This week we’re bringing you a Visconti Turquoise ink review from one of our guest reviewers, Iris Tu! Read on to find out more about this turquoise fountain pen ink, but first we’ll give you a quick introduction to our guest reviewer!
Meet Iris Tu: Today’s Pen Chalet Guest Reviewer
Iris, today’s ink reviewer, is a wanderer, an adventurer, a forever student, a mom of 2, and a huge fan of all things fountain pen and ink! We also find that she is very thorough when she’s checking out a new ink, and we thought you’d appreciate her approach to tackling the get to know you process between an ink and a writing enthusiast/artist. •The ink review below is in our guest reviewer, Iris Tu’s, own words.
All About the Ink Maker: Visconti
Visconti is a renowned Italian company that manufactures luxury fountain pens, inks, and watches. Started in 1988 in Florence by two fountain pen enthusiasts, Dante del Vecchio and Luigi Poli, all their products are manufactured in Italy from a wide variety of materials using various techniques. Probably most well known for their fountain pens, some notable collections include the Homo Sapiens, pens made from volcanic dust touted to be shatterproof, the Van Gogh series, pens inspired by the paintings of Van Gogh, and the Divina Elegance, inspired by the golden ratio, the nautilus, and the pentagram. In contrast to the wide array of fountain pens, Visconti makes a small line of inks in classic, but vibrant colors.
All About This Week’s Chosen Ink: Visconti Turquoise Ink
Visconti Turquoise is a classic turquoise-colored ink. The flow was average, though perhaps a tad “runnier,” depending on the pen you use. There’s a pink sheen at the edge of drops, but it’s not visible elsewhere, though there is sometimes a hint in swatches. There were no other colors that could be seen when water was added.
What Sort of Ink Bottle Does Visconti Use?
Visconti inks come in a v-shaped, 40 ml plastic bottle. It also includes its own plastic ink stand and display case and is a unique set that allows it to stand out; not many ink bottles include their own stand and cover.
Products Used During this Week’s Ink Review:
- Tomoe River 68 gsm White Paper bound in an A5 notebook, dotted
- Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm Paper bound in an A5 notebook, dotted
- Clairefontaine Triomphe A5 Paper Pad, blank
- Generic Copy Paper, cut in half
- Strathmore Writing Paper 90 gsm in a Passport sized notebook, 25% Cotton blend, blank
- Col-o-Ring
- Calligraphy Dip Pen Holder
- Zebra G Nib
- Moonman Glass Dip Pen with fude nib
- Platinum Procyon Turquoise Blue (M)
- Glass rod
- Eyedropper
- Cotton swab
- Watercolor brush
- A small cup of water
Ink Review Testing Factors: Swatching
Ink swabs on the Col-o-Ring and papers were made with a cotton swab and Visconti Turquoise ink with a dip pen with a Zebra G nib. Ink swabs for comparisons were made with a glass rod. Ink drops were made with an eyedropper dropped from a height of at least 3 inches.
Ink Review Testing Factors: Different Papers
The ink was used on 4 different papers to test various properties of the ink: Tomoe River (68 gsm), Clairefontaine Triomphe (90 gsm), Cosmo Air Light (75 gsm), and generic copy paper. A “swatch” of the ink with water added was made on Strathmore Writing Paper (90 gsm).
Ink Review Testing Factors: Long Writing Sample
The long writing sample was taken directly from a passage on Chapter 1, page 1, in Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray and written with a Platinum Procyon with a medium nib. Water was then dripped on it once dried and blotted off after at least 1 minute had passed. The shorter writing sample was made with the Platinum Procyon along with a Moonman glass dip pen with a fude-style writing tip, meant to mimic a broad/wet nib.
Ink Review Testing Factors: Short Writing Sample
The dry test was performed in 10 second intervals, making the 5 strokes, starting the timer, then smearing with the clean end of a Q-tip as soon as the timer went off. It was repeated until nothing smeared. The fountain pen and glass dip pen were used to test and compare dry times.
How Fast Does Visconti Turquoise Ink Dry?
Dry time was typically 30 seconds for finer nibs and up to 40 and 50 seconds for wet/broad nibs, on Tomoe River and Air Cosmo Light papers, respectively. This ink wrote drier on Clairefontaine, so the dry time was 20 seconds on that. As for copy paper, the ink was absorbed almost immediately and dried well within 10 seconds.
Did You See Any Shading Possibilities?
Shading was low-medium. Aside from copy paper, the ink showed some shading, with the most apparent on Air Cosmo Light and the least on Clairefontaine.
How Did Visconti Turquoise Ink Hold Up to Water?
Visconti Turquoise has low resistance to water. Most of the ink bled off and though there is a hint as to what it used to be on the Japanese papers, it’s not reliable enough. What remained on Clairefontaine and copy paper is illegible.
Was There Any Bleeding or Ghosting During the Visconti Turquoise Ink Review?
There is medium ghosting, or show through on the back of the page, on Tomoe River and Air Cosmo Light – especially if you’re using a wet/large nib. Clairefontaine performed the best in this category, but only marginally. You can still write on both sides of the page on the aforementioned papers, though. As for copy paper, just stick with one side. There was no bleed through except in drops and swabs on the papers, except for copy, where it bled through pretty much everywhere.
Was There Any Feathering During the Visconti Turquoise Ink Review?
Feathering was low and only spotted on copy paper. The flex nib performed the worst, but still remained legible, and it spread a small amount in writing, with it increasing the more wet your writing is.
Comparing this Week’s Ink to Similar Inks:
This ink was very similar to the inks I chose to compare with. It’s probably the closest to Conklin Antique Turquoise in terms of shading and the swatch sample, though Antique Turquoise shows a little more sheen than Visconti’s Turquoise. Pennonia Hupikek is the lightest/least saturated of the four.
Final Conclusion on Visconti Turquoise Ink:
This was a solid ink! It performed well and looks nice on the desk. It a mid-priced option for turquoise fountain pen ink – but it’s Visconti, had to be imported, and comes with its own little display, so the price is not unreasonable. On the other hand, it does take up more space when it comes to storage, so that could be the tipping factor if you don’t have a lot of room to spare. I can’t find anything that I dislike about this ink, so I do recommend it if you have the space and need a turquoise ink. Thank you to PenChalet for sending the ink to review!
Additional Images: Visconti Turquoise Ink Review
Enter to Win This Week’s Ink, Next Week’s Ink & More
Thanks for guest reviewing, Iris! Look for the bottle of Visconti Turquoise Ink featured in this week’s ink review as one of the giveaway prizes in our upcoming 15 on the 15th: Giveaway Day with Pen Chalet! Enter to win now:
