My pens were laying dormant in my drawer because I had no real use for them for a while. However, recently I started keeping a journal of sorts, a travel log, of my adventures searching for photos in my area, and a hardcopy journal seemed the best of all worlds. For one, it gave me a real reason to ink up and write. I love it and write every day over a cup of coffee at Starbucks. It's wonderful.

I had been using a ball point at first when I decided to try my fountains in my Moleskine journal. For the most part, it works. The ink does bleed a little, blurring the fine line I cut with my Pelikan S400, Aurora black ink. The Moleskine is nice because it's easy to find (and I get a bit of a discount with my B&N member card.) They're really nice, size-wise, and I love the elastic band that keeps the book shut. It also has a great tradition, with users like Van Gogh, Matisse, and Hemmingway as users.

I searched in this thread for mention of journal-ers and found little.

What type of journal-type books do you prefer for use with your FP?

I'm a moleskiner too I also use some journals I found on EBay months ago, with a good paper (somewhat similar to Clairefontaine, heavier than Moleskine), I believe made by Duster Books.

A word on the claims by Moleskine™ though. Moleskine (also spelled Molesquine) is simply the French for... moleskin. This kind of waxed fabric has been traditionally used in France for notebook binding, as you can see in French school supply stores. The American company Moleskine™ kind of lives off the myth that there existed a single kind of notebooks that were used by those famous artists, and that their company is a direct offspring of the original maker. In fact these artists just happened to be all living in France and were using a generic type of notebooks, which manufacturers were most likely unrelated. Moleskine™ plays on the retro trend to market their product. I happen to find that they do make good products, so I cut them some slack... but still...

Hmmm...

Thanks for that information. Those slimy bastards.

I do like the journal quite a bit and find it does reasonably well with ink. Are the claims about Hemmingway using the Moleskine in Paris? The history section of Moleskine says this:



The mention of Hemingway writing his memoirs does not specifically name Moleskine as his journal, but the later section does, his work on The Sun Also Rises.

I mean, I could really care less who used these journals because when I'm sitting down and writing, it really doesn't matter, now does it? LOL.

Let's say that Hemingway most likely used notebooks with a very similar binding. Even if his where not manufactured by the same company, it is nice to think that we are still able to appreciate a product as simple, and inscribed in a long tradition.

I started using Clairefontaine notebooks as journals a few months ago. They are really FP friendly. No matter what the ink, the pen, or how wet the line, the ink does not feather and the paper does not bleed through!!!

When I obtained the first notebook, I really tried to make feathering or bleed through happen by using wet writers with inks that were expecially prone to do just that. No such luck!. The written line just sat there on the page, drying properly, and, when dried, leaving no trace whatever on the obverse side of the page.

I bought several more Clairefontaine notebooks.

I like Clairefontaine journals, though I would like them more if they were narrow-ruled. The paper is a bright white, and it loves fountain pen ink -- as has been mentioned above, it's heavy enough that it doesn't bleed through, and it doesn't feather: the worst that happens is that occasionally, with a heavily saturated ink (Private Reserve Sherwood Green, for example), writing takes a while to dry.

Letts of London makes some narrow-ruled books that are quite nice if you like perfect-bound books; I've used three different sizes, and they're all fountain pen friendly. My current choice is either the classic filigree journal (384 pages) or the soft-touch journals (164 pages).

And Michael Roger Press has *finally* upgraded their recycled paper so that it doesn't bleed and feather (at least not with the dry-write extra fine nibs that I use.)

I have found that Japanese notebooks seem to take fountain pen ink well. There's one particular spiral called Boston Notebook that's narrow-ruled (you might notice a minor obsession here,) and works well; there's a bit of show-through, but it doesn't seem to bleed.

They're not as, ahem, flashy, as some people may like, but I'm a big fan of Miquelrius journals, especially the low-key boardbound composition-style book.

My journal is about as low key as they come, it's a Blueline A9 hardbound journal with paper that is excellent for every FP ink I have used in it.

