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Feather-Resistant Inks on Terrible Paper


bunnspecial

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Unfortunately, unless I'm buying out of pocket, I'm stuck for a lot of work purposes with what has to be the absolute worst copy paper in existence. I'm pretty sure it could double as watercolor paper or blotter paper.

 

I've been hunting in vain, especially now that I'm back in the office full time, for something that will work on this. I've resigned that I can't use my preferred B+ nibs, and even Ms are iffy. I've mostly been using vintage XF and finer nibs on it.

 

In the past, I tried Noodler's X-Feather, and used it in a couple of Pilots(since sold). I tried it in a CH92 F and an EF Vanishing Point.They didn't fare any better.

 

Iron galls have always been part of my standard stable of ink, although Pelikan and Montblanc(Midnight Blue) have been my main ones. They've never behave well.

 

The other day, I tried what I was sure would work-Diamine Registrar's in an Fine Parker 51. Still no luck-even it writes wide enough that I can't use it for some purposes.

 

Have I exhausted my possibilities? I can try a drier writing pen-most of mine are German and American and tend to write moderately to very wet, although the 51 I'm using with Registrar's now is one of my driest ones.

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Try Sailor Kiwaguro.

 

3 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

In the past, I tried Noodler's X-Feather, and used it in a couple of Pilots(since sold). I tried it in a CH92 F and an EF Vanishing Point.They didn't fare any better.

 

Well, unless you want to send me a small stack of that specific paper to test, I can't really say whether this ink or that will exhibit noticeable (to the point of being distracting and/or annoying, and I've always considered feathering the worst ‘sin’ in inks) feathering, coming out of a ‘Japanese Fine’ nib or finer.

 

I'll say that I've written legibly on facial tissues, just on a lark, using an EF-nibbed Rotring 400 filled with Noodler's Ink X-Feather. Sometimes the ink may react with the sizing/coating on a particular type of paper, and cause it to exhibit worse spreading and feathering than any number of other inks, but that is quite rare.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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4 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

Try Sailor Kiwaguro.

 

 

Well, unless you want to send me a small stack of that specific paper to test, I can't really say whether this ink or that will exhibit noticeable (to the point of being distracting and/or annoying, and I've always considered feathering the worst ‘sin’ in inks) feathering, coming out of a ‘Japanese Fine’ nib or finer.

 

I'll say that I've written legibly on facial tissues, just on a lark, using an EF-nibbed Rotring 400 filled with Noodler's Ink X-Feather. Sometimes the ink may react with the sizing/coating on a particular type of paper, and cause it to exhibit worse spreading and feathering than any number of other inks, but that is quite rare.

 

PM me your address and I will do so. I think international letter post isn't terribly expensive.

 

In this particular case, it's a "perfect storm" of actually needing to write fine lines on it because of forms and the like that I need to fill out that are printed on it.

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I'm in the US, do you happen to know what the paper is? I could maybe order a bit of it and do some testing with some of my inks. I'm surprised that you say that the IG inks don't work for you, as I've had tremendously good luck using those on just about anything. 

 

It would also be helpful to know just how small you need to write on this paper. 

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Alright, here are some requested photos of the paper, writing samples, and just how small I need to write. Although the last only shows check marks, I do sometimes(often) need to write notes also. I’ve shown writing samples next to Rhodia 80gsm. Also note the ghosting and bleed through 

D55B3E4E-9FFA-441B-A5B3-F298E82D44DD.jpeg

0C0C8BFC-A430-44D6-96B5-ECC69963895B.jpeg

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“Acid-free for archival permanence”? Cute.

 

Looking at the terrible feathering and spreading, I think I had a Muji notebook heavy on recycled paper content that did pretty much that; every Pilot Iroshizuku ink and a whole bunch of others I tried writing with on it produced that kinda of result. I'm not sure if I still have that notebook around in a pile of junk somewhere; it just wasn't worth the eyesore to use it instead of throwing $4 away.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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7 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

“Acid-free for archival permanence”? Cute.

 

Looking at the terrible feathering and spreading, I think I had a Muji notebook heavy on recycled paper content that did pretty much that; every Pilot Iroshizuku ink and a whole bunch of others I tried writing with on it produced that kinda of result. I'm not sure if I still have that notebook around in a pile of junk somewhere; it just wasn't worth the eyesore to use it instead of throwing $4 away.

 

Am I just exaggerating because I've shifted over to mostly using good paper, or does it really look as bad as I claimed based on my photos?

