Best Pen/ink Combo For Moleskine

[Buzz_130]

Congratulations on your purchase, Alex. I also stopped using Moleskine notebooks as I became more involved in fountain pens, so I moved on to other manufacturers. But I understand the emotional value of these notebooks to you.

 

Many are stuck using terrible paper at the office, and there are a few ways that you may be able to get your paper to work with your pens.

 

First, you'll want a fine or extra fine nib. The more ink you lay down, the more the paper has to soak or displace. A medium or larger nib will likely give you feathering, ghosting, or even bleed through. You may be able to mitigate this as well by only writing on one side of the page. That's up to you.

 

The second is ink choice. Iron galls and nano pigments do very well on cheap paper. Both of these types of ink are high maintenance and not for all users. If you have a favorite ink, then you should find your driest ink (mine is probably Pelikan 4001) and use that.

 

Then keep adjusting until you get the results you want. When you find the nib and ink combination that you like -- keep using that one!

 

Buzz

[inkypete]

Moleskin's marketing is amazing. The themed notebooks look great - they obviously put a lot of work into their design. But at the end of the day it is a moleskin and the paper quality cannot be predetermined. The quality changes often, sometimes within the one notebook. I think the advice re fine or extra fine nibs is a good one. Usually the best chance with questionable paper. Hope you got a good batch. Would love to see a similar notebook with the Blues Brothers hat and sunglasses. But then again it would still be a moleskin. Good luck.

[KellyMcJ]

I don't believe there is such a thing as a fountain pen friendly Moleskin notebook, I still have a couple I have to use up but will never buy another one.

Rhodia or Claire Fontaine for me...

 

Note! they could come in handy if you run out of blotting paper - just tear a few pages out of the notebook and use them as blotting paper....

I have a moleskine journal and rather than bleeding through, it's like trying to write on plastic! The ink beads up on the page or refuses to leave the pen!

[Gudi]

I was gifted a regular lined Moleskine this Christmas and just wrote down a few lines with the following combinations of pen and ink to test it:

- Pilot Metropolitan M steel nib and Pilot Black ink.

- Lamy Studio F steel nib and Pelikan Eldestein Amethyst ink the year 2015.

- Faber-Castell e-motion M steel nib and Graf Von Faber-Castell Moss Green ink.

- Parker "51" medium-fine gold nib and Parker Quink Black.

- Lamy Vista F steel nib and Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise.

- Sheaffer Snorkel Sentinel M5 gold nib and Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise.

 

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I have zero issues here. It's possible to see that something is written on the back when I turn the page, however It doesn't bother me.

 

Give it a try. If you have any issues, you can try a combo of dryer ink and extra-fine nib.

Edited January 10, 2016 by Gudi

[stefanv]

I've only ever had one Moleskine notebook, and stopped using it years ago because of the issues others have already mentioned. Because of this thread, I just pulled it out and tried a few pens I have inked up:

 

Pelikan 140 with a very wet Medium nib, inked with Rohrer & Klinger Salix: some feathering, minimal bleeding, medium show through.

 

Pelikan M205 with a fine-side-of-Medium nib, inked with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue: no feathering, almost no bleeding, minimal show through.

 

Namiki Falcon Soft Medium, inked with Parker Penman Sapphire: somewhat more feathering, bleeding, and show through than the 140 with R&K.

 

There are also pages in the book that I wrote previously with a Pelikan M205 with fine nib, inked with Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black: no feathering, no bleeding, and minimal showthrough.

 

So, of the choices above, I'd recommend the Pelikan Blue-Black if you can get it, or Pelikan Royal Blue otherwise.

[ZaphodBB]

I like the Moleskine "themed" books - I find a Vanishing Point Medium nib with Mont Blanc Permanent blue works pretty well.

[Shaggy]

I know everyone around here hates on the moleskine, but I have used them for the past 20 years and have never had a problem. Of course, I love Fine nibs so maybe that has something to do with it.

