Ink Never Dries In My Leuchtturm?

[JayInPA]

I bought a pocket-sized (A6) Leuchtturm notebook, which I've been using with a Platinum Cool pen (Fine nib) and Waterman Serenity Blue ink. I'd heard good things about the Leuchtturm for fountain pen users, and I was excited to give it a try. It's certainly nice, but I'm a little frustrated with my experience. I'd really appreciate some suggestions on how to either get it working correctly or what might be a better notebook for my purposes.

 

In a nutshell, my ink just never seems to fully dry in this notebook. I certainly can't close the notebook right after jotting something down, lest the ink transfer to the opposite page. Worse still, when my finger brushes across what I've written several days ago, it smudges. The Cool is a little bit of a wet writer, sure, and the ink isn't waterproof, and I get that the paper is coated -- but something's seriously off for a paper to have such issues in letting the ink dry, and especially for it not be reasonably smudge-resistant days later. I've tried a Faber-Castell Loom (F), and the result has been a touch better, maybe due to the wider German nib.

 

I love the little touches with this notebook, but I need something that I don't have to treat so incredibly gently. Is there a better solution anyone can suggest in terms of ink or notebook? I'm certainly not getting another pen just for the notebook.

 

Thanks to anyone who can help!

[Pickwick]

It's not your ink or notebook. J Herbin for one offers small pieces of blotting paper for use in roller blotters. You might buy a pack cut a piece to size for your notebook. Blotting paper was used extensively before the ballpoint pen took over. I guess a lot of FPN members are reluctant to use it for fear it might cause color change. But I've never noticed an appreciable difference.

 

Even a paper towel cut to size will work.

[Astronymus]

I cut fitting pieces of blotting paper out of A5 or A4 sheets which are available in tear-off pads and put them into my notebooks.

[JayInPA]

Blotting paper! Thanks, Pickwick and Astronymus -- it's a little fiddly, but I'll give it a try.

 

If I switched to a Rhodia notebook, is there any reason to believe these issues would be lessened?

[PaganArcher]

Blotting paper! Thanks, Pickwick and Astronymus -- it's a little fiddly, but I'll give it a try.

 

If I switched to a Rhodia notebook, is there any reason to believe these issues would be lessened?

Not in my experience as Rhodia is even more ink resistant than Leuchtturm. The few times I've used Rhodia, it took forever and then some for it to fully dry.

[LizEF]

IMO, if the ink still smudges after days, there's something wrong. Maybe it's the ink, maybe it's the paper, maybe it's the lotion on your hands, I don't know, but this is not the norm or few of us would be using fountain pens.

 

Perhaps the blotter paper will soak up enough of the excess that you won't get smudging any more (perhaps the smudging is an excessive amount of ink atop the page). If not, you have two variables remaining (technically 3, but I just don't see this being the pen's fault):

 

If you have a different ink, try that in your notebook and see how it fares. (If you don't have another ink, you may have some sort of brain blockage which needs to be fixed - by buying an ink sample or twelve.)

 

If you have another paper, try that. If you don't have another paper, you can generally get small notepads with the same paper as is in a notebook, and try it first without paying full price. E.g. there are premium Rhodia notepads which, I believe, are the same paper as in their notebooks - you should be able to decipher that via some searches related to the notebook of interest. (e.g. Goulet Pens have a sample package with a bunch of little notebooks of various kinds, which lets you test each to see which you like better for each ink / pen combo...)

[LizEF]

PS: I agree, Rhodia does seem more ink-resistant than Leuchtturm, but there are enough inexplicable stories of ink / paper incompatibility that it may be worth trying with a cheap notepad...

[Astronymus]

Right, I forgot that part: I had the experience that old ink dries more slowly in general. Try another ink on the Leuchtturm.

[inkypete]

Thread title seems a good title for a Country and Western song.

[JayInPA]

...

 

If you have a different ink, try that in your notebook and see how it fares. (If you don't have another ink, you may have some sort of brain blockage which needs to be fixed - by buying an ink sample or twelve.)

 

If you have another paper, try that. ...

 

Thanks -- trying another ink was instructive... I used Platinum ink (just the regular dye ink), both red and black, and they behaved much better than the Waterman. Not perfect, mind you, but better. So that's one variable to play with.

 

As for trying another paper, I'm a little limited in that what I was looking for was a pocket-sized hardcover notebook, and the only options I turned up in my searches were the Leuchtterm and the Rhodia Webnotebook. If you know of others, I'll be happy to give them a shot.

[JayInPA]

Thread title seems a good title for a Country and Western song.

 

Fountain pen-themed country music... There's a niche that's wiiiiiiide open!

[LizEF]

 

Fountain pen-themed country music... There's a niche that's wiiiiiiide open!

