Sailor 50 States Virginia is for lovers…of ink!
thINKthursday – Sailor 50 States Virginia
Sailor Virginia’s color is inspired by the Virginia state bird, the cardinal! Perfectly executed and wonderfully rich, this ink has a few surprises in store! This review was done with a Pilot Metropolitan F, Lamy Safari B, and on Rhodia blank No. 18 paper.
Sailor Virginia has some amount of sheen, though it is certainly more subtle than other inks. You can see it best on the threads of the bottle, but not so much in writing. It has a moderate amount of shading that moves from a medium red to a darker burgundy color. In both a fine and broad nib the ink lays down darker with a bit of variation to show off its full range.
This ink is surprisingly water resistant! Even after letting a drop of water sit over it until dry, the text is still very readable despite the pink splatters left behind. The wet spots also have interesting orange and even yellow tones on the edges of the drops! Sailor Virginia has low feathering and bleedthrough, good flow, and a shockingly fast dry time of 10-15 seconds.
While not the most conventional color, I love a medium-dark, warmer red ink with a little interest to it. Sailor Virginia checks all those boxes for me! It has been in regular use in my own writing over the last few weeks.
As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.
Ink it Up!
Lindsay