J. Herbin Rouge Hematite

[firstpancake]

I was roaming around at the local book/pen store last week, where I broke down and bought a bottle of inkJ. Herbin Rouge Hematite 1670 Anniversary Edition. This is a red ink that’s got some sort of pigment in it which causes it to shade bronze. It’s original formulation was so full of this beautiful pigment (at least I think it’s pigment?), and that it would clog pens and resulted in a reformulation after being on the market for a year. I love inks that have fun shading properties, and I love this ink.

 

http://nibcrease.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/p1020133.jpg

 

 

First, the ink comes in this lovely little square bottle, with a wax seal on the front and a wax-seal-looking cap to make it look all old-timey-classy-like. Fortunately the cap is really a twist-off cap so opening the bottle isn’t a one-way street. My one complaint here is that the bottle neck is so narrow and long. Combine this with added obstacle of highly saturated red ink all over the lip, and you get bloody red hand every time you fill a pen up because you’ve got to get your pen through the narrow neck, where the pen barrel, and probably your fingers too, touch the lip and sides of the neck. I wider opening here would have been welcome.

 

http://nibcrease.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/p1020129.jpg

 

I had imagined the red would lean a little more on the blue side, but is more of a magenta/pink sort of red. Very bright, and the metallic shading is more bronze than gold. Other pictures I’ve seen of it made it look more like gold. It did seem that way at first, but the next day, the ink had definitely settled into a darker and warmer bronze look than gold. The writing sample is written on a sheet of Black ‘n’ Red notebook paper, using my Oberthur Sequoia Pen, with a custom ground italic stub nib.

 

Don’t mind the smear over the layering example. That was the result of some wet paper towel drifting over it after I blotted out the drip test.

 

 

http://nibcrease.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/p1020128.jpg

 

 

And a close-up look at the sediment that makes that wonderful shading. The bottle comes with a little warning that this ink is highly saturated, and should not be left in a pen for days at a time. I found it did gunk up my Oberthur Sequoia a bit, but I did in fact leave the ink in there for about 5 days, and after a little bit of hard starting, it did seem worse for the wear. Mind you, I DID take the nib, feed, and section apart and wash each piece thoroughly when I was done, and a TON of inky gunk came out. I would not recommend using this ink in a pen you can’t take apart and clean piece-by-piece.

 

http://nibcrease.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/p1020135.jpg

 

 

In general, I was expecting a lot from this ink. While it did have some surprises for me color-wise. It has exceeded my expectations in terms of characteristics and behavior. It’s not an everyday ink by far, but if you’re looking for an ink for a special-occasion (and have a not so special pen to use for that occasion), I can’t think of very many inks that are as special as this one.

 

 

Please see more images of this review as well as more reviews at http://nibcrease,wordpress.com!

Edited July 19, 2013 by saskia_madding

[idazle]

Excellent review! Many thanks. I've got this ink and think your pic faithfully reflects its shade. Specially valuable your test on the clogging potential of the ink, which has been broadly rumoured but -to my knowledge- never proved .. so far.

 

I've got excellent results with this ink by writing italic hand with my italic Parker 75. The resulting script had a vintage air to it, ... but stopped using the ink for fear to have my precious italic nib clogged.

 

Cheers

Edited July 19, 2013 by idazle

[firstpancake]

  On 7/19/2013 at 11:57 AM, idazle said:

Excellent review! Many thanks. I've got this ink and think your pic faithfully reflects its shade. Specially valuable your test on the clogging potential of the ink, which has been broadly rumoured but -to my knowledge- never proved .. so far.

 

I've got excellent results with this ink by writing italic hand with my italic Parker 75. The resulting script had a vintage air to it, ... but stopped using the ink for fear to have my precious italic nib clogged.

