Pen/Ink/Paper Trios

[Bo Bo Olson]

 

Mercian, thanks for the kick start.

I hadn't used laid/linen papers in ages.

So I pulled out all that I have. They have been up there on the top shelf, out of sight, out of mind.

.......................

These are my classic rough papers.

Verge de France 160g laid paper, 25% cotton....I really need to get the normal '90g/24 pound stuff some day. But often I like heavy papers.

 

Rex made four types of paper for Aldi's back to school sale....and kick started my hunt for papers. They did it for two years, the first I only sampled, the second year I put in a supply of the papers, expecting to shower the world with those papers come the third year.....Alas, there was no third year.

Aldi/Rex laid/gegipptes paper 90g/24 pound.

Aldi/Rex linen paper 120g/32 pound.

 

12 years ago I went to the States and stocked up on Southworth, and heavy card stock paper. More than just Linen and Laid.

Southworth Linen Resume 32 pound/120g. 25% cotton.

Southworth Linen business paper 24 pound/90g, 25% cotton.

Southworth 24 pound/90g, Antique Laid paper, 25% cotton.

 

I expect to use M and B nibbed pens....now to go around and ask...what inks????

 

OMG, I'll be expected to show pictures of my Rooster Scratch!

[Mercian]

6 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

OMG, I'll be expected to show pictures of my Rooster Scratch!

😁

 

Actually, I’ve bern meaning to ask you about Clairefontaine Triomphe ‘writing paper’ - is it smooth and ‘hard’, like the ‘Clairefontaine’ papers in Rhodia ‘Webnotebooks’ and bloc pads?

Or is it textured, or absorbent?

 

My recent experience with my M800 & Edelstein Topaz makes me want to buy a ‘writing paper’ pad that enables me to show-off the shading of my favourite inks.

Ideally, I would want an un-lined writing paper that is as smooth and as ‘hard’ as Oxford ‘Optik’.

If CT is absorbent, I’ll probably just have to buy a white pad of Basildon Bond (which isn’t as hard or smooth as Oxford ‘Optik’).

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's a slick paper like Rhoda, slicker than it's Veloute` 90g by a little bit, that is their version of Oxford Optic.

It like Rhoda, are not for butter smooth nibs....skating problems.

I expect good shading from CT.

While looking for laid and linen papers i found where my still sealed CT pad had been hiding, so it's now out...Still unopened, but out.

2 minutes ago, Mercian said:

Basildon Bond!

I don't know that paper.

[Mercian]

2 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I don't know that paper.

‘Basildon Bond’ is the brand of ‘writing paper’ which is probably most-familiar to most Brits.

Because it is our ‘standard’ writing paper, I have always assumed it to be ‘not that good’, but various non-British people actually rate it quite highly 

 

It is a ‘flat’ (i.e. non-textured) paper, and it is available in most branches of WH Smiths (a High Street chain store here), as well as most UK online retailers.

It can cope with most fountain pens (i.e. no bleed-though, not much in the way of ‘feathering’ or spreading), but it doesn’t particularly showcase shading very much.

It is available in two varieties; ‘writing paper’ and ‘Airmail paper’, which has lower gsm.

Both types are available with matching envelopes, and in three colours; white, ‘champagne’, and blue.

 

I have always liked the decoration that is on the Basildon Bond ‘Airmail’ envelopes.
But I suspect that the recent changes in international postage prices will (imminently) see the demise of the ‘Airmail’ varieties 😔

 

Nowadays, Basildon Bond is available in A5, A4, and the ‘Imperial’ (as opposed to metric) size called ‘Post Quarto’.

https://uk.hamelinbrands.com/brands/basildon-bond/
 

[Mercian]

4 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

There is a guy with a great Pelikan blog, that now has a Geha blog where he does the same fine work. His name is Rudiger...in I misspelled the hell out of his name, I can't find it...

Do you mean http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-index.html ?

The link above is for the part of his site that covers Pelikan models.
 

You once provided me with the link to the part of his site that covers all the Geha models:

http://www.ruettinger-web.de/geha-startseite.html

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Yes.

Great info. Got to go look at Geha in the morning.

[USG]

@Mercian  @Bo Bo Olson

 

You guys got me thinking about those Southworth papers so I dug out some and tested a handful of inks to see if anything inks sheened.

