Noodler's Baystate blue just ruined my Ahab! Help!

[gforce]

I was using Noodlers Baystate blue in my Ahab for the last 2 months. Cleaned pen today, clear window is not clear anymore, it has a blue tinge to the window. Tried ammonia and bleach. No good! What the heck does Noodlers put in that ink! The feed also has a blush tinge to it. I am very annoyed. Has this happened to anyone out there? What has worked for you?
gforce

[inky]

I've had this happen to a Preppy I used with BSB. I basically soaked it overnight in a 10% bleach to 90% water solution. The next morning I rinsed it off and the blue tint was gone. I know the Preppies are made from different material then the Ahab so maybe more time is required? I wouldn't soak the nib in the solution though, Bleach can do funny things to Steel nibs.

[fountainpenkid]

If you like the ink, great, but don't expect it to not ruin things. It has staining problems, and I think it should really just be a dip pen ink because it ends up ruining so many pens.

[tandaina]

Well that pen becomes your BSB pen. No harm done, the ink window is still useable and no other (more expensive) pen gets damaged. When you want BSB, pull out the Ahab! Some inks aren't well behaved, this is one that is well known to have issues. So if you want to use it dedicate a pen to it and let it be what it is.

[gforce]

I just tried some rubbing alcohol on a q-tip, it seems to have worked somewhat, but not perfect.
gforce

[KrazyIvan]

Ummm, never mix ammonia and bleach. A soak in 10% bleach water solution should remove the blue tinge. Use the same water solution and a tooth brush to clean the feed. Dealt with it once and I don't use BSB anymore. Don't like the color nor the high maintenance.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7182319688_e34c817e7b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/7182319688/)
Nib and feed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivan_romero/7182319688/) by IvanRomero (http://www.flickr.com/people/ivan_romero/), on Flickr

[Jon Szanto]

People get on our asses when we try to warn about these problems with BSB, and yet here is another person who apparently was not aware of the downside of using this ink. It's a shame, but it isn't the first time, and won't be the last, I'm afraid.

[cwent2]

Well, I for one have read the warnings - and if Hades ever freezes over and I find myself using BSB, I will remember to use a dedicated preppy for the ink. Was in the Air Force for twenty years - do not like blue ink. Hence the Hades reference.

Just saying

Cw

Even in Mr Nathan Tardif's videos he recommends a dedicated non expensive pen to dedicate to BSB!

[Tracy Lee]

Ya'll have instilled the fear of BSB in me from day one. It will not ever darken my door. :eek:

[jar]

First off, your pen is not ruined and claiming that getting stained somehow ruined a pen is just plain juvenile. In addition, Noodler's didn't put anything in your pen, YOU put the ink in your pen. If there is any blame it sits squarely with you.

Quit whining kid.

[MisterBoll]

I've had BSB in an Ahab for a few months now. The pen is taking on a life of it's own.

[mhphoto]

Not really ruined, just stained. BSB doesn't respond to ammonia as well as other inks. My go-to for BSB stains (including on clothes) is isopropyl alcohol. Unfortunately the vegetal resin used to make Noodler's pens will cloud up when exposed to strong concentrations for too long, so I'd forgo the 91% and stick with scrubbing with 70% using a q-tip, followed by a thorough rinse.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I have two pens dedicated to BSB (though only in use one at a time). I happen to really like the color.

On the other hand, while this ink does stain plastic, it is far from the only one. I have a Pelikan demonstrator that has purple regions thanks to some quality time with Iroshizuku Yama-budo. After I get done working out of town, I may have to spend some special time with it and try ammonia or bleach (but not at the same time). I look upon this as the risk I take every time I ink up a pen.

[jor412]

This isn't a defense of BSB but the Ahab plastic seems to me to be more prone to staining than other plastics.

I turned my clear Ahab into an eyedropper & filled it with Sailor Epinard. The pen barrel was stained pinkish-orange from one end to the other. Nothing I tried got rid of the stain so I gave up.

[firstpancake]

I pulled out the ink from a black Pilot cartridge and put it in my noodler's Truk Lagoon Standard Flex. Now it's truk lagoon with an amber barrel.

