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Wrong Paper/ink Combination


brenox92

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Good evening everybody

I never owned a fountain pen before, but I always wanted to. So I recently bought a Pilot Parallel pen, I know it's not exactly a fountain pen, but I think it's pretty similar so maybe you guys cold help me.
The pen came with two ink cartridges (red and black).
The problem is that, when I write, the ink blots the paper in a weird way:

(I know my calligraphy is ugly but I just started)
IMG_20140702_165015.jpg

I tried two kinds of paper, simple copy paper and a fancier one (the thickest I found on the store). This paper has a linen texture in one side and no texture in the other. But the same thing happens in both sides.
Then I tried buying another ink, the saleswoman suggested me trying the Pelikan 4001
The result is still the same, though.

I guess the problem is not the paper nor the ink, but maybe the combination of both?
Or am I doing something wrong?

 

Thank you

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I just think you need better quality paper. As a Parallel puts down a lot of ink. Rhodia paper is good however avoid recycled paper as that tends to feather badly (what you have above) also avoid Moleskine as it's sold as high quality paper however they have cut corners with it and it is thin bad quality paper.

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Thank you very much for the answer. I didn't know it was called feathering.

I will try this Rhodia paper then

Cheers

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You might go to John Neal Bookseller (http://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/61?gclid=CJ29rc2Wpr8CFQEHaQodrV8AAg ) and purchase one of their paper sample packs. If you are interested in calligraphy it is a good source of books, papers, pens, dip pen holders, and nibs. I'm not sure if they do international orders but their website might be a good source of information and you could follow up on an Australian supplier, perhaps and art supply store. You can also find calligraphy tablets with pre-ruled guide lines which would be good for practice and the paper would be appropriate for your purposes, probably at an art supply store.

 

Good luck and welcome to FPN.

Edited by linearM
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Thanks for the advice, linearM. A paper sample pack seems to be a good idea indeed.
Still, is there a way to guess which papers would be good, other than using Rhodia and avoiding recycled paper?

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I am sometimes misled but generally if a paper is cheap in price and feels soft and open in texture I would expect it to cause ink to feather (think blotting paper or newsprint for texture) whereas if paper is close in texture and smooth I expect it to resist feathering. As I say, I have been caught out but at least it helps me avoid the obviously poor paper.

 

If paper is very thin, ink will show through from the other side whereas thicker paper will stop this happening.

 

Sadly, good paper is less common than it once was because fewer of us use fountain pens and complain about paper quality. Ball-points and roller balls write satisfactorily, even on newsprint.

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I'm a printmaker and sometimes book binder so I have an addiction to paper as well as fountain pens. If you go to the website I mentioned and find their papers and descriptions you will probably be able to get most of the papers mentioned in an art supply store in Australia. The company does do international orders but paper might be cost prohibitive. I do a lot of letter writing and went to my local print shop and purchased a ream of paper that works beautifully with my fountain pens. You may be able to get samples from your local print shop to try out first. Also, look for pads of calligraphy paper.

 

The Penmanship Forum here on FPN might be a better place to ask about paper for calligraphy. A lot of calligraphers hang out there. There would also be some good information on calligraphy in general at that location.

Edited by linearM
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You can also browse through this forum which has numerous threads discussing different papers as well as the Paper & Pen Paraphernalia Reviews and Articles forum. Though there are lots of different opinions, that will give you some leads of papers that others have found to work well.

To hold a pen is to be at war. - Voltaire
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Hi,

 

In addition to paper, kindly consider changing to an FP friendly iron-gall ink.

 

It might be the case that using such an ink will allow you to use less expensive paper.

 

ESSRI could be a good pick, and is on offer at £10.50 for 110ml postage included. http://www.registrarsink.co.uk/registrars_ink.html

 

Also, using a non-Black ink will reveal your pen handling, especially weight throughout the stroke, and if each side of a wide nib is receiving the same weight - if you're running the nib 'square'.

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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Now I realise I underestimated the importance of paper quality.

Thank you so much for the answers, guys. You all are being really helpful.

 

Sandy1, thank you for the suggestion. To be honest I didn't even knew there were fp friendly iron gall inks. Besides, this ink is way cheaper than the Pelikan =D

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Don't bother with the Pilot Parallel cartridges - I tried the 12 colours pack and they feathered even on 90g Clairefontaine paper. The Parallel pen can actually take harsher inks than most fountain pens, Paper & Ink Arts even suggests that you can use sumi ink (which would kill just about any fountain pens). I haven't tried sumi in a Parallel yet, but you can use that stuff on inexpensive 80g copy paper without feathering/bleedthrough. If you are less adventurous, try a good iron gall, carbon/pigment inks or the drier Noodler's inks (read reviews!) on heavier (100g and above) laserjet paper. That way you can print guidelines for practice. I don't believe in using expensive inks/papers for calligraphy practice, in fact my paper only costs 6 cents a sheet!

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman

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I just think you need better quality paper. As a Parallel puts down a lot of ink. Rhodia paper is good however avoid recycled paper as that tends to feather badly (what you have above) also avoid Moleskine as it's sold as high quality paper however they have cut corners with it and it is thin bad quality paper.

 

If you want a safe purchase choice, I think you should take The Blue Kight's advice.

 

I've used about 12 extra large Moleskine® notebooks so far, all for normal note-taking. Never had a problem of feather, until I use my Pelikan M800 (M size nib) with Noodler's Baystate Blue Ink recently. The feather on my Moleskine® notebook is as bad as yours.

 

I always use fine point fountain pens with Noodler's Waterproof Ink on Moleskine® paper. This is my first time to try a medium size nib with the Baystate Blue. I think it depends on not only the quality of the paper but also the ink.

 

Noodler's Waterproof Ink should work better at avoiding/alleviating the feather.

 

Hope this will help.

 

- L

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  • 4 weeks later...

Interesting thread for a beginner like me.

 

Sandy1 thanks for the info about using lighter colored ink for seeing weight distribution, makes perfect sense!

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Interesting thread for a beginner like me.

 

Sandy1 thanks for the info about using lighter colored ink for seeing weight distribution, makes perfect sense!

 

Hi,

 

I'm glad we can enable enjoyment. :)

 

If you don't have a lighter ink, one can dilute whatever ink is to hand to lighten it enough to check for weight variation. Also, ink with high shading potential, such as those which include iron-gall, are very good picks for that task:

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20ESS%20Registrars%20Blue-Black/6a2fcb13.jpg

 

 

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

 

Dilution - A Rough Guide @ Post № 23 : https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/218161-need-help-selecting-my-first-japanese-pens/?p=2315439

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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Thanks again, S1 ~ I am a left handed newbie so could use to look into things like this. The link is very helpful!

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Thanks again, S1 ~ I am a left handed newbie so could use to look into things like this. The link is very helpful!

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

Developing your own manner of working can take a while, so I hope you enjoy the experience. :)

 

Wheee!

 

Bye,

S1

The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

 

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