Ink Bleeding Through Envelope

[caliken]

In the past, I have overcvome this problem by writing with diluted Artist's Acrylic paint which seemed to feather less and is waterproof.

 

Also, I got good results with diluted Gouache paint, mixing in a little Artists Universal medium which rendered it waterproof and helped produce a sharper line.

 

Ken

[wallylynn]

how does pounce stop feathering? I thought it was to sop up wet ink. Isn't it too late by the time you sprinkle on the powder?

[schin]

After a trip to the store and an eventful weekend, I am happy to report back with many successes.

 

I bought some liquid acrylic in a bottle, but it turned out too thick, so I added some water and it works fine. But I have to apply it with a brush, which is a hassle.. and have to work fast before it dries. Maybe it's the wrong kind of acrylic.

 

The gouache also works great but I don't like the hassle of squeezing out the paint from a tube, mixing and finding a bottle for it. I'm so lazy

 

I also bought sumi ink which is now my favorite black ink. It is feather thin (even thinner than Higgins Eternal) and leaves a lovely glossy sheen.

 

Now I use the Winsor and Newton calligraphy ink bottle, it is thick enough and I just transferred the ink into a eyedropper bottle. Works great.

 

I did buy gum arabic but did not use it on anything, because I found my best solution was the pounce. I found a tin of it for about $5 and rubbed some on the lousy paper until it 'soaks' into the paper evenly. Then I wrote over it and the ink behaved so much better. I tried it with all kinds of paper and it seems to improve it. The only problem now is that sometimes I spread too much pounce that the nib starts to collect the little powder particles on upstrokes, so I have to clean it much more. But that is a small price to pay for much less feathering. I attached some photos.

 

Here is a practice envelope, the top is without pounce and the bottom is with pounce: The difference!

 

Here is the image of my project, almost finished: The pounce does make the red envelope a little powdery though

 

Thanks for all your help!

[AD356]

Thanks for sharing. The difference looks much improved I can't see any feathering on the bottom part. The other envelopes look beautiful. The red and white is a great color combo.

[Tessy Moon]

This thread was incredibly helpful! Thank you to everyone for contributing!

 

I am having trouble with my envelopes bleeding all over the place. I have made a few of my own envelopes, but it is time consuming and not practical for all the time.

 

I am wondering what exactly is "pounce" and where can I get it?

 

Is this similar?

 

http://www.paperinkarts.com/pumice.html

 

Also, does anyone have suggestions of good envelopes to use with dip pens?

 

Thank you very much!

[Randal6393]

Pounce is a powder, used to prepare paper and parchment for taking ink. Most pounces rely on gum sandarac, mixed with an abrasive sometimes. Can't say if the pumice powder is the same or has any gum sandarac in it. However, Paper, Ink, and Arts sells gum sandarac, straight, in several amounts and forms. PI&A doesn't list any pounce directly, so I would buy the gum sandarac instead of the pumice powder. Most listings for pumice powder list it as an abrasive, not as an ink preparer.

 

Historically, pounce was made of powdered cuttlefish bone, can't find it for sale nowadays. But, gum sandarac is readily available.

 

As far as envelopes for use with dip pens, would get one or two envelopes that I was considering using and would do a trial run before buying.

 

Best of luck to you, Tessy Moon

[Tessy Moon]

Thank you Randal for the help! I appreciate you taking the time to respond to me!

 

I was able to find the gum sandarac at PI&A and will get some of that instead. I didn't think the pumice was the right thing, but I didn't know what else to search for. Thank you for teaching me!

 

The hard thing is with most envelopes you have to be a huge box of them or a small amount of really expensive envelopes (at least online, which is where I do almost all of my hobby shopping; there are no fountain pen/dip pen/calligraphy stores anywhere near me that I am aware of). I don't have time or money to waste on things I am not going to use. So it is rather difficult for me to know what will work without taking the risk of buying a large box or just spending the money on really expensive envelopes that I know will work. I am trying to hand fold my own envelopes; and while they are nice, it is not really practical to hand fold my own envelope every time I want to mail something.

 

If there is someplace where I can get a couple envelopes (and papers) to test out that would be amazing! I don't know of anyplace like that though so suggestions are welcomed!

[Intellidepth]

Tessy, you may also wish to try xanthan.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/283167-glitteratipearlmica-and-e415/?p=3262803

 

It does, however, need to be initially sheared at high speed with distilled water to create the concentrate using something like a Bamix.