[woosang]

I have a ruined ahab but at the end of the day it's a cheap pen and I love bsb

[firstpancake]

Yeah, I might go with tandaina's plan, and have a stainy ink creaper, and a safe ink creaper. I really like the truk lagoon. the idea of soaking a noodler's pen in bleach doesn't seem like a good idea to me. it's resin, not plastic, and I have no idea how it will react. for now, I still have a functioning stained pen. If the bleach hurts the resin, I'll have no pen at all.

[manoeuver]

Two months soaked in BSB? no bitchin. The ink stains. And if the pen still writes it ain't ruined.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Aurora Blue stains every bit as much as BSB but no one treats THAT ink like radioactive waste.

[jacksterp]

The ink which must not be named, in certain circles, will never have to be removed from my fingers...

[gforce]

True, the pen is not "ruined",it still writes well; but the stain remains. What other noodlers inks do the same thing? I will use BSB in cartridge pens only, not in piston pens.










"What you permit, you promote"

[KrazyIvan]

Pen filling system matters it does not. What kind of pen hygiene you keep matters it does.

[fountainpenkid]

Aurora Blue stains every bit as much as BSB but no one treats THAT ink like radioactive waste.

Hmmmmm? I've used that in three vintage celluloid pens and I've never had any problem with that ink. At all. Maybe they changed the formula?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Aurora Blue stains every bit as much as BSB but no one treats THAT ink like radioactive waste.

Hmmmmm? I've used that in three vintage celluloid pens and I've never had any problem with that ink. At all. Maybe they changed the formula?

It's possible. This was a sample vial I got not long ago.

[cedargirl]

True, the pen is not "ruined",it still writes well; but the stain remains. What other noodlers inks do the same thing? I will use BSB in cartridge pens only, not in piston pens.










"What you permit, you promote"

Noodler's Kung Te-cheng comes with a warning that it stains nibs.

[mhphoto]

True, the pen is not "ruined",it still writes well; but the stain remains. What other noodlers inks do the same thing? I will use BSB in cartridge pens only, not in piston pens.

Why does everyone think this is strictly a Noodler's issue?

It's ink. Ink, by definition, stains.

[Jon Szanto]

Why does everyone think this is strictly a Noodler's issue?
I didn't notice "everyone" thinking or implying that. Nathan Tardiff makes a lot of inks, with differing formulas. Some of them have issues. This is not to say that his is the only brand that contains some inks that are more difficult than others.


It's ink. Ink, by definition, stains.
However, in varying degrees. With knowledge, one can certainly have a less-staining experience.

[AltecGreen]

BSB is a weird ink.


Here is what happened to a brand new Lamy Safari belonging to a fellow Pen Posse member inked with BSB for less than a week. This was a brand new pen, flushed with water, and only inked with BSB. The feed basically crumbled and the nib fell out while in use.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8118/8711548847_d502768ba9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7953903@N03/8711548847/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8712675606_1181e4a442_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7953903@N03/8712675606/)



In my own experience, I had Brian Gray make a pen out of Torlon just for BSB. That pen was also brand new and only inked with BSB. In my case, after a few weeks of use, the flow slowed. I took the entire feed assembly apart and found the BSB had crystallized within the feed. The crystals were about 1 mm in size and could not be dissolved in tap water. I had to manually scrap the crystals out of the feed.

Weird ink.

[jor412]

That's really weird. I use BSB in a black Pilot 78G. If I hold it at a certain angle I can see how the ink has stained the feed & section, but nothing else has happened to the pen.

[whych]

Moral of the story seems to be:
Use BSB only in a pen you don't mind getting ruined if the ink doesn't agree with its innards.

From all the stories about the ink, it seems to affect a wide range of pens and react differently in each case.
It also seems that it is entirely random in that someone will use it in his pen with no ill effects and someone else will use it in the same brand/model pen and it chews the pen.

It's possible. This was a sample vial I got not long ago.
What the guys never report is whether it is from a brand new bottle or a sample bottle.
Perhaps it's a contamination issue in the bottles that there is something else in the bottle or sample that combined with the ink causes the problems.


