Visconti Sepia

[Sandy1]

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http://www.wikihow.c...te-Your-Monitor

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Grey Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/INK576-1-2.jpg

- = + = -

Figure 1.

Swabs & Swatch.

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/38a8b3f4.jpg

 

Figure 2.

NIB-ism ✑

Paper: HPJ1124.

Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.

IMG-Thumb:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/th_18bb321e.jpg

Pens: L → R: Somiko, P99, C74, 45, Phileas & Prelude.

WRITTEN SAMPLES - Moby Dick

Ruling is 8mm ↕

 

Figure 3.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/482c6dfa.jpg

 

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/a70619a6.jpg

 

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/829aa73b.jpg

 

Figure 6.

Paper: Royal - 25% rag.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/c3a65b07.jpg

 

Figure 7.

Paper: Staples Pastels Creme, 20lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/4bcc154f.jpg

 

Figure 8.

Grocery List

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

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/58d96233.jpg

 

OTHER STUFF

 

Figure 9.

Paper: HPJ1124

Smear/Dry Times.

Wet Tests.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/d3cc010e-1.jpg

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Presentation:

• Bottle.

Availability:

• In production at time of writing.

Daily writer?

• Not quite.

A go-to ink?

• Yes - when a soft but stable medium Brown ink is desired.

USE

 

Business:

(From the office of Ms Blue-Black.)

• At high density from a narrow nib VS could be used for internal communication, depending on the nature of the business.
• If I were to receive correspondence written in this ink, I would consider it a Draft - something temporary; signatures written in this ink would appear to be from a person whose honorific starts with 'Acting' - someone not firmly in position or in a temporary position.
• As such, this ink will do well for ephemera and temporary documents subject to revision / near-term recycling.
• Some might find it suitable for personal work product, but it seems to me that its readability may not be all so great under artificial unbalanced light sources. (An issue with any warm-coloured ink in pale to medium density.)
• For mark-up and editing, VS would be far from my top pick - not sufficiently eye-catching.
• Not enough zap for error correction or grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Definitely - a great aux/alt colour.
• A fine ink for generating depth in grounds, and to block areas; well-suited to wet & dry brush techniques.
• Nowhere near the stability to act as a primary figure.
• Line quality is generally exceptional - even on the hard texture G Lalo; but on the Staples Creme, feathering was evident in the high density 'ink pools'. (Ooops!)
• With some care matching lower-tier paper and pens, VS can produce tight lines for labels, crosshatching, etc.

Students:

• Not so much.
• I'm not convinced of its readability; and performance on 'lowest bidder' paper may disappoint.
• Not the least bit water resistant.
• I do not consider this ink suitable for hand-written assignments.

Personal:

• Of course!
• I've used this ink primarily for personal correspondence, and have come to appreciate its soft fluidity.
• For ad hoc personal business writing, I'd use whatever default Blue is to hand.
  
• The shading serves to accentuate that tonality, which is balanced by the very crisp line quality achieved on most smooth-surface papers.
• At present, I prefer narrow to medium nib widths, as I do not think VS would be well served by being splashed about.
• The shading is not so pronounced to produce a jumbled result when shaped nibs are chosen. And those with a fair hand may well enjoy the results from a narrow shaped nib. I rather like the results from a 0.6mm Cursive Italic. It seems that if one prefers a wide mono-line nib, then one of some wetness may be preferred.
• Billets doux? 'fraid not. (Ah me.)

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• A slight bit more than average.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not seen.

Start-up:

• Immediate.
• With confidence.

Lubrication:

• Slightly greater than normal.
• Not the same 'feel' as Visconti Blue in this regard.

Nib Creep:

• None.

Staining [pen]:

• Not seen.

Clogging:

• Not seen.

Bleed- Show-Through:

• Staples Creme: Some show-through from the Prelude, though both sides of the sheet could likely be used for own-use work.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• On the Staples Creme from the Prelude.
  
• (Iffy paper at best, and I have a ream of it. Bah!)

