Papier Plume, New Orleans

[falika]

Has anyone tried the ink at the Papier Plume on Royal Street in the French Quarter? Somewhat interesting shop. They sell a few fountain pens, but mostly feature dip pens, glass and metal. Mostly touristy and not too practical. But they do bottle their own ink. Each color is offered as dip ink, and for fountain pens, sold in 3 or 1 oz bottles. I've tried the violet and am very happy with it. It performs well in my pens (I've tried it in two different Pilots), has a nice flow on paper, and hasn't made a mess inside the pen lid.

 

Has anyone else tried this ink?

[Titivillus]

Has anyone tried the ink at the Papier Plume on Royal Street in the French Quarter? Somewhat interesting shop. They sell a few fountain pens, but mostly feature dip pens, glass and metal. Mostly touristy and not too practical. But they do bottle their own ink. Each color is offered as dip ink, and for fountain pens, sold in 3 or 1 oz bottles. I've tried the violet and am very happy with it. It performs well in my pens (I've tried it in two different Pilots), has a nice flow on paper, and hasn't made a mess inside the pen lid.

 

Has anyone else tried this ink?

 

Another pen store in New Orleans besides Scriptura- it must be new or I wonder if it is the same place that use to have a stall in the French Market. If it is they pretty much repackage Herbin ink and sell it with cute names.

 

 

Kurt

 

[falika]

"If it is they pretty much repackage Herbin ink and sell it with cute names. "

 

I'm not sure if that's the case. They claim to mix the ink themselves, and they don't really give the inks any name other than the color, and the bottles they sell in are very nondescript, mine doesn't even have the name of the store, it just reads: Fountain Pen Ink/ Violet.

 

Here's a link to the not too impressive web site: www.papierplume.com

 

If you're in New Orleans, I recommend stopping in, checking the store out (not affiliated in any way, by the way) and picking up a small bottle of the ink. Well worth the $4.

[Titivillus]

"If it is they pretty much repackage Herbin ink and sell it with cute names. "

 

I'm not sure if that's the case. They claim to mix the ink themselves, and they don't really give the inks any name other than the color, and the bottles they sell in are very nondescript, mine doesn't even have the name of the store, it just reads: Fountain Pen Ink/ Violet.

 

All inks sold by PapierPlume are bottled and mixed in New Orleans LA USA from a traditional French recipe.

 

Traditional French recipe???? what are they making croissants :ltcapd: They can say whatever they need to sell the accessory ink to people in the quarter.

 

And it is the same guy I talked to at the French market hidden in their website is the following: When I asked him where he gets the ink from he said he got it from France but when I asked if it was Herbin he didn't answer.

 

Or come to the French Market on Thursdays through Sundays

 

 

Personally I would not trust the ink in a fountain pen if I remember correctly I got some of the dark green and found floaters in it- not a problem for a dip pen but a FP not me!

 

But that is just me heck it took me a few years before I would use Private Reserve or Noodlers.

 

 

Kurt

Edited January 15, 2008 by Tytyvyllus

[falika]

Like I said, I'm having a nice experience with the Violet. But like you said, just nice to see another pen seller in New Orleans besides Scriptura.

[Stephen-I-am]

Well, if they are in fact reselling J. Herbin inks, then they do have a traditional French recipe. :roflmho:

 

Stephen

[Titivillus]

Well, if they are in fact reselling J. Herbin inks, then they do have a traditional French recipe. :roflmho:

 

Stephen

 

 

Yep! I see someone else connected the dots :ltcapd:

 

Kurt

 

[corazon]

"If it is they pretty much repackage Herbin ink and sell it with cute names. "

 

I'm not sure if that's the case. They claim to mix the ink themselves, and they don't really give the inks any name other than the color, and the bottles they sell in are very nondescript, mine doesn't even have the name of the store, it just reads: Fountain Pen Ink/ Violet.

 

All inks sold by PapierPlume are bottled and mixed in New Orleans LA USA from a traditional French recipe.

 

Traditional French recipe???? what are they making croissants :ltcapd: They can say whatever they need to sell the accessory ink to people in the quarter.

 

And it is the same guy I talked to at the French market hidden in their website is the following: When I asked him where he gets the ink from he said he got it from France but when I asked if it was Herbin he didn't answer.

 

Or come to the French Market on Thursdays through Sundays

 

 

Personally I would not trust the ink in a fountain pen if I remember correctly I got some of the dark green and found floaters in it- not a problem for a dip pen but a FP not me!

 

But that is just me heck it took me a few years before I would use Private Reserve or Noodlers.

 

 

Kurt

 

 

Kurt,

 

The owner and spouse are actually very nice and accommodating. I have the Forget-me-not Blue, Peacock Blue, Midnight Blue and Burgundy. The inks perform very well for me, although they don't have the "density" of Noodler's and appear somewhat more transparent. The way the ink flows in my pens is very similar to Waterman Blue and Havana, so rather well flowing (But hell, they're French too :-)) The only Herbin ink I have tried is Bleu Nuit and I find it a little drier than the Rideau Midnight Blue. But then...many choices, limited experience, and personal preferences :-)

 

Bart

 

[corazon]

 

 

I asked the owner whether this was indeed repackaged Herbin ink or any other well known French ink. He told me no. It is ink made by a much younger French company that only sells bulk ink at this time.

