Does Rhodia Paper "dry Out" Your Nib?

[intentionalist]

Hello all,

 

Still new here and getting the hang of fountain pens in general. Yesterday my new pen came in the mail, a TWSBI 580 with a medium nib. I'm loving it. Today I noted that the ink flow seemed to dry up a little bit after a few hours. This also happens with my Pilot Metropolitan pen, also in a medium. And with the same ink! I was wondering if anyone else noticed this with Rhodia paper. . .if so, what's the best paper to keep the ink-a-flowin'?

[tarheel1]

I dont have any issues with Rhodia paper. All my nibs are wet and flow well.

[Tylerjordan]

Paper shouldn't cause your pen to dry out.

 

When you say after a few hours your nibs start to dry out, are you continually writing or leaving the cap off of the pen for that much time?

[intentionalist]

Paper shouldn't cause your pen to dry out.

 

When you say after a few hours your nibs start to dry out, are you continually writing or leaving the cap off of the pen for that much time?

I am writing consistently but taking occasional 2-3 minute breaks to look things up in a dictionary (doing translation work).

[FP.MD]

Is it only in the bottom right portion of the page (assuming you are a righty)? Might be oil from your hands getting on the page.

[intentionalist]

Is it only in the bottom right portion of the page (assuming you are a righty)? Might be oil from your hands getting on the page.

 

I'm a lefty, and I haven't noticed any particular region. That's a great suggestion, though! I'll keep an eye out for that

[swagginman]

I extremely dislike Rhodia paper, though I recognize I'm in the tiny minority here. I have one Rhodia pad and have seen only terrible performance with it. Pens write 1-2 grades smaller, experience/feeling is terrible, etc. Tomoe River all the way for me.

[ac12]

I am writing consistently but taking occasional 2-3 minute breaks to look things up in a dictionary (doing translation work).

 

Try to monitor the time you put the pen down and pick it up, because it is very easy to underestimate the time if you don't look at a clock.

What you think is 2-3 minutes might actually be 5-10 minutes.

 

Where do you live? If in the desert or other low humidity area, that is a contributing issue to drying out a nib.

 

I would also get into the habit of capping the pen. Even a loose cap, just putting the cap on and not screwing it down, will help reduce evaporation and drying.

 

If you do this often, my other suggestion is to get and use a desk pen. When you go to use the dictionary, place the pen back into the holder, no more drying nibs.

Edited August 26, 2014 by ac12

[intentionalist]

@ac12: Great tip on the desk pen! I should look into it.

 

@swagginman: I think I'm starting to agree, but I'm not ready to give up on Rhodia yet. I've seen some improvement with the Staples made-in-Brazil paper.

[montegrappaman1]

Hello all,

 

Still new here and getting the hang of fountain pens in general. Yesterday my new pen came in the mail, a TWSBI 580 with a medium nib. I'm loving it. Today I noted that the ink flow seemed to dry up a little bit after a few hours. This also happens with my Pilot Metropolitan pen, also in a medium. And with the same ink! I was wondering if anyone else noticed this with Rhodia paper. . .if so, what's the best paper to keep the ink-a-flowin'?

Yes, This has happened to me a few times so I know exactly what you are talking about.

[ink-syringe]

I have one pen that just gets completely strangled by Rhodia paper.

 

I find that big wet nibs are no problem, medium okay too (my Pilot Knight rocks the CF papers). Slow dry time but I am okay with that. But I have one Sailor F pen that is a little dry to begin with and is really an (X)XF and Rhodia just kills this pen. It starts out wet then starts to get gummy and then dries up, especially if i write fast.

 

The paper is just too smooth and too ink resistant for this pen. If i use it with Banditapple or Life or MD or any other paper that is less smooth/coasted and just a little more toothy and thirsty the the pen writes great. I love Rhodia paper generally but there seems to be a threshold and if your ink flow goes below that or if your speed picks up too quickly, it just chokes.

 

My wet Faber-Castell, TWSBI, even my Lamy, which is pretty dry but M nib just stakes across the page and no hint of feathering or bleed through and nice wet lines but the Sailor F nib just dies on it.

