Stipula Notturno Giannutri / Dark Blue

[Gazcom]

As I said in my previous Ferro dell'Elba / Grigio Fumo / Fading Gray ink review, Stipula Inks really impressed me.
I never expected to like so much a grey and a blue-black ink.

 

Notturno Giannutri is a greysh blue-black, with really nice shading qualities that makes it stand out among most of the comparable inks that I've tried. The name "Notturno Giannutri" makes me feel about a "dark cloudy night by the sea", and that's what you get in terms of colour and feeling, really a well suited name just as "Ferro dell'Elba" was.
(EDIT : the name for the US market should be Dark Blue)

 

Good workhorse ink on cheap copy paper, shows no feathering, a little bit of shading (actually more than I was expecting), has a really good flow and lubrication. Dries quickly (about 5 sec.)
On Schizza & Strappa paper this ink shows lots more of his properties: beautiful shading (especially on broader nibs), no feathering or bleedthrough, dries in about 15 sec (which is quite good for this kind of paper)
Usually when I try inks on tracing paper and on schizza & strappa, I don't see really exhorbitant differences, this time they're absolutely noticeable.
On tracing paper this ink is nearer to a Blue-Gray than to a Blue Black. Great adorable shading, nice silvery (and coppery? can't see clearly) sheen around inkpools (you can almost see it on the scans), no bleeding, no feathering, nice drying times (15 seconds).

 

It's this ink worth it?

If you like blue blacks, this is an ink you should try. A Beautiful, classy, elegant, greysh blue black.

Has a grey component which shows a good ammount fo waterproofness, so it's suitable for work papers, letters and so on.

If I had to 5 seconds to describe it, I would say that this is not another "boring blue black" but something that I enjoy a lot using, has some personality and a lot of those little extras that makes us pen nerds overjoy.

 

COPY PAPER

 

SCHIZZA & STRAPPA PAPER

 

TRACING PAPER

 

CROMATOGRAPHY

 

WATER TEST (SUBMERGED FOR 15 MINS)

 

INKDROP

[visvamitra]

Not bad.

[Goodwhiskers]

Thanks for the thorough, helpful review!

This ink has a waterproof, dark gray component, it behaves well on bad paper, and it is not a Noodler's-brand product that is specifically advertised as waterproof or forgery-resistant. Often these are the three signs that an ink contains so-called "iron gall" (ferrous sulfate, from chemical factories nowadays). Does this ink have iron gall?

[Gazcom]

Thanks for the thorough, helpful review!

This ink has a waterproof, dark gray component, it behaves well on bad paper, and it is not a Noodler's-brand product that is specifically advertised as waterproof or forgery-resistant. Often these are the three signs that an ink contains so-called "iron gall" (ferrous sulfate, from chemical factories nowadays). Does this ink have iron gall?

 

Hi Goodwhiskers! really appreciate your words.

As far as I can see this isn't an IG ink, doesn't shows common IG inks properties (except for some water resistance), and it's not advertised as IG.

BUT, Stipula is launching in 2017 four new IG inks on which I have really high expectations.

[lapis]

Thanks again for such a good review of a very interesting ink. I'm really glad that they (Stipula) are now introducing something new over the original 8 which weren't at all bad, but... well... somehow nothing really special. Can't wait to get my hands on that stuff!!

 

Mike

[senzen]

Great review; not really my cup of tea, but at least the name seems to evoke the colour well.

[chromantic]

I've had this for about 6 weeks now and am really enjoying it - great color and shading, well behaved on cheaper paper (even adding machine roll) and, best of all, on the dry side so it works nicely to tame a wet Souveran.