 

Bart

 

 

Edited April 3, 2008 by corazon

[JakobS]

I knew this place sounded familiar, and that's because another post about it was in this forum recently.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=58234

 

If anyone wants more information. It sounds like this ink is not a repackaged one from some big name ink company, but one made by the owners themselves to address the needs of their customers, and their own individual interests in ink colors.

Edited April 3, 2008 by JakobS

[sharonspens]

Stopped in this store today as part of my business/pleasure visit to New Orleans. The shop was staffed today by the wife half of the ownership and her sister (I believe). They were finishing up a sale with a father and young son (as in not a teenager yet) who was being turned on to the fun of writing with cool ink; there a few other customers in the shop. I really only went in to buy ink, but I looked at everything else in the shop along the way to the ink counter. Beautiful display of pens and such. Largest display of Lepine pens I have seen anywhere (where were they when I was searching for a Lepine indigo last spring? AARRGGGHHHHHH). Anyway, I think they basically carry Lepine (the husband half of the ownership is French, after all), Curtis of Australia, a New Orleans pen turner, some Retro 51s, and a LOT of different dip and glass pens. Oh, and some beautiful feather pens, and dip pen holders (metal ones that hold the pen vertically - I had not seen those before). Some VERY nice papers, journals, seals and wax, and other accessories, too. Not the largest collection of such things I have ever seen, but what I saw appeared to be high quality.

 

The inks, as noted by others in this thread, are mixed in the shop. They let me test anything I wanted with a dip pen, and exchanged the pen's nib from a broad to a fine for me so I could check the change in color with the nib size. They didn't try to hard-sell me into anything, either, which was a nice touch. I picked up 1 oz. bottles of caramel, moss green and peacock blue for 4.00 each.

 

They are pleasantly aware that the shop has been mentioned in FPN. And, someone from this forum recently sent a postcard complimenting the shop; they couldn't quickly find it so I don't know WHO it was from, but just know that the gesture was very well received.

 

My only demerit, and it is a relatively small one, is that I had trouble getting them to understand that I am not a novice and knew what I was looking at (and looking for). Apparently I did not wear the correct face this morning, so it took a few minutes to be taken seriously. However, once over that small hurdle, everything was fine and dandy.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[ladybleu]

I just returned from a trip to NOLA, and had the good fortune to find this little shop.

Both the husband and the wife were there, and they let me and my friends try out anything we

wanted, there was no pressure to buy, and it was a lovely experience.

 

I ended up purchasing a dip pen, several nibs and three bottles of calligraphy ink - I believe

I got the violet, the caramel and the burgundy colors. Also found a pen stand that I loved.

 

One of my friends purchased two small blank books - and they were exquisitely wrapped for travel.

I'll try everything out and provide a follow-up review, but so far I have to say if you're in

the area look it up - you won't be disappointed. Quaint, charming, no pressure.

[Coogah]

OLD thread, but I'm just adding to it since I ran into it as it popped up in some of my searches on this site.

________________

 

I was a little hesitant going to the shop because I figured I'd find a handful of fountain pens and the rest dip pens from what I've read, so I told myself I was going to try out some of their ink. As I started looking around I noticed they had a decent selection of FP's. So I asked the lady that was working there and I spent the next 45 min playing with nibs and different pens until I found one I liked. I was on a sub-65 dollar budget so I didn't get to see the exquisites, but held a nice $84 Lamy. Most of what I looked at were Lamys and a brand called Online? They had some other brands available too, but were out of my price range.

 

I was kind of shying away from the Lamy Safari, but that's what I walked out of the store with! Two italic nibs for me to play with and some Ivy color ink

 

Thumbs up Papier Plume!

[rockydoggy]

Thanks for this recent report.

I'll be visiting NOLA within the next couple of months and will make sure to hit this store (in between meals . . . ).

[Coogah]

Thanks for this recent report.

I'll be visiting NOLA within the next couple of months and will make sure to hit this store (in between meals . . . ).

 

Hope you enjoy the visit. They were very nice with me as I was going back and forth between pens and nibs for 45 min!

 

Happy hunting!

[jpridefsu]

Their customer service is fabulous.

[Coogah]

Agreed. It was my first time in a FP store so I had no idea what to do...I played around with pens and nibs for 30 min and the lady that was helping with me didn't mind at all. Very nice and helpful.

[rockydoggy]

I just got back from New Orleans and want to thank folks for recommending Papier Plume. The staff there is great and, as mentioned, extremely appreciative of the notice they're received on FPN. I ended up getting a couple of bottles of their own branded fp ink, which I'm looking forward to trying. All in all, visiting this shop is a fine way to take a break between meals in NO.

[beignet]

Going to have to visit this place soon. Called to see if they did fountain-pen repairs or if they new anyone in South Louisiana who did, and while they don't, the lady who answered, Robin, could not have been sweeter or more helpful under the circumstances.

 

Look forward to seeing them soon.

[ClericalWriter]

I ordered two of their inks from the website, the Forget-me-Not Blue and the Midnight Blue. I really love the colors of both of these inks but I did find the inks to be a bit too watery for my taste. They make a fine nib at least medium especially on lighter paper. It flows too well, but when I purchase something I'm going to use it.

 

Furthermore, I emailed them to let them know this, customer feedback is usually well appreciated in such circumstances. Indeed, it was in this one. They responded within a day and let me know he would inform their chemist.

 

I would suggest their inks especially if your writing on nicer paper (regular notebook and margins of paperbacks make a fine nib and broad)