True, the pen is not "ruined",it still writes well; but the stain remains. What other noodlers inks do the same thing? I will use BSB in cartridge pens only, not in piston pens.
The old German piston pens should be able to take most things that are thrown at them. The likes of Rotring, Faber Castell and Staedtler all used the same material and pistons for the drawing pens that would clean up quite happily after having India ink formulas dry in them.

If you ever use or plan to use old vintage pens, stay away from alcohol for cleaning - it will eat the pens. Even Montblanc bodies will disintegrate with alcohol. Rather get some drafting ink pen cleaner and use that. (Rotring, Koh I Nor make them. Find the cheapest in your area.)

[Sailor Kenshin]

Uhm... Just to clear things up.

The 'it' I was referring to as quoted above was AURORA blue, not BSB. I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

My AB is from a recent sample bottle. I can't control or determine what batches samples come from. Nor can anyone else.

I agree that BSB is best in a dedicated, inexpensive pen.

[whych]

The 'it' I was referring to as quoted above was AURORA blue, not BSB. I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

My AB is from a recent sample bottle. I can't control or determine what batches samples come from. Nor can anyone else.

I agree that BSB is best in a dedicated, inexpensive pen.

Your mentioning that you got the AB in a sample, just gave me the idea that perhaps the BSB also came from samples. No many of the 'help! BSB ruined my pen' posts mention anything of whether the ink was from a sample/old batch/new batch, etc.

Like you say, there are other brands of ink that can do just as good a job at staining pens as BSB, but nobody ever posts that the ink ruined their pen.
Just like the old iron gall inks could ruin a pen, I have bought, cleaned and used many old German pens that were probably never cleaned in their lifetimes and were fed a diet of Pelikan or whatever blue black and still work perfectly after a clean out.

Perhaps the new synthetic dyes in the modern inks that are more harmful to the pen than the old stuff.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I wouldn't be surprised. People also seem to treat IG inks as poison, but maybe they are not.

[Jon Szanto]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

Nope. Haven't, but then this is my first exoerience with AB, and I,ve read reviews, and no one mentions staining either.

I am indeed wondering whether the AB formula has changed, because everyone also says it has a purple cast, but mine reads turquoise.

And since it is growing on me, I've changed its status from Nemesis Ink to Use Only In Certain Pens.

[fountainpenkid]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

Nope. Haven't, but then this is my first exoerience with AB, and I,ve read reviews, and no one mentions staining either.

I am indeed wondering whether the AB formula has changed, because everyone also says it has a purple cast, but mine reads turquoise.

And since it is growing on me, I've changed its status from Nemesis Ink to Use Only In Certain Pens.

Turquoise??? You sure have a different formula then!! Mine is like 4001 royal bleu, but richer.

[Laura N]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

Nope. Haven't, but then this is my first exoerience with AB, and I,ve read reviews, and no one mentions staining either.

I am indeed wondering whether the AB formula has changed, because everyone also says it has a purple cast, but mine reads turquoise.

And since it is growing on me, I've changed its status from Nemesis Ink to Use Only In Certain Pens.

By coincidence, I just spilled some Aurora Blue this afternoon. It cleaned up very nicely. :)

It's an ink I've used for years, out of different bottles, and never had staining. It is also never been turquoise for me. It's a standard blue, pretty close to Montblanc Royal Blue and similar to Pelikan Royal Blue or Waterman Serenity Blue. The bottle I'm using now I got a few months ago.

I don't know if your sample is wonky or a different ink. But it doesn't sound like Aurora Blue to me in color or behavior. YMMV.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Intriguing!

My AB leans more turquoise on certain papers, too. And stainy-wainy. As in, This Pipette Will Never Be The Same.

[Jon Szanto]

Sounds like a bad batch. I remember about a year ago a big to-do about Omas Blue coming out with some really odd formulas, very different. Happened to be at a time I got a sample from Goulets, and people were posting "Whoa! This can't be right." I ended up not ordering any because it didn't sound like they were going to try to sort it out any time soon.

It happens, I think.

