Fountain Pen Inks-A Sampler
Writings

Inks included in previous editions:

Not all these inks are currently available. An asterick * will denote the inks for which I have been unable to locate either for sale or a distributor for and therefore will not be included in the next issue.

    • * Aladine - Amber, Black, Bleu, Lagoon Bleu, Orange, Rose, Rouge, Sepia, Vert, Violet
    • * Artist Line - Schwarz, Nachtblau, Blaugrun, Aubergine, Feuer, Marroni, Rubinrot, Weinrot.
    • Aurora - Blue, Black
    • Bexley - Black, Blue, Turquoise, Lapus Blue, Green, Violet, Brown, Crimson.
    • Caran d' Ache -Blue, black
    • Cartier - Black, Bordeaux, Blue.
    • *BOSS - Black, Blue-Black, Blue
    • *Campo Marzio Roma - Rosa Fucsia, Seppia Caffe, Azzurro, Turchese, Rosa Ciclamino, Nero, Blu Notte, Vert Oliva, Griglo, Verde Prato, Blu, Polvere Di Luna, Verde, Arancio, Violetto, Rosso, Bordeaux, Simpatico (invisible ink).
    • Conway Stewart - Black, Navy Blue, Turquoise, Violet, Burgundy, Orange, Brown, Green
    • Delta - Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Brown
    • Diamine - Black, Royal Blue, Blue-black, Maroon, Purple, Claret, Morocco Red, Brown, Green.
    • * Doctor - Black, Blue
    • Duke (Shanghai) - Black, Blue Black
    • Dupont - Blue, Black, Night Blue, Turquoise, Sienna
    • Graf von Faber Castle - Black, Blue
    • * Gnocchi - Black, Blue, Brown
    • Herbin - Bleu Myosotis, Black, Grey, Rose, Vert Reseda (green), Poussiere de Lune (burgundy), Cafe de Iles (brown), Vert Pre (lime green), Bleu Nuit (blue black),Blue-Black Scented, Blue-Black For Men, Orange Indien, Violette Pensee, Violet Scented, Bleu Azur, Rouge Caroubier (red), Bleu Pervenche. Olive Green and Buttercup Yellow, Eclat de Saphir, Lie de The, Burgundy For Men, Terre de Feu, Bouquet D' Antan, Rouge - Rose Scented, Rouge Opera,Rose Tendresse, Amber - Orange Scent, Ambre De Birmanie, Cocao du Bresil, Lierre Sauvage, Diabolo Menthe, Encre Vert - Apple Scent, .
    • * Hero - Black, Blue
    • Higgins Fountain Pen India , Black
    • Lamy - Blue, Blue-Black, Black, Turquoise, Red, green
    • Levenger's - Amathyst, Blue, Black, Red, Green, Cocoa,Smokey, Skies of Blue, Blue Bahama, Fireball, Pinkley, Always Greener.
    • Montblanc - Blue, Blue-Black, Black, Turquoise, Red, Bordeaux, Green
    • Montegrappa - Blue, Turquoise, green
    • Namiki - Blue, Black
    • Noodler's - Black, Zhivago, Red Black, Blue-Black, Midnight Blue, Blue, Ottoman Azure, Navy, Turquois, Navajo Turquois, Violet, Purple, Le Couleur Royal, Ottoman Rose, Shah's Rose, Sehuaro Wine, Habanero, Apache Sunset, Red, Cayenne, Widowmaker, Tiananmen, Burgundy, Nightshade, Antietam, Yellow, Beaver, Brown, Kiowa Pecan, Walnut, Golden Brown, Army Green, Gruene Cactus, Green, Forrest Green, Sequoia, Squeteague and six new American Eel lubricated inks!.
    • Omas - Blue, Black, Violet, Red, Sepia, Turquoise, Green
    • * Panache / Hunt - Blue, Black, Red
    • * Parker Penman (discontinued by Parker) - Saphire, Black, Mocha, Emerald, Ruby
    • Parker Quink - Blue, Blue-Black, Black, red, green
    • Pelikan - Blue, Blue-Black, Black, Turquoise, Violet, Red, Brown, Green
    • Platinum - Black, Blue, Red
    • * Platignum - Blue, Black
    • Private Reserve- Black Cherry, Sonic Blue, Velvet black, Gray Flannel, American Blue, DC Super Show Blue, Midnight Blues, Tanzanite, Lake Placid blue, Plumb, Naples blue, Fiesta red, Sherwood green, Buttercup yellow, Copper Burst, Spearmint, Orange Crush, Avacado, Blue Suede, Shell Pink, Shoreline Gold, Purple Haze and Burgundy Mist. Daphne Blue, Foam Green.
    • Reform - Black, Blue, Red, Green
    • * Rotring - has been discontinued 2008
    • * Rubinato - Blue, Cyclamen, Green, Sepia, Red, Violet, Scented Bordeaux, Scented Sepia, Scented Violet.
    • * Senator - Black, Blue, Green, Red
    • Sheaffer has changed their entire line of inks!
      Old Line - Blue, Peacock Blue, Blue-Black, Black,Red, Brown, Green, Gray, Lavender, Burgundy, King's Gold.
      New Line - Black, Blue-Black, Blue, Turquoise, Purple, Red, Kings Gold, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink.
    • Swisher- Midnight Black, Antigua Blue, Aquamarine, North Sea Blue, Nantucket Blue, Emerald Green, Intense Red, Dark Purple, Maroon, Apricot Orange, Cocoa, Blue-Black, Yellow, Quick Lime, St. Patty's Eire.
    • * Uranus (Shanghai) - Black, Blue
    • Visconti - Lapus Blue, Black, Turquoise, Bordeaux, Sepia
    • Waterman - Florida Blue, Blue-Black, Black,South Seas Blue, Purple, Red, Havana, Green
    • Yard-O-Led -Blue-Black, Black, Claret, Blue, Turquoise

