inside the pen and on the nib in a blink of an eye and you have to clean your pen really frequently and your nib daily to avoid any problems. Baystate blue stains certain materials yes but as a watercolor user I can say that the more the blue pigment is high quality the more it will stain so it's normal for an ink as pigmented and good as Baystate to be like that. You just have to use dark high-end pens or cheap pens with it if you really care about staining, clean your pen regularly (or just a few times a year if you want) with a pen cleaning product (or not if you want too) and always have some really diluted bleach to remove stains in your pens and cleaning stone (Universal Cleaning Stone) to remove stains on your tables, etc.. like you should already have in your house to do your house chores. I have this ink in a vintage Waterman Heritage marbled blue with a gold 18ct nib (with converter) since 4 years now and my pen is totally fine.
Ps: Cleaning stone is amazing to clean your oven, glass tables, stone countertop, it cleans and polishes hot plate too not matter if it is a ceramic or induction one and cleans perfectly any jewelery or metallic surface too. I really recommend it, in France we use it all the times.
@Anaïs L That’s the trouble with carbon inks. They are not easy to clean out of your pens and the gunk they deposit is a pain in the butt to remove. You also have to clean your pens really well if you want to switch from carbon to non-carbon inks.
Forget BSB, it dissolves instantly with a little bleach.
Kung Te-Cheng is the ink everyone should be talking about, as a heavily pigmented ink that stuff is like loading your pen with a family of microscopic beavers.
After the bottle sits long enough you will see the purple silt resting on the bottom of the bottle, it can be pretty hard to reintegrate into the fluid.
So why would anyone use it? Kung Te-Cheng is one of the few fully sunlight-proof inks on the market, 100% archival and a beautifully saturated color.
Kung Te-Cheng or Platinum Carbon Black are absolute winners when it comes to permanence! Love them.
Shockingly, some fp users care more about color & flow than permanence. I go back & forth. I love Kung Te Cheng's color and permanence, but dislike its flow on most papers: I cannot make fine lines with it. BSB, otoh, flows beautifully for calligraphy, but I only use it for my own amusement, not for art that needs to last.
My main problem with Baystate Blue is that mine feathers and bleeds through like crazy, even on Tomoe River paper. From what I have heard, this isn't the case for every bottle, but it seems to be a common problem. If anyone else has this problem, apparently it helps to add a bit of water. I haven't tried it myself yet, but will do so next time I use Baystate Blue.
It definitely does feather a lot! - Drew
Hi Brian K!! Thank you for recommending De Atramentis black for document writing! I might go for the Baystate Blue a try for my regular documenting. Thanks for your expertise!
So, now I have my own Bay State Blue story to tell. I purchased a bottle for myself and a friend a little less than a year ago before looking into the various colorful anecdotes about the ink. All I can say is that I love the vibrant blue of BSB, but it does not come without some caveats. Cut to the chase, and I soon chose to dedicate a pen to it, a blue Noodler’s Ahab (the first I ever purchased) and I enjoyed several refills of the converter. Until . . . I now have what appears to be a converter barrel stuck inside the pen barrel as the result of what I believe to have been a small leak of the BSB. I’ve let it soak for several days in water, but so far no efforts of persuasion on my part have convinced the converter barrel to emerge from the pen barrel. I now find myself at the mercy of the forums pending the purchase of a new ‘BSB only’ pen. Any advice is welcome.
Thank you so much; now I will use my three Baystate inks like I do the many others. I too had an instance where I had spillage. I got it on my vinyl floor tile and I am a renter; thought I was going to die! I had to use comet powdered cleaner and it ALL came off the tile!
It's been 2 years! Would love to see an update on the Frankenpens. That was fun to watch
I’m loving bsb! I’ve been using it for about a week. I put it in a noodlers ahab blue demonstrator so no prob with stains. I use it to journal and have had no problem
My newest adquisition. This is just the second ink I ever acquire. I’m an attorney at law and notary, and I wanted a permanent ink to sign legal documents; so this is the one I have, with Lamy turquoise. So far, I’ve loved the colour.
I love Baystate Blue! This reminds me that I need to ink up something with it.
When I flush any of my pens, either with an ammonia- or bleach-based solution, I then flush it well with (distilled) water to make sure no residue remains.
I bought a bottle because it was so beautiful. I'm glad I did before I heard the horror stories. I'm being careful with it now that I know, but I just use it with a dedicated pen and a dedicated brush for washes and that's it. It is so pretty, I absolutely love using it with my watercolors. This and pecan are my absolute faves. So pretty and vibrant. Not lightfast but that's fine, I make prints anyway.
