Visconti - Blue

[Sandy1]

Please take a moment to adjust the brightness & contrast of your monitor to accurately depict this Gray Scale.

As the patches are neutral gray, their colour on your monitor should also be neutral gray.

• Mac My link
  
• Wintel PC My link
  

Figure 1.

Gray Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/INK576-1.jpg

Figure 2.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/6bd6dc75.jpg

Figure 3.

NIB-ism My link

N.B. Depicts nibs' line-width/s and pens' relative wetness.

 

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Row Height is 8mm.

 

Figure 4.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/b06bcfe2.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/efcae35a.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/6aa33fb6.jpg

Figure 7.

Paper: Royal, 25% rag.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/c968bef4.jpg

Figure 8.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/05620321.jpg

 

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 9.

• 'HAPPY!' on Glossy Card.
• Smear/Dry Time on Glossy Paper.
• Smear/Dry Time on HPJ1124.
• Wet Tests on HPJ1124.
• Wet Tests on Royal.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-Visconti%20Blue/4e4a0114.jpg

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Very possible.

A go-to ink?

• Yes - it could be the Dark Blue ink.

USE

 

Business:

• Easily, but handle with care.
  • Upward correspondence in Visconti Blue should be carefully considered; for all other correspondence, it should be just fine.
  • Those working in Teams or their equivalent may wish to use a more egalitarian ink, but VB will not offend.

  [*]It comes in off the post for mark-up, editing, etc.[*]Does not suit error correction or grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Very likely a good pick for Dark Blue, as it is very much a 'pure' Blue.
• The relatively slow dry time on HPJ1124, may make VB unsuitable for rapid reworking of an illustration.
• It has good saturation and flow, so should be suitable for even-density narrow lines on hard paper.

Students:

• Hmm, I would like to say 'Yes', but ...
  • On quite absorbent papers, VB demonstrated a tendency to have a woolly line, and show- bleed-through, so it may not be the first choice for inexpensive papers.
  • It is not fast drying, so may not be well suited to fast notes. (?)

  [*]Perhaps best used for hand-written assignments, where it will have the greatest effect.

Personal:

• Absolutely. (At least for Ms Blue-Black here.)
• This ink is very attractive, and almost tactile.
• It does not just have a Look - it has a Vibe.
• A person could write to me about their three-eared cat coughing-up mouse skulls, and I'd read it - more than twice.
• And when writing personal correspondence, one should not hesitate to use upper-tier paper to maximise The Look.
• For pro forma business writing, VB may be too good; use Lamy Green instead.
• Billet doux are well out of reach.
• One could easily run any shape and size of nib with this ink. It loves to be splashed about on the page from wide BB nibs; and gives those teeny tiny narrow nibs a beautiful voice.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• Enthusiastic.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not noticed - too busy writing!

Start-up:

• Immediate.

Lubrication:

• Quite high.
• VB smoothed-over the textured bumps and dryness of the Lalo, yet remained sure-footed on the very smooth Rhodia.
• Anything smoother might be a problem to exert fine control, e.g. Clairefontaine, and/or if one has a 'slick' nib, such as my Charleston.

Nib Creeping:

• None.

Staining:

• None after 3 days.

Clogging:

• Not seen.
• Seems unlikely, but high saturation ...

Bleed Through:

• Yes.
• From the 502 on the Royal.

Show Through:

• Yes.
• From the 502, 330 & Safari on the Royal.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• Yes.
• Some on the Royal.

Smear/Dry Time:

• Glossy: <2 seconds.
• HPJ1124: 15 - 20 seconds.

Water Resistance:

• HPJ1124 and Royal:
  • -3-
  • "All legible, but either very faint and/or has heavy staining from re-deposit of soluble dye.
  • Needs recovery/restoration for anything beyond personal use."

Smell:

• Very faint.
• Rounded esters.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not noticed.

Archival:*

• Not claimed.

Clean Up:

• Fairly quick and very thorough with plain water.
• The 502 was a bit possessive, and didn't want to let go.

Mixing:

• It's very fine as it comes from the bottle.
• Some practitioners may wish to add the dew from a rose petal to 'open' VB ever so slightly.

