Best Ink For Margin Writing

[AndrewThomas]

I'm an English lit grad student so a decent amount of my writing is done in printed books-- underlinings, circlings, notes (long and short), bibliographic references, etc. The pen I generally use is an Esterbrook SJ with a 9550 which is extra fine (besides being a little noisy, the nib is spectacular).

 

However, I was curious if anyone had any advice on an ink that would best suit these purposes. Obviously, paper quality is very variable (Norton is buttery and thick; Penguin is extremely thin, etc), so sometimes I abandon my Estie and just use a ballpoint because bleeding and feathering are out of control. What ink (preferably black) deals best with low-quality paper?

 

Thanks!

 

Andrew

[mirosc]

Noodler's X-feather

[fiberdrunk]

What ink (preferably black) deals best with low-quality paper?

 

 

Iron gall inks usually do well on low-quality paper. If you don't mind blue-black (which eventually turns black) there's Montblanc Blue-Black and Diamine Registrar (also repackaged as Chesterfield Archival Vault).

[bwnewton]

I do a lot of underlining, marginalia, etc. in books almost daily. The two inks that I've used for quite some time for this purpose are Lamy Blue and Lamy Blue-Black (bottled,iron-gall). Both behave exceptionally well on even low-quality paper. The only difference between the two is that the blue is not water-resistant and the BB is pretty much water-proof. Add the great behavior to the fact that the bottle is extremely user-friendly and the price is affordable and you've got a solid ink. The word is, however, that the BB bottled is about to go iron-gall free as they are going to make it the same as the BB in cartridge form. Still, it will behave well but may not be as water resistant.

 

Edit: I just noticed that you prefer black. Sheaffer Skrip Black is good; Noodler's BP Black is great; Lamy Black is pretty good but not water-resistant.

 

Sheaffer Skrip Brown works well, too, but is not very water resistant.

Edited July 21, 2011 by bwnewton

[The Good Captain]

Pelikan 4001 blue-black but it might be hard to get in the USA now though.

Edited July 21, 2011 by The Good Captain

[alkman]

Sailor Kiwgaguro black ink. Never had a problem with bleeding and works well with fine nibs.

[rockydoggy]

In terms of black inks, I've had good luck with both Private Reserve Invincible Black and Noodlers bulletproof black for making marginal notes.

(If you're willing to try other colors, the iron-gall options make sense.)

 

By the way, you might check out the Pilot Penmanship fp--it comes with decent extra fine nib and it's pretty inexpensive. I've used one off and on for copyediting and for annotating texts.

[spiv]

as Lamy has announced it will reformulate their blue/black

maybe try Akkerman #10 ijzer-galnoten bl/zw (funky bottle - good value per/ml)*

as with any iron gall ink - flush pen more often, do not use with pens that have aluminum parts coming in contact with ink.

 

having said that - i used Lamy iron gall bl/blk for almost a year in my vista without ever rinsing it

until i found this site

 

the pen still works great - but i flush it every 3 or 4 fills now.

 

*iron gall seems to be forgiving of cheap paper, but i've only bought Lamy until now

future bottles will be Akkerman or Rohrer & Klingner galls (for work)

[spiv]

pesky double post

 

mods/admins pls remove

Edited July 21, 2011 by spiv

[Alieanor]

Andrew

 

Not meaning to threadjack, but what's your area of concentration? I'm an English prof, so naturally curious.

 

As for ink, if you ever look for a color other than black, I'd recommend Diamine Damson. It's a dusky purple appearing black at times that writes somewhat dry. I've used it to correct student papers printed on cheap copy paper and annotate texts with little to no feathering issues.

[piembi]

For any kind of cheap paper or minor quality paper: try good old German ink - that's the stuff generations of German students have used on cheap school notebooks and pads.

 

Any Pelikan or Lamy ink should work well, MB probably also.