 

Papers:

 

 

 

 

Here'a a couple of initial scans...  Close ups to follow

The results was that every ink I tried, except Diamine Bilberry, sheened.  The inks that had Wearingeul glitter were very bright.

 

 

 

Three inks feathered and didn't sheen on the yellow 100% Cotton Southworth Connoisseur paper.

• Organics Studio Santiago Sea Blue
• Daimine ARctic Blast
• Diamine Winter Miracle, to a lesser extent 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Good! Even though I have none of your inks....gives me hope.

 

Now I'll dig out the rest of my Southworth papers. Any 100% cotton..Crown Mill, Strathmore or Southworth, has problems with feathering, and or, woolly lines, even 50%. Part of the price one pays for the soft writing.

 

I once had a 100%  100g & 120g/32 pound Röstler, which was so soft and sensual to write on it would have been made illegal to write on Sundays in Kansas. Both were feather champs.

 

..but I'm after shading and 25% cotton works well.

..............................

IMO the reason I never noticed sheen before, is the old time inks (5-7, 10-15 years old, I have)  even of the same name, hadn't had sheen chemicals added to them, back then.

 

I do though have 4-5 inks that are supposed to sheen...(I really don't count having the tilt the paper like a mad man to find it...sheening)......so will dig out the rest of my Southworth papers....all in all, not as many as I thought.

(Will take some time in I still have some 28 pens inked....and don't want to ink any more right now.....but all the papers are out............perhaps just a scribble test of the ones that are out, and then if any seen is found, look up the pen in my gray plastic index card box, of pen and ink cards.

 

As mentioned before; I'm looking for inks, for a nib and ink test to see what ink went well with the classic rough papers.

Posted yesterday, no answers as of yet. Could well be Laid and Lenin Effect papers are not wide spread in the States any more.

15 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Southworth Linen Resume 32 pound/120g. 25% cotton....ivory

Southworth Linen business paper 24 pound/90g, 25% cotton.

Southworth 24 pound/90g, Antique Laid paper, 25% cotton.

Then only Southworth:

Resume 32 pound/120g almond

Parchemnt 24/90g ivory

Granit, 24/90g ivory

I'm guessing I didn't buy any white Southworth paper that wasn't Laid, or Linen effect, going exotic of off white; ivory or almond.

[USG]

@Bo Bo Olson. A suggestion.

Amazon.de has Iroful paper.  It might be interesting to get 1 pack to test out?  I have found that many of my old inks have previously unknown shading and sheen characteristics when used on Iroful.   23yr old Omas Sepia  turned out to be a monster green shader on Iroful and the Lamy Dark Violet will shade gold.

 

Another thing you might like is that Iroful  has the soft feel you were talking about on your vintage papers……..  Anyway, just a suggestion.

 

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/SAKAEテクニカルペーパー-iroful-Sheets-Unlined-PI-A4P-W/dp/B09Q8PWCV5

 

  

[Penguincollector]

  On the other hand, I tested different inks and pen types on Southworth Linen 25% cotton 90 gsm paper and also on Tomoe River Sanzen 52, so that I could see what the difference between them looked like. I got absolutely no sheen from any sheening ink, but the shimmering inks look fantastic. Here’s some pictures of my writing:

 

 

 

  First, the whole Southworth page. I tested 3 extra sheening inks: a mix consisting of Dark Lilac, Tesla Coil, Glen the Sea, and Lake Baikal (I was filling sample vials and mixed the dregs of the syringes all together, left it in a vial for a couple of days to make sure it was ok before putting it in the modern Conklin), Dark Lilac, and Tesla Coil. I tested regular Pilot inks for Japanese ink representation (these sheen on glossy paper, but not on Rhodia or heavy Italian paper): Red, Green, Black. Two regular European inks: Caran d Ache Hypnotic Turquoise and GvFC Violet Blue. Three inks that I added shimmer to: Herbin Orange Indien/ Wearingeul Frost (blue), and Lie de Thé/ Wearingeul Emerald Castle (green), and Sailor 2022 Pen Show/Wearingeul Brain (rose gold). Two inks with shimmer as part of their original recipe: Diamine Gold Star and Pelikan Edelstein Golden Lapis. 



  Above is a closer look at Dk Lilac and the first line of Tesla Coil, both inks that sheen so much, it’s hard to see the base ink. At best, they have a “ wet look.” Please excuse the shadow on the page, my overhead lighting was being especially difficult and I had some cleaned hard rubber pens drying out where my lamp shines.

