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☞ Please take a moment to adjust your gear to accurately depict the Grey Scale below. As the patches are neutral Grey, that is what you should see. Mac http://www.computer-darkroom.com/colorsync-display/colorsync_1.htmWintel PC http://www.calibrize.com/http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/27ddb717.jpg ☞ As Photob*cket has lost the functionality to display linked files as required and includes advertising with linked images, I've embedded the HiRes images. I apologise should that choice slow your display times. ⊣:⊢ http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/BarockTdSbottle_zps3b7abe5c.jpg Fidelity As I could not find an 'official' depiction of this ink online, it could not be determined if the ink I used is as it should be. (Hello online shoppers!) Wiki: 'Terra di Siena' http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_di_Siena Figure 1. Swabs & Swatch Paper: HPJ1124. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK144_zps5e75fb2f.jpg Figure 2. NIB-ism Paper: HPJ1124. Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness. Distance between feint vertical pencil lines is 25mm. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK160_zpsa523466c.jpg L ➠ R: Elite, P99, 502, 45, NPS, Prelude. WRITTEN SAMPLES - Moby Dick Ruling: 8mm. Figure 3. Paper: HPJ1124. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK146a_zps3b3e9fe0.jpg Figure 4. Paper: Rhodia. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK147_zpsb22ce010.jpg Figure 5. Paper: G Lalo. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK148_zpsb2a85ebb.jpg Figure 6. Paper: Royal. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK149_zps4fd14bbf.jpg Figure 7. Paper: Clairefontaine Triomphe. Pens: Estie, Sonnet. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK150_zps1e26f162.jpg Figure 8. Paper: Staples White. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK152_zps589a6929.jpg Figure 9. Paper: Staples Creme. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK151_zps3dabb61b.jpg OTHER STUFF Figure 10. Smear/Dry Times & Wet Tests. http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK154_zpsc61c6748.jpg Figure 11. Bleed- Show-Through on Staples White. (Reverse of Figure 8.) http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK153_zps0890189c.jpg Hi-Res Samples Originals are approximately 57x45mm Elite on HPJ1124: http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK155_zps575ea16d.jpg 502 on Rhodia: http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK156_zps56cfe1c5.jpg 45 on G Lalo: http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK157_zps577c3f5a.jpg Prelude on Royal: http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK158_zps31cfd17a.jpg Sonnet on Clairefontaine Triomphe: http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Barock%20Terra%20di%20Siena/INK159_zps59a73507.jpg GENERAL DESCRIPTION Type: handgefertigte Tinte für Füllfederhalter. (Handmade fountain pen ink.)Presentation: Bottle.Availability: Available when Topic posted.Exclusive to Pen-Paradise of Germany. pen-paradise dot deDaily writer? More of an 'on purpose' ink.A go-to ink? When a high performance warm Brown ink is desired.USE Business: (From the office of Ms Blue-Black.) I have yet to be convinced that [warm] Brown ink would be OK in the workplace, but . . .When run at the darker values, BTdS has depth, but not much gravitas, so I'd shy away from this one for routine correspondence, other than brief downward / lateral notes to a known person.For personal work product, determining the value (light - dark) of what's written would be essential to achieving high readability, especially for longer sessions; and as shading may slow the reading process, a move to absorbent papers seems a good option, or reach for that wet-ish narrow nib.The writing experience is quite neutral if not slightly austere, yet I found the toothy copy/print papers comfy enough.The line quality is very high, even on the C/P papers, so tiny marginalia are well within scope.The lack of appreciable bleed- show-through on the 'lowest bidder' papers is much appreciated, and supports the option of running this ink from a slightly wet pen to achieve a darker line and increase lubricity.BTdS appears quite warm in the pale to medium values, at which it would be welcome as an alt/aux ink: mark-up & editing of material printed in Black, and drafts written in Turquoise thru Blue thru Blue-Black; and occasional forms work.Illustrations / Graphics: In the lighter values, BTdS would be a very good pick for line charts & graphs, bringing some vibrancy and its crisp clean line quality, though shading may need to be suppressed. For area formats the full range of values could be utilised; and the colour remains Brown at light values - not wandering towards Orange.Typical of inks with a warm hue, the perceived colour is sensitive to the viewing light, so that should be taken into account.As a watercolour, BTdS emulates its namesake to a great extent. There is quite a difference in behaviour of the dyes when exposed to water, which enables one to generate colour gradients by reworking with a wet sponge or brush, overworking with wet media, and/or to removing dye to leave a strong clear Burgundy-Red remnant. Students: A good pick.Much as for Business Use above, the ink would be suitable for general notes at the darker values and at lighter values will do the necessary as an alt/aux ink.The ink is reluctant to bleed- show-through 'lowest bidder' papers, and has high degree of water resistance, which makes BTdS an attractive option for all but assignments.Personal: Certainly.Even though I currently prefer Brown inks that are low chroma and/or those of a more vegetal aspect that lean Green, I find BTdS has that 'certain something' which makes it quite appealing, though it may not be a constant companion. (I'm still trying to expand my palette.)Forget using this ink for pro forma writing - there are too many default Blues on the third shelf waiting to be used-up.As ever with the Brown inks, the perceived hue is greatly influenced by the value; and this ink has a very roomy performance envelope that supports considerable manipulation to get the appearance 'just right'. Not likely to be evident on your display, the ink displays a high degree of richness and lustre on the page.While I think this ink will attract those who have an array of pens & papers who are [OCD] inclined to seek a certain appearance, BTdS is so well mannered that when used with whatever pen+paper combo is to hand the result will be rewarding. