Herbin - Bleu Azur

[Sandy1]

Please take a moment to adjust the brightness & contrast of your monitor to accurately depict this Gray Scale.

As the patches are neutral gray, their colour on your monitor should also be neutral gray.

Mac_LINK

 

Figure 1.

Gray Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/INK576.jpg

Figure 2.

Swabs: Waterman Florida Blue. J Herbin Bleu Azur.

Swatch: Drawn with the Pelikan M200 + S 1.0 nib.

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK645.jpg

Figure 3.

NIB-ism

LINK

Depicts width and relative wetness.

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Note: Row height is 8mm for all.

 

Figure 4.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK648.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: Clairefontaine Triomphe

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK649.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: Character.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK650.jpg

Figure 7.

Paper: Quo Vadis, Clairefontaine Ivory

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK652.jpg

Figure 8.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK651.jpg

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 9.

'HAPPY!' on Glossy Card. (One pen per character.)

Smear/Dry Time on Glossy Paper.

Smear/Dry Time on HPJ1124.

Wet Tests on HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK646.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Unlikely.

A go-to ink?

• This is the ink for writing lighter than air.

USES:

 

Business:

• No.
• Far too light and pale.
• Of no use for grading / correcting.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Yes.
• The ultimate Light Blue.

Personal:

• Absolutely.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS:

 

Flow Rate:

• Very good.
• Kept all nibs well-supplied.

Nib Dry-out:

• None noticed.

Start-up:

• Immediate.

Lubrication:

• Typical Herbin.
• A little thin, but more than sufficient.

Nib Creep:

• None.

Staining:

• None after 5 days.

Clogging:

• None.
• With good flow rate, and modest saturation, clogging seems unlikely.

Bleed Through:

• Not on any of the papers used.

Show Through:

• On the papers used, one could write on both sides.

Feathering:

If feathering appears then the paper is *expletive*, the pen is far too wet.

May be encountered if using a flex-ish nib and are too slow in drawing the characters.

Figure 14.

LINK

Smear/Dry Time

• Glossy: 15 - 20 seconds.
• HPJ1124: 15 - 20 seconds.

Water Resistance

-2- on the 4S Scale:

"Over half is legible. May provide basis for 'best guess' restoration. (Think Dead Sea scrolls.)

"

Smell:

• Faint. Sweet.
• Reminiscent of fresh sour cherries. (Mort Subite?)

Hand oil sensitivity:

• None noticed.

Archival:

• Claimed.

Clean Up:

• Fast and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

JH: "Don't do it. Ever."

S1: "Do it. Whenever."

• I would not add anything to this ink, but I have added this ink to others, in particular the 'kiri-same'; so allows successful use of k-s with narrow nibs. (But only if you're an informed consenting adult, OK?)

THE LOOK:

 

Unlike any other ink.

 

Saturation:

• None - Low.
• Saturation is contrary to the nature of the ink.

Shading:

• This what this ink is all about.
• Full bore.

Figure 10.

• Red Ripple 52 & M200 on HPJ1124. LINK

Figure 11.

• Vacumatic & P99 on Character LINK

Figure 12.

• C74 & Vacumatic on Triomphe LINK

Figure 13.

• Vacumatic & P99 on Habana Ivory LINK

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

• Considerable.
• This ink is highly sensitive to the wetness of the writer and the absorbency of the paper.
• A very careful pairing of pen and paper is necessary to run this ink at its potential, and achieve The Look that is most desirable.
• There may be environmental influence from humidity.

One might think this is a 'watered-down' ink. I don't think so, I believe that Bleu Azur is well pigmented, and that pigment is pale.

 

FIDELITY:

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Yes. Wiki_Link
• Some might perceive that the colour is into the Turquoise-Cyan.
• Well, I'd go for 'pale blue within hailing distance of cyan'.

Are swatches accurate?

• Not quite: the colour is OK, but the swatch on the box-top is far darker than even the 3-pass swatch.
• Not up to JH's own high standards I'm afraid.

SIMILAR COLOURS:

• The Sailor Jentle 'yuki-akari' comes to mind, but that is a very different ink.
• Also the Sailor nano Blue-Black mixed 1:9 with Noodlers 'Whiteness of the Whale'. SnBlBk_Link
• Readers, please chime in.

PAPERS:

 

Suitable papers:

• Crisp very white paper.
• As brilliant as one can find without optical brighteners.
• One must be writing on the whitest of clouds.
• I often use this ink with the lightest weight paper I have found. Paper_Link

Trip-wire Papers:

• Any that are off-white, tinted and/or textured.
• And if anyone uses this on lined or grid or dotted paper... I can't imagine what might become of a person so unaware. Nature will take its course, and it won't be pretty. Quicksand? Enraged swans? Kudzu? The list is endless and I'm adding to it.

