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A couple of months ago I received a sample vial of Blackstone Barrister Black, and have had one of my pens (a TWSBI Diamond 580) constantly inked with it ever since. I didn't know at the time that it was nano-pigement based, only that it was supposed to be permanent (and may require more frequent flushing to be safe). I've actually found it to be a very well-behaved ink - good flow, minimal clogging, fantastic waterproofness. A little slow-drying, and sometimes needs a little 'encouragement' to get started writing after a weekend layoff, but otherwise I'm really impressed.. I'll try and upload some photos of papers that I've soaked later - for now, I'm attaching a scan and a photo of my review sheet. Scan: Photo: If you're wavering about trying this out, I'd suggest ordering a sample vial - available from JustWrite.com.au in Australia, or Anderson Pens in the US. My 30ml bottle (purchased out of my own funds) has just arrived - this'll be one of my two go-to Black inks for the foreseeable future!

OK, here's another review of one of the Blackstone "Colours of Australia" inks produced by JustWrite.com.au - Daintree Green. For those of you who don't know, the Daintree is a rain forestsituated in north east Queensland - the largest tropical rainforest on the Australian continent. Which means that there's green - lots of green. This is actually a pretty nice green ink. I think I'd expect a rainforest to be a bit darker - but maybe I'm just showing how long ago it was that I studied Geography, Ecology and, ummm, Botany. No matter, it's a nice mid-range green ink - and it even sheens a bit in a nice broad nib (on Tomoe River paper, anyway!). Here's a scan (needs colour correction - the ink isn't quite as dark as this!): And a photo (taken with my Sony smartphone) - I think this is a little more accurate: And a macro close-up of Daintree Green on Tomoe River paper:

I've been meaning to post a review of some of the Blackstone "Colours of Australia" inks for some time now - but didn't realise till I checked that these inks have been in my possession for a little over 6 months. That makes sense, actually - I ordered them just before moving house, which coincided with a whole lot more stuff to get done, both on the home front and at work! No matter: I've had 6 months to get to know these inks, and try them out in a variety of pens - and to come to really appreciate (some of) them. Full disclosure: Kevin from JustWrite.com.au has sent me ink samples and pens in the past, free in return for testing and/or review - but this range of inks I purchased with my own funds. I can't decide which of the Blackstone inks I like best, but it's a toss-up between the blues. Sydney Harbour Blue (review to come) is a darker tealy-blue which looks more 'serious', while Barrier Reef Blue is a vivid, bright blue colour that really does (maybe?) remind me of a tropical reef. Both inks flow well in my pens, shade well, and produce a certain amount of sheen - but more on that later. Here's a photograph of the review page I filled out - it captures the hue a little better (I think) than the scan which follows. Photo: Scan: I really like the brightness of this colour - it shades (and sheens) when using a wider nib, and produces a brighter blue colour with finer nibs. Just to give an idea of how it sheens, here's a close-up of text written on Rhodia paper with a 1.1mm Bock stub nib (check out the pinky outline): And here's the slight sheen that's possible writing on regular (Reflex) copier paper!