EFNIR: Monteverde Moonstone

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: Monteverde Moonstone

This is review #178 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: Cleaning was quick and easy. This is a very middle-of-the-road brown - neither red nor yellow; there's a green undertone to the ink which shows through more strongly depending on the paper (52gsm TR makes it look especially green). On cream paper (where I prefer it), it has a vintage look to it. I really like this ink when it appears brown (not green or greenish - not that the green is bad, its actually right up my alley, its just that I really like this brown).

In the screen capture and the scan, the text is too dark and de-saturated. The zoom is fairly close, but showing too much of the green undertone. The absorbent paper image accurately reflects how different the inks look on the two papers, with the green showing more on the absorbent paper than the copy paper. The text of the YouTube thumbnail and the swatch are awfully close, so I'm including the swatch as an extra image.

The line width measurement is one of the lines used for dry time. Magnification is 100x. The grid is 100x100µm. The scale is 330µm, with eleven divisions of 30µm each. The line width for this ink is roughly 290µm. Note that in person, through the eyepiece, the ink had a green halo on the edges of the stroke and some red along the paper fibers - it was seriously cool - sorry it doesn't really come through in the line width image. (For the curious, with 178 inks measured, the average line width is 288µm.)

Holy cool microscopy, Batman!! The smear for this was made when I inked the pen, then left to dry for the full duration of the review period, ~5 days. I'm including both the 100x and 400x because it's so very cool. In the 400x image, if I brought the red bits into focus, the rest was out of focus, so I settled on the focus you see in the image. And yes, the colors are pretty close to what my eyes see.

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Line width measured via microscope at 100x:

Microscope slide at 100x:

Microscope slide at 400x:

Swatch:

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap.

Previous Review: Sailor Blue Black.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh?  Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[Sailor Kenshin]

I love this ink.  It's always in a Wing Sung 601 and it can stand in for black.  Though its interesting chroma makes me believe it is actually a green.  🤪

 

Thanks for another great review and continuing story.  👍🏻

[yazeh]

Wow this looks really nice  Both the colour and those zowie psychedelic ink splotches. I like also the dry time is so fast. It has the feel of old IG parchment , which over centuries have turned from black to brown...

 

Inspired by ink splotch...

It was on one of those days, the Author was busy preparing her next review, to the sound of thousand helicopters. As she began writing, her Rhodia pad warped and to her utter stupor, Makhabesh materialized  in front of her. "Yo, 's up! EF,"  he said flapping his wings. Seeing the petrified look on the Authors face, "You've been watching too many episodes of  Star Trek,"

With that Makhabest flew across the author's reviewing room, throwing moonstone ink on her freshly painted walls. The room glowed with red spots and electrifying blue, as the Author looked with utter dismay at Makhabesh's carnage. "You clean that this instant," she yelled. 

"You'll get used to it," Makhabesh yawned, "Plus you said, Batman,"

Makhabesh perched on her microscope and uttered, "What if you make me the hero, and that wingless Quin my sidekick. Then we can talk about a cleaning program," 

 

 

 

[PithyProlix]

I like what I see. I seem to frequently put this one in my cart then freak out about the total price of everything - it hasn't quite made the cut yet.

 

Thanks!

[LizEF]

20 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I love this ink.  It's always in a Wing Sung 601 and it can stand in for black.  Though its interesting chroma makes me believe it is actually a green.  🤪

There's definitely green in there!  It never looked black from my pen, but perhaps from a very wet pen it would.

 

21 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks for another great review and continuing story.  👍🏻

You're very welcome!

[LizEF]

15 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Wow this looks really nice  Both the colour and those zowie psychedelic ink splotches. I like also the dry time is so fast. It has the feel of old IG parchment , which over centuries have turned from black to brown...

Yes!  (Except when it goes green on you. )

 

17 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Inspired by ink splotch...

