Inc Blu - Francesco Rubinato

[visvamitra]

I don't know a lot about Francesco Rubinato inks. I've tried Sepia and I was disappointed. Some time ago I've received Inc Blu as a gift. The ink is rather intense in color and saturation. It feathers on cheaper papers and causes bleedthrough on almost every paper. To be honest I'm not sure if it's FP friendly - I wouldn't risk putting it in vintage pen (celuloid piston-filler or pens using silicon sacs). In cheaper CC pens the risk is low. The thing that's best about this ink is funny bottle:

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img911/8679/ihqFwf.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img908/6061/xGbJGE.jpg

And now some pictures

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

Software ID

Tomoe River, Kaweco Sport Classic, B

Rhodia, Kaweco Sport Classic, B

Leuchtturm1917, Kaweco Sport Classic, B

Water resistance

[ethernautrix]

That IS a cool bottle! Podoba mi sie! (Oops, can't use the Polish alphabet on this bluetooth keyboard.)

 

I was given a bottle of Rubinato Sepia: the teardrop-shaped bottle is whimsically charming, but the ink was so light and watery, it could have been dishwater in a tea shop. I use it for art projects, not for writing.

 

This blue seems to have a purple tinge, nie podoba mi sie. :-) Still, cool bottle!

[lapis]

I find that blue lovely. Does the bottle have a tight-screwing cap? The big question -- again -- is... who makes it? Visconti? Omas? Could be one of those two. Stipula's (Calamo's) Blu della Robbia comes in even closer IMO.

 

Mike

[lgsoltek]

Looks like a generic blue.

[jmccarty3]

Ah, the enigmatic, unobtainable Rubinato inks, that may or may not be fountain-pen friendly. I love the ultramarine color of this one, but I believe it is made for dip pens. It's hard to imagine a company less interested in selling its products. I'd love to know what's safe to use, but most of all, where to get it. I know Halloween has tried some of them. IIRC, the bottles with the little decorative dried flowers contain the inks that are designed for FPs.

[fabri00]

As far as I know Rubino is a company re-branding all.

The pens come from China, for sure.

ink quality is very variable, but some bottles are very nice (I mean the bottle, not the ink).

[amberleadavis]

Well, the bottle is nice. This is not their best ink.

[Barkingpig]

Ah, the enigmatic, unobtainable Rubinato inks, that may or may not be fountain-pen friendly. I love the ultramarine color of this one, but I believe it is made for dip pens. It's hard to imagine a company less interested in selling its products. I'd love to know what's safe to use, but most of all, where to get it. I know Halloween has tried some of them. IIRC, the bottles with the little decorative dried flowers contain the inks that are designed for FPs.

I went thru all the frantic attempts to purchase this ink last year. I "found it" on a Japanese shopping site, could see it & yet it was one of those items "NOT available for US shipment." I registered with overseas shipping service which I understood to be a way to obtain the ink. Then they requested I fax my passport or driver's license as proof of identity & I "gave up," really.....for a bottle of ink?

 

I later asked Atsu to send two bottles of the Rubinato (Sepia, in the "ear shaped bottle") when he was obtaining some other inks. In May 2015 I received the ink ($39.95 each) & gave one as a gift & kept the other. It was nothing special as a Sepia, but perfectly pleasant. I had purchased the blue earlier on Ebay in an attractive, squatty, faceted bottle. Again, purely an average "blue" ink, tho to fair I don't really like blues so I am not the most appreciative of their qualities.

 

So if you really want to try the ink I imagine Atsu could "dig up" a few bottles for you. They are sold regularly in Japan as I understand.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Barkingpig

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for going to all that trouble. I love the Ear bottle. It is a treasured gift and the bottle is one that I had sought for my entire time on FPN.

[jmccarty3]

Perhaps if we can determine which of their products is suitable for FPs, the Andersons or Vannesses might carry them. I believe the Andersons carry dip pen inks as well. The Rubinato site is obviously a wholesale-only operation.

[HalloweenHJB]

Ah, the enigmatic, unobtainable Rubinato inks, that may or may not be fountain-pen friendly. I love the ultramarine color of this one, but I believe it is made for dip pens. It's hard to imagine a company less interested in selling its products. I'd love to know what's safe to use, but most of all, where to get it. I know Halloween has tried some of them. IIRC, the bottles with the little decorative dried flowers contain the inks that are designed for FPs.

 

 

Goodness, I never saw this thread from a year ago! Yes, I have tried three of the inks, and they seem to be perfectly suitable for fountain pens. I will say that the Arancione (Orange) ink is the probably the best of the three scented inks I have tried, and has a wonderful orange-juice color that is bright, but not neon like a traffic pylon. The "Rosso con essenza di fruits" is a nice red, but nothing special. The "Seppia" ink is a very handsome sepia, and it has the most peculiar "old leather" scent that I have ever smelled. The scent sticks endlessly to any pen I have tried it in.

 

If it weren't for the darling bottles with dried flowers attached, I might not have tried them. Certainly not for everyone.

Edited April 13, 2017 by HalloweenHJB