Dupont Royal Blue

June 15, 2010

Kindly adjust the brightness & contrast of your monitor to accurately depict this Gray Scale.

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

Figure 1.

Grey Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/FPN049.jpg

Figure 2.

Paper: HPJ1124 Laser Copy.

Swabs: Waterman Florida Blue. Dupont Royal Blue.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK410.jpg

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

Nib-ism_Link

Note - Narrow nibs are showcased in rows 6mm high.

If this does not suit the requirements of narrow nib aficionadi, please let me know, and I'll see what else can be done.

Figure 3.

Paper: HPJ1124 Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK412.jpg

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK413.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK414.jpg

Figure 6.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp - from a one-a-day cartoon calendar.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK415.jpg

Figure 7.

'Happy'

Paper: Glossy card stock.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK416.jpg

OTHER SAMPLES:

Figure 8.

Smear / Dry Time. Wet samples.

Paper: HPJ1124 Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK417.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Type:

Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

For those who feel the need to project authority.

Other:

An exquisite charismatic ink, that draws one towards it.
Even though its not animated, it is definitely present and cannot be ignored.
This may be a 'Must Have' for anyone with a Napoleon_Complex

USES:

Business:

Helvetica in a bottle.
Profoundly managerial - not for lesser minions. (Never lend your pen when running this ink.)
Can be used without hesitation for all 'downward' correspondence.
May have too much gravitas - does not encourage engagement/dialogue.
Use carefully for 'upward' correspondence.
Not enough zip for mark-up, editing, revision, etc.
Signatures.

Illustrations / Graphics:

An astute substitution for the usual Dark Blue.
Lack of feathering supports its use for tight narrow lines in drawings/diagrams, but it is quite dark, so may lose its colour with very fine lines.

Personal:

Iffy.
Too much gravitas and not enough conviviality could make this an awkward choice.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS:

Flow:

Excellent with all sampled writers.

Nib Dry-out:

Not apparent.

Start-up:

No hesitation at all.

Lubrication:

Outstanding.
May reduce feedback from nib, so to keep the nib running on the sweet spot may need a bit of care. (That is apparent with the Platinum MS, which is a bit 'tippy' to start with. I need training wheels with that nib.)

Nib Creepies:

None.

Staining:

None in the short term.

Clogging:

Seems unlikely.

Bleed Through:

Not on any of the papers.

Show Though:

Both sides of paper may be used without any problem whatsoever.

Smell:

Faint. Reminiscent of a drag strip.

Hand oil sensitivity:

More than expected.
When the humidity's up, one may well use a cover-sheet to protect the lower blank part of the page.

Archival:

Makes no such claim.

Smear Results: (Figure 8)

Dry within 10 seconds.

Water Resistance: (Figure 8)

Not too bad - salvageable, but not usable.

Bulletproof:

Makes no such claim.

Clean Up:

A bit slow but thorough with plain water.
Not worth the nuisance to use a surfactant - just be patient.

Mixing:

No stated prohibitions / limitations.
I see zero need or inclination to mix or tune this ink, though I imagine some may dilute it ever so slightly with the dew from a rose blossom.

THE LOOK:

Saturation:

Perfectly fine.
Runs well even with the driest nib sampled, the 78G+F, which allows more shading to develop. (See Shading below.)
However, I would prefer a writer of at least normal wetness, such as the Pelikan or Waterman.
Saturation_Link

Shading:

Though the driest writer generated the most shading, trying another dry writer (Another_dry_writer_sample) did not produce more shading in and of itself.
The shading tends to be nice & smooth, but still pronounced.
Using a harder, rather ink resistant paper won't do it.
Shading_Link

Feathering:

Absent.

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

There will be a variance of shading-saturation depending on the writer, but the look remains quite consistent: a sumptuous classy FP ink.

FIDELITY:

Is colour name appropriate / accurate?

Wiki_link.

Yes - the ink name is not something clever that was spawned after Happy Hour. (Anyone from Diamine reading this?)