* No FP ink is certified as 'archival' by a recognised standards organisation. e.g. ISO, ANSI.

 

THE LOOK:

 

Presence:

• Very present.
• The ink is quite friendly for a Dark Blue.
• VB attracts and holds the reader with ease - whether used in business or personal writing.
• A very fine person wearing a rather too formal style of dress for the occasion.

Saturation:

• Very high.
• Wonderful for narrow nibs.
• (The narrow dry 51 + VB make an excellent pair.)

Shading:

• Quite rare, but looks very nice when it does appear.
• Out of the 26 Written Samples, only the 330 on Rhodia showed significant shading. My link
  

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

• The change in density (light-dark) between writers is evident, but less than expected, which is typical for darker inks.
• The writers were quite true-to-form regardless of paper, so VB may well make for a good daily work horse ink - only if one is using adequate not-too-thirsty paper.

High Resolution Scans:

• From the 51 on HPJ1124 My link
• From the 502 on Rhodia My link
• From the Estie on G Lalo My link
• From the Safari on Royal (Depicts the woolly line.) My link
  

FIDELITY:

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Obviously - its Visconti and its Blue - but 'Dark Blue' would be more accurate.

Are swatches accurate?

• Swatches? What swatches?? We don't need no stinking swatches. Bah!

SIMILAR COLOURS:

• Actually not so many that are such a 'true' Dark Blue: VB does not lean towards Royal Blue or go off the rails to join 'Blaqua'.

PAPERS:

 

Lovely papers:

• Crisp white paper.
• A go-to ink when using a hard ink-repellent paper.
• Can handle dirty-white papers; and papers with optical brighteners will tap out.

Trip-wire Papers:

• Overly absorbent papers. (Woolly lines may occur.)

Tinted Papers:

• VB is sufficiently saturated and dark that could work well on almost any sensible tint.

PrePrinted Paper:

• Isn't VB too good for forms? (I would really like to switch to Pelikan Royal Blue for pre-printed paper.) But ...
• VB draws attention to anything written on the forms, so no fibs, porkies or little white lies.
• The ability to run well from dry narrow (Posting) nibs makes VB an attractive choice, but watch for those woolly lines, especially if writing small text on 'lowest bidder' paper.
• For grids, etc., VB is a good choice, as the colour, tone and saturation will combine to push such constructs well into the background.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Not so much as getting the hardness / absorbency right.
• A hard paper seems to be necessary to have a chance at shading. (I plan to revisit this aspect of VB.)

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

• 40ml plastic bottle encapsulated in hard clear plastic.
• No HazMat warnings.
• No swatches - the bottle top indicates the sort-of-maybe-something-like-this-but-not-really ink colour. (Grossly inadequate. No wonder people shop online, trusting a Vendor's colour sample.)

Country of origin:

• Not stated; apparently Italy. (?)

Container:

• A clear hard plastic very broad-shouldered square-based bottle; with a maximum width/depth of 60mm, and a capped height of 77mm. My link
• The centred round opening is a rather too narrow 17mm ∅.
• Single tank, no sediment collector, no filling aid. Tsk Tsk Tsk
• For the 75mm glass bottles, it was claimed that up to 95% of the ink could be drawn into a pen - depending on the nib size. Perhaps that can be extended to the *rude_word* plastic bottles.
• Small base and high centre of gravity make for interesting moments inking-up balky button fillers. (I use temporary putty to affix the bottle to the work surface.)
• The label is on the top of the bottle, so the ink level is very easy to determine, and over-immersion / dunking of one's pen may be avoided. (Take note R&K!)
• The hard plastic screw cap has adequate grippy bits, and is a good height for ease of use.
• The cap seal is plastic foam.
• The cap is not child-proof.

Capsule:

• Clear plastic top with coloured opaque bottom.
• Unstackable.
• No idea why oh why the beautiful functional eco-sensitive box was abandoned.
• Tsk x2 + *unlady-like_word* + Phooey!

Eco-Green:

• Likely the plastics could be recycled.
• Bah!

Availability:

• High street shops, online.
• Other locations? Please chime in.

