Amerigo Vespucci Black (Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black ?)

[Gazcom]

There are some thing that makes me behave like flies on sugar: fancy and strange ink bottles and fountain pen. This is what brought me to buy this incredible bottle, forgotten in a shopwindow of an old stationery, for just 6 euros, and since we're in the end all interested in what's unusual more than what's common, today I'm gonna review the ink that I found inside it, and since I don't really know which one it is, I'll just call it : Pelikan Amerigo Vespucci Black.

 

 

Before talking about the ink and it's properties, I've to write about some hints that suggest me that this ink is nothing more than a Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black in a fancy bottle.
The bottle is an old 70 ml Pelikan one (as also written on the bottom of the bottle), free of any sticker or box that can identify it as a Pelikan ink, but as you will see from the review, comparing it to the reviews already done from other members of this forum, in my opionion this is just a standard 4001 Black ink.

 

 

I don't like black inks and I hardly find great differences between blacks and blacks. If I've too say, I've two kind of favourite blacks: the one's who tend to have a good ammount of shade (a little more on the grey side), and the ones that are black as the void. This ink fails to enter in both categories and represents my perfect ink nemesis.

In terms of performance, is a decent ink, behaves well on most of the papers i've tried it on, with some feathering and bleed on copy paper, but nothing to define it unusable on cheap paper. Flows well and has good drying times. Displays a little shading on Tracing and Schizza & Strappa paper, but nothing exceptional. Shows some water resistance but is never going to be a waterproof ink.

On the other side the bottle is estetically gorgeous, the silver finishes are cool, the cap with the helm and the engraving "Amerigo Vespucci" is cool, the silver bass relief with the Amerigo Vespucci ship is gorgeous and I enjoy it even if I'm not passionate of vessels, boats etc... Unlike the j.herbins bottle, this one has enough space to hold a modern Fountain pen steadily on the silver support

 

I usually end my reviews questioning myself if the ink is worth the effort and if I reccomend to buy it and to whom, I think that this time the question is misplaced fors several reasons:

1) I don't know if this is part of a limited edition or whatelse, I asked Pelikan but they haven't answered me yet.

2) I don't think this particular bottle it's easily obtainable anymore.

3) I think this ink is just 4001 Pelikan Brilliant Black, which is probably the most widely available ink in the world.

In the end, if you like the ink, buy it.
If you like this particular bottle you can check around the web, I'm sure it's not the only one around like this.

 

PARTICULAR OF THE BOTTLE

 

 

COPY PAPER

 

SCHIZZA & STRAPPA PAPER

 

TRACING PAPER

 

CROMATOGRAPHY

 

INKDROP

 

 

PS:
If someone has a cromatography of 4001 Black, it could beinteresting comparing to mine to have the final proof that this is just a fancy bottle for that ink.
Obviously if anyone is able to give me some information about this particular ink bottle, is welcome to share with me his knowledge! thanks in advance!

Edited October 23, 2016 by Gazcom

[visvamitra]

I have some carts with 4001 Black. I'll make chromatography. I'll post in an hour or so. The bottle looks cool

[mge01park]

Great review. I think there was once an Omas ink with that name too. A reason to go to storage today and check. 😀

[Bill P]

Nice looking bottle...

 

Thanks for posting

[visvamitra]

As promised:

 

The drop was too big and in a result the towel was rather broad hence the unusual shape of the chromatography. Maybe I'll repeat it tomorrow.

Edited October 23, 2016 by visvamitra

[Gazcom]

Uhm the mistery thickens... Seems rather different, but let's wait the next cromatography to judge! Thx Visvamitra!

[mehandiratta]

the bottle looks so good...

[Gazcom]

TWIST IN THE PLOT!!! Seems really close to visconti black in my opinion... Check the cromatographies in lapis's mb ultra black review!

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/310657-montblanc-ultra-black/

[lapis]

Tadaaa ! Sounds good. Looks good....

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu264/peli46/3%20Blacks_2016-10-24.jpg

 

 

As if you couldn't see it... from the left to the right: Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black, Omas Black and Visconti Black. My chromatography number as usual....

But... I still can't say what your gem is... let alone if it's one of these....

 

Mike

[Gazcom]

Uhm... I've to repeat my cromatography I suppose. Which paper you gave used? I'll try to make it as much similar as possible!

[lapis]

I use an "ordinary" blotting paper. The store where I bought it couldn't (or didn't want to) tell me the brand/manufacturer/model/article number. So I measured it myself and came to a weight of ca.139 g/m² and a thickness of ca. 0.27 mm.

I always cut that into strips of 85 x 10 mm, pipette 3.0 µl of ink at the bottom, 10 mm up from the bottom edge, and then let the guys stand up hanging in isopropanol/water at a ratio of 1/1 until the migration rises to about 10 mm from the top edge. Takes about 30-40 min, depending on the inks.

 

Whew!

[Gazcom]

Uhm, at this point there are two options:

1) giving up, it's just a mediocre black ink and we can live with the doubt
2) sending you a vial for further analysis on the mediocre black ink.

 

I think I'll never be able to put on a cromatography lab like yours ^^

Edited October 24, 2016 by Gazcom

[vojtahlad]

Pelikan sells (or sold in the past) 4001 ink in these bottles.:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/old-Pelikan-great-ink-bottle-4001-royalblue-konigsblau-50-ml-2-1-3-FL-OZ-/152153757109?hash=item236d1215b5:g:uPsAAOSweWVXeTVQ

 

My guess is that there is the regular 4001 Brilliant Schwarz inside.

[Chrissy]

I use an "ordinary" blotting paper. The store where I bought it couldn't (or didn't want to) tell me the brand/manufacturer/model/article number. So I measured it myself and came to a weight of ca.139 g/m² and a thickness of ca. 0.27 mm.

I always cut that into strips of 85 x 10 mm, pipette 3.0 µl of ink at the bottom, 10 mm up from the bottom edge, and then let the guys stand up hanging in isopropanol/water at a ratio of 1/1 until the migration rises to about 10 mm from the top edge. Takes about 30-40 min, depending on the inks.

 

Whew!

 

I do loads of chromatography tests, but have never used isopropanol and water. Mine seem to work just as well with water only.

[Gazcom]

Pelikan sells (or sold in the past) 4001 ink in these bottles.:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/old-Pelikan-great-ink-bottle-4001-royalblue-konigsblau-50-ml-2-1-3-FL-OZ-/152153757109?hash=item236d1215b5:g:uPsAAOSweWVXeTVQ

 

My guess is that there is the regular 4001 Brilliant Schwarz inside.

That is the bottle, no doubt about it. But the cromatography shows that the ink is rather different, or maybe just a pelikan old formula... Really don't know.

Btw the ink is nothing spectacular, just wondering about which is the most similar

Edited October 25, 2016 by Gazcom