Brown Ink Help!

[MATT_THE_GREAT88]

Hello there, this is my first post on the Fountain Pen Network, so please excuse me if I've gone about this the wrong way. I'm trying to track down a brown ink that would match the one in the attached pictures. The author, Quentin Bell - Virginia Woolf's nephew - would have bought this from a stationary shop/store in 1952, so it's likely one of the main brands - Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer. I'm rather keen on the colour and would like to find a colour match, and would appreciate any suggestions! ✍🏻️

Edited April 8, 2022 by MATT_THE_GREAT88

[Enkida]

Mmm, hard to tell as that's written on off-white paper and of course the variable nature of photographs.  It seems like that brown has quite a high content of red in it, though, so my offhand suggestions would be to look at J. Herbin Café des îles, Caran D'Ache Organic Brown, and maaaaaybe Diamine Chocolate Brown or Lamy Topaz.   Kind of think the former doesn't have enough red and the latter doesn't have enough yellow though.   Montblanc Toffee Brown might also suit the bill; I actually did a review on that but as I never rebought carts after I used it up, I don't remember XD  No, it doesn't -- I looked up my own review, and it's too dark.


J. Herbin review from a fellow FPNer:


Visvamitra's Caran d'Ache review makes it look too dark to suit your needs:
https://wondernaut.wordpress.com/2016/11/19/organic-brown-caran-dache-chromatics/

 

 

[lapis]

Two possibilities: Caran d'Ache's Grand Canyon and Noodler's FPN-Ink Galileo Manuscript Brown. Problems:

• Grand Canyon is long gone since about 10 years ago but you might find it someday, somewhere, for a graspable price.
• Galileo comes and goes, being an FPN exclusive, often re-issued after the search/re-request succeeds. Being a Noodler's ink, however, at least its redness varies from batch to batch.

Good luck!

[LizEF]

You could pick up various colors from the images and try them in InkSwatch.com.

[DvdRiet]

Hmmm, I’m no expert on ink colors but my first thought when I saw it was Waterman Havana, although I read recently that it was called something else before that. Given that she herself used the Tender Purple, it’s definitely a possibility. Waterman Havana is currently called Absolute Brown, but I’m not 100% sure the formulation is exactly the same.

[Enkida]

Quote

Waterman Havana is currently called Absolute Brown, but I’m not 100% sure the formulation is exactly the same.

I actually own Absolute Brown and it's a smidge too red in my opinion.

[Karmachanic]

Might find something suitable here: 

 

Or here: https://mountainofink.com/blog/brown-ink

[inkstainedruth]

3 hours ago, lapis said:

Two possibilities: Caran d'Ache's Grand Canyon and Noodler's FPN-Ink Galileo Manuscript Brown. Problems:

• Grand Canyon is long gone since about 10 years ago but you might find it someday, somewhere, for a graspable price.

Nope -- I have a bottle of Grand Canyon and it's definitely too dark.

@MATT_THE_GREAT88 -- Sorry, I can't be of a lot of help.  My best guess would be that the original letter was written in something like vintage Quink Brown or vintage Sheaffer Brown (both of which can very occasionally be found in antiques stores and maybe at estate sales) -- another one (if you can find it) is vintage Carter's Brown, but I only have seen it in very small bottles).  I have no experience with Waterman Havana Brown or whatever it's being called these days.

Another possibility would be to look as reviews/scans of various Diamine inks (given the postmark and the London mailing address), since that's a British brand that has been around for a very long time as well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[MATT_THE_GREAT88]

Thank you all! This has been a tremendous help. Quentin wasn't too particular about inks, so I expect it would have just been something he could pick up at a local stationaries, so I expect it's vintage Parker, Sheaffer, etc. I've bought a bottle of Waterman Absolute Brown to compare, but as Enkida says, it may be too red. I rather like the look of the Herbin ink, but some reviews show it to be quite pale, which doesn't seem to match the one used in the letters I have to hand. Thanks again. M x

[WalterC]

There was a similar thread a while ago. DanHD was looking to match the sepia/brown in a letter from Field Marshall Mongomery. Though the two letters look different, perhaps some of the suggestions there would help. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/362483-help-matching-sepia-colored-ink-from-tv/#comment-4469085

      I suspect that in both searches, the answer lies in the limited pallette of inks that were available in those places and times.

[dftr]

• Just curious when the photo was taken. Is this ink 20 or 30 pyears old?  If so its handled quite well. 

[MATT_THE_GREAT88]

8 minutes ago, dftr said:

• Just curious when the photo was taken. Is this ink 20 or 30 pyears old?  If so its handled quite well. 

I scanned the envelope and letter this morning, but until then I believe it's lived in a box away from direct sunlight. 

[kazoolaw]

7 hours ago, DvdRiet said:

Hmmm, I’m no expert on ink colors but my first thought when I saw it was Waterman Havana, although I read recently that it was called something else before that. 

 

Aztec Brown

 

http://vintagewatermanpens.com/product/waterman-aztec-brown-2-oz-sice-ink-bottle-mint-in-the-original-box-v1550/

[dftr]

33 minutes ago, MATT_THE_GREAT88 said:

I scanned the envelope and letter this morning, but until then I believe it's lived in a box away from direct sunlight. 

Ah that’s impressive how well the inks held up. I would guess the. Waterman havana may fit the best accounting for 70 years.  Now if someone has a series of postcards from then we could compare.  
 

[Uncial]

Diamine Dark Brown, Ochre or Raw Sienna. One of those will land pretty close I think.

[langere]

While you might want to reproduce what you see right now, I would guess that after 70 years, regardless if it was in a dark place, that the ink has changed somewhat in color.  

 

Of course that does not mean that you can't like the color it is right now and try to find a rough equivalent!

 

Erick

[MATT_THE_GREAT88]

I've gone with a bottle of Waterman Absolute Brown and will report back on how it compares. Thanks for everyone's help. M x

[amberleadavis]

17 hours ago, MATT_THE_GREAT88 said:

I've gone with a bottle of Waterman Absolute Brown and will report back on how it compares. Thanks for everyone's help. M x

 

Welcome aboard!  I look forward to seeing your results.

[HalloweenHJB]

On 4/8/2022 at 8:25 AM, MATT_THE_GREAT88 said:

Hello there, this is my first post on the Fountain Pen Network, so please excuse me if I've gone about this the wrong way. I'm trying to track down a brown ink that would match the one in the attached pictures. The author, Quentin Bell - Virginia Woolf's nephew - would have bought this from a stationary shop/store in 1952, so it's likely one of the main brands - Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer. I'm rather keen on the colour and would like to find a colour match, and would appreciate any suggestions! ✍🏻️

 

That is truly a beautiful brown ink.  I can throw out a few options that may be what you're looking for.  If you're trying to stay away from the reddish browns, I would suggest looking at

 

Robert Oster Caffe Crema,

Bungubox Kabayaki Eel,

de Atramentis Amaretto, and

Diamine Terra Cotta

 

Hope this helps!  

[Uncial]

Caffe Crema is a fantastic brown ink. I had a sample of it and it was really lovely. Still haven't bought a bottle, but will get to it soon.