Ah, yes, you clever girl! Those are THE cheap fountain pen friendly notebooks as far as I am concerned. You are sooooooo lucky to live in a big city where they are just a subway ride away. I have always received them in small batches of five or six when a friend goes to the west coast or to Japan. So, then, in 2001, when I went to Japan, the first place I shopped was the STATIONERY SHOP.

Ohhhhhh, the Japanese stationery shop...

My suitcases were sooooooo heavy coming back because they were full of notebooks and paper.

"Anything to declare, Mr. Rex?"

Oh, just about half a dozen acres of timber mowed down and made into this giant pile of... perfect...perfect...beauuuuuutiful noooootebooks.

Miquel Rius, Moleskine, Clairfontaine. All bound notebooks, all excellent IMHO.

I'm going to Brussles tomorrow for work, if I can get away I'm going to see if I can stock up on the bound Clairfontaine books from a stationery store.

I limit my trips to Kinokuniya to four times a year (I get to do one in April -- yay!) because it's so dangerous. Needle-point gel pens, all the sizes of notebooks... wheeeee! Two weeks, and I get to go back!

After seeing all these new names of journal mfg, I decided to see what a local writing store had in stock. One I found that looked a bit like the Moleskine which I think I will continue to make my very own (even if Matisse didn't use the actual brand) is one called Hartley Marks. They looked a bit like the Moleskine.

i will use what I can find on sale that seems sturdy. I've stumbled on some that looked hideous but took FP ink beautifuly and were $3. Then on some $6 hardbound journals with cool graphics (made by "Artimus"?) but usually those are $12 or more. I bought about 6 of them at the sale price and have used them up.

In the US, a good place to look is Ross Dress-for-Less or Tuesday Mornings. They often have nice leather journals for 4-5 bucks and many of them are FP friendly. I found one recently that looked promising but it feathers. Still, I'll use it because it has thick ivory paper and is hard-back, leather-bound.

I like the little Clairefontaines but they probably won't stand up to the way I abuse journals. And a bit too expensive for such small booklets. I'm using one I got in a trade to keep track of new vocab words as I read. The paper is lovely.

so - i tend to go cheap but not so cheap as Mead which is great for pencil, not so good for FP. Especially not my heavy inks.

Kcat:

You seem to buy a wide array of books. I was thinking of sticking with one because I lack so much continuity in my life, that a stack of the same books filled with my thoughts might be nice for a change. (I'm still leaning heavily to the Moleskine.)

How do you store your journals?

For a while I bought only these black cloth, wire-bound, 100% recycled paper journals from the local art supply store. Continuity is nice - but I get bored. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have the sort of set-up that Levenger has - you can get a journal that fits into a nice cover. When the journal is filled, you can store it next to all the previously filled journals and they all look the same except for the label. But then I see some cool little journal on sale and can't help myself.

Store them?

oh.. you mean the shoe boxes stacked in my closet...

I used Meads for a long time. They're OK with *most* of my Waterman Ink (not the Violet, Havana, or Red). The Herbin, even the Bleu Azur, bleeds right through.

I still use Meads at work, primarily for to-do lists, notes about part numbers, customers' requests, etc. If the pen & ink of the day bleeds through, so be it. I just don't write on the reverse side of the page. I couldn't justify something like the Clairefontaine for that purpose. I'll have to make note of the other journals mentioned. That gives me something to investigate.



Velma, have you looked at the Seyes ruling? There's an example elsewhere on this board. BTW, how large is the ruling in the Letts journals?

KCat, thanks for the suggestion about Tuesday Mornings. There's one in a local shopping area next to the Stop & Shop Grocery. I'll have to check it out.

Storage, hmmmmmmmm. You mean the haphazard stack in my night table and bookcase?