[Sailor Kenshin]

And the funny thing is, it's grown on me. :D

[dr.grace]

And the funny thing is, it's grown on me. :D

Sounds like a fungus or mold.

[KrazyIvan]

Tried both and AB did not stain my test pen. Did not like it though as it is pretty close to BSB. It is just too purple for my taste.

[jor412]

So, thus far, the list of scary staining inks is: 1) BSB, 2) Kung Te-Cheung, 3) Aurora Blue.

[fountainpenkid]

And the funny thing is, it's grown on me. :D

I want a writing sample of this "Aurora Blue" you have!

[Jon Szanto]

So, thus far, the list of scary staining inks is: 1) BSB, 2) Kung Te-Cheung.
FIFY

C'mon, people, let's put our thinking caps on! Precisely *one* person mentioned a staining problem with Aurora Blue, and then mentioned it was a sample, and then when describing the color, noted elements of the ink that others who have used it for a long time thought odd. A scenario like that is hardly the kind of info to start adding it to a "please avoid" list.

This is precisely how rumors and innuendo get started. BSB has a long-documented history of being a problematic ink. Not even remotely same case for Aurora Blue, so let's keep our sanity about all of this.

[Sailor Kenshin]

So, thus far, the list of scary staining inks is: 1) BSB, 2) Kung Te-Cheung.
FIFY

C'mon, people, let's put our thinking caps on! Precisely *one* person mentioned a staining problem with Aurora Blue, and then mentioned it was a sample, and then when describing the color, noted elements of the ink that others who have used it for a long time thought odd. A scenario like that is hardly the kind of info to start adding it to a "please avoid" list.

This is precisely how rumors and innuendo get started. BSB has a long-documented history of being a problematic ink. Not even remotely same case for Aurora Blue, so let's keep our sanity about all of this.

Besides, you will note I just refilled the Lamy ABC the AB was in. If the cart wants to be blue let it. I just wouldn't put this sample stuff in a light-colored pen I didn't want stained.

I will see if I can take a shot of the stained ink pipette, though.

[dr.grace]

Those plastic pipettes and ink cartridges are meant to be disposable and are likely made from a material different from the plastics used in pen barrels. So I wouldn't necessarily conclude anything from their being stained by AB.

[cedargirl]

While Kung Te-cheng does stain nibs (apparently) I wouldn't want people to put it on a list of inks to avoid. The manufacturer gives a full disclosure and provides a dedicated pen for it. It's a great ink and I always have a pen in my rotation inked with it. Amongst other things, due to its bulletproof qualities, I address all of my correspondence with it.

There are others that will say similar things about BSB -I can't because I've never used it.

And Ottoman Azure stains my hands more than any other ink I have used; but it does flush out of pens.

[firstpancake]

And Ottoman Azure stains my hands more than any other ink I have used; but it does flush out of pens.

So True!!! Ottoman Azure has never stained my pens, and I can wash it off paper... but my fingers :jaw: there's still a stain on my thumb from three days ago.

[jor412]

Well I'd like a list of inks that have stained pens, not a list of inks to avoid. I'd also like a list of pens that are prone to staining, whether because of the material or design or manufacturing.

Some of us are particular about ink staining their pens & some aren't.

[MisterBoll]

3303

[Steph]

I use both BSB and Kung Te Chung, and BSB far more often. Just can't quit that eye-searing blue. I have an Aurora Style dedicated to it. I used to syringe-fill the converter, but now I just dip in the bottle to fill with impunity. Has the feed got a blue sheen? Yes, but I don't mind it. This rotation I've had it inked for about 5 weeks now - pen writes without problems, even after a couple of days of non-use.

I've never had an issue with flushing out KTC either.

[CapeClear]

I have used only samples of BSB but it never really stained anything I used it in (Preppy demo, Lamy Safari). I loved the colour. I used in in a Safari *gasp* even though people say it eats their feeds. I managed to get through a converter in 2 days so it wasn't hanging around. The only reason I haven't bought more is because it's stupidly expensive to have it shipped to Ireland. Never had an issue before with Aurora Blue either. Pen hygiene ftw.