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS Flow Rate: Lean. Nib Dry-Out: Not seen.Start-Up: Immediate.With confidence.BTdS may darken in the feed of uncapped idle pens, as seen from the 502 on HPJ1124. My bad.Lubricity: Modest.Allows for good feedback.Won't jostle when dancing across a textured sheet.Nib Creep: Not seen.Staining (pen): Not seen after three days.Clogging: Not seen.Seems unlikely.Bleed- Show-Through: Inconsequential. Feathering / Wooly Line: Not seen.Aroma: Not noticed.Hand oil sensitivity: Not evident.Clean-Up (pen): Thorough with plain water, but took a bit longer than usual, so adding a few extra soak+flush cycles to one's clean-up regimen seems a good idea.The use of a 0.3% ammonia solution greatly expedited clean-up.Mixing: No stated prohibitions.Archival: Not claimed. THE LOOK Presence: The radiant Summer of Tuscany.Saturation: Typically low.A fully-inked line may be achieved with little effort.Shading Potential: High.Pleasantly fluid & low-key.Possible from narrow mono-line nibs - even on 20lb paper. Line quality: Very high for a simple dye-based ink.Variability: Pen+nib combos used:Just a bit more than expected.The flex-ish nib on the 502 showed railroading to an extent beyond that attributable solely to the inept operator and/or the pen in her hand.Papers used:Greater than expected.Papers that are coated or slick may give results that are not quite as expected, so a bit of sampling is a good idea. (See below)Malleability: Quite high.Even though there is an extended range of the pen+paper combos used for the Written Samples, the potential of BTdS is still under-represented.We see the P99 on G Lalo approach the limit at the pale end, but there is more range to be explored through the use of quite wet nibs, which the roomy performance envelope should encompass. As such, BTdS may appeal to those who have wet pens, yet still like to elicit a bit of shading.The wily practitioner would choose paper before pen, which is not often the case.My reading of the runes is that the absorbency of the paper is unusually important, but the response of BTdS isn't quite typical, so a bit of uncharted territory lay on that heading. PAPERS Lovely papers: All.BTdS ♥ paper! Trip-wire Papers: ☠ Not seen.Copy/Printer Paper: All trumps!Crisp clean lines, lack of bleed- show-through, and fair shading.One does not need a dry narrow nib to get fine results on C/P papers.Tinted Papers: As ever with the Brown inks, there is a tendency to consider the warm tints, which suit BTdS very well.Is high-end paper 'worth it'? Even though the ink performed very well on the C/P papers, I think the high-end papers should be given a fair go. That may entail a bit of sampling to find matching pens to make high-end paper 'worth it', but Figures 4 & 7 give some indication of the pleasures that await. *reaches for the Elco Opal*Another reason to choose a high-end paper is to avoid those that use optical brightening agents to achieve brilliance. ETC. Majik: Possible, but would likely be quite subtle.Billets Doux? Not quite.Personal Pen & Paper Pick: A bit of an odd pick: the P99 on Staples White.The nib is rather narrow & dry, yet generates a crisp line with attractive shading which suits the line width to a T.The paper is totally unremarkable, but just so happens to match the pen+ink combo. (These things do happen - too often when one is not looking!)Yickity Yackity: I seem to have received more than was expected when I chose this ink. Nothing too 'wow', but BTdS will keep me smiling as I pen a warm thought; and the performance of the ink should cut down on the recycling and shorten the queue of pens to be cleansed. Now that BTdS has settled in, somehow I'm reluctant to look for another warm Brown ink. (?)Ah kushbaby, surely there must be space on your shelves for a small bottle of well-mannered warm Brown, especially if you've also sent P4BBrn to the Mixing Corral.= ==== = NUTS BOLTS & BOILERPLATE Pens Written Samples: A. Pilot Elite + 18K Script nib. B. Pelikan Technixx P99 + steel F nib. C. Waterman's England 502 (Blue) + flex-ish 14CT 2A nib. D. Parker 45 + g-p steel M nib. E. The Notorious Pink Safari + steel B nib. F. Sheaffer Prelude + factory stock steel Stub nib. ◦ Esterbrook J + 1461 steel nib. ◦ Parker Sonnet + factory stock 18K Stub nib. Lines & labels: OMAS Turquoise from a Pilot Penmanship + EF. Papers: HPJ1124: Hewlett-Packard laser copy/print, 24lb.Rhodia: satin finish vellum, 80gsm.G. Lalo Verge de France: natural white, laid, 100gsm.Royal: 25% cotton, laser/inkjet copy/print, 'letterhead', 90gsm.Clairefontaine Triomphe: brushed vellum, 90gsm.Staples White: house brand multi-use copy/print, USD4/ream, bears FSC logo, 20lb.Staples Creme: 'Pastels' house brand, multi-use copy/print, USD9/ream, 20lb.Imaging An Epson V600 scanner was used with the bundled Epson s/w at factory default settings to produce low-loss jpg files.No post-capture manipulation of scanner output was done, other than dumb-down by Epson, Photobouquet, IP.Board s/w, and your viewing gear.Other Inks This Review uses the same Written Sample format, atrocious handwriting and some pen+paper combos common to most of my previous Reviews of Brown inks. Consequently, ad hoc comparisons through manipulation of browser windows is supported. Should that functionality not meet your requirements, I welcome your PM requesting a specific comparison. Additional scans may be produced, but the likelihood of additional inky work is quite low. Fine Print ◊ The accuracy and relevance of this Review depends in great part upon consistency and reliability of matériel used. ◊ Ink does not require a label/notice to indicate (changes in) formulation, non-hazardous ingredients, batch ID, date of manufacture, etc. ◊ As always YMMV due to differences in materials, manner of working, environment, gravity dimples, etc. ◊ 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: Fountain Pen Ink Review Sandy1 Barock Terra di Siena Sienna Brown Ochre 2013