I do think there is one expensive pen not mentioned that was pretty much designed for BSB: the Schon dsgn ultem. It might be nerve-wracking to eyedrop, but you can also just use a converter and feel safe knowing the ink will never stain the ultem. As for the nib and feed, it's just standard jowo #6 stuff, so you can just pick up an extra feed and housing to be the designated BSB
His pens are soooo nice! - Drew
If I got a $100+ pen that can't handle any fountain pen ink that I want to put in it, I'd be pretty pissed. Anyway, this video is very reassuring, as I had come to grips that BSB is a lifestyle, not just an ink, and I was prepared to sell my house and children so I could commit fully to it without any distractions. You guys make it sound like I just need to exercise a reasonable amount of caution, which would be waaay easier.
Come to think of it, that keeps happening to me with Noodler's. The first time I bought a bottle, I opened it in a room fully covered in clear plastic tarps, like in Dexter, because I heard the bottles were so full that they tended to explode in a 12 foot geyser that would destroy every exposed surface. There must be hundreds of reviews confirming this. I've since learned that the secret is really just not to spaz the eff out or try to stand the bottle up on carpet when it is open. Then I bought a fume hood for storing the free pen I got because of the absolutely *horrific* smell that they are known by all to be constantly off-gassing, to spare my family and I the constant agony of dry heaving every time we walked past my desk. While I still think it was a solid precaution, both of my Noodler's pens are only smellable when dragged under the nose like a fine cigar, and maybe I am all messed up from covid because it doesn't seem _bad_ to me. I am honestly worried. Stay vigilant of Noodler's my friends. Nathan Tardif is on a one man mission to stain, melt, and stink up every last fountain pen on earth.
You want smell, try Kung Te Cheng ink. Smells like rotten peanut butter. Very permanent too.
I use Bay State Blue EVERY DAY. I love the stuff!
This would have been so fun if Brian would've had blue stains all over himself!!! Thanks Brian!!
I exclusively use it in a TWSBI Sport, med nib, its lush. Bold and brilliant. Luxurious.
I have Bay State Blue and love the color. I’m planning on picking up a Pilot Explorer in blue to be a dedicated pen
I love the colors of Noodler's Baystate inks, I have Baystate Blue and Baystate Concord Grape. Both are very pretty but I've been a little weary of using them since my dedicated pen I got hasn't come yet and all of my pens so far are demonstrators that I'd like to keep clean and pretty. Ig I'm in the market for a second purple ink too that won't stain everything since I love purple inks so much. Probably gonna go with Waterman's purple ink. Anyways thanks for the video!
I use a dedicated pen (Jinhao 159), converter and syringe for BSB. I have had some slip-ups with the ink but aside from a few stray marks on my desk surface, nothing permanent. Quick tip: Hand sanitizer works well for dispelling fresh BSB stains.
I just got Platinum 3776 in soft fine and Charles Blue. Nib is a litte too scratchy for my taste. I've tried a few other blues, but seem too dry still. I'm making up on mind to use Baystate blue as the only pen for this pen. Hoping I don't regret this later. Wish me luck
Yea Brian K! I am a fan of BSB. It's bright, it dries fast, it's well behaved! I wear gloves when cleaning pens anyway, so I have fewer worries about hand staining. I also agree with Brian G, bleach solution is the way I roll for cleaning! 🙂
love this ink. but i have some flow issues using baystate with some pens.
Now, I intrigued whether you have a no hassle vibrant ink recommendations content.
Quick dry on paper yet not easily clogging uncapped nib, no or less stain when accident happen and easy to clean/flush from pen.
Incredible that out of all the inks available, I suddenly find a video on this beautiful ink. I have it in a LOT of pens. I have never found another ink that is as pretty of a blue. IT IS GORGEOUS!! I have several reserve bottles. It is my favorite, and I even have it in a Pilot Custom Urushi! Rut roh!! I wondered about the staining because I noticed that it stained some of my converters and my syringe. Then, I had an accident in a WHITE & blue striped shirt. The shirt pocket was full of ink! I thought it was ruined! I put whitening tooth paste on it, and overnight the stain was gone! So… I became less afraid of the ink after that! That toothpaste is Arm & Hammer Whitening…has a lot of peroxide. And it is probably less aggressive than a bleach solution, as it did not whiten the blue stripes on the shirt; just removed the ink. So, perhaps a diluted solution of this, would work as well, and be less potentially damaging than a weak bleach solution. Never mix bleach with anything except water though! Great video guys!!
follow-up BSB questions:
1) Is it "Safe" to use in pens such as the HERO 329; 616; 1107 and others that have a AEROMETRIC fill system, and CANNOT be completely disassembled for cleaning?