Edited Postscript:

Here are links to the posted Seyes Ruling:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/images/seyes.doc

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/images/seyes.dot

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/images/seyes.pdf

Confessions of a Paper Addict
(may be unsuitable for children)

It all started when my local store ran out of Clairefontaine journals. They were the only store in my city to carry it now. The shopkeeper said a new shipment would be in in a month and a half. I think she saw me shake for just a second, before I smiled politely and tried to act like I didn't really care anyway.

I still had one... maybe 45 pages left. I did the math in my head... 45 pages front and back was enough for 2-3 days. Thats not enough time to allow for shipping! I'd be out again, stuck in withdrawl, wandering the streets between checking the mail, and generally being miserable. I knew then this had to stop. I had gotten in too deep, and it was affecting my life.

I had to find another source for journals. Something more accessible. Something cheaper. I was tired of Clairefontaine prices anyway.

I searched google groups, and web pages, and forums like this. Just like I did on the quest for the perfect pen (another story).

Theres a company called Komtrak. They make refillable binding systems with papers that are nice and smooth. Smoother in fact than Clairefontaine (which, until recently, I didn't think was possible).

I spoke to the owner, trying to find a local source, and in the course of the conversation he dropped the word 'calendering' in describing the process which makes his paper smooth. It was all I needed.

I started searching, and found the whole sordid world of where paper comes from. A world of enormous mills and inscrutable jargon, where minimum orders are measured in tons, and the paper sits on pallets and in rolls 3 feet tall and enormously thick.

I found out that there is 'calendering' and then there is 'supercalendering'. The latter is better, as it runs the paper through 30 or so hot rollers at enormous pressure, to make a finish so smooth it will compete with magazine papers, but uncoated and thus safe for fountain pens.

Its normally used for catalogs and high end full color printing. I had a hunch it was what I was looking for. Call it a junkie's intuition. I searched for consumer paper made from the right stock... and I did, in papers meant for printing high end digital art. I had some samples sent to me under vague pretenses.

There are a few calendared and supercalendared papers in the consumer market, but the best I've found so far is 4CC Color Copy. Luckily for other interested parties, Stora Enso offers free samples. Of course its always free... till you get hooked.

Yet blank paper, no matter how nice, is not the same as a journal. After finding the right paper, the paper I couldn't live without now, my only choice is to make my own journals... and I have all the book cloth, bone knives, glue, thread, etc coming from a friend to make my own.

I've heard marijuana leads to carpentry. I guess paper leads to book binding.

The one thing I can't find out is how to get the paper ruled cost effectively... except the ink jet route, which I just might have to live with.. though I'd prefer a ruling machine, though those weigh 2 tons and have to be shipped from Malaysia. I think thats a little excessive. I'm waiting on a couple of quotes from printers. If they don't pan out, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who manages a Kinko's.

Robert

Yes, I ended up binding my own journals, too. (I thought I was the only one, so I never mentioned it because I thought y'all would consider me crazy!)

Honestly, it doesn't take too long. I can sew, glue, and case a new book for myself in an evening. These aren't the finest examples of bookbinding techniques, but they're sturdy, open flat, and I use nice paper for the cover and endpapers. I even stick little folders in the back like the Moleskine books. I don't put an elastic around the covers, but I always bind in a silk ribbon to use as a bookmark -- which I find extremely helpful for daily use.

I use nice paper for the pages, of course. Generally smooth writing papers that I get at the local stationery store. (They break up reams into packs of 100 sheets for very reasonable prices.)

And it's fun.

ElaineB

That does have a certain appeal, rolling your own. Have you ever thought of making your own ink? I haven't found discussions on that yet (and haven't looked) but that might be interesting as well. I read somewhere recently about the inks used. I think it was in a discussion of old books and how the ink eventually turned a brownish color. I wish I could remember where I read it...wait...it was in an art magazine, probably Art on Paper. Yes, the previous issue. Now that I think on it, that magazine would have a lot of interest to those of us with inky thoughts.

I will alert others in a separate post.