[max dog]

I've been using the standard black Moleskine at work for years. I just love the form factor. Compact, lots of pages (240), and it opens up flat for easy writing. It's too bad the paper is not so fountain pen friendly. Unfortunately the fountain pen friendly Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper takes the ink too long to dry and is impractical for my use at work. I can't wait minutes for the page to dry before I can flip the page when I am taking notes, so using notebooks with absorbent paper where ink dries almost instantly is a must.

 

I've found the Montblanc Permanent Blue the most compatible ink so far with Moleskine. No bleed or feathering with even the wettest and broadest nibs on Moleskine with this ink. It's also the least maintenance and easiest ink to clean out of my pens which is counter intuitive given it is a permanent ink, but it is true!

 

To illustrate here is a demo of MB Permanent blue on Moleskine with my Pilot Falcon SF which is a wet nib that bleeds easily when flexed, but not with this ink.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2016 by max dog

[Alexcat]

Many thanks for ll the helpful Suggestions....and the picture - was hoping someone would do that, so extra thanks, Max Dog

 

And I have several of the pens mentioned....FC Emotion, with a fine nib( it currently is loaded with Skrip turquoise), a a couple of Pilot vanishing points(I love them), medium and fine, a couple of Parker 51s

 

Will be fun to experiment. Thanks again

Alex

[max dog]

Many thanks for ll the helpful Suggestions....and the picture - was hoping someone would do that, so extra thanks, Max Dog

 

And I have several of the pens mentioned....FC Emotion, with a fine nib( it currently is loaded with Skrip turquoise), a a couple of Pilot vanishing points(I love them), medium and fine, a couple of Parker 51s

 

Will be fun to experiment. Thanks again

Alex

My pleasure Alex!

Hope you enjoy writing in that cool LE Moleskine you have there.

[Alexcat]

Congratulations on your purchase, Alex. I also stopped using Moleskine notebooks as I became more involved in fountain pens, so I moved on to other manufacturers. But I understand the emotional value of these notebooks to you.

 

Many are stuck using terrible paper at the office, and there are a few ways that you may be able to get your paper to work with your pens.

 

First, you'll want a fine or extra fine nib. The more ink you lay down, the more the paper has to soak or displace. A medium or larger nib will likely give you feathering, ghosting, or even bleed through. You may be able to mitigate this as well by only writing on one side of the page. That's up to you.

 

The second is ink choice. Iron galls and nano pigments do very well on cheap paper. Both of these types of ink are high maintenance and not for all users. If you have a favorite ink, then you should find your driest ink (mine is probably Pelikan 4001) and use that.

 

Then keep adjusting until you get the results you want. When you find the nib and ink combination that you like -- keep using that one!

 

Buzz

I was gifted a regular lined Moleskine this Christmas and just wrote down a few lines with the following combinations of pen and ink to test it:

- Pilot Metropolitan M steel nib and Pilot Black ink.

- Lamy Studio F steel nib and Pelikan Eldestein Amethyst ink the year 2015.

- Faber-Castell e-motion M steel nib and Graf Von Faber-Castell Moss Green ink.

- Parker "51" medium-fine gold nib and Parker Quink Black.

- Lamy Vista F steel nib and Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise.

- Sheaffer Snorkel Sentinel M5 gold nib and Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise.

 

Maybe I'm just lucky, but I have zero issues here. It's possible to see that something is written on the back when I turn the page, however It doesn't bother me.

 

Give it a try. If you have any issues, you can try a combo of dryer ink and extra-fine nib.

I like the Moleskine "themed" books - I find a Vanishing Point Medium nib with Mont Blanc Permanent blue works pretty well.

I know everyone around here hates on the moleskine, but I have used them for the past 20 years and have never had a problem. Of course, I love Fine nibs so maybe that has something to do with it.

