J Herbin Bleu Pervenche

[yazeh]

J Herbin Bleu Pervenche

This is one of my oldest bottles of inks and a favorite. It’s a happy turquoise, wet, with below average lubrication.

It doesn’t like copy paper, like most Herbins. If you want a turquoise with better lubrication, Monteverde Caribbean Blue is good option.

I enjoyed it most with my wettish soft, Ef Japanese nib, and fine to broad nobs in Kaweco. With the TWSBI 580 Stub, it was unpleasant (So wet that I changed the nib to a medium), with the wet noodle flex nib it was not so pleasant flexing.

 

A note about the name. I'm a bit perplexed about the name. Pervenche, which is named after Vinca or Periwinkle is a lilac colour. The  dictionary describes the colour, as:

Bleu clair tirant sur le mauve.  Light Blue on the mauve side....

 

Let’s start with the chroma:

 

Writing samples:

Note the TWSBI is a very wet pen, so was the flex nib, hence the colour change. The colour is a true turquoise and there's no hint of green to the naked eye. 

Like most Herbins it doesn't like copy Paper.

 

Photo:

 

Comparison:

 

Water test

 

and finally a few artworks, a snowflake:

 

and this little piece is entitled Elf, part of the inktober yearly challenge:

Inks used:
Brush pen: J Herbin Perle Noire + Bleu Nuit mix
Fountain pen: 
De Atramentis Document Red
J Herbin Bleu Pervenche
Platinum Carbon Black

· Pens used: Pilot F3A Ef, Kaweco (EF/F/M/B), TWSBI 580 Stub 1.1, and Unic vintage flex (wet noodle)  

· What I liked: Looking forward to emptying all my pens right away. Easy cleaning

· What I did not like: Let’s say almost everything.

· What some might not like: Dryness.

· Shading: I didn’t see anything.

· Ghosting: Doesn’t like copy paper very much.

· Bleed through: Same as above

· Flow Rate: Wet

· Lubrication: Below average

· Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.

· Start-up: Did not notice.

· Saturation: Watery coral red.

· Shading Potential: Dismal.

· Sheen: Faint

· Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.

· Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice.

· Staining (pen): Did not notice.

· Clogging: No.

· Cleaning: Easy

· Water resistance: Non-existent.  

· Availability: cartridges, 10 ml, 30 ml bottles.

 

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

 

[lapis]

Thanks again for such a splendid review. I'm not all that hot about this ink, partly because I find the "common" Herbins a bit uncharacteristic and maybe more so because I find them all too watery (plus at the same time too pastel-like). But maybe that's what some of us like best about them. The colour itself is interesting. I've used it for years because there are -- well -- a lot of different turquoises out there but this one is a bit different. Some are more a light blue, some have more yellow, or green or even other spices. In any case, this ink is decades old and always easy to find and afford.

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

Light Blue on the mauve side....

Mauve was on vacation when they went into production, so it's just Bleu.   Not sure whether I'd like this or not.  Waterman Inspired Blue and Pelikan 4001 Turquoise (a gift) are enough for me, regardless.  But that looks like a wee bit of halo-sheen from that flex nib!  Yummy.

 

Good quotes.  Love the "...most of which never happened."

 

Poor water-test kitty - that slanting rain will get you every time, umbrella or no!  (But he must be following Dalí's advice for how to keep that moustache in place!

 

Nice snowflake!  And hooray, elf-kitty Smurf is back!   What I want to know is who is that ahead and to his right - he's clearly looking at someone over there and carefully considering what to do next.  Is our elf-kitty going to go a-wooing?  Or maybe he just spots a treat and wishes the artist would hurry up and finish his portrait so he can go eat!

[yazeh]

1 hour ago, lapis said:

Thanks again for such a splendid review.

🙏

1 hour ago, lapis said:

I'm not all that hot about this ink, partly because I find the "common" Herbins a bit uncharacteristic and maybe more so because I find them all too watery (plus at the same time too pastel-like).

I'm going through them as they were my first inks, and I'm kind of nostalgic about them

 

1 hour ago, lapis said:

But maybe that's what some of us like best about them. The colour itself is interesting. I've used it for years because there are -- well -- a lot of different turquoises out there but this one is a bit different. Some are more a light blue, some have more yellow, or green or even other spices. In any case, this ink is decades old and always easy to find and afford.