 

There is a depressingly large number of inks that I have not been able to locate, if you know where to find these inks, please send me the information.


This testing was done by Greg Clark.  I will make my own testing as the inks become available.
6/20/2008

October 2000
The Research Results on Sun Fading Included In
"Fountain Pen Inks - A Sampler, 2000 edition"



Sun Fade Tests.
One of the many valuable tools included in the Fountain Pen Ink Sampler book has always been the information on sun fade tests. Each summer I would climb onto my roof every morning, for ten mornings, and place a several hundred samples of fountain pen inks up there. Every evening I would bring them back in to prevent damage to the samples from the night dew. Well, all but one weekend one summer when I forgot to take them down, but that's another story, and it appeared in Pen World International magazine sometime in early 2001.

Anyway, I decided I would post some of this info on the net for all to read. This is only a partial list and it hasn't been updated since 2000. The most current data is always in the most recent edition of the Fountain Pen Ink Sampler.

Remember, this data is fully copyrighted. You can use it but you can't reprint and distribute it in any way without my written permission. 
    

  • Sun Fading Resistance

    




    • 

  • Brand / Color			10 days			Brand / Color		10 days
    

  • Campo Marzio Roma Gray		Fair		Herbin Bleu Azur		Poor

  • Campo Marzio Roma Verde		Poor		Herbin Bleu Pervenche		Fair

  • Campo Marzio Roma Vert Olive	Good		Herbin Bleue Nuit		Poor

  • Caran d'Ache blue		Poor		Herbin Blue Myosotis		Poor 

  • Cartier Black			Fair		Herbin Caf�des Iles brown	Good

  • Cartier blue	 		Poor		Herbin gray			Very Good

  • Cartier Bordeaux		Very Good	Herbin Jaune Bouton D' Or	Fair

  • Colorado Pen/Rubinato blue	Poor		Herbin Orange Indien		Very Good

  • Colorado Prn/Rubinato Cyclamen	Poor		Herbin Poussiere de Lune	Poor

  • Colorado Pen/Rubinato Red	Fair		Herbin Rose Cyclamen		Fair

  • Colorado/Rub. Bord. Scented	Good		Herbin Rouge Caroubier		Good

  • Colorado/Rub. Sepia scented	Very Good	Herbin Rouge Fuchia		Poor

  • Colorado/Rub. Violet, scented	Poor		Herbin Vert Olive		Very Good

  • Colorado/Rubinato green		Fair		Herbin Vert Pre			Good

  • Colorado/Rubinato Sepia		Fair		Herbin Vert Reseda		Poor

  • Colorado/Rubinato violet	Poor		Herbin Violette Pensee		Poor

  • Delta Black			Excellent	Hero Black			Excellent

  • Delta blue			Poor		Hero blue			Good

  • Delta Brown			Good		Higgens Font. India black	Excellent

  • Delta green			Poor		Lamy Black			Good

  • Delta red			Good		Lamy Blue			Good

  • Delta Yellow			Very Good	Lamy blue-black			Fair

  • Doctor Black			Excellent	Lamy green			Good

  • Doctor blue			Fair		Lamy Red			Poor

  • Dupont Black			Very Good	Lamy Turquoise			Fair

  • Dupont Blue			Poor		Levenger red			Fair

  • Dupont Night blue		Poor		Levenger black			Excellent

  • Dupont Sienna Brown		Fair		Levenger blue			Excellent

  • Dupont Turquoise		Fair		Levenger Cocoa			Good

  • Gnocchi Black			Fair		Levenger green			Excellent

  • Gnocchi blue			Poor		Levenger violet (Amethyst)	Poor

  • Gnocchi Brown			Fair		Montegrappa blue		Fair

  • Gnocchi Red			Good		Montegrappa green		Fair

  • Herbin black			Excellent	Montegrappa Turquoise		Fair

  • Platignum black			Very Good	Senator blue			Fair

  • Platignum blue			Poor		Senator red			Excellent

  • Platinum black			Fair		Sheaffer blue			Poor

  • Platinum blue			Fair		Sheaffer blue-black		Good

  • Platinum red			Poor		Sheaffer Bordeaux/Burgundy	Poor

  • Private Res. Hot Bubble Gum	Poor		Sheaffer Brown			Fair

  • Private Res. Lake Placid blue	Fair		Sheaffer Emerald Green		Fair

  • Private Res. Sherwood green	Excellent	Sheaffer Gray			Poor

