Stone Paper

[ParkerNutter]

I found this thread after I did an impulse buy of an Oxford Stone Paper notebook at a local Walgreens.

 

I tried a BIC disposable FP, uniball Signo 207 gel pen, and a Hero 200a (m nib) w/ plain old black Quink.

 

It was smoothest with the gel pen.....very smooth. That ink also took the longest to dry.

 

The two FPs I tried took MORE pressure to write than the gel pen! That was weird...but interesting.

 

Not a bit of feathering or bleed through with the FPs.

 

All I can say is that the Oxford Stone Paper is different than any other paper I've ever used.

 

I get the feeling it is very durable and that it has its uses. Also extremely smooth, but almost cold to touch.

 

Fun to experiment with, but the tactile feedback for me is not as satisfying as high quality regular paper.

Edited May 8, 2012 by ParkerNutter

[fiberdrunk]

I wanted to give an update of the performance of Oxford Stone Paper. I did sunshine tests on it beginning February 22, 2011 and took them down today (Dec. 12, 2012). I was surprised to find the paper was incredibly brittle and crumbled in my fingers! Fresh from the pad, it is difficult to tear, but after time in the sun, it falls apart. I don't recommend it for archival projects.

 

As for how the various inks held up on the sample, Montblanc Blue-Black almost faded away completely; Chesterfield Archival Vault had faded to gray but was still legible; Black Swan in Australian Roses turned brown after going through a disintegration stage first; Noodler's Kung Te-cheng and Brown #41 are still going strong; Magic Color Rust (an acrylic ink) had some fading but still legible; Noodler's Lermontov turned blue but is still going strong; Platinum Carbon Black is still going strong. So in many cases, the ink is outlasting the paper!

 

 

 

 

I went to Walgreens and bought the Oxford Stone Paper. Here are my scans. What interests me about this paper is a possible alkaline buffer for acidic inks (like iron gall inks). I wonder if that will improve longevity of these documents? Overall, the inks were slower drying on this paper. Sometimes the nib felt like it was sinking into the page. The notebook cost $2.99. I only saw one size available: 8 1/2" x 6".

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• Montblanc Blue-Black (iron gall) w/ Parker Vector fine nib -- writes smoothly
  

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• Chesterfield Archival Vault (iron gall) w/ Parker Vector medium nib-- this nib kept catching on the fiber. Difficult to write with.
  

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• Noodler's Black Swan in the Australian Roses w/ Platinum Preppy .05 nib -- smooth writing, but very slow drying
  

 

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• Noodler's Kung Te-chung w/ Platinum Preppy .03 nib -- Not quite as free-flowing
  

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• Noodler's Scott Brown #41 w/ Platinum Preppy .05 nib -- A good marriage here. Very smooth and free-flowing combination.
  

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• Magic Color Rust w/ Platinum Preppy .03 nib -- This is an acrylic ink that is usually lightning fast at drying. Not so on this paper.
  

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• Noodler's Lermontov w/ Platinum Preppy .03 nib -- OK flow, but not great
  

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• Platinum Carbon Black w/ Platinum Carbon Pen (extra fine nib) -- This nib may be too pointed and sharp for this paper. I kept getting fibers caught in the nib.
  

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5468933287_dfde90159a_z.jpg

 

I also wanted to test my homemade inks to see how they fared. These were all written with a J. Herbin glass pen and they are all acidic:

 

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• Homemade pomegranate (iron gall) ink -- very smooth and the ink stayed black
  

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• Homemade Jane Austen iron gall ink -- smooth writing, but the ink was brown (usually it is dark black)
  
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  • Homemade black walnut ink -- not quite as free-flowing as the iron gall inks
    
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  • Homemade pokeberry ink -- not quite as free-flowing as the iron gall inks
    

   

   

  http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5468933779_417a36202a_z.jpg

Edited December 12, 2012 by fiberdrunk

[Lynxienne]

Reviving this thread to add a link to an article on some of the concerns in this thread.
http://www.wired.com/2013/02/stone-paper-notebook/

It confirms Fiberdrunk's experiences, quote: "the stone material is said to photodegrade with 14-18 months of sunlight exposure. It’s not clear, however, what happens to the HDPE component after that process occurs." So both non-lasting, and perhaps disturbingly permanent.

It also goes into the environmental claims, and makes some interesting arguments.

 

Nevertheless it seems like an interesting material, but very specific in it's use. But clearly not as simple as just a paper alternative.

[fiberdrunk]

Reviving this thread to add a link to an article on some of the concerns in this thread.

http://www.wired.com/2013/02/stone-paper-notebook/

 

It confirms Fiberdrunk's experiences, quote: "the stone material is said to photodegrade with 14-18 months of sunlight exposure. It’s not clear, however, what happens to the HDPE component after that process occurs." So both non-lasting, and perhaps disturbingly permanent.

 

It also goes into the environmental claims, and makes some interesting arguments.

 

Nevertheless it seems like an interesting material, but very specific in it's use. But clearly not as simple as just a paper alternative.

 

Very interesting! Thank you for posting this!

[webgeckos]

One caveat.

 

I draw with rods of pure 24kt gold and dead-soft annealed silver.

 

Although stone paper feels smooth it is abrasive enough to draw with metal rods, without any special surface preparation (such as rabbit skin glue and calcium and bone ash.) I have made sketchbooks of stone paper for the purpose of sketching on location with metal. I would be very worried about what it would do to any vintage gold nibs.

 

PS Awesome paper review!

[GlennPen]

I did a review awhile go on a Japanese brand of Stone paper notebook called Ogami (can find the review here). In short though, I find it a bit of a gamble when it comes to Fountain Pen inks, as the whole water-based nature of them would have a hard time which such resistant paper (perhaps it's why highly saturated inks like Private Reserve did better in my testing).