 

Use on an as-needs basis to alter ink to your preferred consistency (although 0.5mL in 4.5mL fp inks has worked for my dip pen). I've posted photos elsewhere to show the difference under a loupe. Essentially increases viscosity allowing for thinner hairlines and very little/no feathering on awful papers. Ignore the comments about lustre and glitter in the thread - the principle of voscosity change still applies. I mix it as required. Haven't tried freezing batches of it yet for later thawed use.

[Randal6393]

Yep, I had a project like that a few years ago -- needed 100 envelopes and sheets for my daughter's wedding. Went around to various printers, stationery stores, etc., and accumulated sheets of paper for trial. Eliminated a lot of papers that wouldn't work. Then I found a little Chinese-ran shop in DC that would fold paper into envelopes for me. And, surprise! They also had the Chinese wedding symbol in gold to stamp onto the stationery. So I was able to do the traditional Copperplate invitation with the gold symbol on the back. Along with lovely white envelopes, two per invite, properly nested. Made my daughter cry with happiness.

 

Best of luck, Tessy Moon

[Tessy Moon]

Intellidepth ~ Wow! That sounds like quite a project! At this time I don't have the time or energy to be up to something like that, but I followed the thread so I can keep it in mind for future reference. It definitely sounds interesting!

 

At the moment I really want simplicity - either a paper/envelope that doesn't bleed or some simple solution I can just add to the paper or ink. Quick and simple.

 

I have been researching and practicing different methods of folding paper into envelopes and came upon one version I really like. It is quick, easy, no cutting needing, and I think will hold up well through mailing. I think using paper I know is good is less of a hassle, I just have to get the envelope making thing down pat so I can make them quickly without too much concern.

 

If anyone is interested, here is the simple and easy instructions I followed:

 

http://www.ghh.com/media/elf_media/basic_lf_386.gif

 

I like the basic letterfold. I just tuck the bottom fold into the top and you can secure it however you want. I currently use tape or glue. I want to get a wax seal from Nostalgic Impressions to secure it; I think that would look really pretty.

There are too many items on my wish list, lol!

[Intellidepth]

Yes, do the wax! I love wax seals! The nicest wax I've used is the scottish-recipe wax safe for postage from Custom Seals. It goes a long way despite the small looking stick size. Thanks for posting the pics of how to fold the envelopes.

[Tessy Moon]

Randal ~ That sounds like it turned out beautifully! Weddings are so special and you want everything to be just right...I am glad the invitations you made were just lovely!

 

There is one sore in town that sells paper but they are open hours I can't go; I wish they were open in the evenings or on weekends. Maybe someday i find some way to get there and see what papers they have....

 

Sometimes a local Office Depot/Staples or something of that sort will have papers you can buy and try for cheap, but their selection of fountain pen/dip pen friendly papers is quite limited the times I have gone.

 

I have been looking at the Via Classic Crest Smooth paper and envelopes because they are quite affordable on Amazon. But I don't know the quality of these particular ones. I have tried some Via papers, and they were quite good, but I think they were a different line of Via papers.

[Tessy Moon]

I love the color of the berry wax at Nostalgic Impressions, but they only have it in glue gun format (which I am so not going to do! I want the old time wax stick or something similar.)

I contacted them and they said they were getting the berry in the wax bead format in April, so I am waiting until then to order the wax stuff (you get free shipping when you spend $30!) I already know which handle and seal I want too.

 

I have seen pictures of J Herbin Burgundy wax seals and some photos make it look more purple (like I want) and then some photos show it more red and true burgundy. I am so particular on color, and I do not want they regular burgundy, I want the purple-berry type color.

 

I have not tired any wax seals yet, so hopefully I can get the hang of it easily enough. I think it will add a lovely deeper element to my letters.

 

As for the envelope folding - I have tried more than a dozen different formats, from folding a whole sheet of paper to printing off a template and cutting, etc. This format is by far my favorite in everything - simplicity, ease, speed, and the end result. I only wish I had larger paper to make the envelope larger. Another thing to add to my list, lol!

[Tessy Moon]

Is this the Scottish wax you talked of?

 

http://www.customwaxnseals.net/sealing-wax/

 

 

 

There is also some here:

 

http://www.letterseals.com/scottish-sealing-wax.html#.VRB9HPzF-So

Edited March 23, 2015 by Tessy Moon

[Randal6393]

Hi, Tessy Moon,

 

Hmmm ... where did I see an unusual folding technique not long ago? Oh, yes, His Nibs has a way of folding a note and sealing it with a wax stamp! It's either on his website (www.hisnibs.com) or in a thread here on FPN. Results in an envelope with a rectangular center and two triangles on the end.

 

If you are looking for information on wax seals, check out the videos on Goulet Pens websites. Brian Goulet went nuts over seals a few years ago and accumulated a lot of information about them.

 

Best of luck,