Inks For Keeping A Fine Line

[Cal_D]

So, I have been using heart of darkness, which has long been my favorite ink, but the office field books have switched to some diffrent paper, and it has doubled my line thickness. It just seems to soak out the ink like a sponge. I went to Platinum blue black, which is a pretty dry ink, but it has the same behavior. At first I thought my nib had sprung, but under the scope it looked fine. Do you know of a really dry permanant ink or a permanant ink that tends to sit higher on the page? Really, I know the issue is a paper one, but its what we are provided and expected to use. Don't know how much longer we will use them, as even people who dont care about pens have been complaining about the paper.

[dfo]

Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black lays down a fine line with my Lamy 2000, although it is a little hard to find in the US. Plus, it shades beautifully. You could also try Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. It is a pretty well-behaved dry black.

Edited August 17, 2015 by dfo

[Notgatherox]

Consider R&K Salix. Or perhaps the De Atramentis Document Inks.

 

 

~Epic

Edited August 17, 2015 by Lord Epic

[carlos.q]

IG inks will generally deliver fine lines: Salix, Scabiosa, Diamine Registrars etc.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

In addition to the excellent suggestions from other Members, take a look at the nano particle inks. They seem a bit pricey, but I found Sailor sei-boku could be diluted with [distilled] water to 10% concentration and still perform well, though ~75% would be dark enough for most office/school work - depending on the absorbency of the paper + pen wetness.

 

A favoured no/low-cost option is to take a Dark Blue or BlBk ink that you have to hand, then dilute it to ~75% with [distilled] water. The water will slow the flow through the pen, and lower the dye-load per unit volume.

 

Try a rigid nail of a [Manifold] nib and a brisk light hand. The tines won't flex/spread, so flow will be less, and the nib won't linger on the page - just tint the surface, and let the ink do the rest.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

See also:

> Dilution - A Rough Guide @ Post № 23 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/218161-need-help-selecting-my-first-japanese-pens/?p=2315439

> Will certain inks write finer than others? (Waterman Florida Blue, Diamine Bilberry, Rohrer & Klingner Salix, Sailor sei-boku) https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/244463-will-certain-inks-write-finer-than-others/page__view__findpost__p__2662018

> Private Reserve American Blue - Dilution: 100, 80, 66 & 40% https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/180919-dilution-private-reserve-americam-blue/&do=findComment&comment=1820459

Edited August 18, 2015 by Sandy1

[Cal_D]

I ordered a bottle Essri, I have one around somewhere but having recently moved, finding it is a scary thought. Its also pretty old, so I wanted to start fresh. I am going to give that a spin. I just cant believe how bad this paper is. Its like news print, but it is thicker, it has some coating that makes it odd to touch, but somehow repulsive. Like when you scrape the corner of a finger against a chalkboard or cheap cardboard. The white toilet paper tubes in give a pretty good idea of how this paper feels. Its like something lovecraft would write about, the paper out of space. Even the boxes the notebooks come in are unmarked. Its like the manufacturer wants to hide, not that I can blame them. I know they are made in China, and thats it.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Please let us know how ESSRI performs on that paper writing surface.

 

Sometimes one just needs to use a Sharpie.

 

Oh, I don't know about your operation, but our field notes are considered source documents, so are never destroyed.

>> I am concerned about the longevity of the stuff that's in your field notebooks. Perhaps you could use the stalking horse of questionable longevity to have those notebooks recycled without delay. (If there's a Document Controller / Archivist / records retention person they should be able to advise.)

 

Bye,

S1

Edited August 18, 2015 by Sandy1