Stone Paper

[Alohamora]

 

One other interesting thing. This paper does not warp or buckle when it gets wet. After this paper dried, it was as if it had never been wet.

 

 

Would it be a viable substitute for "Rite in the Rain" paper then?

[fiberdrunk]

 

One other interesting thing. This paper does not warp or buckle when it gets wet. After this paper dried, it was as if it had never been wet.

 

 

Would it be a viable substitute for "Rite in the Rain" paper then?

 

I'm not familiar with that particular paper, but if you had a fast-drying ink, it could very well work in all weather conditions (ink is a bit slower to dry on this paper). I looked up Rite in the Rain paper on the web and see that it is an archival paper. I do not know if stone paper is archival (I did email one stone paper company to ask this question, but have yet to hear a response). I do know it is very tough and hard to tear and waterproof. I do not know if it yellows with age like cheaper wood pulp papers (I'm currently doing sunshine tests on it). I'm hoping it is a long lasting paper.

[stuartk]

I recently bought one of the Oxford notebooks at Walgreens, and I don't really like this "paper" that much.

 

It feels as if I am writing on a sheet of rubber or something, and there is resistance or friction when moving the pen or pencil. This was most noticeable when I tried a Sharpie marker; it felt like I was writing on fine sandpaper.

 

Ink (fountain pen, roller ball, and ballpoint) looks very nice when used on this paper, but for me that isn't enough to make up for the added effort of writing on it.

[joshk]

Paper (and wood based products) are some of the most recyclable options out there. 100 years for a tree vs 10,000 years for more oil to turn into plastic....

[mstone]

Paper (and wood based products) are some of the most recyclable options out there.

 

they're not really. Relatively high cost to process, and the greater the proportion of previously-recycled material there is in the input stream, the worse the quality of the output. If you burn it you might get a bit of energy out. Pre-consumer waste is the best source for wood pulp recycling, which is irrelevant when talking about consumer paper. The paper based on waste by-products of other industries is quite attractive, like bagasse, but it turns out that the sugarcane processors make more money burning it for energy than selling it to paper mills. If you want to help the environment, just never use a printer.

[joshk]

Paper (and wood based products) are some of the most recyclable options out there.

 

they're not really. Relatively high cost to process, and the greater the proportion of previously-recycled material there is in the input stream, the worse the quality of the output. If you burn it you might get a bit of energy out. Pre-consumer waste is the best source for wood pulp recycling, which is irrelevant when talking about consumer paper. The paper based on waste by-products of other industries is quite attractive, like bagasse, but it turns out that the sugarcane processors make more money burning it for energy than selling it to paper mills. If you want to help the environment, just never use a printer.

 

This mean I should stop asking for paper and start asking for plastic?

[mstone]

This mean I should stop asking for paper and start asking for plastic?

 

Definitely, if you can't use reusables for some reason

[addicted1]

I'm going to find this and try it out...most interesting.

[omicron]

I really like writing on that stuff, it's just you ( well, I ) can't railroad nibs on it, unfortunately.

 

Ballpoints write well on it, and it makes inks look bright.

 

i'm told target sells standard notebook size stone paper.

[Alohamora]

I've tried out one of the Oxford notebooks and I don't really see it as a substitute for ordinary paper. But the the stuff is really tough and water proof. I think it would make an excellent field notebook for someone who needs durable, weatherproof paper.

 

 

If anyone has more details about the Target version, please post, I couldn't spot any in the local Target.

[WendyNC]

I believe Target may have stopped carrying it. I say that based on the fact that I picked up three of the notebooks with "clearance" tags on them when they sold off their Rhodia.

 

As far as FP use, the ink takes a very long time to dry on them. I do have one on my writing table, but in truth, I mostly use it as a weight for arm exercises as it rolls up nicely, is easy to hold, and is just about the right weight.

[fiberdrunk]

If anyone has more details about the Target version, please post, I couldn't spot any in the local Target.

 

My local Super Target in North Carolina had Gartner stone paper notebooks on clearance about a month or so ago. It comes in two sizes. One size was a composition notebook (7.5" x 9.75") with 100 pages and weighs almost a pound and a half! (A regular composition notebook weighs about half that.) The other size was a smaller 2-pack, 80 sheets each, and 4.75" x 6.25" in size. The labels on these say, "Eco-friendly, tree-free. Made from stone, tree-free- acid free, natural paper products from all natural stone. Our 'treeless' paper is produced without the use of water or bleach and produces no air pollution." There's a website for Gartner Studios/Roobee on the back of the tag. I had originally hoped to find a regular 8 1/2 x 11" stone paper notebook, but after seeing how heavy even the composition book is, now I can see why you don't find them any larger! The lines on the pages are green. This paper behaves pretty much the same as the Oxford brand.