[dgator]

Moral of the story seems to be:
Use BSB only in a pen you don't mind getting ruined if the ink doesn't agree with its innards.



+1

Makes sense to me. Any ink I'm the least bit concerned about gets put in a cheap pen (in my case, Pilot 78G).

[reprieve]

I kept Baystate Blue in a blue demo Pelikan M205 for over a year. It was the first ink ever put in that pen; I think I flushed it two or three times, but otherwise just used it regularly and refilled with Baystate Blue. When I finished my stash of BSB, I decided not to buy another bottle--I have too many other inks that need to be used!!--and so I flushed the Pelikan thoroughly, soaked it, flushed it some more, and soaked the nib unit for a few days. The pen is a little bit stained but otherwise unharmed.

[heraclitus682]

Um...I don't care if an ink stains a converter. They are easily replaced.

[AtomicLeo]

I think Noodler's American Eel Blue is also a nice bright blue without all the headaches from BSB. I was in my local pen shop when this color was first released and the sample swatch the store displayed really caught my eye, but I went with another color. Soooooooo glad I did. Store had no warnings posted anywhere about the staining problems of this ink.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Well...my association with BSB has ended.

PM me if you want samples and the pen I've used it in. Too traumatized to speak further! ;p

[Mags]

I havea dedicated TWSBI with 1.5 mm stub...nil issues thus far. Bleaching it helps.

Mags sent from my blackberry playbook using tapatalks

[Honey Mustard]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

Nope. Haven't, but then this is my first exoerience with AB, and I,ve read reviews, and no one mentions staining either.

I am indeed wondering whether the AB formula has changed, because everyone also says it has a purple cast, but mine reads turquoise.

And since it is growing on me, I've changed its status from Nemesis Ink to Use Only In Certain Pens.

Could the ink you used by any chance actually be Platinum's Aurora Blue (http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/plmixfrfopen7.html), and not Aurora brand blue? Because Platinum's Aurora Blue definitely stains, and I'm sure I've read of it staining for other people as well. Aurora Blue, however, washes away quite easily for me.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I mentioned that AB stained a cart, pipette, and cleaning tool every bit as badly as BSB is said to stain, and no one treats AB as nuclear waste.

1. I think, at least in the representative sample on the forums, that far, far fewer people use AB than BSB. You may not see problems reported with AB, but you also certainly don't see people touting it's innate incredibleness as you do the League of Fanbois and Grrlls of BSB.

2. Since you mention your staining, have you heard of *anyone* reporting a similar problem with AB? I'm curious, because I am totally committed to Aurora Black, and I've considered giving the Blue a try.

Nope. Haven't, but then this is my first exoerience with AB, and I,ve read reviews, and no one mentions staining either.

I am indeed wondering whether the AB formula has changed, because everyone also says it has a purple cast, but mine reads turquoise.

And since it is growing on me, I've changed its status from Nemesis Ink to Use Only In Certain Pens.

Could the ink you used by any chance actually be Platinum's Aurora Blue (http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/plmixfrfopen7.html), and not Aurora brand blue? Because Platinum's Aurora Blue definitely stains, and I'm sure I've read of it staining for other people as well. Aurora Blue, however, washes away quite easily for me.


I think you are brilliant.

Because I got the sample a long time ago and Aurora Blue is all it says, I can't be a hundred percent certain, but I bet you're right!

[dajhek]

I've got a bottle of Aurora Blue (NOT Platinum's Aurora Blue) that has gone into lots of different pens. Never had a problem with staining at all.

I also have a bottle of BSB that has also gone into a lot of different pens. Yes, it can stain pens (and fingers, and clothes...), but I've never had an issue with it eating a pen (Lamy Safari, 2 Preppys, Pilot Vanishing Point, and TWSBI 540). I have decided to dedicate my TWSBI 540 to the ink on the recommendation from Philip Wang at TWSBI that he uses BSB in a 540, and hasn't had staining issues.

I personally love BSB. It's my favorite color by far. If you are willing to deal with its issues, it's a good ink, but if you don't want to take the time it requires, i suggest staying away. There are hundreds of colors out there.