So true

 

[yazeh]

12 minutes ago, LizEF said:

Mauve was on vacation when they went into production, so it's just Bleu.  

 

12 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Not sure whether I'd like this or not.  Waterman Inspired Blue and Pelikan 4001 Turquoise (a gift) are enough for me, regardless.  But that looks like a wee bit of halo-sheen from that flex nib!  Yummy.

Yes, there's a hint of sheen with that wet nib

 

12 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Good quotes.  Love the "...most of which never happened."

Isn't that true! It reminds a reminder of some the news stories of horrible things that might happen

 

 

12 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Poor water-test kitty - that slanting rain will get you every time, umbrella or no!  (But he must be following Dalí's advice for how to keep that moustache in place!

12 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

Nice snowflake!  And hooray, elf-kitty Smurf is back!   What I want to know is who is that ahead and to his right - he's clearly looking at someone over there and carefully considering what to do next.  Is our elf-kitty going to go a-wooing?  Or maybe he just spots a treat and wishes the artist would hurry up and finish his portrait so he can go eat!

He's just being coy and wants to keep you guessing

 

[LizEF]

1 hour ago, yazeh said:

He's just being coy and wants to keep you guessing

Of course!  Sly kitty.

[Sailor Kenshin]

These J Herbins are my oldest inks, too...unless you count Sheaffer cartridge inks used in my first fountain pen.

 

And naturally, I have this one, as well as the MV Carob Bean Blue (If a Prevenche can look turquoise then Carob Beans can too!).  It is safe to say I have lots of turquoise inks.  This one does go into rotation now and then.  I think it shades better than the Monteverde.

 

There's a lot to like about this ink and of course your Ink-sploration:

 

Ink-stalgia. Half-wet Kitteh.  Pretty snowflake, thoughtful Kitteh Elf.  Ooo, and a quote from Pascal, stolen by the Grateful Dead.  

 

Many, many thanks, @yazeh, for continuing to amaze us.

[yazeh]

38 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

These J Herbins are my oldest inks, too...unless you count Sheaffer cartridge inks used in my first fountain pen.

 and my Geha

 

38 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

And naturally, I have this one, as well as the MV Carob Bean Blue (If a Prevenche can look turquoise then Carob Beans can too!).

Is that a world play on Caribbean ?

 

38 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

 It is safe to say I have lots of turquoise inks.  This one does go into rotation now and then.  I think it shades better than the Monteverde.

 

38 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

There's a lot to like about this ink and of course your Ink-sploration:

 

Ink-stalgia. Half-wet Kitteh.  Pretty snowflake, thoughtful Kitteh Elf.  Ooo, and a quote from Pascal, stolen by the Grateful Dead.  

 

Many, many thanks, @yazeh, for continuing to amaze us.

🙏 🙏 🙏

[Anne-Sophie]

18 hours ago, LizEF said:

Waterman Inspired Blue and Pelikan 4001 Turquoise

 

 

I have the vintage Waterman version called South Sea Blue, I hope Inspired Blue is the same.

 

Pelikan Turquoise is more green than the Waterman and Bleu Pervenche, Lamy Turquoise is deeper with a blue undertone.

 

The new Bleu Calanque is a mystery, I hope it is a darker blue-green.

[LizEF]

2 hours ago, Anne-Sophie said:

I have the vintage Waterman version called South Sea Blue, I hope Inspired Blue is the same.

I'm afraid I couldn't tell you, and mine may be from before the latest reformulation - EU rules required it not that long ago, as I recall.

 

2 hours ago, Anne-Sophie said:

Pelikan Turquoise is more green than the Waterman

When it comes up for review, I'll have to take a closer look.

[amberleadavis]

As always - a great review.  This is an ink that I never acquired but it is still in production and it is a solid-performing ink. Thank you for your work.

[InesF]

Thank you, @yazeh, for your amazing review! Always a pleasure for the eyes and for the soul. 👌

 

While I'm not lured into trying this ink by myself, I like your drawing quite a lot. The snowflake is pretty but I'm totally fascinated by the kitty-elf in debonair pose. Simply great! 

[yazeh]

16 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

As always - a great review. 

🙏

16 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

 

This is an ink that I never acquired but it is still in production and it is a solid-performing ink. Thank you for your work.

Most welcome

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 12/30/2023 at 1:50 PM, Anne-Sophie said:

Pelikan Turquoise is more green than the Waterman and Bleu Pervenche, Lamy Turquoise is deeper with a blue undertone.