 

 

  This is the best looking ink on the page, in my opinion. The shimmer really stands out.

 

  Here’s another look at the Southworth page in slightly better light.

 

  I will show the Tomoe River in the next post, as this is long.

[Penguincollector]

  Now the Tomoe River. This one I added a few other sheening inks but many of the same inks in order to have a direct comparison. The overhead pictures were taken in the same areas, same angles for the most part. Some pictures were taken as I saw the sheen, so I don’t know if those angles are the same. 


 

 

  Overhead shots in the same locations as the Southworth.  
 

  Lamy Dark Lilac glistening in the light on TRS 52

 

 

  Ostrich Glen the Sea and Organic Studios Ralph showing off.

 

  There are more pictures in my Ink Testing Pages gallery, so feel free to look around and comment if you see anything I don’t. I sometimes wonder if my vision issues lead me to see shiny things that others don’t.

[Bo Bo Olson]

1 hour ago, USG said:

Amazon.de has Iroful paper

Had planned to do that in Sept....

 

Now a new problem.................Shimmering Ink....I take it is different from Glitter?

[Penguincollector]

6 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Shimmering Ink....I take it is different from Glitter?

  Most ink makers refer to their glittering ink as shimmer ink; I think because it’s different from craft glitter and they don’t want people to try and use craft glitter in ink and mess up their pens. Although Wearingeul calls their shimmer additive Glitter Potion, mostly due to translation, I think - but don’t quote me on that.

 

[lamarax]

Not to be that guy, but...

 

 

pen: Aurora 88 Big <M>, mod. 801 ("Millerighe") 🙂

[Penguincollector]

6 hours ago, lamarax said:

Not to be that guy, but...

 

 

pen: Aurora 88 Big <M>, mod. 801 ("Millerighe") 🙂

  If you want to be matchy, Pelikan Edelstein Golden Beryl or, Aurora Black- probably my favorite black. But this particular thread is for writing samples being shown with the pen and discussing the writing experience. It would be fun if you started a “ink suggestions for pictured pens” on your own.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I got some 100 working pens, and such grand nibs.....oh...yep only 1/3rd are the basic German Black and Gold. And I dislike black ink.

 

No insult meant, in I was 'noobie' my self and for a long time.

We have some nice posters from Finland and Sweden...and if I remember correctly Finland had....or with good luck still has good writing paper.

 

I often say; writing is 1/3 nib width&flex, 1/3paper and 1/3 ink,; and in that order.

 

IMO it's mostly noobies who worry about matching  ink colors to their pen color.

I was too poor to do that, besides I didn't like black ink. Still have half the bottle of 4001 Brilliant Black bought 15 years a go.

 

Instead of hunting for turquoise (my third ink) pens, etc; I started getting semi-flex pens......and it took me some ten years to finally buy a green ink to match my stripped Pelikan 400. (Within that calendar year I ended up with 19 green-greenish inks. Now have @ 24.)

 

I chase the nib; not brand, or model. I bottom fed to tell you the truth.

In the auction only section of German Ebay, look for a Geha 790 in the semi-flex in what width you want, one sold for €30 others I have in mind for €60 or so. Topedo or Cigar shapes were ever so popular in the '50-60's. Pelikan 140/120, MB 146/9 and so on.

Look at the three rings that is what you want. 1960-72.

The three true rings of this 1959 790 polished up real nice. I have 4 or so 790's. Very sturdy, as well balanced as a Pelikan 400.

........................................

Geha school pens (which has school pen and a serial number to stop old day pen collectors) with a nice springy regular flex has gotten ridiculously expensive. So expensive one can look for an Old Pelikan 200 for that great springy nib.

The pro's I Buy Now.....put in the Stateside prices, instead of German and the regular seller thinks that's the real German price.....it use to be €12, then 19 and at now €30 , the School pen is still worth that....but no higher.

Do look for used Pelikan 200's with tear drop tipping, not the fat and blobby double ball. I think you could look for the old 200 at  €23, 38, & 50. (Pelikan only ruined the 200 five years ago so you have lots of tear drop tipped ones to buy....do look at the bottom of the nib's tip for that.) I've 7 or so of them, counting LE's...which you don't need to chase right now.

Two toned inks, Pelikan 4001 inks, outside dull as mud new Green are good shading inks. Herbin also.....MB is a gouge ink, that I use to use back when it was only a bit expensive.

