Monteverde - Brown

[Sandy1]

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Figure 1.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/1b9157ef.jpg

Figure 2.

NIB-ism ✑

Paper: HPJ1124.

Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.

To enlarge image, please click on the thumbnail.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_3a5b7b3a.jpg

Pens:

L → R: Somiko, P99, C74, 45, Phileas & Prelude.

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Figure 3.

Paper base tints:

(To be added)

L → R: HPJ1124, Rhodia, G Lalo white, Royal, Staples Creme

 

Row width is 8mm.

 

Figure 4.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/dcbd49b2.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/4406a977.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/3caf866c.jpg

Figure 7.

Paper: Royal - 25% rag.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/3b7b375e.jpg

Figure 8.

Paper: Staples Pastels, creme, 20 lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/5984596e.jpg

Figure 9.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/e8388d90.jpg

 

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 10.

Other Stuff:

• 'HAPPY!' on Glossy Card.
• Smear/Dry Time on Glossy Paper.
• Smear/Dry Time on HPJ1124.
• Wet Tests on HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/61689a84.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Not so much.

A go-to ink?

• Yes - when a high-performance warm neutral brown is desired.

USE

 

Business:

• Too soft for internal or external correspondence.
• I could see using MvBr for personal notes.
• While the colour & density seem to be without zip, mark-up and editing could be possible.
• Not enough zap for error correction or grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• I cannot see using MvBr as a gradient or transitory colour, but could be used as a foil to light/pale Blue - Turquoise colours.
• Line quality is very high, so it is a good choice when narrow tight lines are required.

Students:

• Perhaps.
• While the ink is slightly pale and translucent, the excellent performance on 20 lb. bond and the absorbent Royal makes it a good choice for 'lowest bidder' papers.
• Impressive water resistance increases the chance of surviving domestic accidents.
• Not even on the radar for hand-written assignments.

Personal:

• For me, Ms Blue-Black, MvBr initially seemed too pale, warm and soft. But I was sure there was more lurking, and I seem to be getting the hang of this one.
• This could be a special ink, likely not for common use, but some sort of occasion. (?)
• The shading & tonality is certainly suited to personal missives, and it is of a colour that makes for easy reading - good for tomes.
• I think that any sort of nib could be used; but I would start with a wettish mono-line of medium width. (Right up the middle and don't hold back.)

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• A bit higher than average.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not seen.

Start-up:

• Immediate.

Lubrication:

• Rather odd: The ink has a thin/watery feel, yet the lubrication was just fine.
• On the glossy card and glossy paper, the lubrication was a bit high - making the nibs slippery. (Most evident on the Glossy Card.)

Nib Creepers:

• Not seen.

Staining:

• Not seen. (2 days)
  

Clogging:

• Not seen.

Bleed Through:

• Not seen.

Show Through:

• Not seen.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• Not seen.

Smear/Dry Time:

• Glossy: 0 - 2 seconds.
• HPJ1124: 15 - 20 seconds.

Water Resistance: ☂

-4- on the 4S Scale:

• • "All legible, can be easily read and/or have light staining from re-deposit of soluble ink.
  • Use as-is for work papers & internal use.
  • Adjustments to a scanner may drop-out the stain."

Smell:

• High phenols.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Slight.

Clean Up:

• Quite prompt and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• No stated limitation.
• I see no reason to mix into this ink.
• It might play nice with R&K Alt Bordeaux. (To enlarge image, please click on the thumbnail.)
  

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_5371073b.jpg

Archival:*

• Not claimed.

* One ink is claimed to be permanent by being compliant with an ISO standard for BP inks. That ink is not Monteverde Brown.

 

✍ Now that, dear readers, is what I call a likeable performance profile.

 

THE LOOK

 

Presence:

• MvBr looks very good on a white page; and while it does come forward as warm colours do, it still remains anchored to the page: no squirming about.
• Reminiscent of rooibos: brew it like tea, or enliven it with 8.8 BAR in the espresso device - tastes just fine either way.

Saturation:

• On the low side.

Shading:

• Oh yes indeed.
• Pervasive and persistent.
• Generates shading from the very narrow Somiko nib; and quite surprisingly, on the highly absorbent Royal.
  