Note: Some other inks sharing the same name are far more purple.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/INK421.jpg

That is not 'Royal Blue', rather it is another colour altogether - in the direction of Dark Tyrian Purple, which was historically used by tall poppies / royalty. Also not to be confused with Indigo, (Indigo_Link), another ancient dyestuff.
The colour shown on the box... Huh? There's no swatch on the box! Hey, whats-a-goin-on-ere-eh?
The colour on the bottle cap is a mere 3mm square, and has a glossy sheen to it. Not too far off, but best ignored.

PAPERS:

Lovely papers:

This ink should look good on any white writing paper that comes to mind.
Could handle paper with optical brighteners.

Trip-wire papers:

This ink could withstand the humiliation of off- dirty- white paper.
Given this ink's wonderful manners and high performance, I'd not hesitate to say any writing paper, and likely a good number of non-writing papers.

Tinted Papers:

If using a normal-to-wet writer, I think the ink would be sufficiently opaque to maintain The Look on most reasonable tints.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

Not quite.
Like other top-tier inks, while you pay extra for ink, it saves many times over on paper. (I just made that up! Is it true? A show of hands please.)
The ink has such good manners that it does very well on the HPJ1124.
It does change slightly on the other sampled papers, but that's more a matter of preference than performance.

OTHER THAN INK:

Presentation:

50ml. bottle in a box.

Country of origin:

France.

Container:

A round clear glass bottle, with a diameter of 60mm and height of 45mm. The bottle is shallow. Ah me! 4x Rude_Word
The centred round opening is a gaping 30mm diameter - enough to swallow curious kittens.
The bakelight cap has no grippy bits. (Hon, you seen the come_along?)
The cap is not child-proof.
The cap seal is plastic foam.
Single tank, no filling aids, no sediment collector. Bah!
A low-rent sticker on the cap states 'ink', 'encre' and the goofy swatch. Scan_link
No HazMat warnings.

Box:

Box is 60x52x60mm.
Lightly-coated card stock.
Design is 'B' as in 'boring'. Not even classy minimalism.
Other than Sheaffer's plastic wrap, this must be the worst I've seen. And from the French. Earns 1 'Domage' + 1 Gallic shrug.

Eco-Green:

OK.
No decadent waste, and all bits likely recycleable/benign.

Availability:

Rare in North America. (This bottle was sourced from Quebec - still part of Canada I think.)
Other geographic areas? Please chime in.

ETC:

Majik:

Seems unlikely - the colour is just too staid. So sorry.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

Anything from the Pelikan, Waterman or Parker pens.

Yickity Yackity:

This ink does have more to show.
Shaped nibs may certainly be considered, also drier writers.
BIG concern: If the MB Blue-Black is white tie, and this ink is black tie, then where is the impeccable Visconti Blue in the ink pecking order?
Ah kushbaby, put away all those rubbishy dark blues - this here is the real deal.

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MATERIEL USED:

These pen+nib combos:

For Written Samples:

A. Pilot 78G + g-p steel F nib.

B. Rotring 600 + steel F nib

C. Pelikan M1?? + 14C M nib

D. Waterman + 18K M nib

E. Parker UK Duofold (Black) + 14K 'N' nib.

F. Platinum 3776 + 18K MS nib.

G. Parker 45 + steel F-M nib. (Only for drier writer scan.)

For lines & labels:

Pilot Plumix + steel XF nib; inked with Visconti Bordeaux.

On these papers:

HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
Rhodia, Bloc No. 18.
G Lalo 'Verge de France', White
Pulp - one-a-day cartoon calendar page: Pilot 78G + F.
Glossy card stock: Waterman + M.

NOTES:

I use only papers, pens & nibs that are readily available, for which I paid $100 or less and 'stock' - not customised.

If some pens/nibs are not currently produced, I'll use them if there are NOS or restored pieces readily available under the $100 price cap.
As appropriate, an implement outside of those guidelines may be included, which will be ID-ed as a *Dealer's Choice.

Figures were produced on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.

Originals scanned at 150 dpi & 24 bit colour to produce .jpg files.
Close-ups (linked) were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour to produce .jpg files.
The images were not adjusted other than cropping and straightening using iPhoto on a MacBook.
Scanner Densitometer Readings were generated from the 'N' in 'Ink Review' in Figure 2: Red 33; Green 134; Blue 210; Luminosity 129.