 

There are posts on shading inks, and there are many more now than 15 years ago when I started getting into them. German Octopus makes a good shading ink...I'm not impressed with their sheening inks.

 

The very expensive Japanese inks are often good for narrow nibs.. I was surprised that very expensive Ajisa and Asa-gao, finally looked good in wet nibs on classically rough heavy paper.......So what paper one uses is just as important as the nib and the ink.

If you want to go the two toned shading route, the paper on the whole must be 90g or lately better 100g.

Semi-flex is basically line variation; mostly a bit too wet for two toned shading.

Regular flex springy nib give nice two toned shading. The ink pools on top of the paper where the writing line is a bit thicker, drying a bit slower and there for darker.

Do get your self one of those Geha 790's.

That era's nib is 1/2 a width narrower than the post '98 era of now. So a B is a writing nib, not a signature nib.

.........................

Do Not Join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club.

Nor the Pen of the Month.

The Pen of the Quarter gets you a much more researched pen, and higher classed, in you have saved up a world of money....do remember in the meanwhile to buy a ream or 100 sheet box or good to better paper with every three inks you buy.

Soon you will have an outstanding paper collection.

Good to better paper never goes into a printer....never!

 

Ink Reviews on this com is a grand place....to see what you want....this week, in the week after could well be much different.

 

[lamarax]

On 8/17/2024 at 10:30 AM, Penguincollector said:

  If you want to be matchy, Pelikan Edelstein Golden Beryl or, Aurora Black- probably my favorite black. But this particular thread is for writing samples being shown with the pen and discussing the writing experience. It would be fun if you started a “ink suggestions for pictured pens” on your own.

 

I've looked up Golden Beryl and I think you're spot-on! Thanks! I was thinking of KWZ Honey, but that goes to my HS Bronze Age, and I hate to use the same ink concurrently in more than one pen. I know, typical newbie angst 🤓

Aurora Black may well have been my very first bottle of ink IIRC, but the problem is... it's tied up to a smoke Pilot Custom 823 because that's been sitting in there for over a year (!) and while it still flows fine, I'm afraid it'd have stained the barrel beyond easy cleaning.

(I'm using a Visconti "traveling inkwell" for filling the 823, which too is nigh impossible to clean thoroughly^*, so that thing also became permanently condemned to contain the black stuff).

 

You are right in that I should maybe start a new thread on the topic, but honestly I don't feel confident offering suggestions; I's just hoping to entice them from others 🙂

And of course, paper has everything to do with how an ink presents itself from each nib, so I thought this thread to be appropriate.

 

* Ink likes to cling under the rubber collar. I also have the Pineider counterpart, which is much easier to empty and just wash.

[Penguincollector]

6 hours ago, lamarax said:

 

I've looked up Golden Beryl and I think you're spot-on! Thanks! I was thinking of KWZ Honey, but that goes to my HS Bronze Age, and I hate to use the same ink concurrently in more than one pen. I know, typical newbie angst 🤓

Aurora Black may well have been my very first bottle of ink IIRC, but the problem is... it's tied up to a smoke Pilot Custom 823 because that's been sitting in there for over a year (!) and while it still flows fine, I'm afraid it'd have stained the barrel beyond easy cleaning.

(I'm using a Visconti "traveling inkwell" for filling the 823, which too is nigh impossible to clean thoroughly^*, so that thing also became permanently condemned to contain the black stuff).

 

You are right in that I should maybe start a new thread on the topic, but honestly I don't feel confident offering suggestions; I's just hoping to entice them from others 🙂

And of course, paper has everything to do with how an ink presents itself from each nib, so I thought this thread to be appropriate.

 

* Ink likes to cling under the rubber collar. I also have the Pineider counterpart, which is much easier to empty and just wash.

  I’m glad that you like Golden Beryl, it’s a favorite ink. I also don’t like to use the same ink in two pens, unless it’s for a specific project. Plus, there’s too many colors to repeat. I have done a color comparison with nany pens sporting close shades, but they’re all different inks. 
  I meant that you should ask for suggestions in your thread. It would also provide a thread for other Looking to match a specific pen with an ink. I don’t always match, but sometimes I like to, and suggestions can be a nice way to get out of an ink rut. Some people have been collecting for ages and always match their pens and inks and marry certain pens to specific inks; it’s all good, I just don’t like to limit myself in that way. 
 

