Pen/Ink/Paper Trios

May 28

Thanks. The Fire Opal is a bit feathery but the others seem fine.

The Waterman 52 1/2 presumably is my most beautiful pen, and its nib really is a wet noodle 🙂

Now I am going to look for that batch of Optik paper...

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

May 28

Here is how my Optik paper behaves (quite nicely, I'd say).

No see-through from the back either.

So, I'd say that my problem with Parker Penman simply was picking the wrong kind of paper...

I am even contemplating sacrificing a very old, rare handmade sheet (heavily post-sized), once upon a time manufactured by the Lessebo Mill, to see how it behaves.

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

May 30

On 5/28/2024 at 5:01 AM, Claes said:

Thanks. The Fire Opal is a bit feathery but the others seem fine.

The Waterman 52 1/2 presumably is my most beautiful pen, and its nib really is a wet noodle 🙂

Now I am going to look for that batch of Optik paper...

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

That's really nice, could you show the nib? 😀👍

May 30

>That's really nice, could you show the nib?

One nib coming up, Sir:

May 30

Gorgeous pen, @Claes!

May 31

On 5/28/2024 at 5:01 AM, Claes said:

The Fire Opal is a bit feathery but the others seem fine.

You’re referring to the Optik Paper, right?
It took some world class Pixel-Peeping to see that @Claes👍😀

I didn’t notice it until you brought it up..

May 31

Correct. And especially on the word "Optik" :-))))))

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

May 31

So OK, Y'all know some of us got a variety of paper packets from Yamamoto. I got 4 different kinds.

Bank Paper
Glassine
Washi Kin Kaku Den
The main reason I bought the paper was that it seemed like they were offering Tomoe River paper from machine #7

I read all the blurbs and it wasn't clear that the paper was from machine #7, so I rolled the dice and took a chance.

When the Yamamoto paper arrived, I took a good look at Tomoe River paper.. and by eye , it looked like, felt like and under magnification seemed to be indistinguishable from paper I knew was from machine #7.... So I wrote on it with what has become my 'Feather Tester', a Pilot 742 FA with Iroshizuku Ajasai. BAD NEWS: it feathered.

So I fired up the Google App that @XYZZY turned me on to and translated the Japanese label. Phooey! There it was, all spelled out in English, the one thing I didn't need more of, paper from The Dread "#9 Paper Making Machine".

COMPARED TO SANZEN TOMOE RIVER S

So OK, that was a bust but I still had more paper to check out, but now I'm using the Translation App first so I can see what I have.

The Bank Paper sent to me is a thinner, at 48.2gsm, off white, crinkly version of Tomoe River, that's relatively more translucent. It handles ink subtleties very well with no spreading or feathering. In that respect it's everything the paper from the Dread Machine #9 isn't. What it doesn't do is match it's description of being a more opaque, write on both sides, bank ledger paper with a 3 Diamond water mark. It is susceptible to finger oils resulting in ink resistant areas where touched, similar to Cosmo Snow. Think of it as a Tomoe River colored Vellum, translucent enough to read the writing on the page beneath it.

Bank Paper: (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Nothing penetrated

The next paper up was Glassine. This is an interesting paper. It's very thin and practically transparent. Colors are wonderful on it but spreading and penetration is a big problem. It inked up the lined sheet I had under it. On the reverse side you can feel raised areas where the letters are. It's hard to photograph because it so shiny it reflects the light from the desk lamp.

Glassine Paper:

I didn't take a pic of the other side because it looks pretty much the same but backwards. I like the vibrancy of the colors but I'm not sure how to use it. Maybe laminated to a sheet from the Dread Machine #9. 😀

(The Washi Kin Kaku Den is going to be next)

May 31

Oh no! Sorry to hear the TR is from machine n°9 (also making me feel better for missing it!)...

I hope the other papers will work too your liking, at least.

May 31

1 minute ago, Lithium466 said:

Oh no! Sorry to hear the TR is from machine n°9 (also making me feel better for missing it!)...

I hope the other papers will work too your liking, at least.

Haha, it posted before I finished editing it. 😀

May 31

10 minutes ago, USG said:

Haha, it posted before I finished editing it. 😀

Ha! Well now I see some of that Bank paper in my future 🙃

May 31

6 minutes ago, Lithium466 said:

Ha! Well now I see some of that Bank paper in my future 🙃

Only if you can get "Real" Bank Ledger Paper.

June 1

So I can’t recall if my first batch of glassine bled through, @USG, but this batch did. No feathering that I could see- but a silver lining in needing to wear bifocals now is that I can’t see the feathering as well as I used to. I think I found a use for some terrible graph paper that is laying around, just use it as a line guide for the Glassine. I will take a picture when I have time. I also divided the sheet into 2 A5 pieces, and turned one around and labeled both sides as facing the package opening, and facing the label side. I wasnt to see if there’s any difference. I am writing on that side tonight.

I had a dud paper in my order- Jumpack(u) Roll. That one I saw the feathering on the smooth side for sure. This is a wrapping paper that they touted as FP friendly. I may try playing with inks on it and using it for gifts. My other was also Kin Kaku Den which I think is an entry on this thread already.

June 1

On 5/19/2024 at 11:23 PM, Anne-Sophie said:

The trio looks gorgeous!

Thank you for telling us about the paper.

Art stores have glassine paper, but I suspect that this one is missing the shiny coating.

Does it feel like tracing paper?

Please excuse my tardiness in answering your question, Anne-Sophie. I don’t remember what tracing paper feels like. It feels almost like baking parchment but less dense, it’s easy to grab 2 sheets and think it’s just one. It catches the air easily.

June 1

2 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

So I can’t recall if my first batch of glassine bled through, @USG, but this batch did. No feathering that I could see- but a silver lining in needing to wear bifocals now is that I can’t see the feathering as well as I used to. I think I found a use for some terrible graph paper that is laying around, just use it as a line guide for the Glassine. I will take a picture when I have time. I also divided the sheet into 2 A5 pieces, and turned one around and labeled both sides as facing the package opening, and facing the label side. I wasnt to see if there’s any difference. I am writing on that side tonight.

I had a dud paper in my order- Jumpack(u) Roll. That one I saw the feathering on the smooth side for sure. This is a wrapping paper that they touted as FP friendly. I may try playing with inks on it and using it for gifts. My other was also Kin Kaku Den which I think is an entry on this thread already.

I divided the A4s into 2 A5s also, but before I cut the paper I put a little
"B" for Bank Paper or a little "G" for Glassine on the bottom right of the page, then turned it around 180° and marked the other side, bottom right. That way when I cut the paper I had the "Top" side marked. If you look at my pics you will see a little "B" and a little "G" on the left side of the A5 page denoting the Top side. And you can see by the orientation of the letters that they were written on the bottom right side of the A4 page, then the page was turned 180° and the letter was marked on the bottom right again. I know I've said it twice but it's hard to explain.

June 1

"Ledger paper" is normally defined as "a durable writing paper used in record books and business ledgers". In Sweden that meant that it normally contained a certain amount of rag, like "Tumba Ledger", which contained 25% rag. According to my memory, that particular paper does not take wet inks very well (feathering!).

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

June 1

21 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

I think I found a use for some terrible graph paper that is laying around, just use it as a line guide for the Glassine.