• +:thumbup:

Variability:

• Pen+nib combos used:
  • No more than expected.

  [*]Papers used:

  • A fair amount.

  [*]Malleability:

  • Pretty good; no misbehaviour was seen.

Hi-Res Scans:

To enlarge image,

please click on the thumbnail.

Somiko on HPJ1124

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_afcc2e0b.jpg

C74 on Rhodia

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_baa9c89d.jpg

P99 on G Lalo

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_6f45de99.jpg

45 on Royal

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_f3934de9.jpg

Prelude on Creme

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown/th_f6385270.jpg

 

FIDELITY:

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Well, it is from Monteverde and it is Brown.

Are swatches accurate?

:ltcapd:

SIMILAR COLOURS:

• Readers, please chime in.

PAPERS

 

Lovely papers:

• This ink ♥ paper!
• Ran well on all papers used; and all that I encountered prior to this Post - using a wet No Nonsense + steel M nib.

Trip-wire Papers:

• None encountered.

Tinted Papers:

• Most reasonable tints; natural & creme are shown.

Pre-Printed Papers:

• Forms, etc.
  • Not so much.
  • If the forms are printed in Black, the MvBr will be too warm and appear dislocated from the form text. Go ahead, use Lamy Green instead.

  [*]For charts & graphs:

  • Possible, but well down the list.
  • I'd give WhiteLines a bye. (Not sampled.)

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Not really.
• The ink performs very well on all papers shown and others, so that paper is very much a matter of preference over performance.

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

• Eight long (magnum) cartridges in a box.

• No HazMat warnings.

Origin:

• Somewhere in Europe.
• Packaged in USA.

Container:

• Long international cartridge.

Box:

• 52x80x8mm
• Heavily coated card stock.
• An adhesive dot masquerades as a swatch. Tsk! . . . Tsk
• 'Brown' is printed on the UPC label affixed to the back of box.

Eco-Green:

• Daft. (I very much prefer not to use cartridges, but I was weak and easily overwhelmed by temptation.)
• All should be recyclable or benign.

Availability:

• Good fortune.
• (I read somewhere that the Art Brown Co. sells the bottled ink.)

ETC:

 

Majik:

• Hmm. Early days yet, but I don't think MvBr is suited for Majik - just not enough energy.
• It will dance to the piper, but won't climb up a rope.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• The Parker 45 on the Royal.
  
• The extra bit of density on the white fuzzy Royal with some apparent shading is a quite unique Look.

Yickity Yackity:

• If this is indicative of the Monteverde 'house style', I have no doubt this and the other Monteverde inks will be most welcome on even the most overloaded of ink shelves/drawers/boxes/cabinets/ovens.
• I reckon this one is a keeper, and is a great starting point for the One Of The Eleven series of Brown inks.
• Ah kushbaby, wake up! Thar's a new ink in that there one burro town, and its got your name written all over it.

<=-+-v-+-=>:<=+--+=>|<-::->|<=+--+=>:<=-+-v-+-=>

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. Pens are those for which I paid $100 or less, and are factory stock - not customised.

 

Pens:

To enlarge image,

please click on the thumbnail.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/th_1541b447.jpg

• Written Samples:
  • Sailor Somiko + TIGP F nib.
  • Pelikan P99 + steel F nib.
  • Pilot Custom 74 + 14K SFM nib.
  • Parker 45 + g-p steel M nib.
  • Waterman Phileas + steel B nib.
  • Sheaffer Prelude + factory stock steel B stub nib.

  [*]For lines & labels:

  • Pilot kiri-same from white Pilot 'Lady' + g-p steel F nib.

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Royal, 25% cotton rag.
• Staples Pastel, creme.
• Pulp.
• Glossy paper.
• Glossy card.

_________________________

 

IMAGES:

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 72 - 150 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• HiRes Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were not adjusted, so went straight to the file sharing thingy.

_________________________

 

Densitometer Readings (FWIW):

HPJ1124:

Red 158

Grn 143

Blu 115

Lum 126

-30-

Edited November 30, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

The Monteverde Brown is the first ink to be reviewed in the 'One of the Eleven' (OOTE) group of Brown inks.

 

When complete, the intention is to have the OOTE inks reviewed in the same manner, to the maximum practical extent.

