J. Herbin Rouge Hematite 1670- Will It Stain My Pen?

[Kaious]

I've been combing through J. Herbin Rouge Hematite reviews and I'm getting very conflicting information on the behavior of this ink- some say that it stains pens, some say that it clogs, some say that you need to change it every 2 days, some say that it's totally fine. So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is: will it stain my demonstrator pen?

 

I don't mind upkeep to a reasonable extent. I'm perfectly willing to flush it every 2 weeks or so if I leave this color in my TWSBI 540, but I don't want to disassemble it or put an ammonia solution in my pen regularly just to work with this ink. Is only keeping this ink in my pen for 2 weeks max. sufficient enough so that it will not stain?

 

Also, how does the gold sheen show up for F or EF nibs? How about 1.1 stub nibs? I'm using a TWSBI 540.

 

Thank you!

[Ghost Plane]

This highly saturated ink leaves a kind of pink slime behind it that has to be physically wiped off gold nibs. I tried it in c/c fillers and found it gradually builds up on the feeds to where performance suffered. YMMV but I prefer my pens to run wet and I'm not putting pink slime in $1k pens to stain them.

 

In short, it's beautiful, but you need to weigh the performance against your needs/pens.

[Kaious]

This highly saturated ink leaves a kind of pink slime behind it that has to be physically wiped off gold nibs. I tried it in c/c fillers and found it gradually builds up on the feeds to where performance suffered. YMMV but I prefer my pens to run wet and I'm not putting pink slime in $1k pens to stain them.

 

In short, it's beautiful, but you need to weigh the performance against your needs/pens.

 

I only have 3 pens (all steel nibs), all c/c and fairly cheap (<$60). Will it build up if I flush them every 2 weeks? Or will the build-up permanently damage them?

[Ghost Plane]

You may be okay. It's a pretty color, so test it in one pen and see if it gunks it up.

[mhphoto]

I've had a Preppy continuously inked with 1670 for going on six months now and I haven't had any flow problems, but it does leave residue behind that needs to be wiped off the nib periodically (more for aesthetics than performance in my experience).

 

The only thing I've had to train myself to do is shake the pen gently before I begin using it to mix up the sediment in the converter (which will settle, just like in the bottle), so that when it's pulled into the feed it's as mixed as can be. But like I said, I've never had a flow issue, at least with this pen.

[fourseamer]

I'm a fan of 1670 Rouge Hematite, but I would caution folks who want to use it in a demonstrator. A few months ago, I filled a Noodler's Ahab with the ink. It took me a couple of weeks to write that pen dry, FWIW. Two full cycles through an ultrasonic bath, one with water and one with water + dish soap, were unable to remove the stains you see in the photo. I haven't tried diluted ammonia or bleach solutions. Haven't gone to scraping the inside of the barrel either.

 

Doesn't bother me much though as I have a handful of Ahabs, and I'll just use the stained one with red inks. But for those who are curious about 1670 with a demonstrator, I'd say it has the potential to stain.

[saskia_madding]

It definitely has the potential to stain. It stained the grip of my Visconti Homo Sapien! :/

 

But I've used it in my TWSBI and it was alright. I did need to use soap to get it out though. I put a few drops of soap into a small cup, filled my TWSBI, shook it about a bit, repeated it 2x, then filled it and left it soaking overnight. The next morning, I emptied it and flushed it with clear water and the TWSBI was fine. But if you use soapy water on your TWSBI a lot, it strips the silicone, and you'll have to open up the pen and relube it more often than normal.

 

I personally think this upkeep is worth it for the ink. As long as it is easy to relube the barrel of the pen. I wouldn't use it in pens that don't allow you access to do that yourself.

[Kaious]

Thanks everyone!! I've decided to just go ahead and use it, I bought a pen flush though and am prepared for the risks.

[jacksterp]

Thanks everyone!! I've decided to just go ahead and use it, I bought a pen flush though and am prepared for the risks.

 

A VERY good looking ink that I'm somewhat afraid to try.

 

Please let us know how it works out for you.

[Kaious]

Thanks everyone!! I've decided to just go ahead and use it, I bought a pen flush though and am prepared for the risks.

 

A VERY good looking ink that I'm somewhat afraid to try.

 

Please let us know how it works out for you.

 

So I just tried it out on a Pilot Parallel for a few days and it DID stain a little bit *but* using an ammonia flush basically took out the stains. Now I'm going to try using it with a demonstrator fountain pen for at least a week and see how it goes! I will update you.