-30-

EDIT - Expletives deleted.

Edited June 15, 2010 by Sandy1

June 23, 2010

Wow....a definite must have! A most wonderful review (yet again....)

Canadian vendors are the closest US seekers can get? Beats France or UK, I guess...

Thanks S1!

June 23, 2010

Wow....a definite must have! A most wonderful review (yet again....)
Canadian vendors are the closest US seekers can get? Beats France or UK, I guess...
Thanks S1!

Hi,

This ink is a real 'sleeper'. I really do think the ink is astounding, and I don't get impressed all so easily. And for me to compare an ink to the Montblanc Blue Black and the Visconti Blue is about as much praise as I can heap on a Blue ink, and even pretend to be objective. Well, I did let my subjectivity sneak in.

I don't know of any state-side vendors of the inks. Perhaps chasing down a company that sells their pens might be able to get the ink. No idea who is/are the US distributor or importer of ST Dupont small goods.

EDIT - To add: The Dupont site offers an online look-up here.

The bottle / box has no contact info. There is a Reference No., but it may be from the Retailer - not Dupont : Ref. 040152.

Bye,

S1

Edited June 23, 2010 by Sandy1

June 23, 2010

Thanks S1.

I was able to locate several stateside vendors, one not too far away.

June 23, 2010

Thanks S1.
I was able to locate several stateside vendors, one not too far away.

You're welocme.

For some reason, I didn't think that Dupont would be so well represented.

Now the task is to see if the Retailers actual have the ink in stock. And double check that it's the Royal Blue, which may take a direct email or phone call to have someone actually look at the label - not just a catalogue / inventory entry.

I encourage you to post your experience and 'hands on' impression of the ink.

Bye,

S1

June 23, 2010

Thanks for those tips. I will .

June 24, 2010

Both of these vendors have confirmed that their stock is indeed Royal Blue.

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www.redfingerprint.com

http://www.theinkflow.com/

June 25, 2010

Both of these vendors have confirmed that their stock is indeed Royal Blue.

www.redfingerprint.com

http://www.theinkflow.com/

-- Outstanding! Thanks for your effort and sharing the fruit of your labour. -- S1

May 20, 2011

Love this ink! I happen to live in Alberta... And it was 27 dollars! But hey, you only live once so what they hell...

Anyway, to clarify, Quebec is still part of Canada Sandy

May 20, 2011

Love this ink! I happen to live in Alberta... And it was 27 dollars! But hey, you only live once so what they hell...

Anyway, to clarify, Quebec is still part of Canada Sandy

Hi,

♥ indeed! I am still drawn back to this ink time and again.

Thanks for the current status of Québec. Some years ago I went to a seminar in Ville de Québec - a fascinating place where everyone's mad about ice hockey. And Cold Lake Alberta too, where everyone's just barking mad.

Bye,

S1

May 20, 2011

haha thats truly funny

November 24, 2011

Hi,

To support ad hoc comparison to other inks of similar colour, I have revisited S.T. Dupont Royal Blue to add more written samples, etc. These samples use much the same layout, papers, pens and imaging method as the current reviews of Blue inks.

As always, should one feel that a separate Post or Topic is required to depict a certain aspect of an ink, your PM will be welcomed. While new scans can be accommodated in due course, creation of even more new written material is unlikely.

-=-

Written Samples - Moby Dick

Ruling: 8mm.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/38f48d37.jpg

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/d88840cc.jpg

Paper: Staples 20 lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/d868c372.jpg

HiRes Scans:

Originals are 60x30mm.

IMG Thumbs:

330 on HPJ1124

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/th_f2c11ef4.jpg

Safari on Rhodia

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/th_4249c7bb.jpg

Other Stuff:

Smear/Dry Times

Wet Tests

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Comparison%20Expemplars%20-%20Dupont%20Royal%20Blue/40563542.jpg

Comments:

Results are consistent with prior samples.
The writing experience is luxurious.
The bottle was changed to perhaps the most impractical of all: very short, like a paving stone, so that the ink is in a 'pool' rather than a 'column'. How on earth that design supports inking-up is beyond me. What happened to form & function?