 

Hopefully the OOTE reviews will assist practitioners in choosing their Brown/s, and avoid unintentional purchase of equivalent ink/s.

 

I have learned from my experience to date with the One Of The Ten (OOTT) series of Blue inks, that side-by-side comparisons may be of questionable value; and they are soooo tedious. Consequently, for the OOTE series, comparisons will be generated only from material included in the Ink Reviews; and as I see fit after the OOTE series is complete and upon Members' request. So no pro forma Comparisons.

 

I will be the first to admit that my experience with Brown inks is somewhat lean, so OOTE may be an interesting voyage of discovery - for me at least.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

 

[freewheelingvagabond]

As always, you rock!

 

Thanks for the review! I have tried very few browns, but my favourite is Caran d'Ache Grand Canyon.

 

Regards,

Anindya.

[terim]

Thanks for the great review! Your contribution is much appreciated.

 

I was thinking of selling Monteverde ink in my store, so this is encouraging.

 

My favorite brown is PR Chocolate in an XF nib, because it is so dark and bold. With a wider nib I prefer PR Copper Burst.

 

Thanks agin!

TERI

[Sandy1]

As always, you rock!

 

Thanks for the review! I have tried very few browns, but my favourite is Caran d'Ache Grand Canyon.

 

Regards,

Anindya.

Hi,

 

You're welcome.

 

For the longest time I used only one Brown ink, the now discontinued Parker Penman Mocha; and then that pot was dry, I switched to the Pilot yama-guri, then on to the Cd'A GC, which I reviewed here.

 

So after those developments, my curiosity was piqued - so here I am looking at Browns in a rather indulgent way. Perhaps I am becoming 'Blued Out' by the OOTT series, and this gives some variation.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Thanks for the great review! Your contribution is much appreciated.

 

I was thinking of selling Monteverde ink in my store, so this is encouraging.

 

My favorite brown is PR Chocolate in an XF nib, because it is so dark and bold. With a wider nib I prefer PR Copper Burst.

 

Thanks agin!

TERI

Hi Teri,

 

You're welcome. It's nice to hear that this stuff is appreciated. And I do like to share.

 

As this is the initial Review for the Monteverde inks, it is early days. The performance profile is very good, which is a welcome change after some recent encounters. (So sorry Diamine; you too Wancher.)

 

Maybe its just my lack of experience with Brown inks, but I have a disconnect between the swabs and the written samples. I don't have that experience with the Blue inks or the Bl-Bk ones. (?)

 

Also, this one is of a style I appreciate: excellent line quality, shading and translucency. Yet, MvBr didn't misbehave, so when I have a wee moment, a very wet Parker VS will be inked-up with MvBr. (OoooLaLa) So perhaps a saturated line is possible.

 

Of course, as this ink becomes more widely used, I have no doubt that other Members will chime in / do their own IR.

 

Bye,

Sandy1

[lovemy51]

SIMILAR COLOURS:

 

•Readers, please chime in.

 

Diamine Rustic Brown... it could be my screen??!!

 

thx for the review, Sand!!

[pelman]

Great review once again. I am exhausted by the time I have finished your review.

 

I personally like Noodlers Standard Brown. I am using it in the Pelikan 6XX with F nib.

 

thank you again.

[Sandy1]

Great review once again. I am exhausted by the time I have finished your review.

 

I personally like Noodlers Standard Brown. I am using it in the Pelikan 6XX with F nib.

 

thank you again.

Hi,

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review; AND had the stamina to finish it in one go. (Ann has yet to prescribe a word limit.)

... but you can read it in installments.

 

Indeed, the Pelikan M6** series is wonderful.

(I have a Sahara. The ergonomics are exceptional, and those 18K nibs are sooo sumptuous. ♥

 

Bye,

S1

[dragos.mocanu]

Great review, I have become quite interested in this ink...have you kept using it since you made the review? If you have, how did it behave so far? Because I'm looking for a reliable everyday brown (I'm a student...would like to take notes with it) that can be comfortably read. Thank you

[Sandy1]

Great review, I have become quite interested in this ink...have you kept using it since you made the review? If you have, how did it behave so far? Because I'm looking for a reliable everyday brown (I'm a student...would like to take notes with it) that can be comfortably read. Thank you

Hi,

 

Thanks for your compliment!