  • Private Res. Spearminnt green	Very Good	Sheaffer Jet Black		Very Good

  • Private Reserve black		Very Good	Sheaffer Lavender		Poor

  • Private Reserve Buttercup Yel.	Excellent	Sheaffer Peacock blue		Fair

  • Private Reserve Copper Burst	Fair		Sheaffer red			Good

  • Private Reserve Naples Blue	Good		Sheaffer King's Gold		Very Good

  • Private Reserve Plum		Poor		Signatore black			Fair

  • Private Reserve red		Poor		Signatore blue			Fair

  • Private Reserve Tangerine Dr.	Poor		Signatore Bordeaux		Fair

  • Private Reserve Tanzanite	Poor		Signatore green			Good

  • Quink black, permanent		Fair		Signatore Sepia			Poor

  • Quink blue /black, permanent	Fair		Signatore violet		Poor

  • Quink blue, washable		Fair		Visconti Black			Excellent

  • Quink red			Good		Visconti Bordeaux		Good

  • Reform black			Fair		Visconti Lapis Blue		Fair

  • Reform blue			Poor		Visconti Sepia / brown		Good

  • Reform green			Poor		Visconti turquoise		Fair

  • Reform red			Poor		Waterman black			Very Good

  • Rotring black			Very Good	Waterman blue/black		Fair

  • Rotring Brick/Sevilla Red	Very Good	Waterman Florida blue		Fair

  • Rotring brown			Good		Waterman green			Good

  • Rotring Carlsbad Turquiose	Fair		Waterman Havana			Good

  • Rotring Shannan green		Fair		Waterman Purple			Poor

  • Rotring Persian red		Very Good	Waterman red			Very Good

  • Rotring pink			Fair		Waterman South Sea Blue		Fair

  • Rotring Royal/Paris Blue	Fair		Yard-O-Led black		Excellent

  • Rotring Ultramarine Blue	Fair		Yard-O-Led blue			Poor

  • Rotring Jakarta Violet		Poor		Yard-O-Led Claret		Poor

  • Senator black			Very Good	Yard-O-Led Blue-black	     	Poor

Herbin Inks

Herbin is probably the oldest name in current production fountain pen inks in the world, and is without question the oldest name available in the United States. Herbin inks are made in Paris France, and have been since 1700.

J. Herbin Co., creator of the "jewel of inks", was founded in Paris in 1670, when Louis IV was 32 years old. M. Herbin was a sailor and he brought back to Paris exquisite formulas for sealing wax from his many journeys to India. Herbin started manufacturing inks in 1700 at their shop on rue des Fosses Saint-Germain located in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The first ink was called La Perle des Encres ( the jewel of inks), followed by L'Encre des Vaisseaux (the ink of ships). Since the early 19th century Herbin has fashioned Indian inks and traditional school stationary. Every French schoolchild since the age of Napoleon Bonaparte has used Herbin inks, espesially the traditional French violet.

The Herbin line consists of an amazing 26 different colors. The line includes such colors as orange, gray, coffee, "Moon Dust" and even silver and gold! Eight of the inks are even scented appropriately. PLEASE NOTE - the silver and gold are NOT for fountain pens!

One of the selling points of the Herbin line is the mild chemical nature of the inks. The inks are reputed to be relatively "natural" in their composition and this is reflected in the very neutral pH of the inks I have tested. I tested all of the fountain pen inks and the most acid was the brown at 5.4 pH and the most basic was black at 8.1. This is very reasonable as far as fountain pen inks go. Herbin claims that you may drink the inks without ill effect! The inks are compatible with all other current production inks. Herbin says they can be mixed with one another or with other brands without problems.

In a re-organization of the U.S. distribution of Herbin inks, a new company, Exaclare, has been selected to distribute the line.

Check out Herbin's web page!
- Herbin Inks-

Copyright . Gingko Tree Enterprise. All rights reserved.