Ink Review: J Herbin Terre de feu (Land of Fire)

[Chrissy]

I have decided to review some of my inks. These aren't necessarily in any particular order.

This one is J Herbin Terre de feu or Tierra del Fuego - Land of Fire

J. Herbin is the oldest name in pen inks in the world. M. Herbin created “The Jewel of Inks” in his shop on the Rue des Fosses Saint-Germain in Paris in 1700.

Herbin uses all natural dyes in their fountain pen inks. This natural composition is reflected in the very neutral pH of the inks. Each bottle of 30 ml/1 oz ink is elegantly labeled and has a pen rest. They are known as “D bottle pen inks.” The “D” refers to the old French unit of measure “la Demi Courtine.”

"Terre de feu Land of Fire (Tierra del Fuego in Spanish) is the name of an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. Divided between Argentina and Chile, the main island is known as Land of Fire and also composed of a group of smaller islands.

This brown ink has a red tone a reminder of the burnt lands and vast deserts where nothing ever grows."


This isn't a waterproof or archival ink.


Bearing in mind the paper I use is very smooth, and the nib was a medium, this ink only took 10-12 secs to dry


It flows quite wet, and lubricates the nib well.


It is currently available in packs of 4 x 10ml small glass bottles and 30ml glass D bottles.


It is widely available from many B&M shops and online retailers worldwide.


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[migo984]

This ink does not do well in dry-writing pens, and is much lighter from an EF/F nib. It needs a wet pen or a B nib in order to obtain the best definition. In a B nib it shades well.

Batches of this ink have been inconsistent in colour in the past (rectified now, but look out if you find older bottles). A friend had 2 bottles that developed SiTB. I've not had that problem with mine.

A better ink, IMO, that is similar, is De Atramentis Shakespeare (Dark Brown). It is more saturated, has great shading, and is gives true colour even from finer gauge nibs. It is, of course, more expensive.

[Laura N]

I like this ink, although I haven't found the perfect pen yet. I like the color better from a wetter pen, but it's actually a wet ink, as you've noted, so it doesn't mesh (for me) with a super wet vintage Parker or Pelikan pen. I think your Lamy Nexx results are great, and they inspire me to keep looking for the right pen for this one. It dries nearly matte, which I like. And the color kind of reminds me of hot chocolate. :)

I prefer unsaturated inks, but even so it took me a long time to try this one. It's not a typical brown, or even a typical red brown, which as migo points out is an easier color to use in a variety of pens.

If I still drew, I would use this ink in a heartbeat.

[henkm]

I found that the colour of this ink also greatly depends on the absorbance of the paper it's used on. As if the 'red element' and the 'dark element' behave differently, as they also do with water spills.

[Chrissy]

I have an inky spill photo, from when it all came up out of the bottle.

Please note the piece of kitchen roll was not clean and ink free before I used the Terre de feu

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