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Another UK exclusive from Noodler's - BREXIT! Available from Niche Pens/Pure Pens here in the UK. A smashing bullet-proof ink which is a deep/royal blue, possible with slight purple undertones. It reminds me a little of a 'dark' Diamine Imperial Blue or J Herbin's Bleu Nuit. Here's what Ross and his team say: New and exclusive Royal Blue/Purple Bulletproof Ink in 3 oz glass bottle (Approx 90ml) Nathan Tardif is a follower of world politics and current affairs, with a soft spot for the United Kindom. When the UK made the momentous decision and voted to leave the European Union, Nathan had the idea of making an ink to mark this event. A tongue-in-cheek label suggests that the UK have come around to the idea of independence from a sovereign ruler in another country, much like their own former colony did a couple of hundred years before! Incidentally, there's a lovely little story on the label which I'll type here. 'An Apology to His Majesty, King George III of The United Kingdom. We humbly regret that at long last we have come to agree with the rebels in the colony of Massachusetts that liberty is worth the risk of defiance to all the powers of the sovereign (particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels). So humbly and regretfully sorry about this, but we do send good wishes. The ink is royal purple, eternally bulletproof and pH neutral so as not to risk further offence to His Majesty.' Note: not my political views, one way or another - just what's written on the label! It's a nice ink but a little prone to a bit of feathering on some papers. As usual. the written review is on Rhodia 80g/m2 and the soak tests are on 'indifferent' paper. Soak test before... ...and after: 30 minutes soak followed by a rinse. I like this ink more than Monkey Hanger, as it is a deeper colour. It will make a nice change to Prime of the Commons!

Pure Pens based in Newport, south Wales, have launched a series of their own branded and 'Bottled in Wales' inks and this short comment features just two of the series, which arrived in the post this morning. There are far more details on their website and no doubt, there will be many more reviews and comparisons in the coming months but I just wanted to show a couple of images. I just wanted two colours at the moment - Celtic Sea and Saltire. I also purchased one of the TWSBI Eco T pens from them - blue to use with the Celtic Sea one but more about that on another occasion. Celtic Sea is a lovely colour, with tones of a relatively light blue/green that really do make me think of the sea. Very pleasant to use and it flows well. Saltire is wonderful. Just my sort of colour and even with the F nib on a TWSBI 580, there is a definite red sheen which isn't always easy to see on a scanned image. Judging by comments made on Twitter and Instagram, there will be more colours available, which is very exciting. I don't know where the inks are made but based on the slight aroma of one of them, I have my suspicions. A great new product range to ad to PP's extensive arsenal and I can only see them being firm favourites. Especially if a blue-black shade is offered sometime!

Announcing one of the new Noodler's inks - Monkey Hanger! Also exclusive to Pure Pens in the UK. It's the first of the ones that I've seen 'in the flesh' but hope to get the others on due course. Ross and the team do a far better job of describing the reasons for the name than I could so here is what they say. New and exclusive Bright Blue Bulletproof Ink in 3 oz glass bottle (Approx 90ml) In October 2015, Ross and his father Ray, visited Nathan in Massachusetts to see where Noodler's is made and the man behind the brand. Over lunch, with Nathan's parents, who help with the ink production and packaging, we discussed a new Bulletproof Blue ink for the UK to compliment the best selling Bulletproof Black and exclusive Prime of the Commons Dark Blue ink. We tried colours that would give the right characteristics and loved the bright Blue that has become Monkey Hanger. The name... Nathan is a history buff and loves a story behind a name - You may have seen the great names behind some Noodler's inks and pens with a their historical, political and local links to his home town area. An unusal story came up, which occured in Hartlepool in the North East of England during the Napoleonic Wars. A french ship was wrecked off the coast and all the crew were lost (or fled). When the local fishermen boarded the ship, they found a monkey in a naval uniform, dressed as such for the amusement of the French crew. Because England was at war with France and because the fishermen had never seen a Frenchman, or a monkey apparently, they took the 'French Spy' into custody and arranged an impromptu criminal trial on the beach. Extremely unfortunately for the monkey, the locals found it guilty and sentenced it to... well, the name gives the end of the story away. A very sad casualty of war, but it is unfair to criticise the ignorant locals from a different time in history. The story is so unusal that it ignited Nathan's interest and he began imagining label designs almost immediately. A few short months later, the ink arrived and is available now! And here are my scans, in my usual, basic style. As you can see, a slightly finer line makes quite a difference, even though they are the same nib width - Fine - in theory, by the same manufacturer. Personally, I prefer the 580 F over the Vac 700, but that's by the by. There's a bit of feathering with the wider nib but as the back view shows; the only real bleed-through was from Baystate Blue. Now for the soak tests. Firstly; before. And now, after 30 minutes soaking and then a rinse. I was actually surprised at the excellent result from Diamine Asa Blue! Of course, Noodler's Midway Blue is not designated 'bulletproof' as such, but doesn't do too badly. All in all, a very satisfying ink and I'm sure I'll enjoy the Brexit and Britannia's Blue Waves, when I get some.