I've been using the standard black Moleskine at work for years. I just love the form factor. Compact, lots of pages (240), and it opens up flat for easy writing. It's too bad the paper is not so fountain pen friendly. Unfortunately the fountain pen friendly Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper takes the ink too long to dry and is impractical for my use at work. I can't wait minutes for the page to dry before I can flip the page when I am taking notes, so using notebooks with absorbent paper where ink dries almost instantly is a must.

 

I've found the Montblanc Permanent Blue the most compatible ink so far with Moleskine. No bleed or feathering with even the wettest and broadest nibs on Moleskine with this ink. It's also the least maintenance and easiest ink to clean out of my pens which is counter intuitive given it is a permanent ink, but it is true!

 

To illustrate here is a demo of MB Permanent blue on Moleskine with my Pilot Falcon SF which is a wet nib that bleeds easily when flexed, but not with this ink.

 

 

My pleasure Alex!

Hope you enjoy writing in that cool LE Moleskine you have there.

Thank you, max dog,

 

I just did a wee bit of experimenting, as shown in the pictures below. I also achieved a first by taking the picture with my teeth....sort of: held the stylus in my teeth as I needed to hold the paper down, not wanting to bend it too much. It really is a very cool molie.....

 

The only one that was noticeably iffy was the MB Monte Rosa/Bleu Pervenche.....the others, all usable.

 

And I sent off for a matt charcoal Safari with an EF nib(black) as a treat, to go with the notebook, as it really deserves it's own new 'combo'(I got a bottle of Caran d'Ache grey, yet to be used: grey is my second favourite colour, after red.

 

I actually have a beautiful custom made for me Ariel Kullock Parker 51, on the theme of Leonard Cohen/Judaism, which is gorgeous both to look at and to use, but is a wet writer and would not be a happy pen, used here....

 

All Good Things.....

Alex

Alex

Edited January 10, 2016 by Alexcat

[drafty]

Not sure if you still need responses, but I've always used Mollies, along with others. I tend to use the soft cover classics for everyday use as they seem to have the best paper - at least in my experience. My ink suggestions are:

 

Edelstein Onyx and MB Oyster Grey

 

FOUR is right though; the sketch versions are the best - even for drawing, would you believe!

 

Recently I've acquired some of the hardback Batman LE lined (always loved Batman). They are actually still wrapped, and might remain so (I'm a bit weird with notebooks and hoard lots of blank ones for fear of....I don't know what).

 

I hope you enjoy using yours and get more in the future. To me, they have character, and you can get a quirky one sometimes/often, but if you only write recto as suggested you get a cool effect once you've filled it. I leave verso empty for going back and making notes on the prose I've written on the page opposite.

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by Drafty

[pixelbunny]

I had been hoarding Moleskines for the past couple years and am finally getting around to using them now that I got into fountain pens. I find that it really depends on what pen you're using. I have a Lamy Safari with an EF nib and it writes fine with no bleed through (it does,however, look more like an M rather than EF). My other pen is a TWSBI 580 with a 1.1mm nib and that definitely bleeds through to the other side. So if I'm writing with my Lamy, I'll write on both sides of the page but if I'm writing with my TWSBI, I'll write on only one.

[FOUR X FOUR]

I've been using the standard black Moleskine at work for years. I just love the form factor. Compact, lots of pages (240), and it opens up flat for easy writing. It's too bad the paper is not so fountain pen friendly. Unfortunately the fountain pen friendly Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper takes the ink too long to dry and is impractical for my use at work. I can't wait minutes for the page to dry before I can flip the page when I am taking notes, so using notebooks with absorbent paper where ink dries almost instantly is a must.

 

I've found the Montblanc Permanent Blue the most compatible ink so far with Moleskine. No bleed or feathering with even the wettest and broadest nibs on Moleskine with this ink. It's also the least maintenance and easiest ink to clean out of my pens which is counter intuitive given it is a permanent ink, but it is true!

 

To illustrate here is a demo of MB Permanent blue on Moleskine with my Pilot Falcon SF which is a wet nib that bleeds easily when flexed, but not with this ink.