ETC:

 

Majik:

• I'm afraid not.
• It seems really too saturated for majik.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• Pelikan M200+EF on the HPJ1124.

Yickity Yackity:

• This is a widely-used dark blue ink that encompasses personal and business use.
• I think VB can be a staple in one's ink array, like flour is in the pantry, but a lot lot more interesting.
• Ah kushbaby, I imagine this is on your top shelf too, but how close to front row centre?

{=x*x=}~{=w*w=}~{-=-]\Y/[-=-}~{=w*w=}~{=x*x=}

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. For pens, I use those for which I paid $100 or less, new or used; and are 'factory stock' - not customised.

 

For the 'One Of The Ten' suite of inks, the same set of pens are used. My link

 

A. Parker 51, Flighter^✩, Mark I + 14K XF nib.

B. Pelikan M200 + M200-series g-p steel EF nib.

C. Waterman England 502 + some-flex 14CT 2A nib.

D. Sheaffer 330 + inlaid steel M nib.

E. Esterbrook J + 9968 firm steel B nib.

F. Lamy Pink Safari + steel 1.1i nib.

 

^✩ I cannot determine if this pen is a true 'Flighter' - set-up for use at low atmospheric pressure.

 

For lines & labels:

• Pilot Penmanship + steel XF with Montblanc Racing Green.

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Royal, 25% cotton rag.
• Pulp.
• Glossy paper.
• Glossy card.

_________________

 

IMAGES

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 96 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were cropped and straightened; no other changes were made.

_________________

 

DENSITOMETER READINGS (FWTW)

• Red 72
• Grn 95
• Blu 206
• Lum 112

===============

 

-30-

Edited September 26, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

The Visconti Blue is the fifth ink to be reviewed in the 'One of the Ten' (OOTT) group of Blue inks.

 

When complete, the intention is to have the OOTT inks reviewed in the same manner, and compared in the same manner to the maximum practical extent.

 

Hopefully the OOTT reviews and comparisons will assist practitioners in choosing their lynch-pin Blue/s, and avoid unintentional purchase of visually equivalent ink/s.

 

Also, the OOTT results should give common ground for claims, rumour and scuttlebutt to be discussed. Or be considered irrelevant, and so be ignored.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

[79spitfire]

WOW, That's some review! Now I have to see if I can find the ink somewhere!

[mdoering]

This is the best ink review I've read to date!

[Triplet Mom]

Another amazing review, Sandy1!! Visconti Blue is one of my favorite blue inks and seems to always be loaded in at least one of my pens in rotation on any given day.

 

Warm regards,

Lynne

[PenTieRun]

Yes, certainly at the very top of the list for medium blue inks. Too bad the price and the wretched plastic bottle provide some buzz kill.

[lapis]

Thanks for the great review as usual. Since this is one of my Top Three Blues...

 

... may I add the following for those still contemplating their first purchase thereof... if you have the chance, try and get any left-over glass bottles, which are now replaced by plastic bottles (both are 40-ml bottles). And/or an old supply of the 75-ml bottles which BTW are {A} unfortunately also plastic, but {B} less expensive in a dough-to-vol ratio.

 

Mike

[TWRDO]

Now I can see why so many people like this ink so much. Great review!

[Sandy1]

This is the best ink review I've read to date!

Hi,

Thanks!

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Another amazing review, Sandy1!! Visconti Blue is one of my favorite blue inks and seems to always be loaded in at least one of my pens in rotation on any given day.

 

Warm regards,

Lynne

Hi,

Thanks!

This is indeed one of the staple inks in my array.

Always in the front row; always a spare bottle.

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Yes, certainly at the very top of the list for medium blue inks. Too bad the price and the wretched plastic bottle provide some buzz kill.

Hi,

I certainly agree that it has earned its place time & time again - not a flash in the pan.

The price I can ignore - to me ink is a gift to the recipient. And the package, well, it is a disgrace, plain & simple.

Bye,

S1

Edited September 25, 2010 by Sandy1

[lovemy51]

well.... i got two bottles back when swisher had them for $6 USD, YES, 6 bucks!!! love it!

