Stone Paper? Fountain Pen Friendly?

[kmd001]

Picked up a nu:life A4 sized notebook from the local officeworks outlet in Sydney.

 

The paper is smooth, doesn't seem abrasive and it's almost tear proof and water proof.

 

Tested the paper with Bay state Blue and X-feather inks from noodlers. The inks dried relatively well and there is some show through.

 

Now, I have been told that stone paper wears off the tipping material of a fountain pen. Is this true? The paper is so really smooth though.

 

So, is it fountain pen friendly? When I mean fountain pen friendly, I am implying whether or it out degrades the tipping material of the nib.

 

Let me know

Edited February 25, 2015 by kmd001

[Bookman]

Picked up a nu:life A4 sized notebook from the local officeworks outlet in Sydney.

 

The paper is smooth, doesn't seem abrasive and it's almost tear proof and water proof.

 

Tested the paper with Bay state Blue and X-feather inks from noodlers. The inks dried relatively well and there is some show through.

 

Now, I have been told that stone paper wears off the tipping material of a fountain pen. Is this true? The paper is so really smooth though.

 

So, is it fountain pen friendly? When I mean fountain pen friendly, I am implying whether or it out degrades the tipping material of the nib.

 

Let me know

 

I bought a Miquelrius stone paper notebook last year. I tried more than a dozen inks in F and M nibs, including Waterman Serenity Blue, Aurora Black, Visconti Blue, Pelikan 4001 Black, and R & K Salix. Every pen-ink combo feathered badly.

[Consulting_Detective]

Well.... Mylar Paper and Micro-Mesh seems very smooth but it does have minute amounts of abrasive which causes it to wear down on the nib. So using that background information, I highly think that stone paper will have a significant effect on the tipping material..

 

-RTMC

[inkypete]

My limited experience with the Officeworks brand was very poor. Paper was inconsistent within the same sheet. Also tried another brand from notemaker and that was ordinary too. Not sure about the abrasive nature of the surface in terms of pen safety.

[Inkysloth]

Stone paper is a bit of a misnomer (well, marketing waffle). It's high density polyethylene & calcium carbonate. Regular cellulose-based paper also often contains calcium carbonate and we don't call it stone paper!

 

I found it "softened" the line from a fountain pen - not feathering along fibres, but still absorbing ink along microscopic particle edges, leaving a less-than-crisp line. That, combined with it being plastic, left me unimpressed.

[Bookman]

Here is some artwork featuring my current pen-ink lineup:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2015 by Bookman

[Inkysloth]

See, that's what annoys me about 'stone paper' - that sticker saying 'no trees, no water, no bleach' like it's some miraculous nature-derived environmentally neutral product.

 

It's polyethylene. One of the most common plastics that clogs up landfills, unless it's specifically made to degrade in air, which means you've got a notebook that will start to crumble in a year or two.

[civil]

I have an Oxford stone paper notebook, bought in the USA at a local Walgreens pharmacy. I stopped using it because I was concerned it would wear on the tipping eventually, because it doesn't really absorb ink (no ink I tried it will bleed through it), yet it is not like writing on a shiny magazine surface (it actually dries faster, though not by a lot), and because it never really felt totally smooth with any of my pens, I would not call the feeling "slightly pleasant feedback" as with some paper, more like writing on extremely fine powder or sand.

 

Recently I bought 12,000 grit micromesh. It occurs to me that stone paper could be used as a final step after using micromesh, because it is slightly smoother than 12,000 grit, yet I can tell it is not paper when I write with it.

 

Has anyone tried it using it for that purpose? Micromesh wears out fairly quickly, but stone paper is very resilient, even when completely soaked, so I was wondering.

 

A side note: a circa franklin covey planner I have, resists fountain pen ink a whole lot more than either stone paper and shiny surfaces, several of my pens will actually stop writing on that paper, but write just fine on stone paper.

Edited March 6, 2015 by civil

[europen]

I've got a notebook of 'stone paper' -- NOT for fountain pens.

 

I spent many hours experimenting and testing nibs, inks, pen types -- only one or two of my ink pens will write on it, and then with difficulty -- slow, painful strokes, the ink smearing, taking three or four minutes to dry; in fact Aurora Blue used in my Montegrappa Extra is still wet, I'll bet, after three months or so. I still can't turn the page. (Using the less flexible nib on the Aurora Optima was more efficient, but the effort wasn't worth it as I can barely read the lettering.)

 

Perhaps for spheroid pens (aka "ball points")...but...

 

No, as my old second grade teacher used to say; No. Not for fountain pens, and I will not buy one of these again; despite the attractive feel of the paper, smooth and glossy, and the uniqueness of the idea (limestone and gypsum flakes in a mush, heat dried, as opposed to the cellulose of plants) -- no, it isn't for me.

 

I won't bother to post images of the writing samples I made in the notebook as the OP's more than testify.

[europen]

I've just noticed -- the poster of the samples above was Bookman, not the OP. Sorry about that. But the samples still speak for themselves.

 

The notebook I bought maintains it is chiefly limestone from quarries and waste sites, blended with resins. Whether these are plant resins or petroleum-based isn't indicated.

[Inkysloth]

I've found info that some stone paper is made of photodegradable PE - so once it's seen sunlight, it'll start to break down. I have seen photodegradable PE after a couple of years & it becomes little crumbly flakes.

 

So don't bother writing anything you want to keep for posterity in one.