Noodler’s Baystate Blue [full size photo] – Awhile back I purchased a bottle of Noodler’s Baystate Blue, a beautiful colonial style deep and bright blue ink. The color is extremely intense to say the least. There are many rumors and warnings that surround this ink. One important fact to know: This ink has a different pH than most inks on the market. It is a more alkaline and should not be mixed with any other ink. This also means that pens MUST be cleaned extremely well when using this. Reports that Baystate Blue has solidified when mixed in a pen that was not cleaned well enough. I personally found this to be true with a Platinum Preppy, it happened when I initially bought the ink. There have been rumors of Baystate Blue eating the feeds of various pens. I thankfully, have not experienced that, so as I cannot verify it as a fact. My point here is, please use caution when using this ink. I recommend testing it out in less expensive / disposable pen. Just in case…
I cautiously loaded my Waterman Phileas with the Baystate Blue. This ink is really shocking, extremely saturated and very bright. I found the ink to be a bit dry, in fact I seem to have issues with dryouts. Specifically, on the downstrokes (you should be able to see this in ink review). I found the dryness to cause a some skipping as well. The ink does show and bleedthrough, no real issue with feathering. As far as the dryness is concerned I know some people that dilute BSB in a 1:1 ratio with water. I may try this on my next fill. Hopefully, that increases the flow and lubrication.
Some other things to note… This ink is waterproof once it is dry. It stains like mad. I mean really stains, it takes a long time for this stuff to come off. Noodler’s ships their ink bottles completely full, so be very carefully when opening. When I opened mine a few small droplets ended up on the counter. Even after a scrub with bleach, they were still there.
In my opinion this is probably my all-time-favorite blue ink I have tested thus far. I just wish it wasn’t such a pain to deal with. If it was an ink that I didn’t have to worry about… this would definitely be my everyday ink. For now, my Waterman Phileas is my permanent Baystate Blue pen.
This ink, as well as many other inks and pens can be purchased from – my friends at Pear Tree Pens.
Matt is a Systems Development Director for a multinational franchise. Matt has lived and worked in Hawaii, Chicago, South Florida and currently resides outside of Atlanta. He enjoys his hobbies including Technology, Gadgets/EDC, Fountain Pens, Wetshaving, Clocks, Antiques & Coffee. He even roasts his own coffee weekly.