Smell:

• Ink; faint.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not seen.

Clean Up:

• Very fast and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• No stated prohibitions.
• I see no reason to mix into this ink.

Archival:

• Not claimed.

Smear/Dry Times & Water Resistance ☔:

• See Figure 9 above.

THE LOOK

 

Presence:

• A soft invitation.
• The whisper that draws one closer to listen.
• Can have an ever so slight 'polished' appearance. (I may be imagining things.)

Saturation:

• Not so much.

Shading:

• Oh yes!
• Shading was evident even from the narrow nibs and on all papers used.
  
• Shading is not massive, so it might be suppressed by use of absorbent papers with a very wet nib, (as expected); or encouraged by use of harder smooth surface papers, (as expected).

Variability:

• Pen+nib combos used:
  • Not so much.

  [*]Papers used:

  • A bit more than expected.

  [*]Malleability:

  • Middling.
  • It seems that the wily practitioner would select their paper first, to achieve the desired shading and general density, then select a pen to fine tune those aspects.

Hi-Res Scans:

 

As I do not wish to earn the sobriquet 'Regina dei Banditi di Larghezza di Banda', these are IMG-thumbs.

 

Somiko on HPJ1124

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/th_476da495.jpg

C74 on Rhodia

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/th_14e0aec9.jpg

45 on G Lalo

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/th_841304eb.jpg

Prelude on Royal

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Visconti%20Sepia/th_830bf3cd.jpg

 

FIDELITY

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Sepia seems hard to pin down, though wiki indicates "Sepia is a dark brown-grey colour" LINK
  
• The name is also used to describe the results achieved by certain monochrome and split tone photographic processes. LINK
  

SIMILAR COLOURS:

 

Please note: For the One Of The Eleven series of Brown inks that I have reviewed, an effort was made to use several of the same papers, one or more of the same pen/s, and Written Sample format to support side-by-side comparison through manipulation of your 'net browser windows. I hope this is sufficient to meet most comparison requirements; if not, I welcome your PM.

 

PAPERS

 

Lovely papers:

• I would like to say 'all', but one does need to watch for bleed- show-through.

Trip-wire Papers: ☠

• Any which are too absorbent or otherwise prone to bleed- show-through.

Tinted Papers:

• The pale density and high translucency of VS makes the choice of base-tint very important: that tint will be added to the perceived colour of the ink.
• That said, this ink does seem to handle reasonably warm tints quite well.
• Cool tints would likely diminish the inviting aspect of VS; however, if shading is high, then a duo-tone appearance may be induced. (Consider G Lalo Velin de France LINK )

Pre-Printed Papers:

• Forms, etc.
  • Poor. As with most warm colours, there is some detachment from the typical Black printed text of the forms.
  • Whitelines would be a non-starter in my world.

  [*]For charts & graphs:

  • Possible, though limited by propensity for shading.
  • Best assigned to items / data sets of lower importance.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Almost. Very dependent on one's desire to encourage or suppress the shading.

ETC.

 

Majik:

• It seems possible, but I have not achieved such.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• P99 on the Rhodia.
• The narrow shaded line is appealing, as is the visual, (not tonal), lightness upon the paper as generated by the low % coverage.

Yickity Yackity:

• An ink that is rewarding in use and gives a classy result.
• Ah kushbaby, I think there's far more to this one than these few pages depict.

======

 

NUTS & BOLTS

 

Pens:

IMG-thumb:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/th_1541b447.jpg

Written Samples:

• Sailor Somiko + TIGP F nib.
• Pelikan P99 + steel F nib.
• Pilot Custom 74 + 14K SFM nib.
• Parker 45 + g-p steel M nib.
• Waterman Phileas + steel B nib.
• Sheaffer Prelude + factory stock steel B stub nib.

For lines & labels: Pilot kiri-same from Pilot 'Lady' + H882 g-p steel F nib.

______

 

Paper:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Royal, 25% cotton rag.
• Staples pastels, creme 20lb.
• Pulp. One-A-Day Calendar page.