 

eta: adding scans

 

Composition Book:

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5639335239_c14eab2b84_b.jpg

 

2-Pack Journal:

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5110/5639336769_10d7549aa5_b.jpg

 

Ink Sample on Smaller Journal Page:

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5144/5639911044_01e8688fa4_b.jpg

 

Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses does not age well on stone paper (neither this kind from Target, nor the Oxford brand from Walgreens). It seems to disintegrate on the page within a couple weeks.

 

The following inks were tested with a Platinum Preppy .05 nib:

 

Noodler's Scott Brown #41

Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

Noodler's Bay State Blue

Noodler's Tsvetayeva

Noodler's Rachmaninov

Noodler's Tchaikovsky

Noodler's Lermontov

 

The following were tested with a Platinum Preppy .03 nib:

 

Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng

Magic Color Rust

 

And finally, Chesterfield Archival Vault was tested with a Parker Vector italic medium nib. And Montblanc Blue-Black was tested with a Parker Vector fine nib.

Edited April 21, 2011 by fiberdrunk

[jniforat]

i just bought a pad -- i can't wait to take it for a test drive

[jniforat]

alright, I tried this notebook out last night, and here are my thoughts.

 

this note book makes a BP feel like an FP! it's super smooth writing for bp's. i didn't try an rb. Concerning my fp's, i found it too difficult to write with an xf octanium parker "51". the bigger the nib, the smoother the writing experience, but it was a bit onerous with smaller-pointed nibs (f, xf, xxf). the f, xf, and xxf nibs felt like they were getting "caught" on something.

 

alright, that's all I have for now. I will use this notebook in lab when I'm using a bp

[fiberdrunk]

the f, xf, and xxf nibs felt like they were getting "caught" on something.

 

 

That was my experience as well. The Platinum Preppy .05 nib works well on this paper. The Platinum Carbon Pen (with an extra-fine nib) did not.

[Chevalier]

I'd like to test it, sounds pretty interesting. Is there a place where I can fetch some in Europe?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Stone Paper - paper made from limestone and some recycled polypropylene, evidently. A notebook of this was just given to me; found at Walgreen's, evidently, and not particularly more expensive than other notebooks.

 

I wrote a short letter with it, then this review, to get a feel.

 

http://www.chud.net/~chd/images/stone1.jpg

 

http://www.chud.net/~chd/images/stone2.jpg

 

This paper doesn't seem especially ink-fast; here is the same page after 20 seconds rinsing under cool running water with mild brushing with my fingers:

 

http://www.chud.net/~chd/images/stone3.jpg

 

Although there isn't obviously any cellulose in it, the bulletproof ink still does seem to be at least somewhat waterproof. Also, interestingly, after drying the page returned to very nearly its original condition, showing very little of the typical water damage you'd expect on paper.

 

Overall it's not bad to write on, but I think knowing that it's made from limestone makes me wary of its potential abrasiveness. Does anyone else know anything about this stuff? It's kindof interesting nonetheless.

 

 

I did an earlier review and found the same potential flaws. Overall, I wouldn't want to use it with any fountain pen I actually liked, but it seems to do well with colored pencil.

 

I got mine at Target like some of the other people here. If I find the review again I'll post a pic.

 

Found it:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/ProfessorBunky/Pens%20etc/StonePaperInkTest.jpg

Edited June 1, 2011 by Sailor Kenshin

[jniforat]

yeah -- i've had the same experience. it just isn't good for fountain pens. it feels like the nib is catching on something. on the other hand, I use this, along with a parker jotter gel-refill, to take notes during my internship meetings.

[fiberdrunk]

I've been using the stone paper I got from Target (the composition notebook one) to keep notes as I analyze The Divine Comedy. I've been keeping the notebook since about March and using a Parker Vector fine nib with Montblanc Blue-Black ink. It's working very well.

[kjw]

Yes, stone paper will wear down your nib. Which actually worked well for me because I had one pen in particular that didn't flow as smoothly as I wanted and after about 20 pages in the stone notebook it was perfect.

 

What I believe is happening is the metal tip is penetrating the plastic layer and you begin to pick up limestone sediment and drag it across the page. I noticed that after writing, if I ran my hand across the page I would feel rough particles where the ink dried.