Oddly enough, The Container Store has a type of spiral notebook with hard covers that work well with dry-write fountain pens; I just used one for my last journal. They come in assorted colors, so you can have the same size and shape of book but with different covers. They're rather like the Xonex ones I used in the 1980s, until they were discontinued.

I am still in pursuit of The Perfect Journal Book, which means that I buy any likely ones, and when the stack of near-misses gets too high, I tend to bring them in to work, and offer them to my co-workers. In the meantime, I have a shelf and a half of near-misses (well, right now, I have two boxes of near-misses, because we just moved).

Some day, though...

The Seyes looks interesting; I'll have to experiment with some. The Letts Soft-Touch journal I'm currently using (XNB) has rulings of .5cm, which I like a lot, and which are rare in American books (narrow ruling is .25in).

(I note that the Noodler's Blue did not dry as fast as I thought in this Letts of London book, and now today's entry will be on a blue-stippled page. So it goes.)

I know this problem only too well. The other side of this coin is that I have found great journals for great prices. like the $3 flip-back journals from Big Lots, that are quickly sold out.

I have a few stippled pages too, Velma.

My Borders is having all their Moleskine products on sale 50% off. Thought it might interest you. Your local Borders might be doing the same.

i've been rather down of late - so tomorrow i'm meeting "the Guys" for lunch and I've talked myself into dropping by Texas Art Supply for a rhodia pad or two. It's cheaper than ordering them on-line by about $1 per pad. of course, the fuel to drive there is probably more than that but I have the excuse of meeting hubby and friends for lunch.

No Border's nearby - but a B&N. They often have journal sales and a ton to choose from.

it won't be cheaper than a pen... but it will be more acceptable.

Gosh, yes, I've been looking all over the place for information on ink composition. I do a lot of work with textile dyes and have piles of them here at home. From what little I've been able to find, these dyes are the same as (or similar to) dyes used in inks, so I've already got the most important raw materials in hand! I just need to find a basic formula to play with.

But information on the web is scarce. I haven't had much luck plumbing the Patent Office database, either. I'm guessing most of the ink patents were written before 1975 and those older patents aren't searchable by keyword. Someday I'll have to head over to the big public library in Boston, and see if they've got an industrial publications or trade journals with information on inks.

ElaineB

Hi, I just registered. I post on Rambling Snail occasionally, and browse Pentrace daily.

I'd like to throw my lot in with the Letts of London soft touch XNB notebook. Narrow 5mm grey ruling, all the way to the end of the page, and no side margin to waste space. The paper is excellent, never any feathering or bleeding, and it has a nice texture (ie. not ice smooth). It's sewn with a ribbon bookmark, and the fake leather cover has a very nice feel to it.

It's only available in Canada as far as I can tell (Vancouver Pen Shop is my local place), but can be ordered online for $20CDN.

I bought a couple Moleskines online, and found that they're a bit flimsy feeling compared to the Letts. Not as many stitches, and thinner paper. The oilskin (read: vinyl) cover isn't nearly as nice feeling. I have a hard time writing in the standard pocket size, but maybe the large size that I have will be better, as it's about the same as my Letts. Plus there are no sources for Moleskine in Vancouver...

A note on the history of Moleskine, the company that sells them now started production in the late 1990's, so even if famous people did use a similar book, it wasn't made by the same company.

I've been searching online for the perfect paper or journal source, and have come up with nothing. Paper history sites on the net will tell you that the longest lasting, finest paper used to be made with 100% hemp or linen rags, but it doesn't seem that there are any makers of pure hemp or linen paper around anymore. Cotton, the modern substitute, is even hard to find. Bonded, 100% cotton rag paper, acid free, is usually made in super thick watercolour and art weights and sizes (90lb and up!!!), or are made for heavy duty printing uses, with various coatings. The only 100% cotton paper that I can find online is Crane's business papers. Plus, if I wanted a journal, I'd have to get it cut, ruled, sewn, and bound, which would be quite expensive.

