Disapointing Results On Clairefontaine

[KaB]

Read a lot about the joy of writing on Clairfontaine paper. So recently bought me some. I must say I'm badly disapointed. It feels like writing with a very dry pen and very dry ink. I hoped to see rivers of ink glistering on the paper while slowly drying. Instead I get hard to read tekst (too litle ink flowing to the paper. Even skipping now and then).

 

It does differ with penwidths: the finer the pen, the better the writing experience. As it happens, I do most of my writing with stubs...

 

Just to show an example:

 

 

 

Is this normal? Or did I buy a wrong Clairefontaine writing block?

[Uncial]

I can't speak for the writing blocks, but the black covered journals are good. the paper has a coating that makes it very smooth and it doesn't absorb the ink the way some other papers do. The skipping might be due to the polishing of the nib. I find some pens with highly polished and very smooth nibs can skip on coated papers.

[LizEF]

FWIW, I find Clairefontaine too smooth and hard. And I don't like the way inks look / behave - they don't shade as well, and sometimes don't sheen as well - but this can vary significantly by the ink. (That seems like the opposite of what it should do, but that's been my experience.) I don't generally have a problem with pens skipping, but now and then, a combination will. I've heard what Uncial said - that if both nib and paper are super smooth, the ink won't flow - I think the ink may also factor into the equation, I'm just not sure how - maybe some have "gripping power" and others don't.

 

Anywho, chalk it up to education. But keep trying out pen and ink combos because you might find one that loves this paper, so then you can use it up and not feel like it was a waste. That happens to me sometimes - a particular pen and ink combo will really shine (so to speak) when used with a particular paper - but not with other paper, or where other pen and ink combos all hate that paper. The mysteries of our hobby.

[CraigR]

I was surprised with the results you had with the Clairefontaine paper. I have been happy with their Triomphe lined 90g papers. I still have quite a bit of stock left from an order a number of years ago, so it may be that the characteristics have changed since then.

[Joban]

I usually pick up A5 size note books. I will switch between Clairefontaine, Tomoe River and Rhodia. Each is different but enjoyable to use in my opinion. I would say if Clairefontaine is not enjoyable then give another brand a try. When I order i will pick up a couple of different ones as each batch seems different, or I am different that day...

[Amory]

 

 

Is this normal? Or did I buy a wrong Clairefontaine writing block?

May I suggest trying some of the supermarket own brand notebooks or paper. I have found the major French chains like Carrefour to offer fine own brand fountain pen friendly paper. Amory

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

I have seen similar results and I agree with LizEF when they say that Clairefontaine can be too smooth. The nib slides over it as if it the paper were plastic. I also suggest to find those few nib/ink and Clairefontaine combos that work well, and try to stick to them as much as possible to avoid undue frustration.

 

I own two Clairefontaine school notebooks and one work notepad, and they're all too smooth. I much prefer Fabriano, since it resists well even to blobs of ink, and it's slightly textured so the nib doesn't skip.

Edited June 8, 2018 by RoyalBlueNotebooks

[Bo Bo Olson]

After years of 'going to', finally did............it came in today.....just when I had a wet nib (German vintage Osmia-Faber-Castel mdl 540 in M) and wet ink....the old Earth Color C'dA Turquoise.

 

I tried one of my normal good papers, M&K 95g Typewriter paper and the nib and ink were much too wet for it.

I tried one of my best papers Gmund 170g, and the maxi-semi-flex nib and wet ink were still a bit too wet for it. It wrote wider than expected. Shading was off and on!!! A shock really.

The Rhoda 90g and the Clairefontaine Tiomphe tamed boththe wet nib and wet ink immediately; giving me a nice clean line** and great shading..

 

I also have Clairefontaine Velote` 90g, which is one ink better than Oxford Optic 90g...which is used in the Red&Black notebooks.

Not with this ink and nib, the Oxford Optic is a bit better ..a touch smaller line and no slight wooly line the Velote had, so those two are back to being a tie; for good affordable paper.

 

** Both the Rhoda and the Triomphe had a bit of woolly line .....something I did not expect.

I do use a Honking Big Magnifying glass that is a bit over an inch thick. I'm rather OCD on feathering and woolly lines.

I'll see what a dryer nib and that ink does.....hadn't wanted to ink yet another pen....well, do have 19 others inked....time to scribble.

........but neither was the perfect paper some admire.

 

At first I thought it was, the way it tamed the wet nib and wet ink....don't know if its a fire hose or not. Maxi-semi-flex is a tad wetter than semi-flex, having more ease of tine bend&spread.

 

It did though do a better job than my good paper, better than my better and $$ paper.

 

There is no perfect nib, nor perfect paper, or perfect ink. There is the grail day, when one finds a perfect match of all three.

Anything different and perfection is gone........

 

If you find perfection....write it down....and in two or three places!!!!............... Somewhere I have perfection.........if only I could find the piece of paper with it listed.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[senzen]

Clairefontaine is one of those few things so good you can measure the entire system by it: if there's a problem, it's more likely to be your pen, except with one detail that affects all paper, and Clairefontaine, Rhodia and such more than others: they seem more susceptible to traces of hand or finger oils; I have experienced skipping on Clairefontaine but only if I haven't been careful and put my hand directly on it. The solution is simple enough: use a piece of paper or plastic or blotter paper or whatever is more comfortable and readily at hand. As you have probably also discovered, ink takes a while to dry: use a blotter or an air bulb, as sold for photo equipment.

[TheDutchGuy]

 

 

they seem more susceptible to traces of hand or finger oils

 

^---I've noticed that as well. No skipping that I've noticed, but definitely more shading of the ink on the bottom half of the page. Which is something that I actually like :-) .