[Torculus Resupinus]

Diamine Registrar's is a terrific ink, which doesn't bleed or feather on any paper I've tried it on. However, its color varies extremely widely depending on the pen and on the paper. There's a very good chance it may not lose its blueness if used in the margins of a book, because it won't be exposed to as much oxygen. On the other hand, on some papers it goes black almost instantly. I'd recommend it precisely because of its variable behavior, which gives it a lot of character.

 

It isn't lightproof and will fade to brown over time if kept in the light (not a problem in a book), and it is by no means "bulletproof" against other destructive measures, but it is reliably waterproof. It hasn't damaged the pen I use it in (a Baoer 388, clone of Parker Sonnet), and I only rinse it every 4th time I refill it.

 

The Rohrer & Klingner iron-gall inks actually have a very small concentration of iron gallate in them, and don't turn black with age -- Salix remains blue and Scabiosa a very attractive blackish violet. The iron-gall component makes them partly waterproof. I can't speak of other commercial iron-gall inks. Pharmacist on FPN has a recipe for a terrific home-made iron-gall ink which will go black.

[docholt]

Our friend Alieanor has crossed the color line and I'm right behind. Waterman Purple gets my vote and I keep it in my own Estie SJ just for note-work. Shows well on white, off white, manila and the very lite grey of some newsprint without soak through, but don't pause too long. Changes in light make it appear black shading to violet and it makes notes stand out without yelling at you.

My 9550 was an 80% nib complete with the noise. Writing about "the quick red fox...." on some 3000 grit finishing paper hushed it up and smoothed it out. Both are worth a try.

[Tweel]

I doubt you'll find anything that performs much better on spongy book paper than Noodler's bulletproof black. However, on Esterbrook nibs it can creep quite a bit, so be prepared to give your cap an occasional rinse.

 

-- Brian

[Pens Woods]

I use a Sheaffer Prelude with an F nib for margin notes. A variety of inks work well for me: Diamine Kensington Blue,Waterman Havana Brown and Blue/Black, Edelstein Onyx. Of course, all depends on the quality of the paper one is writing on. Good luck with your studies, Andrew.

Pete

[JefferyS]

Noodler's X-feather

That was what first popped into my mind as well. Allows small notes with a fine nib without bleeding through pages.

[axolotl66]

Pencil. You have to write in pencil in a printed book, surely?

[enricof]

Pencil. You have to write in pencil in a printed book, surely?

 

+1

 

I always feel bad when I see somebody writing on a printed book (even if it is his own).

 

When I was studying, I was barely able to use yellow highlighter, but never ever used ink...

Edited July 26, 2011 by enricof

[Aunt Jill]

Pencil. You have to write in pencil in a printed book, surely?

 

+1

 

I always feel bad when I see somebody writing on a printed book (even if it his own).

 

When I was studying, I was barely able to use yellow highlighter, but never ever used ink...

 

IMHO, books may be annotated by their owners at will. I wonder, what will my remarks and highlighting tell me in four or five years when I pick up the book and leaf through it?

 

I use an Estie SJ & an Osmiroid 65 with EF 1550 and 2550 nibs, Imperial Purple and Fiesta Red inks. Actually almost any ink seems to work.

[kushbaby]

Sailor Kiwgaguro black ink. Never had a problem with bleeding and works well with fine nibs.

 

I strongly second this - this is the ink that I go to for varied/less quality paper. Keeps a very fine line very well.

 

A second choice would be an iron-gall Blue-black, but I think the Sailor ink would be best. It comes in a bottle or cartridges (you can get it from JetPens, but also other places). It seems (and is) a bit expensive compared to other inks, but as I use it in pretty fine nibbed pens, it lasts forever (so the increase in cost divided over time/pen-fills isn't so much after all).

 

Edit to clarify: The cartridges are proprietary for Sailor, so to use them you'll need a Sailor pen (not a bad idea for fine writing). But the bottle would be fine to use your Estie.

Edited July 26, 2011 by kushbaby