Best Ink For Pilot Kakuno?

[Frank123]

Hello, I recently purchased a Pilot Kakuno and I love it. It was the fine nib. The only thing that I'm not crazy about it that I find it tends to feather a bit. Is there any recommended inks I could try for less feathering? I'm assuming part of it has to due with it being a rather wet write. And help is appreciated. Thank you

[LizEF]

 

Unless you by chance have an ink that is particularly feathery, it's more likely the paper. What ink are you using now? (If the cartridge that came with it, that's not a feathery ink, especially out of a fine nib - at least not in my experience.) What kind of paper are you using? Some popular paper brands are:

• Rhodia
• Black n' Red
• Clairefontaine
• Tomoe River
• Apica

[Frank123]

@LizEF

Bummer. It is the cartridge that came with it. I'm using 32lb HP paper. The feathering isn't terrible, but it makes it rather difficult to write small without the letters with holes in them (a's, e's, o's, etc).

[Shaggy]

I'd try the pilot blue, which IME feathers less than the black.

 

Also, use laser jet paper, not ink jet. Everything feathers on ink jet paper.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Shaggy

[Frank123]

@Shaggy

Thanks for the suggestion! And I believe the paper is laserjet.

[LizEF]

Frank, if it is LaserJet paper, I'm kinda surprised, but, FWIW, I've got 24lb HP LaserJet paper here, and have written on it with pretty much every pen and ink I have, and unless I let the nib rest against the paper long enough for it to bleed out, I don't get feathering (that I recall). At the moment, my Kakuno (F) has R&K Solferino in it and it does just fine on that paper. Pilot black from a Penmanship (XF) is fine on it (even "flexing" as much as that nib will only goes woolly). FWIW.

[Frank123]

@LizEF

Does a paper with a lower lb perform better than a paper with higher lb? From what I've seen, people have been able to wrote rather small with no problems with their kakuno's but when I do it all runs together. I'm going to get a con-50, so are there any inks you recommend that are able to written rather small with?

[LizEF]

@LizEF

Does a paper with a lower lb perform better than a paper with higher lb? From what I've seen, people have been able to wrote rather small with no problems with their kakuno's but when I do it all runs together. I'm going to get a con-50, so are there any inks you recommend that are able to written rather small with?

 

No, the opposite should be true, but it's not just the weight, it's also the coating. That's why "LaserJet" is good and "InkJet" is bad.

 

The drier the ink, the smaller you can write, probably. Search the forums for dry inks in your preferred colors (there are discussions on what inks are dry - Pelikan 4001 inks are famous for it).