It was on one of those days, the Author was busy preparing her next review, to the sound of thousand helicopters. As she began writing, her Rhodia pad warped and to her utter stupor, Makhabesh materialized  in front of her. "Yo, 's up! EF,"  he said flapping his wings. Seeing the petrified look on the Authors face, "You've been watching too many episodes of  Star Trek,"

With that Makhabest flew across the author's reviewing room, throwing moonstone ink on her freshly painted walls. The room glowed with red spots and electrifying blue, as the Author looked with utter dismay at Makhabesh's carnage. "You clean that this instant," she yelled. 

"You'll get used to it," Makhabesh yawned, "Plus you said, Batman,"

Makhabesh perched on her microscope and uttered, "What if you make me the hero, and that wingless Quin my sidekick. Then we can talk about a cleaning program," 

Thank you!

[LizEF]

6 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

I like what I see. I seem to frequently put this one in my cart then freak out about the total price of everything - it hasn't quite made the cut yet.

Maybe if you have a microscope with nothing to do...

 

7 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

Thanks!

You're very welcome!

[dragondazd]

Thanks! 

 

This ink wasn't on my radar before but is now!

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, dragondazd said:

Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

9 minutes ago, dragondazd said:

This ink wasn't on my radar before but is now!

Careful, next on your radar will be a microscope.

[dragondazd]

55 minutes ago, LizEF said:

You're welcome!

 

Careful, next on your radar will be a microscope.

Haha I already have one. Kids might be peeved if I cover all their slides with ink like my fingers today.

[LizEF]

38 minutes ago, dragondazd said:

Haha I already have one. Kids might be peeved if I cover all their slides with ink like my fingers today.

Or they might be fascinated by Monteverde Moonstone!

[mizgeorge]

Thanks @LizEF - great review!

 

I'm another fan - it's probably my favourite of all the Monteverde inks I have (not a huge number, admittedly), and is always in a pen somewhere on my desk. 

 

I use it a lot for drawing as well - it's great for washes and I'm fond of the very definite vintage feel I think I get from it.

 

 

[LizEF]

22 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

Thanks @LizEF - great review!

You're most welcome, and thank you!

 

22 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

I'm another fan - it's probably my favourite of all the Monteverde inks I have (not a huge number, admittedly), and is always in a pen somewhere on my desk. 

 

I use it a lot for drawing as well - it's great for washes and I'm fond of the very definite vintage feel I think I get from it.

Yes, I really should have done a chroma - I'll bet it's very interesting in a wash.

[InesF]

On 4/26/2022 at 3:07 PM, LizEF said:

Holy cool microscopy, Batman!! The smear for this was made when I inked the pen, then left to dry for the full duration of the review period, ~5 days. I'm including both the 100x and 400x because it's so very cool. In the 400x image, if I brought the red bits into focus, the rest was out of focus, so I settled on the focus you see in the image. And yes, the colors are pretty close to what my eyes see.

Hi @LizEF, thank you for the review and for the story paragraph!

I routinely lock my door at night as well. You need to know, I live in the 3rd floor - and there are lifeforms from below coming up from time to time...

 

Here my Aaahs and Ooohs about the dried ink microscopy: Aaaah! Ooooh!

That looks almost like organic structures. Very nice!

While uncertain about the green filaments (fungi? actinomycetes? strange behaviour of Triton X?) the blue and the red dye are, most likely, hydrophilic and hydrophobic components mixed in one ink. A diluted version of this ink should, if the theory is correct, chromashade. The microscopy image on paper also points in that direction.

 

Great science, @LizEF, well done! 👩‍🎓

 

[LizEF]

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

Hi @LizEF, thank you for the review and for the story paragraph!

You're very welcome!

 

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

I routinely lock my door at night as well. You need to know, I live in the 3rd floor - and there are lifeforms from below coming up from time to time...

 

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

Here my Aaahs and Ooohs about the dried ink microscopy: Aaaah! Ooooh!

That looks almost like organic structures. Very nice!

  Yes, that was my thought - "maybe there's mold in there" - though the ink didn't seem so otherwise.  It's like little red fruits on a vine.