I think some enterprising fountain pen user should commission a run of leather covered journals with luxurious archival quality paper, narrow ruled of course, and perfect bound. Or even board bound, so we can stick it in another cover.

I got an incredible little journal from Tuesday Morning. IT came inside a little drawstring pouch inside a box. Looks like Italian binding with leather spine and corners & mock deckled edges. It's about an inch thick and half way through it now I regret not buying the second one I saw!

No such luck! But thanks.

it amazes me what you can find there.

I found my favorite treat - Aplets & Cotlets - for $4 a box this past Christmas. They were fresh but a few had sort of melted. So they were cheap. But yummy.

Compared to $13 through the catalog....

I wish I'd found Ross sooner. I just assumed "Dress for Less" meant it was only cheap, ugly clothing. Not so!

TM isn't close but when I do get near one, they often have some great finds. I think Ian once hit the jackpot there on leather journals.

BTB - I've been meaning to say "Hi" to you, and it's good to see you here, aeon! Long time no read.

I must say, after reading the comments I received on this question, I was encouraged to go out and find some of these journals on my own, even though I said I was going to stay with the Moleskine I have been using. Okay, so I lie a little...but I really meant it when I said it, if that counts.

Anyway, I like the no-nonesense look of the Letts of London Soft-Touch, esp. since the web site said it is now available in black. Groovy. I live in a large metropolitan area with tons and tons of stores everywhere. I can usually find anything I want!

From the list of nearby dealers I got from Letts' site, three of the four are no longer in business and the fourth does not stock, nor can get order, the item I want. I don't wanna order it, I wanna see it first.

I'm sure one of these days, I'll be in a department store, or perhaps some offbeat place I would least expect to find this, and there it will be.

Good thing I have a back-up Moleskine cuz I'm ready to record a new chapter in my life.

What kind of places sell journals? Here's the logical places I've come up with...

Bookstores
Pen shops
Stationery Stores
Office Supply outlets

Do you have any others to add to the list?

Thanks.

Fulcinelli-san-

Borders and Barnes and Noble have journals. The bigger the store, the more variety you generally find. Art supply stores generally have a section devoted to books and journals for writing. I have been gravely disappointed with office supply stores on the whole.

Did you say you are in Detroit? Is there a significant Japanese or Chinese area of Detroit? Go to a Japanese grocery and look for school supplies. Even the cheapest Japanese papers will be FP friendly, so basic spiral notebooks work as great journals and often have charming and ridiculous Japanglish phrases across the front.

The Japanese appreciate a good blazing white paper as well. Have you ever tried Japanese calligraphy?

Cheers,
Rex

today was "make up for no BD celebration" Saturday. We had B&N gift cards from Christmas.

Hubby knows I always hit the journal shelves first - though I rarely buy - so we went there. Our B&N is large so there are numerous shelves of journals.

Just for the heck of it I got this little MiguelRius journal (4x6). Plastic cover. not spiral. Not the one mentioned recently that has different colors. This is a red cover with grid paper. It must have 200 pages... I got the small one because if it turned out the paper was too thin or feathered it would be less of a waste.

Takes ink very well - broader line than slicker/heavier papers but still quite nice. the plastic cover is thin but it feels almost like leather. Interesting little journal.

That Lett's narrow ruled ( Velma - I'm with you on this !!) one seems like a perfect notebook, too bad's it's not available here in the Netherlands.. I think.
I've tried small Moleskines but they bleed through terribly. My daily journal is a HEMA agenda ( HEMA is kind of a Walmart I think )

Yes, I check out EVERY Borders and B&N I visit and most, especially B&N, has a large selection of journals. (That's where I buy my Moleskine, getting an extra 10% off with my membership card.) There are a few I would consider, but most of those are pricey. They have some rather fancy journals, I might add. However, as for the brand names I read about, and particularly the Letts --> nothing. I see many of the Miquelrius journals, but most are a tad cutesy and gosh dang, I take my life seriously, even when I'm writing about it! (Well, okay, I exaggerate, and my journals are mostly linked to my photography adventures, but I still don't care for designer-type journals.) As for the Miquelrius, I really don't care for the different sections/different color design.

