I'm Freaking Out. Or Not?

[TassoBarbasso]

Ok... I'm seriously freaking out. Or not?

 

Sometimes when I use some kinds of cheap copy paper in the office, I get the impression that my pens become more scratchy! I don't mean that they feel more scratchy on some kinds of paper, that's normal. I mean: they write fine on paper 1, then I use cheap copy paper 2 to write a couple of notes, then I go back to paper 1 and they feel scratchy, ink flow is poorer...

 

This always happens with cheap, uncoated papers that have a kinda "chalky", "powdery" feeling. Has anyone ever experienced anything similar?? Is it possible that a paper alters the performance of a nib? I've read somewhere that some reams of cheap copy paper are advertised as having a low "powder content", which supposedly has an impact on the performance in printers and copy machines, but is this something that really exists or is it just a marketing tool? And does this have an effect on FPs?

 

let me know if I should call the local mental hospital, or sell all my pens and retire to meditate on the meaning of life in a Tibetan monastery.

 

cheers,

Fabio

 

 

 

 

[WirsPlm]

I know that fine nibs can sometimes drag up tiny fibers from paper (this is more likely if the paper is cheap and rough), which has impacted pen performance for me. I like to keep a nib flossing sheet (little sheet of brass) around and use that as a first resort whenever I feel like a pen isn't working as well as it should.

[rochester21]

Depends on how you look at it. I`ve been using the cheapest paper i could find all my life.

 

I think cheap paper is the best way to properly asses the real performance of a nib/pen. On quality paper, all pens become good writers, what`s the point of spending money on a quality pen?

Edited November 15, 2013 by rochester21

[TassoBarbasso]

Depends on how you look at it. I`ve been using the cheapest paper i could find all my life.

 

I think cheap paper is the best way to properly asses the real performance of a nib/pen. On quality paper, all pens become good writers, what`s the point of spending money on a quality pen?

 

I completely agree, for me, if a "high end" pen doesn't write well on cheap paper, there is something wrong with the pen, not the paper. But here I'm referring to cases in which both high end pens and cheap pens seem to have the same issues.

[TassoBarbasso]

I know that fine nibs can sometimes drag up tiny fibers from paper (this is more likely if the paper is cheap and rough), which has impacted pen performance for me. I like to keep a nib flossing sheet (little sheet of brass) around and use that as a first resort whenever I feel like a pen isn't working as well as it should.

 

Not sure if this is the case, I generally use B or M nibs. But I agree about the problems with F nibs.

 

Where do you get nib flossing tools?

[Otter1]

Early in my fountain pen career, I actually had bad paper tear the iridium off the point of a Moore vintage nib--I don't think that was typical, but it did happen.

Since then, I've been more careful, and always carry a rollerball or pencil as an alternative writing implement for paper I'm not familiar with.

 

Otter1

[rochester21]

Fabio, i agree that cheap xerox paper has a "chalky" feel and yes, it`s very true that on cheap paper, pens don`t write as well as on more expensive types. But that`s only normal. You can expect more drag/resistance on paper as well.

 

Also, cheap paper can be more absorbent, giving the impression of a poorer ink flow. If the paper is so bad that the pen starts skipping etc, it is a matter of choosing another pen, another type of paper or maybe just changing the ink.

Edited November 15, 2013 by rochester21

[TassoBarbasso]

Fabio, i agree that cheap xerox paper has a "chalky" feel and yes, it`s very true that on cheap paper, pens don`t write as well as on more expensive types. But that`s only normal. Also, cheap paper can be more absorbent, giving the impression of a poorer ink flow. If the paper is so bad that the pen starts skipping etc, it is a matter of choosing another pen, another type of paper or maybe just changing the ink.

 

true, yet the problem is when you toss away the bad paper, revert to a kind of paper that you know works well with that pen, and find that the pen's performance has slightly changed. Mine is more of a concern for a long or medium-term impact on the performance of the pen, rather than the temporary performance on one specific paper. It's really hard to explain, sorry! maybe because (as the title suggest) I'm just paranoid

[linearM]

Even with quality paper not all pens perform wonderfully. I have a wonderful pen,which on good quality paper gives wonderful hairlines and flexes to give me great Line variation. In a poor quality paper instead of fine hairlines I end up with a medium line, the nib doesn't seem to show the rebound I expect and the broad lines at full flex feather. If I used a pen with misaligned tines on good quality paper most likely I would pick up fibers, have feedback and not give a positive experience. On a poor quality paper it would be even worse.

 

Cheap paper isn't the way to evaluate a nib's performance. Most likely a pen used on the cheap paper would pick up fibers, which if not removed from the tines may effect the way the pen performs on quality paper.

[Paddler]

 

Not sure if this is the case, I generally use B or M nibs. But I agree about the problems with F nibs.

 

Where do you get nib flossing tools?

If I may butt into the discussion . . .

When one of my pens has flow problems, I floss the nib with Nylon or Dacron sewing thread (cotton leaves too many fibers behind in the slit.). To me, using brass shim stock seems a little too drastic. Loop the thread over your thumb nail and hold it tight in the fist. Then, using your other hand, press the nib onto the thread just hard enough to spread the tines enough to pick it up. Drag the thread down the slit and pull it out the breather hole.

