Is Water Resistance Of Any Importance For You?

[A Smug Dill]

Sorry to hear about the unfortunate and devastating incident.

Were you able to salvage anything at all?

Thanks. Luckily, since she didn't start using fountain pens (again) to write in her journal until recently, most of the content from years ago was done in ballpoint pen. Some ruled lines and random drawings that were made using felt tip pens were ruined, and some of her written notes from the past few weeks smeared and blurred.

 

As for my new notebook, it was just a cheap Muji that seemed (based on feel with my fingertips) to show promise as fountain pen 'friendly' paper on which I'd intended to test some inks, to check for feathering and bleed-through, etc. That paper is all wrinkled and useless now after it has dried, but I can easily write off $2 and replace the damn thing.

 

Our cameras and tablets weren't damaged, phew, even though the felt on the inside of the tablet covers were a little water-logged, and the display panels and the lenses were all covered in tiny beads of moisture (for a while).

[DrDebG]

Thanks for the post.

 

For the most part, I care more about formulation and color than water resistance.

 

I do have a couple of water resistant inks and will use them when I know I have a number of documents to sign.

 

But for daily journaling, I use whatever I want. I have been journaling for a very long time and I do keep all of my journals. When I am done with one, I make a label for it, and put into a box with my more recent journals. When the box is full (and it is a plastic waterproof crate sized box), they are stored. I recently opened a box that contained some of my notes when I was an undergrad (a long, long, long time ago) and they are still in great shape. Back then I used Skrip Quink I believe. Anyway it was just black ink, and wasn't water resistant. I remember writing one page as I was drinking a local "brew" and I spilled some on a page. Surprisingly some of the writing remains and yes the page still smells of beer.

[ErrantSmudge]

Another approach, for those of us who do not want to be restricted to waterproof inks, is to scan writing that we consider irreplaceable.

 

I scan all my class notebooks, mainly to have them online for easy reference, but secondarily to serve as insurance against liquid damage.

 

I have a dedicated scanner, but scanner apps are available for any make/model of smartphone. I know the modern approach may not appeal to some who look to fountain pens as a refuge from modern technology, but it's worth considering.

Edited December 13, 2018 by ErrantSmudge

[1nkulus]

I scan all my class notebooks, mainly to have them online for easy reference, but secondarily to serve as insurance against liquid damage.

 

I do it too but only for those that I need as a reference on the move.

[1nkulus]

Thanks.

 

Glad it didn't turn out too bad and the electronics were fine.

 

I am still in the waterproof camp.

Had the notes not been written with a ballpen, it would have been a complete washout.

[KaB]

I use De Atramentis document inks primarily for the most temporary notes I make: shopping lists!

I noticed that either the trolleys are wet from the rain or I pick up some fruit or products from the fridges and my shopping list gets smudged. (And therefore my fingers to). So since a few months my 'home EDC' is filled with a document ink.

[1nkulus]

I use De Atramentis document inks primarily for the most temporary notes I make: shopping lists!

I noticed that either the trolleys are wet from the rain or I pick up some fruit or products from the fridges and my shopping list gets smudged. (And therefore my fingers to). So since a few months my 'home EDC' is filled with a document ink.

 

I too have managed to get them damp on a few occasions, but still perfectly legible.

[FLZapped]

Absolutely, not only for my engineering notebooks at work, but we also sponsor a child through Compassion International and I want those letters to last.

[Aquaria]

For my journaling and note-jotting needs, no.

 

For my academic writing--Oh yeah, water resistance is important. I'm in a lot of situations where spilled drinks during late night study group sessions are a frequent problem, or where my backpack gets soaked from walking across campus to get between classes when it's raining. The last thing I need with classes that don't have textbooks, like oh, Foundations of Mathematics, Heian Era Japan, or Sociolinguistics of Gender, is for my notes to disappear if water gets near them. They're sometimes all I have to study from for exams.

 

Ergo, you can bet I keep an FP inked up with at least Pilot Namiki Blue or Blue-Black, or a document/iron-gall type of ink so that I can reconstruct those notes or worksheet assignments if the paper gets wet.

 

Pilot Namiki Blue and Blue-Black are also champs for writing on nasty worksheet paper. That's why those are my go-to inks for all things written that must be able to survive mishaps.

Edited December 20, 2018 by Aquaria

[khalameet]

Thank you all for your replies.

In the meantime I brought a little bit of variation into my ink setup.

I found out that there are a lot of colours which are at least partially resistant enough for me. I didn't have a situation where my notes were exposed to water or moisture yet, after several years of using fountain pens. However, I still think that most of my writing should survive a potential spill or similar.

 

Herbin Bleu Nuit and Perle Noire are two great examples. I came to love both inks pretty quick, and both bear at least enough resistance to survive a spill. I mean, the paper is ruined after soaking in water anyway, so I guess I would rewrite these notes. And to do this it is sufficient that the text can be recovered.