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Best Ink And Pen Combo For Modern Bible Papers?


Gobblecup

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This sort of question may have sprung up before, I don't see anything specific in the recent past though.

 

I would love to use something other than a curse'ed ballpoint to write in the ledgers and highlight or underline in a Bible. Perhaps older Bibles have different paper, like the old "Family Bible" you may have. But that's not what I would be using this for, and I don't think most would want to write in an "old" book, but leave it as preserved as possible. I am talking about a pen and ink combo that can avoid bleeding, perhaps have minimal show-through, and avoid feathering, on the super thin papers used in most modern Bible printings.

 

While this may sound like a narrow field of interest to some, I am sure this would benefit anyone who studies a book with this type of paper, and would prefer to do so with a less crude tool.

 

I look forward to hearing some good suggestions on pens (perhaps nibs more specifically, as I'm sure EF works best here) and inks, but I would like to keep away from any actual religious discussion; as I'm sure most would agree, it would be off topic and flammable.

Gobblecup ~

 

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Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Pilot Vanishing Point Fine has worked for me. I've also heard that iron gall inks do not bleed through; it's worked for me with Moleskine but I haven't tried it in my Bible yet. The iron gall ink I have is R&K's Scabiosa, a nice dusky purple.

 

Hope this helps!

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I have a bottle of Scabiosa, no HOD, but I do have Noodler's Black, though I don't want to use a black ink for this purpose really. I'll give Scabiosa a try, and post my experience.

 

But I will of course be happy to hear other suggestions!

 

 

Ok, now off to find a fine enough nib for this.... :hmm1:

Gobblecup ~

 

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Alright, I had to find a reliable pen and a very very fine nib. I settled on a Waterman 52 1/2 with a superfine (needlepoint) Ideal nib. With Rohrer und Klingner Scabiosa it makes for a very good combination. No bleeding, no feathering, and very little show-through with a light hand on thin Bible paper. I know it will be decently water resistant as well!

 

I think this one is a winner! :bunny01:

Edited by Gobblecup

Gobblecup ~

 

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I've been taking small notes on the ultrathin paper of a New testament with Diamine Registrar's and Pelikan Black. The pen is a very special gift from a member here, something between a vintage F and an M flexy nib. Without any pressure it yields and EF-F and has worked very well, some people have made remarks about how nice the Swartz looks on the off-white paper. The main difficulty is to write small enough, inks and pens seem to do very well.

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I used to use a 0 1mm pigment ink pen to write notes in my Bible. I moved later on to using a 0.3mm 2B mechanical pencil for my wide margin bibles.

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I have tried to use fine nibs with dry inks, but almost always have some bleed through. Now, I use a Zebra F-301 ball point pens, Zebra Zebrite double end highlighters, and Pigma Micron 005 archival pens.

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Perhaps older Bibles have different paper, like the old "Family Bible" you may have.

I've found that paper quality varies quite a bit for both old and new books of all sorts.

 

For older books printed by letterpress it seems that high quality paper was not always required, the printing ink probably being more viscous and less inclined to run. In any case the printing was basically stamped into the page anyway. (I suppose we've all "felt" the letters on the thick, fibrous pages of a cheap hardback novels!) So fountain pen ink can run terribly on this sort of paper, thick or thin. On one occasion I just wanted to add the dot to an "i" that had not been printed properly, but the fibres sucked the ink far and wide, and I now have a huge black blotch instead. :(

 

For newer books printed by lithographic/offset processes the paper seems to be a lot smoother, and more consistent in density. In my experience this very thin paper still suffers from bleeding through to the other side, though it doesn't always feather.

 

Many Bibles are printed on very thin paper to reduce their overall thickness, and so far I've found that in general, whether they are old or new, the thinner the paper the worse it is for bleeding and feathering of fountain pen ink. So I suppose that if you intend to take notes you need to get a Bible with thicker paper. I've often wondered why there are often several blank pages at the end of Bibles; now I know that it's so you can test all your note-taking pens and ink before you make a mess of the important pages! ;)

 

I used to use a 0 1mm pigment ink pen to write notes in my Bible. I moved later on to using a 0.3mm 2B mechanical pencil for my wide margin bibles.

I also now use a mechanical pencil for Bible notes and underlining, and notes in other books too. The disadvantage is that grey lead is hard to read on off-white paper, even in good light. (Of course I could use coloured lead, now that I think about it.) The advantages are:

1. The lead works on any Bible paper, old or new (unless of course the paper is so thin and fragile that the lead tears holes in it).

2. If I make a mistake (or subsequently change my opinion!) the markings are easily corrected or removed with a suitable pencil eraser. (Though I must warn that in some cases the print itself can also be lifted off or degraded if you're not careful! I'd recommend using a soft plastic eraser and an erasing shield in such cases.)

Also, I've recently discovered that some rollerball refills work quite well on some paper that is disastrous for fountain pen ink.

electricpowerman

Victoria, Australia

Letter-writing and postcard participant - See profile details and send me a message if interested.

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As it seemed impossible to write with a pen on any Bible at all, I moved on to the Olive Tree Bible software and books on my iPad. I have three or four versions/translations, commentaries, maps and sermons all in a neat little tablet. No, I'm not affiliated with the company, just a happy user.

 

Sorry to have gone off point, but if there is no good solution for me to offer (fountain pens and onion skin paper don't mix well, I find), then thinking outside the box becomes necessary. This company's software is great, I think. YMMV.

It is easier to stay out than get out. - Mark Twain

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Through the past 8 years, I've come to use the Pigma Micron 01 needle tip pens. Now that I'm on to FP's, I'm looking as well. May I suggest a dry writing nib, say the Lamy Safari Steel XF nib with Noodler's Black or HOD. Dry, very fine nibs with light pressure rarely bleed through even cheap paper. Noodler's Black is a quick drying ink as well (helps prevent extensive soaking through the page). Safari's are cheap (~$25) and the converter is relatively inexpensive too. Good advice from everyone so far. Good luck!

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My New English Bible bleeds through no matter what ink is used so I now use colored pencils (some are even erasable). I color code notes from various comentaries, churches, and classes. The color key is written inside the front cover.

 

Not only would better paper be nice but it would be nice if Bible publishers make the margins larger.

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Actually, the very appropriate Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registrars' Ink (ESSRI) is a heck of a good ink candidate, very dry and no bleed through on even Moleskin's paper. Very cheap, too!

Never heard of that stuff! good call! :clap1:

It's one of my three favorite inks I always use in one of my pens.

It is easier to stay out than get out. - Mark Twain

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