Tinted Papers:

• Absolutely not.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Be very careful here.
• Most high-end papers eschew the brilliant white look, preferring a natural look. (Likely more eco-sensitive too.)
• In my opinion, the ink performs slightly better on the high-end paper, but they are not sufficiently brilliant. (The Character paper is exquisite, but alas, not suited to Bleu Azur.)
• Not only do such papers detract from The Look that I prefer, their ever-so-slight tint alters the colour of the ink. That effect is dreadfully apparent on the QuoVadis sheet. My My My
• So in terms of 'The Look', I prefer the HPJ1124 of all the papers used in this Review.

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

• 30ml. bottle in a box.
• No HazMat warnings.
• Cute little picture is a bonus.

Country of origin:

• France.

Container:

• A clear glass not-quite square-based bottle, approx 47mm on each side, with a maximum height of 52mm.
• The off-centre round opening is a snug 18mm.
• Bottle has a dust collector posing as a pen rest. Seems narrow - only for skinny pens.
• Single tank, no filling aids, no sediment collector. Bah!
• Oh my - such a tragedy of an ink tank. 2xBah!
• The Label includes the word 'ink', but in the French language - 'encre'.
• The hard plastic screw cap has adequate grippy bits.
• The cap seal seems to be the better sort of coated card stock.
• The cap is not child-proof.

Box:

• Nicely coated.
• Advises 'Never mix two different inks.'
• Includes the word 'ink' in French and English languages.

Eco-Green:

• All bits easily recyclable.
• Cap likely benign.

Availability:

• Widely available in Europe and North America.
• Other locations? Please chime in.

ETC :

 

Majik:

• One must conjure, but certain Majik is close at hand.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• The Pilot Custom 74 + Soft Fine-Medium nib on the HPJ1124.

Yickity Yackity:

• I think it is somewhat unfortunate that this ink may not be more widely used because people may not have a pen that is suitable to generate The Look they want from this ink. I believe a slightly wet writer with a firm narrow nib is a good starting point.
• Ah kushbaby, if you want to hear Bach played by the ink putti on their trombones and accordions, the gateway is Bleu Azur.

[=| |=[+]=| |=][=| |=[+]=| |=][=| |=[+]=| |=][=| |=[+]=| |=][=| |=[+]=| |=][=| |=[+]=| |=]

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to the most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. Pens used are those for which I paid $100 or less, new or used, and are 'factory stock' - not customised.

 

These pen+nib combos were used:

Pilot Custom 74 + 18K SFM

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/PEN442.jpg

Parker Vacumatic + 18K (?)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/PEN367.jpg

Pelikan P99 + steel B

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/PEN518.jpg

Pelikan M200 + richardspens M200-series g-p stub 1.0

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/PEN315.jpg

*Waterman 52 + 18K (?)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/Pen_Scans/PEN658.jpg

Note: The Waterman 52 is a Dealer's Choice because they're old and not always easily found.

 

For lines & labels:

• Pilot Penmanship inked with Visconti Green.

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Clairefontaine Triomphe.
• Character.
• QuoVadis, Habana ivory.
• Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.
• Glossy card stock.
• Glossy magazine paper.

Images:

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figure shown were scanned at 150 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were not adjusted other than cropping and straightening using iPhoto on a MacBook, but most went straight to the file sharing thingy.

-30-

[ttakacs]

Thank you, S1, for another great review. I see resemblances to R & K Blau Permanent. Yes?

[Sandy1]

Thank you, S1, for another great review. I see resemblances to R & K Blau Permanent. Yes?

Hi,

 

You're welcome. Glad you enjoy the Review.

 

The Bleu Azur is pretty unique: the shading, the colour and the extremely light (pale) density. And so, comparison really may be the best way to depict the Bleu Azur - not a Gray Scale. (ErHmm)

 

So let me put-up and shut-up:

 

These samples are generated with two standard pens: a Pelikan M200 + g-p steel M nib; and a Lamy Safari + 1.1i. That pair doesn't so much reflect the Members' pens, but are intended to show what's going on with the ink. The paper is Rhodia.

 

I haven't cropped the scans, so that the viewer may get the impression of 'ink of paper'.

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK863.jpg

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK864.jpg

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK865.jpg

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK866.jpg

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK867.jpg

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK868.jpg

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Compare%20RK%20Blau%20permanent%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK869.jpg

Edited August 8, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

=+= I AM AN IDIOT =+= I AM AN IDIOT =+=

 

And so,

Are there other occasions when Bleu Azur can be a 'Go To' ink?

 

Yes, when the paper of choice is highly absorbent. Absorbent to the extent that most other inks become too dark.

 

WFB and HBA on Rhodia:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK870.jpg

WFB and HBA on Royal 25% rag

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/INK871.jpg

Edited August 9, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Hello again,

 

To support ad hoc comparison to Blue inks that I have reviewed more recently, I have revisited Bleu Azur to add more written samples. These samples use much the same layout, pen+paper combos and imaging method as my more recent reviews of Blue inks.

