Which Inks Would You Use To Test New Paper?

[NeverTapOut]

I understand now...I was right the first time. When you stated your ink list that confused me...I see what you are doing : )

[XYZZY]

I can't add much, your ink and paper experience seems to be a superset of mine, and you're more rigorous in your methodology. But, I also get a sense that you're interested in inks that help uncover fiddly little subtle details. Maybe not something you'd carry in a kit of 5-6 pens to take with you when shopping, but...

 

I'm about 50 pages into a Bond Travel Gear Notebook. It's 68gsm Tomoe River and as far as that goes it does what I expect. Sailor Souboku has a nasty habit of not sticking to whatever ink this company used to print the dots for the dot grid. It's quite annoying. So far in this notebook I have also used Diamine Registrars and several flavors of Iroshizuku, and they have no problems with Bond's dots.

[A Smug Dill]

Sailor Souboku has a nasty habit of not sticking to whatever ink this company used to print the dots for the dot grid. It's quite annoying. So far in this notebook I have also used Diamine Registrars and several flavors of Iroshizuku, and they have no problems with Bond's dots.

That's a good point. I can't remember exactly which ink I was using was that triggered a similar observation the other day, but I discovered that where the lines are printed on Bloc Rhodia No.16 7mm-ruled A5 notepads, the paper is more vulnerable to bleed-through (but it still took a lot of 'wetness'; I think I accidentally spilt a drop of ink that landed across one of the lines, and I didn't bother to soak it up with a blotter).

 

I must make a mental note to write across the printed guide marks when testing new paper. Thanks!

Edited May 15, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[NeverTapOut]

That's a good point. I can't remember exactly which ink I was using was that triggered a similar observation the other day, but I discovered that where the lines are printed on Bloc Rhodia No.16 7mm-ruled A5 notepads, the paper is more vulnerable to bleed-through (but it still took a lot of 'wetness'; I think I accidentally spilt a drop of ink that landed across one of the lines, and I didn't bother to soak it up with a blotter).

 

I must make a mental note to write across the printed guide marks when testing new paper. Thanks!

 

 

A Smug Dill...

That is something I never would have thought of because I never wrote over the guide marks. It makes sense though because the guide mark probably seals the paper in that one area.

Respectfully,

David

[A Smug Dill]

That is something I never would have thought of because I never wrote over the guide marks.

That's exactly the sort of discussion I hope to trigger by starting threads on the 'how' of ink reviews and paper reviews, and benefit from each other's experiences and observations, so that we can all better direct our investment of hands-on effort and consumable resources in due diligence or more generally discovery. XYZZY was just too modest in suggesting he/she didn't have much to add! I wouldn't have thought to examine that aspect of paper products otherwise, even though I write over the guide marks all the time (especially on line-gridded paper), and the descenders on my minuscules typically cross below the horizontal 'ruled' lines I use as guides for each line of writing in English (or Latin).

 

I personally feel enriched by this kind of discussion, and sincerely hope my fellow fountain pen enthusiasts do as well. To me, it's about discovery, learning and contemplation of the hobby, and not focussed on being handed product information or market intelligence as retail consumers.

[XYZZY]

 

 

A Smug Dill...

That is something I never would have thought of because I never wrote over the guide marks. It makes sense though because the guide mark probably seals the paper in that one area.

Respectfully,

David

 

That's funny. Maybe it's an OCD thing, but it frequently bothers me that I'm not right on the dots. Sometimes I'm doing engineer stuff and like the vertical aspect of a dot grid, but most of the time for me a dot grid is just lined paper except that I prefer a sparsely dotted line over a solid line. When I go back and examine the Souboko not sticking to the dots, what I find more bothersome than not sticking to the dots is all the places where I just missed the dots. When writing I'm not consciously trying to target the dots, but the idea of not hitting them is like, well, not being able to walk in a straight line, if that makes any sense?

 

I didn't notice this problem in the previous notebook, which was a Taroko Enigma, also TR 68gsm. I'm not sure if Taroko uses a different ink, or if it's because their dots are smaller.

 

XYZZY was just too modest in suggesting he/she didn't have much to add!

 

Awww shucks. And I'm a he. :-)

[A Smug Dill]

Maybe it's an OCD thing, but it frequently bothers me that I'm not right on the dots.

It bothers me when I'm writing in Chinese on line-gridded or dot-gridded paper and I fail to confine each character strictly within the square spaces. It isn't such a problem when I'm writing in English, though.

 

I didn't notice this problem in the previous notebook, which was a Taroko Enigma, also TR 68gsm.

I have two of those, but I haven't started using them yet. Something about Tomoe River just puts me off using its papers for either everyday writing applications or hobby-related testing, in spite of my having already sunk money into acquiring the products.

 

And I'm a he. :-)

Noted.

[ScarletWoodland]

Late to the party but my first test would be a J Herbin that's prone to spread, in a western extra fine nib. If Poussiere de Lune can hold a nice tight line, the paper's going to be a winner, if the line looks like a western fine-med I'll pass.