  Paper does have much to do with the interaction of a pen and the ink that fills it, and I look forward to seeing what you put in your lovely Aurora next, on some beautiful paper. 

[USG]

On 8/16/2024 at 11:16 AM, Penguincollector said:

  On the other hand, I tested different inks and pen types on Southworth Linen 25% cotton 90 gsm paper and also on Tomoe River Sanzen 52, so that I could see what the difference between them looked like. I got absolutely no sheen from any sheening ink, but the shimmering inks look fantastic. Here’s some pictures of my writing:

 

 

 

  First, the whole Southworth page. I tested 3 extra sheening inks: a mix consisting of Dark Lilac, Tesla Coil, Glen the Sea, and Lake Baikal (I was filling sample vials and mixed the dregs of the syringes all together, left it in a vial for a couple of days to make sure it was ok before putting it in the modern Conklin), Dark Lilac, and Tesla Coil. I tested regular Pilot inks for Japanese ink representation (these sheen on glossy paper, but not on Rhodia or heavy Italian paper): Red, Green, Black. Two regular European inks: Caran d Ache Hypnotic Turquoise and GvFC Violet Blue. Three inks that I added shimmer to: Herbin Orange Indien/ Wearingeul Frost (blue), and Lie de Thé/ Wearingeul Emerald Castle (green), and Sailor 2022 Pen Show/Wearingeul Brain (rose gold). Two inks with shimmer as part of their original recipe: Diamine Gold Star and Pelikan Edelstein Golden Lapis. 



  Above is a closer look at Dk Lilac and the first line of Tesla Coil, both inks that sheen so much, it’s hard to see the base ink. At best, they have a “ wet look.” Please excuse the shadow on the page, my overhead lighting was being especially difficult and I had some cleaned hard rubber pens drying out where my lamp shines.

 

 

  This is the best looking ink on the page, in my opinion. The shimmer really stands out.

 

  Here’s another look at the Southworth page in slightly better light.

 

  I will show the Tomoe River in the next post, as this is long.

 

Bravo Bravo, so nice !!!! +1  😀👍

 

 

On 8/16/2024 at 11:41 AM, Penguincollector said:

  Now the Tomoe River. This one I added a few other sheening inks but many of the same inks in order to have a direct comparison. The overhead pictures were taken in the same areas, same angles for the most part. Some pictures were taken as I saw the sheen, so I don’t know if those angles are the same. 


 

 

  Overhead shots in the same locations as the Southworth.  
 

  Lamy Dark Lilac glistening in the light on TRS 52

 

 

  Ostrich Glen the Sea and Organic Studios Ralph showing off.

 

  There are more pictures in my Ink Testing Pages gallery, so feel free to look around and comment if you see anything I don’t. I sometimes wonder if my vision issues lead me to see shiny things that others don’t.

 

Really Nice PGS  👍😀  I saw these a few days ago and meant to comment...  better late than never....

 

On 8/16/2024 at 8:34 PM, lamarax said:

Not to be that guy, but...

 

 

pen: Aurora 88 Big <M>, mod. 801 ("Millerighe") 🙂

 

I didn't know that ink, looked it up.  It translates to Anchor Rust.  "Mountian" calls it a light, peachy pink.  Your sample looks more orange-rusty....  So what color is it?  Peachy pink or Rust?

😀

 

[USG]

I get distracted easily....  I was in the middle of posting some inks that sheened on Southworth paper when I got distracted with another project.

 

I have a ton of paper, in the form of loose sheets.  My MO is to cut the A4 sheets into A5 and use a small clip board.

 

Last year I bought a 'thin" APICA B5 Twin Ring notebook and I was spoiled. 

It was nice and thin, 30 pages, easy to write in and the pages flipped right around to the back.  Just what I wanted except I didn't like the paper.  What I really wanted was the exact same thing with Cosmo Snow, Iroful and Tomoe River paper.

 

 So I bought a Wire Binding Machine and I'm going to make my own notebooks.

 

I had no idea how to use the machine so I started with some 8.5X11 HP 24lb paper and experimented.  It turned out to be easy once I got things lined up.  I made one large 'thin' notebook (25pages) as a learning exercise.  Next are going to be the 'thin' A5 sized Twin Ring notebooks I've been looking for and never can find with Cosmo Snow, Iroful and Tomoe River paper.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

 

 

 

Inks that sheened on HP 24lb paper:

 

Jack Frost is an amazing ink.

 

 

 

 

Bilberry was a surprise