Non-Feathering Paper

[Pendimonium]

I just got a sample of Tomoe River paper and am stunned that the ink does not feather at all on it. Before this paper, I didn't even realize how bad all other paper is - that I've tried. I did not think Triomphe causes feathering, but now looking closely at the lines, it is all over the place.

 

So on a second look, I also noticed feathering on all the other papers I own: Apica Premium, Maruman, Rhodia, Franklin-Christoph. And they all fail in other categories too in my view, but I digress.

 

One thing I don't like about Tomoe River though is - surprise - the thickness. It shows through the next two pages and creases easily, making it not very nice to handle and look at. Though writing on it feels awesome! It's the smoothest, non-glassy paper I have ever written on.

 

So I know there's probably no answer to this, but is there a Tomoe River like paper that is

• feather-resistant
• a minimum of 80gsm thick
• available in close-to-white color
• very smooth but not glassy (should at least best Triomphe)

that I could try? Why is this so hard?

[Bo Bo Olson]

I don't have your problem....which may well be from using a 10X loupe instead of a Honking Big magnifying glass. Mine is 1 1/4" thick x 3"x4" or 2.7x7D/250 That is why you have 'feathering' on Rhoda or Clairefontaine Triumph. IMO.....or you are using one hell of a wet ink....like Noodlers.

All inks on all papers feather/woolly line with a 10X loupe.

 

There is a big difference between feathering and a woolly line. Feathering is everywhere....a woolly line is noticed where the letter thins, like the tail of an e. A bit of roughness to the line***. If it takes magnification of a Honking Big magnifying glass to see that then it's ok.

*** paper structure....even though that would be considered a nice clean line with a magnifying glass.

 

Being OCD....I developed a 'system' a while back

 

BEF= bare eyed feathering/wooly line from a sitting position. Ink and or paper has to go...paper to the printer. Ink into a narrow dry pen....Waterman? Are Japanese pens dryer than Waterman pens?

NEF, near eye feathering/wooly line. ....a woolly line can be lived with....again a paper for the printer.....and looking how to dry an ink by adding water or something. Again a skinny nib of a dry pen.

Mag F...feathering/woolly line under magnification.... If just a woolly line, a good ink, buy again. Good paper

NO-MAG no feathering/wooly great ink. Stockpile the ink, buy it on the black market; smuggle it in. Great paper also.

Of course all that depends on your papers.

 

I've only tried some 5 Herbin inks; all that I've tried shade, have a clean line and don't woolly line much. . Try Lie de Thee` first, a nice light brown ink; Cafe des Ills is darker.

Pelikan 4001 inks the same (don't buy the red). MB inks are good inks too.

Waterman Caribbean Sea has some new stupid name but it is a nice shading turquoise. The old Havana Brown don't shade; so I never bought any.

 

R&K inks are good a good clean line with no or little woolly line.....and that on basic good 90g laser papers.

 

Papers....Gmund 'Beige Blanc' in 120g is perfect, in I liked the feel of the second best paper the 170g, pushed that button. E40 for 50 sheets.

 

I have Southworth papers, but after I found out they are laser and ink jet never really tested them in they had to have a compromise.

Much of a decade ago I was in the States for a month on business, and finally found some good name papers, the Southworth ones.....and grabbed one of each....6 or 7 of them.

 

The only thing I can think of why you have 'feathering' on Rhoda and Triumphe is you are using a 10x or better loupe.........

On that 120 g Gmund, I have inks that show a woolly line or 'feathering, that don't show up with the big magnifying glass.

R&K Alt gold is good even with a 10X loupe.DA Moss green is good to go.

Cffe de Illes shows a slight wooly line

Le de the` if one looks hard enough some letters have a slight woolly line.

R&K Scaboisa...was in a superflex Waterman 52 and has a touch of woolly line.Which could be expected with a superlex nib.

Even Pelikan Amethyst and Aquamarine show a woolly line in a 10X loupe.

10X loupe is too strong.

 

I find I have a whole Zander's paper sample pack that has not been tested.

Well, as soon as I clean up enough pens to have 17 pens inked....like normal....I should do that.

 

A glossy paper like a Avery Zweckform 120g glossy might do. (Color laser)....but I don't have that or any Zweckform on my list to buy again papers.. I also have it in 170g matt.........the only reason I still have them is my laser printer is an antique with out the built in low limit of paper use....and the poor old thing just don't eat thick paper any more.

Well the 120 G just passed the 10X loupe test of 8 inks...Two EF and the rest a mix of semi-vintage and vintage F and M's. ....I'll have to change my mind on that paper.

Good thing I got 1/2 that package left.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Pendimonium]

Well, maybe I shouldn't have called it feathering. It's much less annoying than on cheap paper. It's just that the lines on Tomoe River are perfectly crisp. No need for a loop, it's perfectly obvious once you've seen the ink on Tomoe paper.

 

Jetpens has an excellent playlist were you can see this clearly, for a few different papers:

 

I grabbed a screenshot of Tomoe River and Clairfontaine Triomphe. See the difference in crispness?

 

 

I use Diamine Inks and Aurora Black.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Pendimonium

[Pendimonium]

Thanks Bo Bo, I will try some of the inks you mentioned. My unscientific gut feeling though is that it's more of a paper thing. It seems on Tomoe, the ink stops immediately when touching the paper, while on others there is a little spread causing the woolly line you mentioned.

 

I will look into that Gmund Blanc Beige paper, thanks.

[Bo Bo Olson]

More than I'd expected using Aurora black...and it's not as black as I'd expect.

I don't have Aurora black...have the blue. Some day I'll buy Aurora black just to say I have some, but still have 1/2 the bottle of Pelikan black....it and the 4001 blue were the first inks I bought when I came back to fountain pens about a decade ago.

I have no need of a black ink.

 

Both are Woolly lines and what are you using to magnify them? Major woolly line!

Edited December 2, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's what the paper is coated with that matters, if it is and how much.

Then came the day when dividends were worthless, and bosses no longer took stock options as pay...so coating paper for a few fountain pen nuts had nothing to do with the bottom line.....what is my this year bonus.

 

When I came back to fountain pens after 40 and more years a Ball Point Barbarian, I found lodged in my Zanders bond paper*** 12 sheets of a cheap '70's writing block......it was and is perfect.

 

It was a cheap pad I bought as a beer gussling Barbarian, who wouldn't waste money on 'paper'...why? My ball point wrote on them just on any of fine.

I have 8 sheets left. The coating is what makes it so good. If only there was a watermark I could hunt it down.....but no such luck.

 

 

***Even I knew Bond paper was too good to shove in a Zuki daisy wheel printer, so it lay at the bottom of things for decades. Could be I'd write a letter, and I did have stuck away somewhere a P-75 do do it properly..........I was a one pen man for decades.....half of them it was at the bottom of the pile or the other half locked up in my wife's jewelry prison.

[Pendimonium]

Taking a second look, Aurora Black feathers a tiny bit less than the Diamines I tried, but still not as good as on Tomoe. Btw. strange but the backside of Triomphe seems to cause a bit less feathering than the front.

 

I have eagle eyes because I try to avoid white computer screens and long exposure to daylight. Instead I train my sight by looking at websites in high contrast using Dark Read Chrome extension and tiny fonts.

[senzen]

I've seen no feathering with Triomphe, Clairefontaine notebooks, Rhodia, HP 32lbs, Fabriano, Tomoe River, with J Herbin, Iroshizuku, Diamine, Edelstein, Stipula, Rohrer & Klingner, with nibs ranging from Japanese EF to wet F and M european nibs. I don't break out the macro lens to check though.