 

 

Wow, this is a first for me. Maybe Moleskine has stepped up the quality of their paper

[Leftytoo]

The suggestion to use Pelikan and Silex inks is good; both are dry inks with less bleed. A pen with a fine, dry line also helps. You may already have one: try writing with your nib upside down. Many nibs are naturals, or only require slight modification (grinding) to act this way. And one pen does the work of two.

 

My favorite notebooks are the Alpica (Japanese) products. I believe they make pocket size notebooks. They are thin and sewn, just like Moleskein, but with much superior paper which is bleed-free.

Bob

[max dog]

Wow, this is a first for me. Maybe Moleskine has stepped up the quality of their paper

Moleskine paper is the same as always. It's the ink that is remarkable. Montblanc Permanent Blue.

[beak]

It's a sort of mantra to be chanted here that Ms are rubbish. Though it could be that those for sale in the USA are of lower grade than any of the countries I've lived in, because I've been using them for decades and never had one that did not take fp well enough for ordinary use, and most of mine have been rather good with the fp, even with my broad nib. I tried to test that once, but too few seemed interested. If you hunt around old Moleskine threads there are several scanned examples from me with the various inks and nibs I use.

 

The thinner paper suits me in that there are far more sheets per thickness of book (I use 8" gridded reporters for sketches and written notes). It's fair to say that these are not going to be a first choice for important presentation work, but they were never intended for that; they are notebooks after all. There is often an insignificant (IMO) 'read through' but I have never had 'bleed through' - I suspect that some confuse the two terms?

 

I think many object to M's because the price; cheaper notebooks are everywhere, but that doesn't bother me because they suit my requirements so well. Stuff costs what it costs.

 

ETA

Is should mention that I only use firm nibs ('nails') and have no idea how they react to flex. Maybe herein lies the dislike; flex?

Edited January 23, 2016 by beak

[sciumbasci]

Moleskine paper has lowered so much in quality since they moved production to China, that the only option I had was write on it with a pencil.

 

I had one some years ago, everyone told me how great they were and praised those. I remember the price was also lower than now, as I saw the pocket notebooks for sale in December priced at 23. The last one I bought was two years ago. A plain pocket notebook for quick jotting and taking down construction schemes.

 

The paper was so bad I couldn't even use a ballpoint on it.

 

The first one I bought tho I remember it was great

Edited January 23, 2016 by sciumbasci

[Shaggy]

It's a sort of mantra to be chanted here that Ms are rubbish. Though it could be that those for sale in the USA are of lower grade than any of the countries I've lived in, because I've been using them for decades and never had one that did not take fp well enough for ordinary use, and most of mine have been rather good with the fp, even with my broad nib.

 

-- snip --

 

ETA

Is should mention that I only use firm nibs ('nails') and have no idea how they react to flex. Maybe herein lies the dislike; flex?

 

All of my Moleskines have been bought in the US and I haven't had an issue with them. I prefer them for the thinner paper (as you said, more sheets per book) and also because the line spacing on the ruled editions suits my handwriting. The line spacing on Clairfontaine and Rhodia paper is so wide I could write on them with a crayon.

 

I don't use true flex, but I do use a lot of Soft Fine and Soft-Fine-Medium nibs.

 

 

Moleskine paper is the same as always. It's the ink that is remarkable. Montblanc Permanent Blue.

 

I've written in Moleskines with many inks, including very wet Diamine inks, DeAtramentis Document inks (notorious for bleed and feathering), Pilot, Iroshizuku, and never had a bleeding problem.

[carlos.q]

All of my Moleskines have been bought in the US and I haven't had an issue with them.

...

I've written in Moleskines with many inks, including very wet Diamine inks, DeAtramentis Document inks (notorious for bleed and feathering), Pilot, Iroshizuku, and never had a bleeding problem.

You are indeed most fortunate!