Best Writing Instrument For Annotating Books?

[mercurius]

I have some books I need to annotate. Basically they're in another language and I want to write in the translations as I look them up. The problem is that the paper is poor quality.

 

What do you use to annotate texts? I normally use FPs, but the paper won't take the ink (would bleed).

 

In the past I have used propelling pencil, but it fades / cuts paper (if lead is too hard) or smudges (if lead is too soft). Have also used ballpoint (but ink is quite harsh on the page).

 

Please share your experience / preferences / advice on what works best for your annotating.

[jthole]

Personally I would still go with pencil ... if only because you can erase that in the future.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

For the most part I suggest using an iron-gall or nano particle ink to deal with naughty_word paper.

 

However if the paper is nigh on impossible, another option would be to use Post-It Notes cut to size or labels with a suitable temporary adhesive. As you learn the language, those could be removed without damaging the original book.

 

Bye,

S1

[mercurius]

Personally I would still go with pencil ... if only because you can erase that in the future.

b

 

What lead hardness though? And how to avoid cutting paper, fade and smudging as mentioned in OP?

[mercurius]

Hi,

 

For the most part I suggest using an iron-gall or nano particle ink to deal with naughty_word paper.

 

However if the paper is nigh on impossible, another option would be to use Post-It Notes cut to size or labels with a suitable temporary adhesive. As you learn the language, those could be removed without damaging the original book.

Bye,

S1

Thanks. Any makes of these inks you recommend? Have read somewhere that iron gall ink damages pens. And never heard of nanoparticle ink. Post it are sensible in principle, but feel they would easily fall out - particularly with the no of words I have to look up!

[dogpoet]

A slightly soft pencil lead might avoid the problems with fading and smudging you mentioned in the OP, if you were alternating a well hard drafting lead and a very soft artists pencil, at least. I'm told that coloured pencils are more prone to smearing than normal pencils, so those would be worth avoiding as well. Maybe a B, or even a HB would work better? I'm assuming you'd want to tend towards a slightly soft, rather than a slightly hard, pencil as that's less likely to damage the paper, and it's also going to be darker, which should make it a lot more legible when you have to read back the notes.

[Sandy1]

Thanks. Any makes of these inks you recommend? Have read somewhere that iron gall ink damages pens. And never heard of nanoparticle ink. Post it are sensible in principle, but feel they would easily fall out - particularly with the no of words I have to look up!

 

Hi,

 

For one new to iron-gall inks, I reckon R&K Salix is a good place to start.

 

I've been using I-G inks for quite some time with nary a problem. Indeed, when I was gifted with a MB149 it came bundled with a bottle of I-G ink.

 

If you're writing in a compact hand suitable for marginalia, then you might consider a Pilot Penmanship, which has an impressive very narrow nib. The cap seal on that pen is very good, which goes a long way to avoiding dry-out of the ink when the pen is not in use. (I often rinse the cap with water before stowing the pen - the humidity inside the cap also forestalls nib dry-out.)

 

Oh, if you decide to work with pencil, using a fixative should help avoid fade/smearing.

e.g. http://www.dickblick.com/products/lascaux-fine-art-fixative/

 

Bye,

S1

[majorworks]

I like mechanical pencils for the erasability factor. I guess you have to find the right balance between paper quality and lead hard/softness. I tend to favor B and even 2B for most uses in book annotation.

[Algester]

soft leads can really smudge so I would probably say something like HB-B

this scenario is what I feel at best to use a pencil .5 mechanical pencils should be able to handle this situation the more modern leads are more smudge resistant so times really have changed

get the nano-dia from uni or the Pentel Ainstein leads

http://www.jetpens.com/Uni-NanoDia-Low-Wear-Pencil-Lead-0.5-mm-B/pd/3740

http://www.jetpens.com/Pentel-Stein-Enhanced-Silica-Pencil-Lead-0.5-mm-B/pd/5932

just posting on what these leads look like the Pilot is kinda ok I guess but mm...

[Wendell]

I've long given up on using FPs for annotating, since the absorbence of modern paper doesn't allow sufficiently precise writing. If you normally use FPs, your writing may be larger than mine, so take that into consideration.