[Brotzmann]

I believe you will get poor performance with cheap uncoated substrate no matter how good quality the pen or ink is. Of course paper fiber clogging will make the problem worse. I have worked in the commercial printing industry for some time now and would equate this to what we call "dot gain" in printing. Cheap uncoated stock absorbs more ink causing a 75% gradation in an image to fill in and be even darker than it should be because the ink spreads out further causing the tiny screen tone dots to become larger than they would be on coated stock.

 

I'm not sure if I'm off topic here but here's the wikipedia definition:

 

"Dot gain is caused by ink spreading around halftone dots. Several factors can contribute to the increase in halftone dot area. Different paper types have different ink absorption rates; uncoated papers can absorb more ink than coated ones, and thus can show more gain. As printing pressure can squeeze the ink out of its dot shape causing gain, ink viscosity is a contributing factor with coated papers; higher viscosity inks can resist the pressure better. Halftone dots can also be surrounded by a small circumference of ink, in an effect called "rimming". Each halftone dot has a microscopic relief, and ink will fall off the edge before being eliminated entirely by the fountain solution (in the case of offset printing)."

[Sasha Royale]

You know the claim on the package of printer paper that the paper is 99.8% jam-free ? Well, that is the stiffness of the paper and the "powder" that keeps the sheets separated. It has to be cleaned from print heads and rollers, so why not your fountain pen ? I suppose that it could cause "roughness" of the nib, but I have not noticed it. (Unscupulous). I write on Boise Aspen 30 copy paper all day long, at work. Of course, I don't use F or EF nibs.

 

Perhaps, you could keep, on hand, a lint-free cloth, dipped in water, for an occasional wipe of the nib.

Once you joined FPN, you are diagnosed beyond help of any mental health hospital. As for Tibetan monasteries, they have really poor quality paper.

 

.

[ac12]

Part is real, part could be muscle/brain related

 

The effect of the pen picking up fibers or paper coating is real. In college, I had a pen partially dry up on me, and I could not figure out why the ink was lighter. Many years later, after I learned more about pens, I looked at the nib with a loupe and I saw paper fibers in the slit. I flossed the nib to clear out the paper fibers, and the ink flow went up to what it used to be. The paper fibers had slowed down the flow of ink down the slit. I think I had a similar problem with paper dust under the nib and between the nib and feed. In my case I used cartridge ink, so there wasn't ANY cleaning of the nib, and paper dust and gunk just accumulated on the nib/feed, and gradually choked it.

 

The feeling you get in your fingers could be mental and muscle. What I mean is your fingers got the scratchy feel on the junk paper, so it expects to get the same feel. So on the good paper, your brain tells you it is scratchy, just like the junk paper. I have had this effect happen to me doing other stuff. So you have to be careful when doing an A/B test that your muscles/brain are not distorting the results.

 

As for the brass sheets, one source is:

http://www.gouletpens.com/Goulet_Brass_Sheets_p/gpc-brasssheets.htm

The other source is a local hobby shop. IF they carry K&S brand brass parts, K&S has a package of assorted brass sheets. I use the .001 inch and .002 inch sheets.

[MisterBoll]

[sharonspens]

I got stuck on this statement:

 

"let me know if I should call the local mental hospital, or sell all my pens and retire to meditate on the meaning of life in a Tibetan monastery."

 

I'm a psychologist, and friends with some Tibetan Buddhists, so trust me. Don't call the mental hospital; call your favorite travel agency and book the flight. On the way to the airport, stop at the nearest post office and put your pens in the next post to me. For safe keeping, of course, unless your search for the meaning of life leads you to eschew such trappings.

 

Oh, and the meaning of life is 42.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[TassoBarbasso]

Thank you all for your comments.

 

Sasha royale: your comment is really enlightening. This issue of powder needs to be explored further. Do you have any sources where I can read more?

 

Ac12: great suggestions, I never considered the fact that my brain might simply trick me. Most likely the issue is a combination of two factors, the powder causing a minimal clog in the pen, with resulting decrease in ink flow, and then my brain assuming that there is also more scratchy-ness.

 

MisterBoll: nice suggestion! I wonder if they have FPs over there

 

Sharonspens: I wouldn't count too much on this

[bobaroo]

I go through this kind of thing all the time and drive myself a bit crazy with it... Some days I'll use a pen on a certain paper and it seems butter smooth, then another day I'll use the same pen, ink and paper and be convinced it is scratchy. I think it's psychological in my case, and I have to give myself a pep talk and decide if it feels scratchy, or just sounds scratchy. In my mind, fountain pens should be silent, which I know is not the case.

[WirsPlm]

 

Not sure if this is the case, I generally use B or M nibs. But I agree about the problems with F nibs.

 

Where do you get nib flossing tools?

You can get the brass sheets from the Goulets, and probably other online pen shops. I've also heard that people use feeler gauges (that are from auto shops, etc, and meant for mechanical work) but those are so much harder than most nib material they're risky to use on nibs so I prefer the brass sheets.

[linearM]

Below are examples of two papers written on with the same pens. The first is Tomoe River, a very soft, smooth paper and one that I doubt you would pick up any fibers on. The second is a scratch pad sold by our local print shop and not first quality paper. I think that you can see that the hair lines show up much more readily on the Tomoe River Paper and the lines are wider on the scratch pad, I think because it is more absorbent and the ink spreads slightly. Our printer friend gave a good explanation. I feel that you might pick up fibers in the tines that could well effect the subsequent performance of the pen.