B&N seems to carry a few brands made for them.

My mission here was to find the Letts.

We have a large Asian community here, though I suspect more Chinese and Korean than Japanese. I haven't tried the markets yet but drive by them. I will check on their school supply section. I am quite fond of many aspects of Asian culture, but cutesy notebooks is not one of them.

Thanks for the lead.

BTW, I sent an email to Letts USA and told them the sources they list close to me on their web site are either out of business or do not carry notebooks (yes, I told them which ones, too) and asked them if they have an updated list.

Ah, but see, that's the beautiful part. Not all those notebooks are splashed with anime characters and Hello Kidneys. A lot of them are acutally really really nice. There's a set called "Boston Note" that come in bigger sizes, narrow ruled, still around five or six bucks.

I can't stand anime.

i tried them because they were on sale. But I grew bored with it quickly. And my attempts to use the different sections for different purposes always fail.

the little 4x6 I bought is a grid much like Rhodia. The paper is thinner but it took my Levenger Cobalt with very little show through. It's a very fine nib though.

It remains to be seen if it would be a habit as I usually prefer spiral or similar bindings that allow me to lay the book or fold it back.

Pendemonium only carries a small selection of this brand because most of them they feel are just not fountain pen friendly.

so many choices... so little time...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I have a complete calligraphy kit from Hong Kong that I got because it was the only one with chops large enough for my name. But I have worked my way partially throught the Mustard Seed Garden book as well as some very basic Haikus. It is very calming to sit and grind the ink unfortunately I still haven't been able to judge how much I need so I'm always stopping to grind 3/4 of the way through the project. I've done some colored beyond black for bamboo leaves. Some have come out very nice.

kurt h

There was a time in my life when I had too many interests, and I had to sit myself down and carefully select the ones that mean the most.

Japanese calligraphy is not on the list.

it's low on my list but that's because I'm not too good with anything resembling "art".

My niece is a budding Manga artist though. She loves the stuff and my brother has a very close friend from Japan who has sent them some beautiful renderings (??) done by his mother. I'm afraid it wouldn't be terribly therapeutic for me. I'm far too critical of myself.

I use tiny watercolor paintbrushes to touch up small mistakes when painting walls in my house.

Kcat -

The interesting thing about oriental calligraphy is that it is not meant to be drawn strict to form. In fact, putting your own interpretation to the kanji is part of what makes it art in Japan. It's not quite like European calligarphy where letter form is very important.

It has a "Zen" sense, sort of like in Zen archery how the arrow shoots itself?

Rantlets:

1) Barnes and Noble, and Borders, and other chain stores often have very pretty journals on their shelves.

What they also often have are:
* journals sealed in plastic; and
* clerks who know nothing about paper.

If they say, "Oh, sure! You can use fountain pens on this paper, no problem!" don't believe them.

2) My experiences with recycled paper and imported journals with hand-made paper from India have generally been negative. ink bleeds and feathers, with anything except a ball-point pen -- those just leave oily blots.

Am I a cranky journal keeper? Why, yes, I do believe I am. I want my ink to go where I put it, not spreading out all along the paper, and I want my paper to feel nice, both to my fingertips and through the pen nib.

I don't think that's cranky - I think that is a perfectly reasonable expectation.

of course, i think most of us here would think that and since, as Wim often points out, we are all a little nuts...

i think it was fortunate that the little journal I picked up from B&N that was wrapped in plastic turned out to be FP friendly. Has a little show through so it's not for everyone obviously. But i took a $5 risk.

Hi KCat,
Who, me? Naaaahhh, couldn´t be .

Warm regards, WIm

*chokes on her breakfast*

Hi Corien,
Why?
Warm regards, Wim