Personally, I am not worried about the ink staining the ink sacks ... of my eight Aerometric fill pens (including a vintage Parker Super 21) only two have a transluscent ink sack, anyway. 🙄
2) I have a circa 1948 - 1960 Waterman's "IDEAL" lever fill.
At best it can be flushed with water or pen flush by working the lever. The section/feed/nib cannot be taken apart -- at least not without specialized toold and jigs I don't have.
I don't know if the ink sack is original, or if it has been replaced at least once by a previous owner (or owners) or what ink sak material was used if/when the sack was last replaced.
Is BSB suitable for use in a vintage lever fill pen?
Obviously staining the ink sack is a non-issue, since it will not be seen unless it needs replaced. I'm more concerned about the ink deteriorating the ink sack.
I used Noodler's 54th MASS ink exclusively in this pen for a couple years. I recently cleaned the pen and re-inked with Noodler's Warden Bad Blue Heron ink.
As far as I know, these two inks have not damaged the ink sack. (it loads ink, AND it is not leaking ink at the lever fill. I'm pretty sure if the ink sak was bad, it would not load ink and it would be leaking at the fill lever.)
BIG fan of Baystate Blue!! I do use it in a TWISBI Eco, also.
Bay state Blue has been in my rotation for years now. It’s in my Lamy Al-Star with broad nib and in my Platinum
Preppy felt tip pen.
I love this podcast! I just started using fountain pens last summer. Listening to your podcasts have helped me to learn so much about what I was getting into! Have you done any videos on Vinta Inks? Have you tried them? If so, what's your take?
Always flush your pens between fills. Any ink.
Good call! - Drew
I do love me some baystate blue, I have a designated sailor with a SS nib on it…. LOVE IT! AND I have my violet custom74 inked with Baystate Concord grape, and I LOVE that! I will probably just forever use that ink in THAT pen. But I do have a question, are waterproof inks in general, harder to clean out of our pens? Is there more maintenance I need to do for a waterproof option? ARe there shimmer or sheening inks that have a waterproof or resistance to them? Thanks in advance…. Denise
No! No you should not fear BSB! Respect it, yes! Put it in something you expect to put any other color in...no! It will stain...not maybe...WILL. So, blue is the most beautiful color to come out of whichever pen you put it in for the rest of eternity!
Baystate Blue was my first ink.
It isn't the nightmare most think it is, it does ghost and bleed easier than most.
Also wow does it not stick to skin like you would expect, and a simple bleach solution soak removes any staining from most pens. I really dont care about staining though. My Preppy was eye droppered and filled with Baystate Blue for months.
I use BSB daily!!! I use it in my Lamys (Lamies!?! Including Vistas), Esterbrook (1950's LJ; lever fill), Zebra, and Pilot (Preras and Varsitys (Varsities!?!?). Since 2015, it is all I use and the only caveat is be aware and careful with the surroundings where you refill your units. I've had very good results with a diluted bleach solution to clean my pens, and they 're as good as they can be (even the Estie's sac). Thank you, for your time, and service!
I was about to take a lunchtime nap during my break, but... well. This reminded me that I haven't used Baystate Blue in a long time. Time to pick a victim and fill it up with BSB!
Have fun! - Drew
Thanks for this informative video. I'm willing to try anything, but I am really happy with Pelikan's 4001 Royal Blue.
I'm going to try it for the first time as soon as you dispatch my order.
I read all the 'horror stories' about BSB and still bought it. It's now in two dedicated pens, and one just past the 2-year mark of being constantly inked. Everything is fine for me.
I'm (totally) guessing that maybe someone didn't clean their pen well before inking with BSB - and there was a bad reaction when it mixed with the former ink... 🤷🏾♀️
That's great to hear! - Drew
Wait, it is taking more than 2 years to melt your pens? I thought this stuff was like xenomorph blood, instantly eating through 3 decks before even slowing down...
@@doc_sav Ha!
I LOVE Bay State Blue!!! BUT I don’t use in higher priced pens, esp celluloids. I use in tasche OHTO and Parker Vector.
Yea I 😍Bay State Blue myself..... though you might want to dedicate it to 1 pen and keeping it that "ink" collor only. Also note that it will stain the inside of your pen's body. Reminds me I need to order a 4.5 oz bottle in the future. Another Noodler's Ink I like is there "Lightning Blue" Ink (matches fantastically with a Twisbi Eco in Cerilum).🥰
I’ve ran BSB non-stop for 3 years in a VP with a fine nib. I flush it once a year.
Pro tip, syringe fill a cart instead of using a converter with BSB.
I clean it with spray nine works great
I use in in my Lamy LX without much issue at all. I didn’t realize it was such a controversial ink.
