herbin « An Inkophile’s Blog

Posts Tagged ‘herbin’

Moleskine Meets Fountain Pen Ink

2009/10/31

And the winner is…

Moleskine Meets Fountain Pen Ink

Posted in Ink, Paper, Reviews | Tagged fountain pen ink, herbin, moleskine, montblanc ink | 3 Comments »

These Are a Few of My Favorite Greens

2009/10/11

The Sound of Music’s My Favorite Things floated my way when I thought about comparing the green inks in my current rotation. J. Herbin Vert Empire, Private Reserve Avacado (sp.), and Montblanc Racing Green are delightfully well-matched to their pens but might not be as wonderful in other models. It took a long time to discover two of these pairings and the third was entirely by luck. Oh, if you like flex, Vert Empire shades beautifully in an Esterbrook ‘J’ with a 9128 extra-fine flex nib. So there is that, too.

Dark Green Fountain Pen Ink

My complete list would also include Sailor Uranari Green, J. Herbin Vert Olive, Diamine Emerald, and Iroshizuku shin-ryoku. These inks work well for me in lots of pens so they are worth mentioning as well.

Probably the most versatile of the bunch are Diamine Emerald and MB Racing Green. PR Avacado dries a little slower than the other two but can be easier to find in the U.S.

There is one caveat when it comes to green ink. I’ve found nearly all of them change, whether lighter or darker, softer or bolder, depending on the pen and especially in a scan. If ever there was a color to which YMMV applies, green is it.

Any one of these inks could be a good addition to your collection but if you like green as much as I do, one just won’t be enough.

Posted in Ink, Reviews | Tagged diamine, diamine ink, esterbrook, fountain pen ink, herbin, Ink, iroshizuku, Private Reserve | 3 Comments »

Orange You Glad It’s Fall

2009/10/09

Whether you giggled or groaned at the title, in this part of the world fall has arrived. With all its rich and yummy colors from persimmon to sunset to saffron, it’s that orange time of year. In recognition of the ruling color, here are a few fountain pen inks from my collection.

Don’t take these scans as true representations of the colors but rather as relative comparisons. Orange proved to be a real challenge to get right.

Orange Ink Swatches

And a few writing samples…

Iroshizuku yu-yake

J. Herbin Orange Indien

Iroshizuku fuyu-gaki

Private Reserve Orange Crush

Posted in Ink, Reviews | Tagged fountain pen ink, herbin, iroshizuku, Private Reserve, rhodia | 7 Comments »

Lots of Inkophile Ink Reviews

2009/08/28

Posted in Ink, Reviews | Tagged fountain pen ink, herbin, diamine, sailor, iroshizuku, Private Reserve | 5 Comments »

When Orange is Retro Cool

2009/08/22

After years of Japanese, Lamy and Levenger models with a few vintage Watermans thrown in, imagine my surprise when a Retro 51 Scriptmaster 2 wheedled its way into my rotation. Shocked? Me, too, but not when I consider how well it writes.

Retro 51 Scriptmaster 2

The nib is made of steel and it is substantial. The fine nib is close to an extra fine and quite the nail. In fact I have Sailor fines that lay down more ink creating a wider line than the Scriptmaster. With a light touch the nib is smooth. Use a little too much pressure and the nib will dig into the paper as will most extra-fine pens.

The clean design is simple and attractive. The logo, vaguely reminiscent of the Harley-Davidson shield, is 1950’s cool. The barrel is made of a solid bar of cellulose acetate and very smooth. With platinum rings to accent each end, the design is understated but very appealing.

The Scriptmaster build quality is solid and comparable to the Stipula I Castoni College Fountain Pen though it is not quite on a par with the slightly more expensive Sailor Sapporo. The size makes it quite comfortable to use without posting. The converter is surprisingly good in that the piston moves very freely and easily – good both for filling and allowing ink to flow smoothly.

Color being my downfall, I succumbed to the jolt of the multi-hued Clementine orange. You’d be hard pressed to find an orange ink that wouldn’t look good in it. So far Noodler’s Apache Sunset, Iroshizuku Yu-Yake, and J. Herbin Orange Indien have all worked well. Even a couple of green inks have queued up for the opportunity to play with the shiny new Retro 51. Did I mention I like color?

If this review makes the Scriptmaster sound intriguing, Goldspot has a good deal on the Clementine while Swisher Pens has the Tortoise and the Citron colors for a few dollars more.

Retro 51 Scriptmaster 2 with Iroshizuku Yu-Yake

Posted in Reviews, Western Pens | Tagged Fountain Pens, herbin, iroshizuku | 11 Comments »

A Broad Meets J. Herbin Bleu Nuit

2009/08/16

Finally got my hands on a broad nib for that promised test with J. Herbin Bleu Nuit. What a difference a wet ‘B’ nib can make! Not sure yet if it’s true love or a sweet fling but it’s going to be fun figuring it out.

J. Herbin Bleu Nuit

More about this subject at Fountain Pen Network.

Posted in Fountain Pens, Ink, Reviews | Tagged levenger true writer, fountain pen ink, herbin, lamy, rhodia | 2 Comments »

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage

2009/07/03

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage (wild ivy) is a true green and a bit brighter than the sample below. It is closer to ivy than spearmint with the blue component stronger than the yellow. The result is a mid-range color that won’t offend your non-green friends but would make a pleasing substitute for red or a useful complement to medium blue ink for a two-color project.

In addition to the test page pictured, I used Lierre Sauvage in an Apica 6A10 journal but to mixed results. Same pens as below but the wider nib produced some mild feathering and lines that had a soft appearance. The more narrow nib did not produce noticeable feathering but the color was considerably less intense. In fact when I used the Lamy EF a few days later, I noted in my journal how well suited the ink, pen, and paper were for each other. Scratch tests on a variety of papers produced good results though some softness on poor quality copy paper and the like.

That mild feathering observed in the Apica seems best attributed to the combination of a free-flowing ink with a somewhat absorbent paper. The ink just followed the paper fibers perfectly unlike the clean lines it produced on Rhodia where the performance was stellar.

Shading with a wide nib is excellent on Rhodia but less apparent with a fine nib. In fact the nib makes such a difference that the sample below could have been made by two different inks. And that makes J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage an inky bargain.

J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage

Posted in Ink, Reviews, Western Pens | Tagged fountain pen ink, herbin, lamy, italic nib | 8 Comments »

Seven Flavors of Aqua

2009/05/22

This palette of blues suits the season ahead to perfection. I couldn’t wait so J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche is already in my Sailor 1911. When the converter is empty, Diamine Steel Blue will be up next and maybe J. Herbin Vert Réséda after that. It’s looking like a blue summer for this inkophile.

How about you? Is there an aqua or turquoise destined soon for your rotation?