 

I have used this ink now and again, and it remains much as described in the Review.

 

One thing to watch for is the amount of shading that is generated. I like a bit of shading even for my daily writer ink, but I find that too much shading can reduce readability. However, as shading is quite dependent on paper & nib, I speculate that 'lowest bidder' paper would be too absorbent to generate too much shading.

 

I thought the Smear/Dry Time was a bit too long, but once again, a more absorbent paper will often give a shorter S/DT. With other inks I'm seeing lower times on Staples 20lb than the HPJ1124. YMMV.

 

I was a bit surprised that no one else has posted a Review of this ink since it was released. I am curious if the ink currently in the market is the same as I used, or if was reformulated to meet the EU REACH regulations.

 

Bye,

S1

 

Edited February 13, 2013 by Sandy1

[dragos.mocanu]

Thank you for your prompt response. Is it likely to write on both sides of the 'lowest bidder' paper with a medium nib (say an Estie 9668) with this ink?

[Sandy1]

Thank you for your prompt response. Is it likely to write on both sides of the 'lowest bidder' paper with a medium nib (say an Estie 9668) with this ink?

Hi,

 

I've taken another look at the ink-on-paper written samples. While I don't have a sample on the White Staples 20lb, I think the Creme Staples 20lb is a reasonable example of 'lowest bidder' papers, which can be terribly inconsistent. There was no bleed- show-through from any of the pens on that paper.

 

However, I remain concerned that the shading might be high enough to reduce readability, even on such paper.

 

I think the Estie 9668 nib is a great choice for a daily writer. The one I have is 'just right' in terms of wetness.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

As I've changed my scanning practices since this Review was posted, the following re-scanned images are provided to support on-the-level ad hoc comparison to other Brown inks that I've reviewed.

 

Bye,

S1

aka Queen of The Bandwidth Bandits

___ ___

 

Figure 4.1

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK029_zps7a4f4b62.jpg

 

Figure 5.1

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK030_zps506454ee.jpg

 

Figure 6.1

Paper: G Lalo.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK031_zps291f29b1.jpg

 

Figure 7.1

Paper: Royal.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK032_zps19c01dc8.jpg

 

Figure 8.1

Paper: Stable Creme, 20lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK033_zps987a48f5.jpg

 

-30-

Edited February 13, 2013 by Sandy1

[mhphoto]

Great review! It looks very similar to the reviews of Noodler's Galileo Manuscript Brown.

[dragos.mocanu]

Thank you so much for the help. I think I will stick to Monteverde Brown

[Sandy1]

Great review! It looks very similar to the reviews of Noodler's Galileo Manuscript Brown.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks!

 

Those inks aren't worlds apart, but they are quite different in both performance profile and appearance when run from a pen.

 

As fortune would have it, the scanner is warmed-up, so here's a peek at both.

 

Pen: Parker 45 + M nib.

Paper: HPJ1124.

Originals are 57x45mm @ 150dpi.

 

Monteverde Brown:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Monteverde%20Brown%202%20ReScan/INK036_zpsbdaa12bc.jpg

Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Ink%20Review%20-%20Noodlers%20Galileo%20Manuscript%20Brown/INK034_zps5cc32118.jpg

It should be noted that the Monteverde is from cartridges; and the Noodler's was purchased when first offered.

 

Bye,

S1

___

 

Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown - My Review

Edited February 14, 2013 by Sandy1

[kenmc]

Excellent review! I discovered the MV brown in their cartridges made for Lamy pens. I find it to have excellent properties. These carts are unique in that the other end can be used as international carts. OT but I have found there green to have equally good qualities. Odd, but I didn't find the same in their other colors and I think I tried all of them.

[iliadodyssey]

Personally love this ink. It was exactly the well behaved brown that I was looking for. Just a heads up though, the bottled ink and cartridge may have some differences. My bottle of Monteverde Brown has absolutely 0 water resistance. When I tested it along with other non-permanent inks, it was one of the fastest to wash away with plain water (flushes out of my pens very quickly though).

[Sandy1]

Thank you so much for the help. I think I will stick to Monteverde Brown

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

I look forward to reading of your experience with this ink!

 

Bye,

S1