Some Blues And Feathering

[birchtine]

Some time ago, while looking for a blue ink I could use at work, I decided to test my potential candidates for feathering. It's not a definitive test and the results may be misleading and disputed. Also, the fact that one ink feathers does not mean that it's worse than those which don't. It may just have some other equally important qualities.

 

In a dry pen most of these inks will behave acceptably. However, for me this testing was important mainly because some of my favourite pens are wet writers and if not paired with a right ink they become almost useless on copy papers.

 

I used a single, old and fairly wet (high flow) pen and tested 25 mainly blue(ish) inks on two types of paper: one relatively fountain pen friendly and another more absorbent. Below are the results and low resolution photos. For more detailed images please follow the link to the album.

 

 

None to minimal feathering

 

R&K Salix

Diamine Registrar's

Akkerman 10 BB

Callifolio Equinoxe 6

 

 

Minimal feathering

 

Pelikan Royal Blue

Callifolio Mediterranee

Callifolio Atlantique

 

 

Mild spread and feathering

 

Sheaffer Skrip Blue

Aurora Blue

R&K Scabiosa

Callifolio Azure

Waterman Serenity

 

 

 

On the absorbent type of paper (front and back):

 

 

 

On the fountain pen friendly type of paper:

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by birchtine

[Ghost Plane]

Thanks!

[DrDebG]

Nice work! I use Callifolio inks a lot and have found them to be very reliable.

[NicolausPiscator]

Thank you for this really useful comparison!

[namrehsnoom]

Thanks for the comparison... copy paper is indeed mostly terrible. But you've given me the idea to keep a list of pen/nib/ink combinations that work well with cheap copy paper. My current strategy is to use EF nibs at work to alleviate this problem. Not a great strategy, but it usually works :-)

[birchtine]

It is a good strategy but I like to think that ink producers should do more to make their inks working better on the greater range of papers so we don't need to worry about pens and papers we use.

 

L'Artisan Pastellier is a good example of making a great effort. Also, the Pelikan produces some brilliant inks. I think it is partly because they have more varied customer base extending well beyond fountain pen enthusiasts and their awareness of fountain pen friendly notebooks.

[birchtine]

I've been using Equinoxe 6 for some time and have noticed mild feathering on more absorbent papers. It's not significant and shouldn't cause a headache but I need to move this ink down my list.

 

 

None to minimal feathering

 

R&K Salix

Diamine Registrar's

Akkerman 10 BB

 

 

Minimal feathering

 

Pelikan Royal Blue

Callifolio Mediterranee

Callifolio Atlantique

 

 

Mild spread and feathering

 

Callifolio Equinoxe 6

Sheaffer Skrip Blue

Aurora Blue

R&K Scabiosa

Callifolio Azure

Waterman Serenity

 

 

Diamine Registrar's, Salix, Pelikan Royal Blue, Méditerranée, Atlantique and Azure hold firmly their positions. I can't guarantee the same with other inks because I know them only from samples and didn't test them as thoroughly.

Edited July 19, 2017 by birchtine

[amberleadavis]

Now, please please please put these into a window and then show us how they fade. *Well, only put 1/2 the sheet in the window. These are wonderful.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Some ink producers, have to match the ink to their nib & feed, first.

It's not really the ink makers fault, the paper makers cheap out on the coating.

IMO up to the @1970 we had the Golden Age of Pens, @ 1980 the Golden Age of Paper.....and now the Golden Age of Ink.

A number of posters who lived in the States, luckily (postal costs US to Europe is ruinous) , said get vintage paper off Ebay.....in all papers were so much better.

 

It all comes down to the coating of the paper to how fountain pen friendly it is....and coating costs bonus money.

 

I have the remains of a late '70's cheap paper pad.....back when I was a Ball Point Barbarian, and wouldn't dream of wasting beer money on ink for my single fountain pen I didn't use much, in fear it would walk being a P-75.

I did have a Jukey Dasiywheel printer..........but didn't use good Zanders BankPost....bond paper in that was 'fancy' paper for letters. That is where I found 12 sheets of that cheap notebook paper...some decades later.

 

It is perfect fountain pen paper...both sides. ..... It don't have a watermark, so I can never trace what paper mill made it.............I still have 8 pieces left.

I think I should move that into my ink testing folder.

 

Typing paper being one sided was only coated on one side. The old and no longer made ...Eaton's Corrasable 25% rag typewriter paper 16 lb.....is fantastic on one side....................the other side it bleeds big time.

I'm glad that paper was too good for the printer, also.

But as a typewriter paper it was only once side as is.

Edited April 17, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[paradigm]

I will add:

Visconti Blue - No or minimal feathering