 

Cheers

Thanks Idazle

I've got another pen inked up with it more that's a demonstrator. I'll take a pic of it when it's out of ink and ready to be flushed out so you can see the extent of the gunk. However, I still have yet to experience the pen actually clogging. Seeing the effects of this ink in my preen and the warning note that came with the ink- I'm sure it would crop up if I let it sit for several days. But it does expressly say not to do this, and I'm ge surprised by how well behaved it is when used a directed

Edited July 20, 2013 by firstpancake

[idazle]

  On 7/20/2013 at 10:14 AM, firstpancake said:

Thanks Idazle

I've got another pen inked up with it more that's a demonstrator. I'll take a pic of it when it's out of ink and ready to be flushed out so you can see the extent of the gunk. However, I still have yet to experience the pen actually clogging. Seeing the effects of this ink in my preen and the warning note that came with the ink- I'm sure it would crop up if I let it sit for several days. But it does expressly say not to do this, and I'm ge surprised by how well behaved it is when used a directed

That experiment would be very helpful indeed!

 

To tell you the truth when I inked my Parker 75 up with this ink I didn't take the precaution of shaking the bottle. Later on I realised there were sediments at the bottom of the bottle, as you have indicated in your review. I guess that because of that I didn't get the "golden" or "bronze" effect from the ink, but at the same time protected the pen without even being aware of it.

 

Anyway, I attach a specimen written with the ink. I rather like the results and think it a pity to stop using the Herbin Hematite with that pen (sorry, it's in Classic 16th century Spanish)

 

[amberleadavis]

Based on your samples, I think you have the new formulation. My ink has a decidedly green sheen.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/jherbin_ann_ink0.png

[amberleadavis]

Feel like weighing in on the topic of how to tell the difference between the older color and the newly reformulated?

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/249977-how-to-recognize-old-formula-j-herbin-1670-rouge/

[amberleadavis]

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/JH-1670/slides/2013-08-08_ink_35.jpg

[stoof2010]

Awesome review!!

So i have a question.

Will this ink stain my noodlers pens? They are cheap but would rather not stain them.

I ask because they are celluloid derivative pens and have heard that colors like baystate blue can stain.

Thanks!!!

[amberleadavis]

Maybe... probably, but eventually, you will get it out....though as I say that, my Noodler's pen remains stained, though not from this ink.

[fourseamer]

  On 9/23/2013 at 2:24 AM, stoof2010 said:

Awesome review!!

So i have a question.

Will this ink stain my noodlers pens? They are cheap but would rather not stain them.

I ask because they are celluloid derivative pens and have heard that colors like baystate blue can stain.

Thanks!!!

 

I have a demonstrator Ahab that 1670 Rouge Hematite stained. It's my demonstrator for red inks now.

[WaskiSquirrel]

This ink is somewhat of a stainer, but not bad with a good cleaning. Nevertheless, I like it. I love the color and I really love the great sheen.

 

However, what I don't love is that it is super high-maintenance. It gets the nibs on my pens all crusty and disgusting very quickly and, toward the end of the fill, writing is a misery, not a pleasure.

 

Somehow I ended up with 2 bottles of it. I don't think I'll even use up the one I have open now.

[nomadhacker]

  On 9/24/2013 at 1:05 AM, Waski_the_Squirrel said:

This ink is somewhat of a stainer, but not bad with a good cleaning. Nevertheless, I like it. I love the color and I really love the great sheen.

 

However, what I don't love is that it is super high-maintenance. It gets the nibs on my pens all crusty and disgusting very quickly and, toward the end of the fill, writing is a misery, not a pleasure.

 

Somehow I ended up with 2 bottles of it. I don't think I'll even use up the one I have open now.

 

The new formulation is a lower maintenance ink. It didn't crust anything up on my pen, and I left it in there for a few weeks. Cleaning took a few more rinse cycles than normal ink, but it didn't really need anything but water, at least in the pen I tried it in.

 

You might like the new formula better. It looks like the same ink. But it doesn't really behave like it. Unfortunately, it also doesn't have the same crazy awesome sheen. It can have *some* sheen, but only if you lay it on wet and thick.

 

If you don't want your bottle, I know there's a lot of people disappointed with the new formula who would trade or just buy it off you

 

I did email J. Herbin about the reformulation vs the original. They responded and said they are maybe looking at reintroducing the original formula in the future, either as a dip pen ink not for fountain use, or else with stern warnings and police tape around the bottle to let everyone know it'd eat their firstborn.