 

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

actinomycetes

I had to google this, which then led me to believe that a gram stain might reveal more.  Which led me to wonder if gram stain chemicals expire. (I got supplies for that with my microscope way back in 2005, still unopened, sealed in a plastic bag.)  I've never done a gram stain test, or even observed it, though I did do the process and data analysis to estimate how long it would take to create data entry screens and a report to show the results.  (I recall it was a very simple process.)  And I have a microbiologist friend...   Ideas happening...

 

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

the blue and the red dye are, most likely, hydrophilic and hydrophobic components mixed in one ink. A diluted version of this ink should, if the theory is correct, chromashade. The microscopy image on paper also points in that direction.

I should definitely do some chromatography on this.  I may need to get more ink - I started with ~1.8mL.

 

36 minutes ago, InesF said:

Great science, @LizEF, well done! 👩‍🎓

😊 Thanks!

[InesF]

19 hours ago, LizEF said:

... which then led me to believe that a gram stain might reveal more.  Which led me to wonder if gram stain chemicals expire.

Hi @LizEF. Only Lugol's (Gram solution B ) can expire when in plastic bottle or in glass with cork or rubber stopper (it reacts with all organics). Otherwise, the expiry date may have a 6-digit year in it. ♾️

 

19 hours ago, LizEF said:

I should definitely do some chromatography on this.  I may need to get more ink - I started with ~1.8mL.

It may be enough to draw a single dot or very short line with the pen and let the water suck through.

(in usual paper- or thin-layer-chromatography we apply samples in 1 - 25 µl amounts ...)

[Sailor Kenshin]

My crude chroma method is to grab a small piece of paper towel, put a drop of ink in the center, and drip water on it until it forms a 'flower.'

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

My crude chroma method is to grab a small piece of paper towel, put a drop of ink in the center, and drip water on it until it forms a 'flower.'

Thanks for this!  It looks quite a bit darker coming from a larger (and perhaps wetter?) nib.  The green is bluer than I expected, but then I just noted a greenish tinge going down the sink and the undertone.

[LizEF]

3 hours ago, InesF said:

It may be enough to draw a single dot or very short line with the pen and let the water suck through.

(in usual paper- or thin-layer-chromatography we apply samples in 1 - 25 µl amounts ...)

Definitely have enough for a chroma, just not sure if I have enough for that and multiple slides for other tests.

 

3 hours ago, InesF said:

Hi @LizEF. Only Lugol's (Gram solution B ) can expire when in plastic bottle or in glass with cork or rubber stopper (it reacts with all organics). Otherwise, the expiry date may have a 6-digit year in it. ♾️

Perfect!  I also (of course) have instructions for doing a gram stain, so I may try it out. Here's my chemical supply, in case it's of any interest (all are small bottles, ~15-30mL):

• Gram's Iodine Stain (glass bottle, seal around lid, looks like no evaporation)
• Methylene Blue Chloride, 1% aqueous solution (plastic bottle, still has liquid in it, ~3/4 full, suspect a little evaporation)
• Eosin Y, 1% aqueous solution (ditto)
• Safarin O, 1% aqueous solution (ditto)
• Crystal Violet Hucker's (ditto)
• Ethyl Alcohol 95% (ditto)
• Balsam Canada neutral in Xylene (glass bottle, seal around lid, only about 1/5th of the bottle has something in it, looks like hardened resin, didn't open it, suspect evaporation of the xylene, perhaps?  Not sure, total guess)

If any of that looks like it would do interesting things and you want me to try, let me know and I'll add it to my list of future experiments along with the gram stain (I know multiple of those are for gram stains, just don't remember which - and haven't dug out the booklet detailing use).

[InesF]

Hi @LizEF, even with the biggest magnification the microscopy image from the glass slide doesn't reveal its secrets. The green filament looks biological and not. No clue here.

 

According to the paper chromatography from @Sailor Kenshin, the green seems to be a normal part of the ink. However, these two images derive from two different bottles.

 

@LizEF's microscopy of the ink on paper has both, homogenous green colour at the lines edge and some minor filaments in between paper fibres (only some and almost not to find).

 

I'm not sure if a Gram stain will help. In this case I would prefer to spin down 1 mL of this ink at 10000 g and have a closer look at the pellet (maybe after a washing step).