Blackstone Barrister Blue (Permanent) Ink - New Formulation

[Jamerelbe]

Nearly 3 years ago I wrote a review for the newly-produced Blackstone Barrister Blue Ink - part of a new line of permanent inks made in Australia (you can find that review at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/311074-blackstone-barrister-blue-permanent-ink/). It was (and remains) a favourite of mine: a dark, strong blue that wrote well and stayed written no matter how much water you threw at the page!

 

My recollection is that Kevin (the proprietor of Blackstone Inks and Just Write Pens) was not entirely happy with the ink, though - because whereas his black ink relied on a nano-pigment dye, the blue relied on a dye that had iron-gall like properties (though much less corrosive). Which meant that the blue started out darkish, and went almost black with time.

 

Fast forward 18 months, and I found myself looking at a YouTube review of Barrister Blue, on fellow Aussie Mick L's YouTube channel (see link at bottom). Mick's sample looked substantially lighter - so I made enquiries and discovered that Blackstone had reformulated the ink using a newly-available blue nano-pigment. The ink was out of stock at the time, so it was many months later that I finally bought a new bottle - and many months more before a discussion on my old review thread prompted me to re-post.

 

There is also now a Blue-Black ink available from Just Write Pens (www.justwrite.com.au) and (probably) other Blackstone distributors. It took me months to procure a bottle (it was out of stock for a long time), but I now have it, and will review it - another awesome ink.

 

Below is a scan of the new formulation Blackstone Barrister Blue - very happy to answer questions. Disclaimer: I'm a long-time buyer from the JustWrite website, but purchased these inks at full price with my own funds.

 

 

And a close-up of the Water Test:

 

 

 

 

Mick L's YouTube review from October 2017:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUK-GVIdFuo&t=192s

[lgsoltek]

I rather enjoyed the original Barrister Blue (except the smell). The new one looks not bad but I find it confusing why they keep the same name since the colours are totally different.

[Tas]

Nothing stays the same, eh . . .

I'll make the most of what I have left in my Moonman M2. Should I ever need an immovable blue I may well get a hold of the new batch. I like the new version's colour and agree with Lgsoltek (unusually ) and feel its name should have changed to reflect the hue change.

[Jamerelbe]

  On 5/27/2019 at 6:57 AM, Lgsoltek said:

I rather enjoyed the original Barrister Blue (except the smell). The new one looks not bad but I find it confusing why they keep the same name since the colours are totally different.

 

They did reformulate the ink once to get rid of the smell, before reformulating again to use a nanopigment technology in place of the ferro-tannate (sp?) / iron-gall-analog original.

 

I agree, the change of formulation without changing the name was confusing - I initially assumed Mick L's bottle was just a different batch, but obviously there was much more to it than that.

 

  On 5/27/2019 at 8:44 AM, Tas said:

Nothing stays the same, eh . . .

 

I'll make the most of what I have left in my Moonman M2. Should I ever need an immovable blue I may well get a hold of the new batch. I like the new version's colour and agree with Lgsoltek (unusually ) and feel its name should have changed to reflect the hue change.

 

I also like the new colour - it's grown on me (and comes out darker in some pens than others). I like the new Blue-Black even better - but all three have their charms (as does Barrister Black, not to mention Barrister Purple!).

[MissCellany]

I am in love with this ink! How do you reckon it performs on cheaper paper? If it can handle copy paper well enough, I may have found my ideal daily-use blue

[Bhavna]

You had me at Barrister Purple... I do like the original dastardly dark version to the happy summery blue. Will the original continue? Thank you for your review!

[Jamerelbe]

  On 8/15/2019 at 1:53 PM, MissCellany said:

I am in love with this ink! How do you reckon it performs on cheaper paper? If it can handle copy paper well enough, I may have found my ideal daily-use blue

 

I haven't tested it extensively on cheaper paper, but it seems pretty good - perhaps better than on Rhodia or Clairfontaine (it's a little prone to smear on the coated surface of the paper).

 

Here's a pick I took last night, comparing Barrister Blue to some of the other inks I have in pens right now, written on an envelope made of cheaper paper. Granted, some of the pens were wetter than others - but you can see how favourably the Barrister Blue compares nonetheless:

 

[Jamerelbe]

  On 8/15/2019 at 4:04 PM, Bhavna said:

You had me at Barrister Purple... I do like the original dastardly dark version to the happy summery blue. Will the original continue? Thank you for your review!

 

Unfortunately not - the darker blue was based on some kind of tannoferrate pigment or dye, and Kevin (the manufacturer) was a little wary of its long-term effect on pens. The new Barrister Blue-Black is a possible alternative - though it's a different shade of blue again...

[Jamerelbe]

  On 8/15/2019 at 4:04 PM, Bhavna said:

You had me at Barrister Purple... I do like the original dastardly dark version to the happy summery blue. Will the original continue? Thank you for your review!

 

Forgot to say, the purple is a nice colour too - not sure whether it's still in production, though...

[DrDebG]

Great review, just like the previous one! I must say, I like this color better, but for some it may not be as "professional".

[fitzrovia]

I seem to be unable to find this brand anywhere? Has it been a victim of the ecoonomy?

 

That's very sad if so.

 

Thanks!

[abstract49]

My understanding is that Blackstone was always a one man operation (I don’t recall his name), and several years ago, he just quit.

 

I really regret it, because their [his] Barrier Reef Blue was one of my favorites/ 

[Jamerelbe]

  On 1/25/2024 at 5:15 PM, abstract49 said:

My understanding is that Blackstone was always a one man operation (I don’t recall his name), and several years ago, he just quit.

 

I really regret it, because their [his] Barrier Reef Blue was one of my favorites/ 

Expand  

Sadly, that's pretty much how it went: sometime during COVID, his website shut down and he stopped responding to emails.  I'd been a long-time customer up to that point - Just Write was an online retailer of fountain pens and paraphernalia for more than a decade before they moved into inks.

[fitzrovia]

That’s very sad. He produced a limited line of really great inks. 
 

I hope he’s ok - best wishes to him (if he sees this!).