Good to know....I like all four. And it was once South Sea blue...before it got some  can't remember name.

 

Unlike Yazeh, I like this shading ink...it could be mine is the older version some 12-13 years old**....and how come I am still on that same bottle.....there are years when I'm not much into blue. I will be buying a new bottle come the day.

 

**They had to reformulate their inks because of contaminated water and a EU forced ingredient change. So we could be talking about tangerines and oranges.

[yazeh]

13 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Good to know....I like all four. And it was once South Sea blue...before it got some  can't remember name.

 

Unlike Yazeh, I like this shading ink...it could be mine is the older version some 12-13 years old**....and how come I am still on that same bottle.....there are years when I'm not much into blue. I will be buying a new bottle come the day.

 

**They had to reformulate their inks because of contaminated water and a EU forced ingredient change. So we could be talking about tangerines and oranges.

I actually like this ink. I've used most of the bottle. Though Shading isn't that important for me

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Shading was and is important for me...I got to go on a budget....so I can buy or re-buy Herbin inks.

I do have enough in and for my bar.

Pen repairs, measuring and buying glass inserts for my inkwells. So many things to do, that are harder being retired for so long.

I have 'enough' inks, so have to stay away from the new brands....having close to 100 inks as is.

But Bleu Pervenche is such a lovely ink, it must and will be replaced.

 

[chromantic]

Great color, horrible bleeder.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I hadn't noticed that... was that from the time Herbin had water problems in Paris wasn't delivering the good stuff?

[Anne-Sophie]

On 2/5/2024 at 9:49 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

I hadn't noticed that... was that from the time Herbin had water problems in Paris wasn't delivering the good stuff?

 

Just saw the post. Herbin is part of the Group Exacompta Clairefontaine, headquartered in Etival-Clairefontaine, France., located on the banks of the Meurthe 90 km from Strasbourg. 

 

A French fountain pen, dip pens, stationery shop in Paris, claims that "Herbin inks are made in France near Lyon."

 

Let me check with their French website.  It shows the plants where the paper for the brand is made, but there is nothing about the plants that make ink.

 

Obviously, the company was happy to put the event behind them, it is most probable, that the only sites mentioning it, are fountain pens forums.

 

The E.U forced a change in formula, removing all the environmentally unfriendly chemicals, I think only ink imported to the U.S were affected and only a small batch.

 

My thinking is that some kind of mold/bacteria/fungus developed during the boat trip from France to the U.S, probably on the pallet outer packaging.

If the container with the ink pallet was placed on the top row or was facing the front of the boat, it might have been pummeled with water during the journey in the winter's Atlantic rough weather.

 

If the shipping container was old, not sealed well, some, or, a lot of that moisture, might have reached the pallets of ink. During the transfer from the boat to Exaclair's warehouse in NYC, there might have been additional problems, if, for example, one container slid because of ice, instead of locking in to the trailer's grooves/attachment.

 

Scenario that could/might have happened, based on documentaries I saw, about container's transfer in various ports, worldwide. 

 

This could have caused some breakage of the bottles that were hit directly by the trailer's edge. Depending on their location, when the pallet outer plastic was removed, its moisture laden with mold/bacteria/fungus from the sea water itself, the previous content of the shipping container, the pollution that was present at the edge of the trailer, etc..., made contact with the broken bottles and their ink. All the broken and soiled ink bottles could not be sold but the intact ones were.

The problem is that the mold/fungus/bacteria was able to spread on the cardboard outer package.   

 

People do not wash their hands between opening the cardboard and opening the bottle, hence the contamination.

 

At the time, there was no mention of the little tins of cartridges being affected.

 

It might have happened before, but the chemicals in the ink neutralized it, if some of the spores were able to land on the ink outer cardboard.

 

All that is just speculations, I have a vivid imagination fueled by real life viewing of many documentaries.

 

 

 

 

[dftr]

I have so many blue inks including Waterman, Pelikan, Pilot, Vinta, and Sailor.  But I am considering adding this ink.

Sailor Seiboku (Pigment) and Pelikan Blue-Black (Iron-Gall) which are my work inks... this ink has enough water resistance for me.  

It's not too green and the flow seems perfect w/ my pens.  

 

I don't even mind the bottles, b/c I'll buy two and put them in a better bottle.