 

[Astronymus]

 

Fountain pen-themed country music... There's a niche that's wiiiiiiide open!

 

"There was a man who rode a fountain pen;

And they called him Inky Ben."

...

And so on.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Astronymus

[Ghost Plane]

Ink dried on the fastest paper in the West...

 

Nope. I haven't got a future as a lyricist.

[Pickwick]

IMO, if the ink still smudges after days, there's something wrong. Maybe it's the ink, maybe it's the paper, maybe it's the lotion on your hands, I don't know, but this is not the norm or few of us would be using fountain pens.

 

Perhaps the blotter paper will soak up enough of the excess that you won't get smudging any more (perhaps the smudging is an excessive amount of ink atop the page). If not, you have two variables remaining (technically 3, but I just don't see this being the pen's fault):

 

If you have a different ink, try that in your notebook and see how it fares. (If you don't have another ink, you may have some sort of brain blockage which needs to be fixed - by buying an ink sample or twelve.)

 

If you have another paper, try that. If you don't have another paper, you can generally get small notepads with the same paper as is in a notebook, and try it first without paying full price. E.g. there are premium Rhodia notepads which, I believe, are the same paper as in their notebooks - you should be able to decipher that via some searches related to the notebook of interest. (e.g. Goulet Pens have a sample package with a bunch of little notebooks of various kinds, which lets you test each to see which you like better for each ink / pen combo...)

 

Blotting paper dried up the ink on paper efficiently and was the mainstay for every home and office internationally for over 60 years until the ballpoint became reliable and liberated us from ink stains, smudging and other hazards.

[cattar]

Is everyone using blotting paper with notebooks?

 

I've been using mead, without.

Just bought a leuchtturm, but haven't opened it.

[LizEF]

Blotting paper dried up the ink on paper efficiently and was the mainstay for every home and office internationally for over 60 years until the ballpoint became reliable and liberated us from ink stains, smudging and other hazards.

 

Yes, I know. And I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with using blotting paper. However, the vast majority of us, I suspect, successfully use a variety of fountain pens, on a variety of papers, with a variety of inks, without ever needing to use blotting paper. Therefore, it is possible for the OP to use her notebook and pen without needing blotting paper (if she's willing to switch the ink). Alternately, if she wishes, she can try blotting paper, and if that will absorb enough excess ink to keep the rest from smudging, then that's a solution for her. My only intent was to point out that she should have other options, if she wants them.

[LizEF]

And now back to inky country music.... (If you're not familiar, listening to the song while reading the new lyrics may enhance the experience... Or not.)

 

Who Invented The Wheel >> Who Invented The Ink

 

I wanna know, who invented the ink.
Tell me who discovered pink.
It was the ink that was pink that caused this pain,
That wrote the note that drove him away.
I wanna know, who invented the ink.

 

I wanna know, who tuned the nib.
Tell me who made the paper.
It was the nib and the paper that caused this pain,
And made the lines of the note, that drove him away.

 

I wanna know who invented the ink.

 

Somebody give me a name.
Cause I just need someone to blame.
For all of this heartache,
And pain I've been feelin' since he had to go,
I wanna know.

 

I wanna know who invented the time.
I didn't spend when he was mine.
It was all that time I didn't take,
It was the nib and the paper that held the writin',
In the ink that was pink in the note that drove him away.

 

Somebody give me a name.
Cause I just need someone to blame.
For all of this heartache,
And pain I've been feelin' since he had to go,
I wanna know.
I wanna know.

 

I wanna know who invented the ink.

[inkypete]

And now back to inky country music.... (If you're not familiar, listening to the song while reading the new lyrics may enhance the experience... Or not.)

 

Who Invented The Wheel >> Who Invented The Ink

 

I wanna know, who invented the ink.

Tell me who discovered pink.

It was the ink that was pink that caused this pain,

That wrote the note that drove him away.

I wanna know, who invented the ink.

 

I wanna know, who tuned the nib.

Tell me who made the paper.

It was the nib and the paper that caused this pain,

And made the lines of the note, that drove him away.

 

I wanna know who invented the ink.

 

Somebody give me a name.

Cause I just need someone to blame.

For all of this heartache,

And pain I've been feelin' since he had to go,

I wanna know.

 

I wanna know who invented the time.

I didn't spend when he was mine.

It was all that time I didn't take,

It was the nib and the paper that held the writin',

In the ink that was pink in the note that drove him away.

 

Somebody give me a name.

Cause I just need someone to blame.

For all of this heartache,

And pain I've been feelin' since he had to go,

I wanna know.

I wanna know.

 

I wanna know who invented the ink.

 

What have I started?

[LizEF]

What have I started?