______

 

Images:

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 200 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• HiRes Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were not adjusted post-capture, so went straight to Photobouquet for dumbdown.

______

 

Densitometer Readings (FWIW):

• Red 159
• Grn 11
• Blu 94
• Lum 117

______

 

Fine Print:

The accuracy and relevance of this Review depends in great part upon consistency and reliability of matériel used.

Ink does not require labelling/notice to indicate (changes in) formulation, non-hazardous ingredients, batch ID, date of manufacture, etc.

As always, YMMV, not only from materials, methods, environment, etc., but also due to differences between the stuff in the bottle I used, and that in bottle/s others may have.

Also, I entrust readers to separate opinion from fact; to evaluate inferences and conclusions as to their merit; and to be amused by whatever tickles your fancy.

-30-

Tags : FPN Fountain Pen Ink Review Visconti Sepia OOTE Sandy1

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2011 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Visconti Sepia is the seventh ink to be reviewed in the 'One of the Eleven' (OOTE) group of Brown inks.

 

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

 

Hopefully the OOTE reviews will assist practitioners in choosing their Brown ink/s, and avoid unintentional purchase of equivalent ink/s.

 

The Written Samples' format and scans are designed to support comparisons through manipulation of 'net browser windows. Consequently, for the OOTE series, comparison post/s will be generated only from material included in the Ink Reviews when the OOTE series is complete as I see fit, and upon Members' request.

 

I will be the first to admit that my experience with Brown inks is somewhat lean, so OOTE may be an interesting voyage of discovery - for me at least.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

 

==========

 

Prior OOTE Ink Reviews:

• Monteverde Brown : http://www.fountainp...67#entry1769767
• Nooder's #41 Brown, first version : http://www.fountainp...ost__p__1922093
• OMAS Sepia : http://www.fountainp...139-omas-sepia/
• Pelikan 4001 Brown : http://www.fountainp...n/#entry1987331
• Private Reserve Chocolate [sic] : http://www.fountainp...ost__p__1890629
• Waterman Havana : http://www.fountainp...aterman-havana/

______

 

Kindly note that Diamine Macassar is not an OOTE ink - it simply does not have a track record. However, that Review does include samples using some of the same papers and pens as the OOTE Reviews.

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2011 by Sandy1

[Torculus Resupinus]

Great review as always! I already have enough brown ink (Diamine Raw Sienna, Saddle Brown, Sepia; J. Herbin Lie de thé; Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown; Rohrer & Klingner Sepia; do you count Sailor Rikyu-cha?), but I am sorely tempted by this . . .

[Sandy1]

Great review as always! I already have enough brown ink (Diamine Raw Sienna, Saddle Brown, Sepia; J. Herbin Lie de thé; Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown; Rohrer & Klingner Sepia; do you count Sailor Rikyu-cha?), but I am sorely tempted by this . . .

Hi,

 

Thanks for the compliment!

 

It seems that you have a very nice array of Brown inks! But 'enough' of them? (This is FPN after all. )

 

I don't consider rikyu cha to be a Brown ink, rather a Green with a strong Brown aspect. Yet it is one of those rather rare inks that can change appearance considerably - depending on the chosen pen & paper.

 

The VS tends to look much itself. It doesn't strike me as a 'must have it now' ink, in that it is not astounding. Rather a good pick for one who is starting to explore Brown inks; and for those like yourself who have an array, it seems to be an ink to consider when levels of one's current inks draw down. A 'sooner rather than later' Brown perhaps?

 

Other than the total lack of water resistance, VS has an admirable performance profile, along with very good manners and a very pleasant writing experience.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 5, 2011 by Sandy1

[GHigley]

Thanks for the thorough and thoughtful review, Sandy1. I just ordered a bottle as I'm a lover of brown ink. I recently began buying a few early and new Visconti pens, which I am quite enamored with and thought I'd try their inks. I expect to like this one very much given the attributes shown here.