I just eyedropper'd a Platinum Prefounte specifically for Baystate Blue. Now my EDC
i don't get why people don't just try it in a preppy or kakuno or a cartridge/converter?
i can't buy it in my country but...
I took no chances and dedicated a blue Wing Sung 699 demonstrator (a cheap clone of the Pilot Custom 823) to Baystate Blue. I've had no issues with the ink staining anything other than the already-blue pen. However, Baystate Blue DOES have one drawback: it fades if exposed to sunlight. Other than that, it's one of my favorite colors and it's nicely wet, but still well controlled.
As to interaction with steel, I saw no effect on the stainless steel vacuum filler shaft in the year or so that I've kept it inked. The same shaft (in a different pen) had a WILD chemical reaction with Lamy Erasable Blue and I had to dismantle that pen to scrub the weird blue crust off the shaft.
I used BSB on my platinum 3776 SF nib for more than 2 years. I had no problems.
I am glad to discover Brian K. who was so nice to answer my e-mail.
What nib size would you recommend to bring out the beautiful qualities of the BayState Blue?
Does it stain Ultem? I just bought the Schon Design Ultem and haven't loaded it yet, mostly out of trepidation, but also because I don't want it to ruin a $250 pen.
Has anyone had problems with baystate blue feathering? It always seems to feather for me, even on good quality paper like tomoe river, midori md, etc.
Yes, it feathers pretty bad. - Drew
So Drew used the 'barrier method' to keep his Kaweco pure. LOL!
I used to love Baystate Blue. Until it ruined the plastics in my Graf. It's more than stain, it erodes the seals and some metals. Despite Brian K's assertion on the TWSBI, it melted one of mine (yes, melted). It dissolved the seals in my Graf, as I mentioned, and a couple of Visconti Rembrandts. If you want to use it, use it with a dip pen. and be careful with it. It stains irrevocably.
Many people use BSB in their TWSBI pens. It doesn’t melt plastic or destroy seals. That’s a myth that’s been debunked by numerous people.
@@DragonsinGenesisPodcast so the holes in my fins and the ink oozing from around the nib is a myth? Thanks, good to know. Now if I could figure out how to get the blot off my desk…
So just to make sure I have this timeline right... It melted a nice pen, so you put it in another pen, which melted, which then made you decide to put it in at least 2 more pens? Help me understand your endgame here...
Photos? Extraordinary claims and all that.
@@doc_sav Actually, I had several pens inked with it simultaneously. It is a lovely colour, but the damage done came at different times. Some was quick, like the Graf (sadly) some was long-term, like the TWSBI, and giving it up was hard. I did not want to think it was the ink. When I took the Graf in, the Pen Doctor looked at it once, shook his head, and said never use the ink in quality pens. So I tossed the bottle and haven't used it since.
I like my Baystate Blue. But just a couple of weeks ago a young woman serving at my only local B&M FP store warned ma about the terrible Noodler's inks that would destroy my pens.
Haters gunna hate.
I haven't tried the BSB mainly because of bleed-thru.
I only use Graf. I trust Faber-Castell. Why would anyone make an ink that dissolves your pen? It just seems like that ink isn't really intended for fountains. You might try painting with it. IDK.
I ❤️ Noodler’s Baystate Blue. I have it in Moonman M2 fountain pen.
Baystate Blue is a legendary ink in Fountain Fountain Pen community. I love BSB
Dedicated pen is the way to go.
I had it in a TWSBI ECO, and even after cleaning it with bleach, it still left a stain.
I will add if you happen to spill a bottle of this ink on your brand new Kitchen vinyl, it cleans up great with diluted bleach like “B” said!!
my next order will be bay state blue
I'd ask a similar question with 54th Mass! Do you have a pen that it doesn't bleed in? I love it, but that's some watery ink!
Is it like a rotring ink?
Hmm…BSB in my Pilot VP??? *Runs to desk*
Me: "Oh, my package of Baystate Blue has arrived!"
Me. *opens package*
Me: "Why do I hear Boss Music?"
There was a sale of Pilot Metropolitan FPs here, about $4.40 incl. tax. Since it has a squeeze converter, I bought one, and "sacrificed" it a la Thanos 😂 Not seeing it stain my demonstrators lets me sleep well at night
Did the ink eat through your squeeze converter? I have it in a metropolitan right now, but have only had it for a month or two.
@@aaronwhite4144 Three weeks in, the squeeze converter is still holding up. I haven't had any problems, so far.
Agree with Brian K.
I want to see the preppy with the vanishing point nib
I don't even own a fountain pen but I must know more about Baystate Blue than the average pen fanatic... this is the second video youtube has recommended me on it lol