I use mechanical pencils for books, since erasability is important. All hardnesses of lead erase about the same, although softer leads do smudge more. What determines erasability is how much of an indentation was made when writing. It is a myth that graphite fades, but it does wear away from abrasion. So, a 0.3 mm lead will put a deep line that doesn't smudge and is impossible to completely obliterate. When erasability is essential, I use as large a lead and as light a pressure as I can get away with. For hardness, I've found B to be the best balance between smudging and having to press hard. Pentel leads have the best overall quality.

BTW, for a good eraser, the Pilot Foam does the best job without damaging the paper. The Tombow Mono and Pentel Ain erasers are almost as good. All three are significantly better than the Staedtler Mars white eraser, which burnishes the paper and tends to take up some print as well.

Colored MP lead is almost smudge proof, but you must press much harder to get a good line. The leads are also fragile and don't glide well, so it's hard to write precisely. I've found the darkest colored 0.5 mm MP leads to be those from Staedtler.

When erasability is not important, I use one of the drier gel pens. I found the Uniball Signo DX to be best. The 0.28 size is a surprisingly smooth writer for such a narrow tip. The Pilot Juice series also works well. Both lines have a very wide range of colors to choose from. The Signo line has a particularly nice green and a bolder than average red.

[Brianm_14]

I take the emipricist approach, and keep a "stable" of quality pencils of various hardnesses on hand, trying them out on the different books I annotate. (They are lovely to play with anyway!). One or two always seem to be a decent compromise between smudging and clarity. I tend to like a very sharp, slightly harder lead than the standard pencil, and write with a light hand. But the choice depends largely on the paper.

 

In mechanical (propelling) pencils, the Uni Kura Toga might be a great choice, because it continually rotates the point. But I would not rule out a good gel pen, if you are comfortable with permanence.

 

If you use "Post-it" type notes in a book, it is worth finding a product intended for just that purpose. The regular adhesive can form a too-tight a bond over time, and not part cleanly from the page.

[shea2812]

If I have the same requirement I would got for Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38 in brown. Its fines precise and the color vibrant. For a pencil I would either choose Pentel Graph600 or Pentel Libretto. Fixed sleeve lay graphite on paper better. Reason why my kuru toga doesnt get much use. I find wobbly sleeve or cone don't lay graphite on paper that well. For pencil I generally use 0.5mm Pilot Eno 4B or eno-G 4B if I can find them but they are not that widely available around here. Much less Neox series. I have found that eno-G lead are much smoother than Pentel Ain of the same grade. There is some smudging issue but not to the extent that you cannot read what have written and with the soft 4B writing is effortless. That was Libretto to me. It makes writing a pleasure. Writing something like annotations with Graph600 requires more control.

Now I am beginning to see why those classic shape of Yard O led still is being made and selling even though at stratospheric prices. The lower part of the barrel of the Libretto right down to the tip that house the lead sleeve is akin to that classic shape. It allows you a better view on your work area. The brushed steel that I have does have issue with dry skin though as I have just discovered when I loaned the pencil to a friend. Its something that I will keep in mind when recommending pencils or pen to anyone.

Edited November 21, 2015 by shea2812

[haruka337]

Franklin-Christoph in a fine or extra fine nibbed fountain pen.

[elysee]

Pencils are nice since you can erase your annotations. Otherwise, it is nice to use a ballpoint with a refill containing ink that will not smear or bleed through the pages.

[sakayume]

Personally, I would use a pencil as well.

 

But have you tried a Pilot G-Tec-C4? I use one with a 0.4mm to do the crossword (printed on rubbish paper), and don't notice any feathering or bleed through. There's also a 0.3mm refill (as well as a 0.5mm, though if paper is an issue I'd be inclined to pick the thinnest nib/refill I can find). Plus they come in all sorts of colours. I'm using a pink refill at the moment.

Edited January 5, 2016 by candide

[Zookie]

I use a 0.7 hb lead when making notes in my Bible and have never had a problem.

The paper used in most Bibles is very thin and notoriously prone to tearing.

[Shaggy]

If the books are precious and I want to preserve them, I write in pencil on loose slips of acid-free paper and slip them between the pages.

 

Otherwise I used Post It notes.

[Icywolfe]

Use Noodler's invis ink with a PO nib pen. So you can pretend it's a clean book and resell it at a higher cost. PO nib because it's a thin line and very smooth so no possible way of ripping the paper.