[WaskiSquirrel]

  On 9/24/2013 at 2:06 AM, nomadhacker said:

You might like the new formula better. It looks like the same ink. But it doesn't really behave like it. Unfortunately, it also doesn't have the same crazy awesome sheen. It can have *some* sheen, but only if you lay it on wet and thick.

 

If you don't want your bottle, I know there's a lot of people disappointed with the new formula who would trade or just buy it off you

Honestly, the sheen was the only reason I even considered this ink. Without the sheen, what is the point? The red really isn't that wonderful.

 

Overall, its appearance is amazing, but the maintenance to use it is too much. I just don't know where this ink fits into my life. I recently culled my ink collection and this ink survived the process despite my issues with it. I'm not sure where it fits into my writing, though.

[nomadhacker]

Maybe needs a dedicated pen.

[stoof2010]

  On 9/24/2013 at 1:05 AM, Waski_the_Squirrel said:

This ink is somewhat of a stainer, but not bad with a good cleaning. Nevertheless, I like it. I love the color and I really love the great sheen.

 

However, what I don't love is that it is super high-maintenance. It gets the nibs on my pens all crusty and disgusting very quickly and, toward the end of the fill, writing is a misery, not a pleasure.

 

Somehow I ended up with 2 bottles of it. I don't think I'll even use up the one I have open now.

Ill take one of the bottles off your hands!!! About o buy a bottle for myself lol.

I only use it for the task at hand like letters then empty the pen and clean it. Tedious but havent had staining yet!

[stoof2010]

  On 9/24/2013 at 2:06 AM, nomadhacker said:

 

The new formulation is a lower maintenance ink. It didn't crust anything up on my pen, and I left it in there for a few weeks. Cleaning took a few more rinse cycles than normal ink, but it didn't really need anything but water, at least in the pen I tried it in.

 

You might like the new formula better. It looks like the same ink. But it doesn't really behave like it. Unfortunately, it also doesn't have the same crazy awesome sheen. It can have *some* sheen, but only if you lay it on wet and thick.

 

If you don't want your bottle, I know there's a lot of people disappointed with the new formula who would trade or just buy it off you

 

I did email J. Herbin about the reformulation vs the original. They responded and said they are maybe looking at reintroducing the original formula in the future, either as a dip pen ink not for fountain use, or else with stern warnings and police tape around the bottle to let everyone know it'd eat their firstborn.

Well i did some research and have found that they only made the other formulation for one batch three years ago and since has been the new formulation.

I sampled it and i think it has alot of sheen but only if you vigorously shake the bottle or the pen if its been sitting. The sediment that settles is the sheen.

You guys prolly knew that but im still getting my feet wet (or my nib lol) with fountain pens

[stoof2010]

  On 9/24/2013 at 3:01 AM, Waski_the_Squirrel said:

Honestly, the sheen was the only reason I even considered this ink. Without the sheen, what is the point? The red really isn't that wonderful.

 

Overall, its appearance is amazing, but the maintenance to use it is too much. I just don't know where this ink fits into my life. I recently culled my ink collection and this ink survived the process despite my issues with it. I'm not sure where it fits into my writing, though.

Well the only thing and way it fits for me, so far, is for more romantic type letter writing and i seal the envelopes with red j. Herbin supple wax and gold ink pad for the relief og the seal.

Matches perfectly.

But now tgat i think about it, i might not need a whole bottle for that. Maybe just some samples would do.

I just dont want them to stop making it and me be left without it...

[stoof2010]

  On 9/24/2013 at 3:39 AM, nomadhacker said:

Maybe needs a dedicated pen.

I agree!!! Thinking of buying a red demonstrator ahab for it and some #6 goulet nibs. Perfect combination.

[nomadhacker]

  On 9/24/2013 at 4:20 AM, stoof2010 said:

Well i did some research and have found that they only made the other formulation for one batch three years ago and since has been the new formulation.

I sampled it and i think it has alot of sheen but only if you vigorously shake the bottle or the pen if its been sitting. The sediment that settles is the sheen.

You guys prolly knew that but im still getting my feet wet (or my nib lol) with fountain pens

Yeah, shaking is important. Honestly all else aside, I'd love to use this in my pocket pen for notes, but the smearing is what keeps me from using it more.

 

Course, PR Sherwood smears also, and I love that stuff.