J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey
Fountain Pen Ink Review
Pen: Lamy Al-Star, 1.1mm stub Nib
Ink: J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey
Paper: Kyokuto F.O.B. COOP – Dot Grid – B5
Notes: Ever since hearing about the ink a month or so ago, my excitement has been building. You can imagine how excited I was when I found out that Sunny from Exaclair was bringing a bottle to the DC Pen Show and that I could take a little bit home with me. With Stormy Grey, J. Herbin is adding a great new ink to their nicely-packaged, ever-popular 1670 ink series. The last one (the dark blue) had no signature sheen that Rouge Hematite (red ink with a gold sheen) was known for. I can happily say that they have re-introduced the sheen, and this one is the best yet. The dark grey ink has a wonderful, sparkly gold fleck in it that doesn’t jam the pen up at all. At extreme angles you can see that there is a ton of gold suspended in the ink and it looks awesome when laid down on the page with a broad, wet nib. There is no question that I will be picking up a bottle of this ink when it becomes available in October. Thank you Sunny for letting me snag some at the show!
Pros:
- Super smooth
- Gold doesn’t clog
- Good flow
- Great shade of grey
- THE SHEEN!
Cons:
- May clog up a pen if it is not properly maintained
Gallery:
edjelley.com - Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews 
Gorgeous. Definitely worth a couple of bottles, one to mix with 1670 Blue Ocean 😉
Do you think there’d be a clogging issue using a Japanese fine/extra-fine nib?
Not sure. I didn’t have any flow issues. As long as you don’t let the pen dry out too much and clean it out regularly, I don’t think there would be too much of an issue.
Amazing ink, but I can’t help think that it’s more of a novelty ink, whereby you’d have to use a specialty nib (italic, flex, etc) to make it stand out. I think it’s my duty to snag a bottle, as I already have the red and blue 1670.
I definitely think it could be used daily if you use finer nibs as well. The sheen / flake is just barely there on thinner lines and the grey is dark enough to be seen. No doubt that it makes more of an impression with a broader nib!
I now have both the Rouge Hematite and Stormy Grey. However, the seals are unbroken and product is unused 🙂 They will be saved until the appropriate time for use.
I am wondering if the “mix/shake before using” concept is analogous to beverages. A more potent beverage develops at the bottom when the top layer is consumed without agitation – saving the best for last, so to speak. Would not agitating the ink preserve more of the metal flake as the bottle depletes and if so, would this be noticeable on paper?