 

sandy, you're undoubtedly the queen of reviews!!!

Edited September 25, 2010 by lovemy51

[pmsalty]

Very thorough and excellent review. However Visconti Blue is already one of my favorite blues and I use it for business correspondence. I'm a lefty and have never had any problems with the ink smearing.

PMS

[Sandy1]

well.... i got two bottles back when swisher had them for $6 USD, YES, 6 bucks!!! love it!

 

sandy, you're undoubtedly the queen of reviews!!!

Hi,

$6 !! I imagine they were the glass bottles & proper boxes too!

I certainly hope you have used those by now and are on to your umpteenth bottle.

QoR? Well now. It suddenly feels warm in here; maybe I'll open a window.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Very thorough and excellent review. However Visconti Blue is already one of my favorite blues and I use it for business correspondence. I'm a lefty and have never had any problems with the ink smearing.

PMS

Hi,

 

Thank-you for chiming-in on the smear aspect of VB.

 

I am a righty, so I am rarely confronted with inks' Smear / Dry Time properties. At times I am quite surprised by my results for that sample. A few times I have repeated the process, only to duplicate my initial result. (?) So even if it is 'wrong' or not characteristic, it is consistent.

 

Also, I have taken to printing the character '4', rather than making a simple down-stroke, '↓', as previous. That change was inspired by the obvious 'ink pool' at the end of a down-stroke, which then became the measuring point - not the entire stroke. So I went two to the '4', in hopes that it might more accurately reflect actual use - the nib moves in three directions: down, T-L diagonal & L-R side-stroke; with two end-points: bottom of the down-stroke, and R-side of the cross-stroke. This shows overlapping strokes, two start-points & two end-points - all in different directions of travel. An obvious omission is an up-stroke '↑', but many nibs tend to be 'lean' on that vector, so to me that would not be a very significant sample.

 

All I can say is the results are clear & honest. In that, the results are relative - not absolute.

 

Each person would be well advised to run their own wee samples for their pens, papers, atmospheric conditions, etc. And if one is doing rapid re-working of text or an illustration or is left-handed, (as was my late father), such a suggestion goes double, and should be sensible common practice. (Which I too often ignore - oopsie!)

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 26, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

The Visconti Blue is the fifth ink to be reviewed in the 'One of the Ten' (OOTT) group of Blue inks.

 

When complete, the intention is to have the OOTT inks reviewed in the same manner, and compared in the same manner to the maximum practical extent.

 

Hopefully the OOTT reviews and comparisons will assist practitioners in choosing their lynch-pin Blue/s, and avoid unintentional purchase of visually equivalent ink/s.

 

Also, the OOTT results should give common ground for claims, rumour and scuttlebutt to be discussed. Or be considered irrelevant, and so be ignored.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

 

COMPARISON : To Pilot asa-gao My link

[lovemy51]

well.... i got two bottles back when swisher had them for $6 USD, YES, 6 bucks!!! love it!

 

sandy, you're undoubtedly the queen of reviews!!!

Hi,

$6 !! I imagine they were the glass bottles & proper boxes too!

I certainly hope you have used those by now and are on to your umpteenth bottle.

QoR? Well now. It suddenly feels warm in here; maybe I'll open a window.

 

Bye,

S1

they were the plastic bottles... don't know why or can't remember why he had them that low (he did have some sort of explanation, but i can't remember).

 

 

and yes, you are the QoR!!!!

[fabrimedeiros]

Sandy, I love your reviews!

 

It's one of my best blues. I really like it. About the plastic bottle, I think it's a beautiful design and very practical, when Visconti chose the

 

conical shape. However it must be made of glass!!!

[ttakacs]

Been looking for Visconti Blue in the 50 ml plastic bottle -- anyone know where to buy online?

[Sandy1]

Been looking for Visconti Blue in the 50 ml plastic bottle -- anyone know where to buy online?

Hi,

 

Try here: My link

And here: My link

 

Others outlets of course, but these Vendors came to mind.

Some Vendors sell Visconti ink, but don't list the 50ml bottles.

 

Bye,

S1