 

I thought it was the pen. I was so bummed. I cleaned the pen several times, tried different inks. Brought it back to the dealer. Nothing worked. Then I absentmindedly scribbled on some LAMY test paper I had, then some Kaweco Test paper, and Faber-Castell test paper, and a Korean notebook, and some random A4 copier paper and noticed on all those papers it was great. Back to the Rhodia and it started out fine, nice and wet, but after a few lines black turned gray, the pen got gummy and the flow just choked. Back to test papers and the flow started up again and the line got wetter and wetter until it was writing great again. Very odd. I never experienced this before, but I also never has such a small dry nib either.

 

YMMV but for the record I don't think you are crazy.

[Elle_]

I hate rhodia paper. It was a huge disappointment. It's almost too absorbent or something. I thought I was the only one, but yes, it dries out my nibs, they squeak when they don't on other paper, the lines are smaller, the color duller. In part this may be because I normally use tomoe River, but I rank rhodia (and clairefontaine, which I think is the same paper?) at the bottom of all the paper makers.

[KBeezie]

Rhodia isn't nearly as absorbent or fibrous as say some Mead notebooks so I don't see how it would dry out your nibs/pens anymore than cheaper papers. I imagine it's possible that a piece of paper fiber could have been caught in between the tines causing skipping and the feeling of drying out, but I see that happening more with fibrous paper rather than Rhodia.

 

It sounds like your nib is simply too wet like it's been sprung or something.

Edited October 5, 2014 by KBeezie

[SujiCorp12345]

I've never had this issue. Rhodia paper is my favourite FP friendly paper I've tried so far. (I hear Tomoe River is better though...)

[I like mango cheesecake]

Yes. I have a top star bound Rhodia pas and it's so glossy that some of my pens just shut down or produce extremely dry lines. The webbie performs much better though

[KBeezie]

Yes. I have a top star bound Rhodia pas and it's so glossy that some of my pens just shut down or produce extremely dry lines. The webbie performs much better though

"So glossy" doesn't' seem like it's be sucking ink away from the pen, are you sure you're not describing the ink that's simply not catching onto the fiber?

 

ie: if you take a regular piece of paper right next to it, does it write right away? if so, then it's not drying it out, the nib/ink just isn't catching onto the paper, almost like trying to write water onto paper.

[ink-syringe]

I know you are not talking to me but: I have a F Sailor that is a little dry and quite fine. It will not write on Rhodia paper. Writes fine on every other paper. Then on Rhodia it starts okay then goes faint and gets really gummy and eventually grinds to a halt.

 

Back on to any other paper and it frees up and starts flowing again. There seems to be a threshold of ink flow necessary to keep going. Every other pen is fine on Rhodia as this is the finest and lowest ink output pen I have. The nib has been under the expert eyes of the folks at Sailor (in Japan). Nothing wrong with it. No baby's bottom or anything like that. Writes great on dozens of FP friendly paper types, just not on Rhodia.

 

My '51 and my Vac stub (rivers of ink) love the CF papers as do all my Lamy pens and my F-C. But they are all wet pens and all .5 or above (or close to it). The Sailor is barely .3 (more like an XF) & I tried with Aurora Black, Waterman Blue, 2 or 3 different J. Herbin inks all free flowing inks in other pens.

 

I genuinely believe it is the paper. There isn't enough ink and that paper is too ink resistant too keep a flow going.

 

I have heard people say this. Always thought they were crazy. Now I have my first really fine, dry pen and I totally see what folks are talking about.

Edited October 6, 2014 by ink-syringe

[tleek]

I recently started using Rhodia and I love it. My favorite paper, followed closely by black n red.

I don't know how it would dry out your nibs, but I am also fairly new. Maybe try something a bit more absorbent and see how your pens do?

Staple M is nice in my opinion

[Elle_]

I've noticed, for me, it is particularly problematic with Pilot Iroshizuku inks. It is fine with Noodler's BSB and black. It may not be too absorbent, perhaps it is an oil or sheen, but something changes the feel of the surface and keeps the ink from penetrating/sticking as richly as it does on other papers.

[senzen]

I only have a number 8 Rhodia pad but I do use it with all my inks and none have any problems with it...