 

As always, should one feel that a separate Post or Topic is required to depict a certain aspect of an ink, or a comparison to another ink that I have reviewed, your PM will be welcomed. While requests for new scans may be accommodated as time & tides permit, creation of even more inky work is unlikely.

 

:≈:

WRITTEN SAMPLES - Moby Dick

Ruling: 8mm.

 

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/92fbef86.jpg

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/ebc2f5e5.jpg

 

Paper: Royal - 25% rag.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/11b71822.jpg

 

Paper: Staples 20 lb.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/9a20ee5e.jpg

Paper: Arches.

Left: Sheaffer 330 + B nib.

Right: Same as Left, but reworked with a wet watercolour brush.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/16618150.jpg

OTHER STUFF

 

Smear/Dry Times & Wet Tests

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2012/Comparison%20Exemplars%20-%20Herbin%20Bleu%20Azur/e1b7b42e.jpg

 

COMMENTS

• Results are consistent with prior samples.
• Two-sided use on the Staples 20lb seems likely from a slightly dry pen.
• The writing experience is fair.

- - - - - - -

 

NUTS & BOLTS

 

Pens:

• Pelikan M200 + g-p steel EF nib.
• Sheaffer 330 + steel M nib.
• Non-Nudist Pink Safari + goosed steel 1.1 nib.
• Sheaffer 330 + steel B nib. (Cameo appearance on the Arches.)

Papers:

• HPJ1124 24lb. Laser Copy
• Rhodia
• Staples 20lb.
• Arches 185 gsm cold press white. Soaked ten minutes, sponged, then dried.

Imaging

• An Epson V600 scanner was used with the bundled Epson s/w at factory default settings to produce low-loss jpg files.
• Figures shown were scanned at 200 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Hi-Res Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• No post-capture manipulation of scanner output was done, other than dumb-down by Epson, Photobucket & IP.Board s/w.

-30-

Tags : Fountain Pen Ink Review Herbin Bleu Azur Blue Azure Sandy1

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

That is indeed one of, if not the lightest ink I've seen reviewed.

It is too light for me. My eyes are not good enough. It would seem to encourage larger hand writing.

 

A summer vacation letter from Aspen, or Capri?

[Sandy1]

That is indeed one of, if not the lightest ink I've seen reviewed.

It is too light for me. My eyes are not good enough. It would seem to encourage larger hand writing.

 

A summer vacation letter from Aspen, or Capri?

 

Hi,

 

I agree that this is an extraordinarily pale ink; and that its use would be limited due to low readability when used with common pen+paper combos.

 

Also, I think that the scans are really at the limit of what I can produce with my incomplete skill-set: they are good 'pixel on a monitor' depictions, but fall short in conveying the subtle 'ink on paper' presence. And Bleu Azur is all about subtlety and nuance.

 

One could use the low readability to have the recipient linger over what is written. I keep letters / notes in Bleu Azur quite brief, and use quite small sheets of pure white rather absorbent paper; and usually double-space the text, which emphasises the 'writing on clouds' aspect of the ink.

 

A great ink to use for a personal note sent as a separate enclosure with a greeting card.

 

Bye,

S1

[georges zaslavsky]

looks like a nice color but a little bit too light

[Sandy1]

looks like a nice color but a little bit too light

 

Hi,

 

Yes indeed, I find the colour attractive, but it is far too pale for anything but 'niche' use.

 

I await edification from those using it on a regular basis.

 

Bye,

S1

[brh]

I've been using it on a fairly regular basis. Journaling, (creative-type) writing, and notes at work. Can't use it to cross anything out though, that's for sure!

[Sandy1]

I've been using it on a fairly regular basis. Journaling, (creative-type) writing, and notes at work. Can't use it to cross anything out though, that's for sure!

 

Hi,

 

:roflmho:

 

I always enjoy hearing from those who use an ink in ways I'd not considered !

 

I would be remiss not to add that instead of using HBlA to redact something, it could be used as a low key high-lighter.

 

Bye,

S1

[Parker Quink Turquoise]

I must admit I like this colour.Used it a bit for writing letters in a Sheaffer Prelude with a blunt nib.It works okay but is not the best turquoise coloured ink to use for the purpose.

[brh]

[...]

I would be remiss not to add that instead of using HBlA to redact something, it could be used as a low key high-lighter.

[...]

 

Highlighting, yes, now you're thinking! :roflmho:

[goldiesdad]

I prefer a richer / darker ink ... however to many this ink will be appealing a very soothing ink ...

[Trebster]

Reminds me in tone of Visconti Turquoise. Will likely look into this when the Visconti bottle is empty.

[amberleadavis]

Wow, this ink is super light. It reminds me of an easter egg color.