Hero Inks

[Cyber6]

I happened to be around Chinatown..and walked into a Bookstore...

 

Couldn't resist buying the whole series... it was cheap as chips...

 

Overall they are easy, free flowing inks... with a real nice shade.... (I do like the Blue Black)..

 

The red is more like a strong pink.... and surprise.. surprise... they actually have some sheen.... All of them...

 

 

So, when you get tired of spending $20, $30 or even $40/bottle of some extremely hard to find ink..... Go get some Hero ink... you'll be gladly surprised..

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2014 by Cyber6

[Sinistral1]

Nice.

[napalm]

woo hoo they're not teal.... so, what does it take to talk you into a fade test?

[Cyber6]

woo hoo they're not teal.... so, what does it take to talk you into a fade test?

 

Not much... I can send you that page... and make one for Amberlea too..

Edited August 11, 2014 by Cyber6

[napalm]

cool! thanks a lot!

[mhguda]

I bought a similar set from T-mart but the numbers are different and the bottles are round... Still have to try the not-blues. I was a bit disappointed by the "Blue" but the blue-black (#232 in my case) is fantastic, changing color to a much deeper, dark blue as it dries, in minutes... It was a bit too wet for the pen I tried it in, so I am actually now trying a diluted version, not quite satisfied yet with how it flows... but even in diluted form, you see the color change as the ink dries. My inks are numbered 231 (red), 232 (blue black), 233 (blue), and 234 (black). No pictures yet, please be patient...

[Cyber6]

Hero #232 is an Iron Gall.

 

I will certainly try to find a bottle next time I am in Chinatown..

[visvamitra]

Cool

[mhosea]

Incidentally, I had some spare Wing Sung two-tone plated steel nibs, so I tried soaking one in Hero #232 for a couple of months. The nib was fine when I checked, but the gold plating would just wipe off. I have no idea whether that would have happened with just any ink. It might have, but I'm going to prefer unplated gold or unplated stainless steel nibs with Hero #232 just the same.

[Sinistral1]

I would have thought the gold plating would be less "damaged" than the steel part of the nib. I suspect that it was vintage iron gall inks that ate holes right through the steel Bock nib in my 1920/1930 German piston filler no-name.

[mhosea]

Well, vintage IG might have had quite different acid content, and stainless steel is a category rather than a specific alloy. Disappearing plating is not uncommon in general because some plating methods are better than others. Usually, I would assume it was a nib issue, but I tested and mentioned it because Hero inks have been specifically implicated before. Actually, I should test with a JoWo. When I grind a stub for a pen with all white trim, I sometimes remove the plating on top to match, anyway.

[Seele]

Cyber6,

 

I feel the 202 is also an iron gall, it shades rather well and I rather like it.

 

203 washable blue is a nice colour but tends to fade a bit too quickly. 201 red also fades somewhat but heaps better than Pelikan red, from my own tests. 204 black is really easy to get on with, and is pretty much my default workaday black so far. Hopefully I might be able to get my hands on some Pearl River 684, which should be even better.

[phonelady61]

may I ask what you paid for them each bottle I mean ? just curious not being nosy ...thanks

[Morbus Curiositas]

thanks

 

I will put on my walking boots and walk to Chinatown... and my swimshorts because there is an ocean in between

[napalm]

Cyber6,

 

I feel the 202 is also an iron gall, it shades rather well and I rather like it.

 

203 washable blue is a nice colour but tends to fade a bit too quickly. 201 red also fades somewhat but heaps better than Pelikan red, from my own tests. 204 black is really easy to get on with, and is pretty much my default workaday black so far. Hopefully I might be able to get my hands on some Pearl River 684, which should be even better.

 

 

I guess we should compare apples with apples, e.g. 203 with Parker Washable Blue or some other "common" blue ink. If Cyber6 sends me that sheet, I'm gonna scribble with stuff like Pilot Blue and Blue Black and stick it in the window for a while. If 202 is positively identified as an IG, then it will be Platinum Blue Black. Morinda for the red and Pilot Black for the black. Should be fair.

[Art]

I like the looks of them. Don't think there are any "local" merchants carrying such items but I can always check ebay. I have a bottle of Hero Black with a 234 in a red diamond on the label. I like it.

[Cyber6]

thanks

 

I will put on my walking boots and walk to Chinatown... and my swimshorts because there is an ocean in between

 

 

No Chinatown in Austria??

 

 

What about a Chinese bookstore?

[Cyber6]

Cyber6,

 

I feel the 202 is also an iron gall, it shades rather well and I rather like it.

 

 

No idea... I looked it up, and there is a general incertitude about that.

 

I can check for waterproofness, but I can tell you that I did not see the color getting darker.

 

 

C.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Cyber6

[mhosea]

I've never heard of 202 being IG, but try this test. Put a big drop on a paper towel and let it dry. Then put one drop of household bleach in the middle of the dried drop of ink. If it is a conventional ink, it will just bleach out. That process will start slowly and take minutes to complete. If it is IG, however, the reaction will be virtually instantaneous, and the result will be a beige color.

[Cyber6]

I've never heard of 202 being IG, but try this test. Put a big drop on a paper towel and let it dry. Then put one drop of household bleach in the middle of the dried drop of ink. If it is a conventional ink, it will just bleach out. That process will start slowly and take minutes to complete. If it is IG, however, the reaction will be virtually instantaneous, and the result will be a beige color.

 

Cool!!! I'll try that.

 

 

C.