J. Herbin — Perle Noire — Ink Review #67

 J Herbin — Perle Noire

 

Ink Review # 67

 

Originally posted on FPN: Jul 6, 2023

 

Ink: Perle Noire
Brand: J Herbin
Country: France
Availability: 10 ml, 30 ml, 500 ml bottles, cartridges.
Pens Used: Pilot Kakuno EF, Lamy Safari (EF, F, M, B), Osmiroid Copperplate semi-flex nib, Jinhao 450 fude nib. 

Description

My go-to black inks for sketching and writing are Platinum Carbon Black and Sailor Kiwaguro. I got this one on a whim. I had forgotten how wonderful a shiny black ink can sometimes be. It is reminiscent of Japanese sumi, and lampblack inks, and this one delivers.

This was the first ink that tamed the Pilot Kakuno EF steel nib into something pleasurable. I also enjoyed using it with the Osmiroid Copperplate nib, but paradoxically less with Lamy Safari or the Jinhao with a fude nib. Still, I managed to use half of the 10 ml bottle for this review. 

What was surprising was how easy it was to clean, despite being a very respectable water-resistant ink.

Chroma

There seems to be a hint of yellow.

Writing Samples

Inspired by Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine, a tribute to Joséphine Baker, I used quotes by Baker for the writing samples.

Rhodia

Midori

Note the yellow in the smudging.

Tomoe River 68 gsm

Note: Tomoe River used here is 68 gsm, not the thinner 52 gsm version commonly referenced in reviews.

Hammermill 20lb 

It doesn't like it very much.

Ghosting and bleed through....

Water Test

Comparison


Artwork

Egyptian Cat

Noodler's Apache Sunset. I used bleach to create the gold effects.

Adventures of Quin & Makhabesh. 

And a huge thanks to @LizEF for giving me permission to use her characters to create art.

The female Egyptian cat (Noodletitti), the little kitten, and the lower background were done with Perle Noire, the background with diluted ink.

Other inks: Organics Studio Oscar's Copper for the red; Pilot Yama-guri for the dark-brown staff and the purple sphinx, Makhabesh; Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10 for the dark-brown background on the right; and homemade pomegranate ink for the background on the left.

Ink Characteristics

·      What I liked: Delicious black, reminds me of sumi ink; great for art, amazing lubrication.
·      What I did not like: You might have startup issues if the pen is left uncapped.
·      What some might not like: It doesn’t like cheap papers.
·      Shading: No.
·      Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper.
·      Bleed through: Same as above.
·      Flow Rate: Wet.
·      Lubrication: Excellent.
·      Nib Dry-out: None.
·      Start-up: None.
·      Saturation: Beautiful, shiny black.
·      Shading Potential: Why would you want a black ink to shade?
·      Sheen: None.
·      Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No.
·      Nib Creep / “Crud”: No.
·      Staining (pen): No.
·      Clogging: No.
·      Cleaning: Very easy.
·      Water resistance: Very good.

 

Feel free to share your experience, feedback, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊

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