Sailor Sei Boku And Smearing- How Bad Is It?

[KellyMcJ]

So I really want to give Sei Boku a try as an everyday ink. It's got everything going for it- gorgeous blue black, permant, and behaves flawlessly on cheap paper.

 

However, I've read that it smears when dry, especially on good paper (the best I use regularly is HP premium LaserJet which is uncoated). How big of an issue is this? I don't have easy access to a sample and a full bottle is quite a leap if it's going to be a smudgy mess on everything BUT cheap paper.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Well, quite simply, if you get 'flawless results' on cheap paper, then there's your answer: use uncoated high absorption paper.

 

And yet using those characteristics to navigate, one can find fine writing papers and watercolour papers that are not coated.

 

Another option is to pre-treat the surface of a coated paper with pounce, such as gum sandarac, climbers' chalk, pure talc, etc.

 

I most ofter use Psb on on Rhodia 80g or the Original Crown Mill 100% cotton. I pair Psb with rather low-flow pens as I adore the shading - no glistening wet line for yours truly.

 

Dry times on Rhodia are a bit longer than simple aniline dye inks, but as I work on loose single sheets, things go smoothly enough. (Some of the Noodler's cellulose-reactive inks are far more problematic.)

 

We await the replies of other Members, who I reckon will be along shortly to share...

 

Bye,

S1

Edited August 15, 2017 by Sandy1

[KellyMcJ]

Hi,

 

Well, quite simply, if you get 'flawless results' on cheap paper, then there's your answer: use uncoated high absorption paper.

 

And yet using those characteristics to navigate, one can find fine writing papers and watercolour papers that are not coated.

 

Another option is to pre-treat the surface of a coated paper with pounce, such as gum sandarac, climbers' chalk, pure talc, etc.

 

I most ofter use Psb on on Rhodia 80g or the Original Crown Mill 100% cotton. I pair Psb with rather low-flow pens as I adore the shading - no glistening wet line for yours truly.

 

Dry times on Rhodia are a bit longer than simple aniline dye inks, but as I work on loose single sheets, things go smoothly enough. (Some of the Noodler's cellulose-reactive inks are far more problematic.)

 

We await the replies of other Members, who I reckon will be along shortly to share...

 

Bye,

S1

See using pounce on all my paper is entirely too much effort...I am not doing art, or calligraphy. I'm looking for an everyday ink that can take whatever paper gets thrown at it without blinking and performs well in pens. I have enough "good paper only" inks. Pilot Namiki Blue Black does well enough (except for that time the paper was so bad it sucked all the ink out of the feed and stopped the nib from writing until I primed it). I keep looking for "better" of course...don't we all lol.

[KellyMcJ]

Oh I have discovered that Anderson Pens sells samples of Sailor inks, including Sei Boku! Nice. I can give it a go without shelling out for a full bottle.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Let us know of your experience.

 

Bye,

S1

[KellyMcJ]

I sure will! I'll give it a good test. It might be a while as I'm deciding what all to order LOL.

[lgsoltek]

I don't remember Sei-boku being a smear-prone ink, but it's been a long time since I've used it.

[lapis]

Hmm... mine doesn't smear at all. On any paper.

[KellyMcJ]

I don't remember Sei-boku being a smear-prone ink, but it's been a long time since I've used it.

 

 

Hmm... mine doesn't smear at all. On any paper.

 

Interesting. It may only be certain pens (really wet pens) on certain papers. Some Noodler's ink likes to smear when used in a dip pen...it just doesn't dry. But not under ordinary use in a fountain pen.

[lgsoltek]

Given Sei-boku is a waterproof nano-pigmented ink, I'd be surprised if it smears.

 

Some other dye-based Sailor inks though do smear (a lot?), e.g. Yama-dori.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Lgsoltek

[KellyMcJ]

Given Sei-boku is a waterproof nano-pigmented ink, I'd be surprised if it smears.

 

Some other dye-based Sailor inks though do smear (a lot?), e.g. Yama-dori.

 

I think it's probably due to the fact that it tends to sit on top of the paper (hence its non-feathering properties that are so beloved). I read about the smearing in reviews, but didn't know how bad it was. But then, people are fond of using very high quality, possibly coated papers as well. I'm not.

[KellyMcJ]

I ordered a bottle, we'll see how it likes my Wing Sung 698 (or if it winds up in one of the 618s that's on its way to me). I'm not too worried about that because Sailor inks have excellent flow properties.

[Sandy1]

Hmm... mine doesn't smear at all. On any paper.

 

 

Hi,

 

Good to know!

 

In some of my early Ink Reviews I ran Smear/Dry Time samples on postcard stock and that used for magazines. After a while I realised that the specs of the coating were far too variable to be representative. I could only indicate that 'this ink on this paper gives this result', which was unlikely to be repeated, hence misleading/useless WOMBAT.

 

Your experience with Psb seems to indicate that results are uniform across papers, which is incredibly encouraging.

 

Perhaps it is the nature of the nano inks that they get 'entangled' in the coating, rather than trying to bond with it as would a cellulose-reactive ink, or penetrate it as would an aniline dye ink. Ah, sailing the inky seas is an adventure...

 

Bye,

S1

[AndyYNWA]

I have had some minor smearing issues on coated paper (think it was Oxford Optik), but on normal copy paper you shouldn't worry.

 

It's as fantastic ink!

Edited August 17, 2017 by AndyYNWA

[Algester]

the only time inks like this smear on me is if I write over them while using a Pilot Parallel... of course as a lefty it comes with the package... ohh the bane of italic writing

[fjoly79]

Is Sailor Sei-boku a permanent ink? I was looking for one, but aware that permanent inks can damage pens. I trust Sailor more than Noodlers which I avoid because of bad reviews on them. Anybody here have an opinion on Sailer permanent inks?

[KellyMcJ]

Is Sailor Sei-boku a permanent ink? I was looking for one, but aware that permanent inks can damage pens. I trust Sailor more than Noodlers which I avoid because of bad reviews on them. Anybody here have an opinion on Sailer permanent inks?

Permanent inks only damage pens if they aren't cared for. They are higher maintenance inks.

 

I'll be putting it in an inexpensive pen anyway, and one that's easily disassembled for cleaning.

[AndyYNWA]

Is Sailor Sei-boku a permanent ink? I was looking for one, but aware that permanent inks can damage pens. I trust Sailor more than Noodlers which I avoid because of bad reviews on them. Anybody here have an opinion on Sailer permanent inks?

Yes, it's permanent. A nano pigment ink.

If you clean you pen properly every 2-3 times you fill it, it's no problem. But it takes longer to clean than standard inks.

[KellyMcJ]

My bottle arrived and I inked up a never used (but flushed) Wing Sung 618. The jury is still out on how well I like it but so far, I'm happy with its behavior.

 

I can't smear the dry ink on what's probably the best paper I'm likely to encounter. Behavior on the World's Worst Paper is ok. It still bleeds and shows through, but writing isn't a race against time to prevent blobs in my letters. On this paper, I think that's the best one hopes for.

 

We'll see over the next week or so how it behaves in the pen.

[lgsoltek]

My only problem with Sei-boku is the staining. Apart from that it's perfect.