[swanjun]

I'd had a sample of BSB for a long time but trepidation had kept me from using it 'til a couple of days ago. I had a Reform 1745 whose piston was already stuck—please don't tell me to try silicone grease, I promise that I already have—and had already bought a replacement, plus the ink windows on those are already blue, so I thought, "What the heck?" and inked it up. So far I am loving it. It's only been a couple days, though, so probably too early for any problems to manifest.

[krazyklod]

I second that! Plus it's an Ahab not a Montblac, just buy another if having a crystal clear window matters so much.

[LeftyMcshroom]

I ordered a sample of the dreaded BSB from Goulet strictly because of the controversial properties of the ink. I only own inexpensive pens, but they are all still precious to me.

I first inked a Noodler's Konrad with BSB. Using a 1.1 Goulet nib, I found, as previously mentioned, too much violet and not enough shading for my taste. The pen was utilized for three days, cleaned thoroughly and then filled with PR Chocolat. I have had no problems at all with the pen during, or after. In fact, I had more problems with this pen and nib combination using Liberty's Elysium...to be fair, the problem was my own. I hadn't properly adjusted the feed and nib.

I also BSB'd my Pilot Metropolitan. Used the Con50 converter and an italic nib from a Plumix...again...no tears. The Met found its way back to Noodler's Black, with nary a tinge of blue anywhere. A weak bleach solution proved to be the trick.

I did, as ever, read almost every review of BSB prior to ordering the sample. I had seen all the videos and read how toxic this ink was to be. As such, I thoroughly cleaned both pens before inking with BSB. Ink hides everywhere in and around the feed, at the section joint, at the back of the piston, etc. I suspect, though I make no accusations, that some of us are not as thorough as we think we are in our research or our preparatory cleaning.

Both pens still perform flawlessly, and find their way to my shirt pocket several days each week...coordinating with my shoes, of course. (Is that ridiculous?)


Correspondence achieved through the Apple-brand, wireless, telecommunication device belonging to yours truly.

[Sailor Kenshin]

This is what a brief section-soaking in BSB did to my BSB pen. Never before had this happened; I always pop the section in water for an hour, or even overnight. Shown with a Normal Peli Jr. to compare.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/9560021435_1fc15d7a99_z.jpg

Baystate Blue! Yer soakin' innit.

Sort of resembles a custom paint job.

[welch]

BSB is known to stain, and is tricky to handle. Not worth my effort, especially since the color is so bright that I don't want to read more than a signature.

When I returned to using fountain pens, I asked for Sheaffer Blue in the "topwell" bottle. A clerk looked sad, explained that Sheaffer had moved production, changed the ink formula, and changed the bottle.

"OK", I said. "Everybody says that Noodlers Baystate Blue is like magic. A must have".

Clerk shrugged, said "Ink is ink".

[Mags]

This is what a brief section-soaking in BSB did to my BSB pen. Never before had this happened; I always pop the section in water for an hour, or even overnight. Shown with a Normal Peli Jr. to compare.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/9560021435_1fc15d7a99_z.jpg

Baystate Blue! Yer soakin' innit.

Sort of resembles a custom paint job.

I sort of like the looks of the stain...very custom. Bleach and water would not pull the stain after a 20 min soak?

Mags sent from my blackberry playbook using tapatalks

[Sailor Kenshin]

I didn't even try...partly because I kinda sorta almost like how the stain looks, lol.

[naimitsu]

I'm guilty of not reading reviews of inks before I try them. I typically do this with things I want to try out because I don't want the opinions of others to color my judgement.
However, because of BSB, I'm going to start reading reviews before I stick them in one of my pens.

I had the ink in my 1.5mm Pilot Parallel pen for about 48 hours and it stained the converter and the barrel around the feed. While cleaning them out, watery BSB splashed around the sink and stained it. When I heard it stains, I thought it wouldn't be as instantaneous as a splash. Oh well. Live and Learn, and avoid BSB like the plague! (at least for me)

[mhosea]

On non-porous surfaces (like your sink), think of it more like paint. You need the right "thinner". That "thinner" is isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Moisten a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol, and much of it will wipe off easily. I once tested this on a laminate countertop. Worked perfectly. BSB isn't very tough, really. It just stands up to soap and water (and ammonia) quite well. It will also wear off in a matter of days. In other words, there's nothing permanent about BSB on non-porous surfaces.

