J Herbin Diabolo Menthe — Ink Review #193
J Herbin Diabolo Menthe
Ink Review # 193
Originally posted on FPN:
---
🧾 Description
Ink: Diabolo Menthe
Brand: Jacques Herbin
Country: France
Available: 10/30 ml bottles and cartridges.
Pens Used: Pilot F3A EF semi-flex, Lamy (EF/F/M/B/ Stub 1.1)
Diabolo Menthe is one of the Herbin summery inks. The colour captures the nostalgia of a bygone French era of bistro life. It's a bright turquoise on the green spectrum to my eyes.
You can check what you really see here:
This ink is drier than Bleu Calanque; the colour is too fluorescent for my taste. One needs a wet pen to saturate the colour.
Fun note on the etymology of diabolo:
"The word diabolo was first used in 1906 to describe a juggling toy with a spinning hourglass shape, its name derived from Latin diabolus (“one who throws across”). This playful term was later adopted in the 1920s to name non-alcoholic café drinks made with flavored syrup and lemonade, such as diabolo menthe — often bright green and especially popular among schoolchildren.
The drink later gave its name to the 1977 coming-of-age film Diabolo Menthe by Diane Kurys, a nostalgic portrait of girlhood in 1960s France. The film’s title song, also called Diabolo Menthe (performed by Yves Simon), became a cult classic in its own right.
(Source: CNRTL, entrée “diabolo”)"
Ink will dissolve like mint syrup in water, and like most Herbin inks, doesn’t like copy paper. However, one can darken it with a few drops of darker ink.
---
🧪 Chroma
---
✍️ Writing Samples (scan)
JEF stands for Japanese EF nib.
Rhodia/Iroful
Hammermill 20lb
---
📸 Photo
Rhodia/Iroful
Midori/Tomoe River 68 gsm
Hammermill 20lb copy paper
💧 Water Test
---
🎨 Artwork
Diabolo Menthe
Inks used: Tintenlabor Gold black iron gall ink, J Herbin Diabolo Menthe, Background; J Herbin Bleu Calanque, Paper Talens Mixed Media
---
- What I Liked: ·Nostalgia
- What I Did Not Like: Colour.
- What Some Might Not Like: Light colour.
- Writing Experience: The colour is too bright for me.
- Pros: If you like bright colours. Price, small 10 ml bottles.
- Cons: Colour
🧷 Ink Characteristics
- Shading: The ink is too bright for me to see.
- Ghosting: Yes on copy paper.
- Bleed Through: Same as above.
- Flow Rate: Ok.
- Lubrication: From below to slightly below average.
- Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
- Start-up: Good.
- Saturation: Not saturated.
- Sheen: Did not notice.
- Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.
- Nib Creep / Crud: Did not notice.
- Staining (Pen): No.
- Clogging: No.
- Cleaning: Easy.
- Water Resistance: Nope.
---
💬 Closing
It was hard for me to review this ink, mostly because the colour was too bright and the writing experience unpleasant.
No fountain pens were hurt in preparing this review. 😉
Please don’t hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments — the more the merrier. 😊
Comments
Post a Comment