Noodler’s Baystate Blue And The Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen
2011/04/06One of my ink mates recently proved how much of an ink geek he is by noticing the difference between the first run of Noodler’s Baystate Blue and the latest batch. Intrigued I agreed to see for myself.
Noodler's Baystate Blue Fountain Pen Ink Comparison
My written samples validate the observation. Feathering has been tamed sufficiently to give lines a clean look and eliminate the ragged edges. Now it is useful on a wider variety of papers.
Noodler's Baystate Blue Ink Comparison Closeup
BSB still has what it takes to stain fingers and pens making it a less than ideal choice for a clear demonstrator. Since the majority of pens are black, the staining won’t be a problem for most of us. So far no damage to the clear Platinum Preppy sent to test the BSB. That is encouraging but not definitive.
Still it is an ink with a reputation and my experience is too limited to give it anything more than a few cursory remarks.
Noodler's Baystate Blue - Original Formulation
Noodler's Baystate Blue - Newest Formulation
The color is a rich blue that flows very well but does dry slowly. In some ways it reminds me of the long-discontinued Parker Penman Sapphire. Not in terms of that ink’s iridescence but more in its saturated color. I found it a happy match to my daily journal, the Apica 6A10, in which I faithfully use a blotter, the best way to make a non-issue of drying time.
The Preppy surprised me more than the ink. It has a very stiff, fine nib that helps control BSB. A flexible nib would lay down more ink and slow the drying time to unacceptable lengths for ordinary use. For such an inexpensive pen, the Preppy has a really solid build along with the intriguing appeal of a demonstrator. Should you order one, do get a Platinum converter to accommodate your bottled inks.
My Preppy has a pink nib which admittedly is kind of cute. Even though it arrived on Valentine’s Day and it is now April, the pinkness still makes me smile.
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen in Pink
Oh, the ink geek? Ryan Roossinck of The Pear Tree Pen Company.
Very interesting observation. It’s good to know that Nathan keeps improving his inks.
I’ve been very pleased with the Preppy myself. I’ve one that is an eyedropper conversion (using Noodler’s Nikita red), and two others using their cartridge inks (until the inks run out then they will be eyedropper conversions too). For very inexpensive pens, the ink flow is perfect for writing pad papers and well as a Rhodia weekly planner.
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