Unfortunately, plastic can be permeable to some substances. Permanent tinting is possible (not just with BSB--some Diamine Blues can also stain certain plastics). Many, many pens, BTW, are NOT alcohol-safe (the pens will dissolve, or at least things will start coming apart), so alcohol should not be used to clean pens, generally. Having said that, I have used isopropyl alcohol to purge a Hero or Jinhao pen of BSB that I knew to be safe for alcohol. It's amazing the way you can clean a pens as thoroughly as you want, even in an ultrasonic cleaner, and think that what's left is a permanent stain, but if it is an alcohol-safe pen, see it just let go and wash away. This is one thing that bothers me a lot about BSB, not that it "stains sinks", but that once I use it in a pen, it will be very hard to eradicate it completely, to the point that there can be no interaction with the next ink I want to use in that pen. The advice to dedicate a pen to BSB is good advice for that reason at least.

[Mags]

Use bleach. The staining is minimal if you clean with 50% water and 50% bleach.

[elaineb]

As someone who has used textile dyes for decades, I often wonder which dye was used in BSB, because I think I recognize both its color and its staining properties (which actually aren't ususual for textile dyes) as one of the dyes I use frequently.

Idle curiosity aside, if you don't want to use chlorine bleach to clean up a pen or work area, an oxygen bleach like Oxyclean or household cleaner "with bleach" will do the job quickly. Or the "Chlorox II" types of laundry bleaches. A solution of any of them should remove the color near instantly, at minimal risk of damaging plastic pen parts.

Last suggestion is hydrogen peroxide, which is commonly found in first aid kits. It's another oxygen bleach, but quite dilute. Theoretically it should work, but I don't know if its dilution is strong enough to affect the dye in BSB.

[Scrawler]

On non-porous surfaces (like your sink), think of it more like paint. You need the right "thinner". That "thinner" is isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Moisten a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol, and much of it will wipe off easily. I once tested this on a laminate countertop. Worked perfectly. BSB isn't very tough, really. It just stands up to soap and water (and ammonia) quite well. It will also wear off in a matter of days. In other words, there's nothing permanent about BSB on non-porous surfaces.

Unfortunately, plastic can be permeable to some substances. Permanent tinting is possible (not just with BSB--some Diamine Blues can also stain certain plastics). Many, many pens, BTW, are NOT alcohol-safe (the pens will dissolve, or at least things will start coming apart), so alcohol should not be used to clean pens, generally. Having said that, I have used isopropyl alcohol to purge a Hero or Jinhao pen of BSB that I knew to be safe for alcohol. It's amazing the way you can clean a pens as thoroughly as you want, even in an ultrasonic cleaner, and think that what's left is a permanent stain, but if it is an alcohol-safe pen, see it just let go and wash away. This is one thing that bothers me a lot about BSB, not that it "stains sinks", but that once I use it in a pen, it will be very hard to eradicate it completely, to the point that there can be no interaction with the next ink I want to use in that pen. The advice to dedicate a pen to BSB is good advice for that reason at least.

Ethyl alcohol works well too. In recent years people have become rather paranoid about cleaning their hands, to the point that there is now available large quantities of hand sanitizer, which is alcohol in gel. It could be isopropyl, or ethanol, depending on where you are. The gel holds the alcohol to the stain and virtually no rubbing is needed. I just apply a drop to the stain, leave for a couple seconds and wipe off. This method means that you use less alcohol, because it is not instantly evaporating.

This is a problem with many violets and pinks as well.

I agree on the dedicated pen idea. I have one single Regal pen that I use only BSB in. There are inks much worse than BSB for not playing well with others. Private Reserve Hot Bubble Gum is the single most staining, high maintenance, non-friendly ink I have used. On the instructions they tell you to dedicate a pen to it.