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On account of the swelling round spots on both ends of some of your pen strokes, I'd say it really looks bad, as if you were touching the nib tip to a paper towel that was actively drawing ink out of the nib. The only line that I think looks acceptable is the one that reads, “51 XF Waterman Blue”.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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24 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

On account of the swelling round spots on both ends of some of your pen strokes, I'd say it really looks bad, as if you were touching the nib tip to a paper towel that was actively drawing ink out of the nib. The only line that I think looks acceptable is the one that reads, “51 XF Waterman Blue”.

 

Thank you for confirming my observations, and yes I can see it "blobbing" as I do things like slow down at the end of a stroke or change directions.

 

That exact pen and ink(51 XF, Waterman Blue) has been about the only thing I have reliably used. The XF 75/Lavender Purple isn't terrible either. The 51 writes a bit on the drier side, which I think helps.

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Wow.  That's some seriously awful paper. :)   I'm going through my absorbent paper tests.  The following are the best inks - keep in mind this is with a Japanese EF nib, and any of them could have gotten lucky with a good area on the paper...

  • R&K sketchINK Frieda wasn't too bad
  • " Emma was slightly worse
  • Sailor Seiboku (famous for being good on bad paper, was worse than Emma)
  • Lamy Blue Black was on par with the R&K inks
  • Akkerman #09 Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indigo also on par
  • Ditto Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu (which surprises me)
  • De Atramentis Document Black did about as good as Seiboku, but I couldn't get it to flow in my pen

I can confirm that ESS RI did worse than the above, as did Scabiosa - apparently I reviewed Salix before I started collecting this info.

 

The following were done before I started recording this info, but I think they might do OK:

  • R&K Salix, maybe (blues seem to do better than reds or purples)
  • Sailor Souboku (I use this on poor paper and it does well, but then so did Seiboku at work, but not as well on my puzzle paper, so...)
  • Kyo No Oto Aonibi - which is pretty dry, but that's not always a good predictor.
  • Pilot Blue Black - has a reputation for being OK on absorbent paper, but Pilot Blue didn't do well enough for me to mention here...

Awfully noteworthy:

  • Robert Oster Bronze did awful, but really, who cares? It's such a gorgeously murky ink! :D
  • Diamine Red Dragon did so badly that it looks fabulous - like a dragon set it on fire! :D
  • Diamine Oxblood appears to be bleeding (not through the paper, dripping blood)
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I routinely use awful paper at work and at times bring sheets at home where I test other inks.

 

The main problem with the paper is that it absorbs ink more than FP friendly paper.  As a result of this, lines are thicker and inks prone to feathering do show this weakness in spades.

 

The only way to tackle the line width problem is to use a finer tipped nib or a nib tuned to put down a dryer line.  I therefore use only F or EF nibs.  One exception was a medium italic nib on a Parker 51 that was quite dry.  It worked well with this low quality paper.  

 

I continue to be surprised at how well MontBlanc Permanent Black performs as an ink.  I switched to trying Platinum Carbon Black and noticed that this ink feathers although it provides an about identical ink flow to MontBlanc Permanent Black while using the same pen (Custom 823 with F nib). I will be going back to Montblanc Permanent Black when this current fill of ink finishes.  

 

Another ink that is quite resistant to feathering despite a thicker line on the paper, is Rohrer and Klingner's Dokumentus Black.  Robert Oster's Motor Oil is interestingly resistant to feathering.  I didn't expect this.  OTOH, Iroshizuku's Yama Guri feathers in spectacular fashion.

 

I suspect that Sailor Pigment inks would perform well.  I agree with @A Smug Dill on giving those inks a try.

 

All boring colours, but it's for work.

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I've seen this paper around and I can pick up a copy. I'd like to see how my pens and inks compare to your results. Your writing size isn't particularly small, as it looks like you're working with a 3.5 - 4.5mm x-height, which is pretty generous in terms of options. This could be fun! 

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I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Noodler's 2nd anti-feather ink, "True Blue" (lots of nicknames, see elsewhere). In my test of it, admittedly only a sample, it was not only a very nice sapphire blue, it was even better at not feathering than its black cousin. Worth a try, surely?

:) 

Stay safe,

Daneaxe

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I don't have a vast array of ink (just a few dozen).  I tend to use iron gall inks the most.  They are better behaved than many, but on really cheap paper even they are not the best.

 

The best I have for cheap paper is the standard Noodlers black.  It is not perfect, but it behaves quite well, and more often than not still ok on cheap paper.

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Have you tried writing with the nib upside-down? That will reduce significantly line width and ink flow and I've sometimes resorted to it on exceptional circumstances.

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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