hey, is anyone in my feed a pen nerd? i got a nice leather notebook with handmade paper in it and i want a nice pen to go with it, so i've been learning about fountain pens, but some folks have told me that fountain pen ink only works well on really glossy non-absorbent paper. so i'm curious if anyone has any alternative recommendations, like, idk, a dip pen or something
@shi this is handmade deckle-edge paper, which i would say is also not standard notebook paper but in the other direction. i've seen some reviews for the notebook i got that say they've been able to write just fine in it with a fountain pen, but i figured i'd ask around for advice before just going in willy-nilly
(not here right now)
@typhlosion oooh, gotcha. yeah that might be a more sub-optimal medium 🤔 (as in: if you end up doing it, you might want to keep two sheets of blotting paper - one for both sides of the last page, and only write one-sided, etc.)
@shi yeah... i'll at least try using a fountain pen, but if anyone has got suggestions for another kind of pen or ink i could try instead that would be better suited to that sort of paper, i'd love to hear it
@typhlosion *ears perk up*
There's a chance handmade paper might be too absorbent of ink - ofc depends on nib size and ink too - causing lots of feathering or bleeding thru to the next page
Idk for sure but a dip pen or rollerball taking liquid ink may have the same problems with feathering/bleeding etc - if the paper plays nicely with felt tip pens too, Yookers does what is basically a refillable felt tip that takes liquid fountain pen ink!
@verity hmm... i spose i sprung for fountain pens or dip pens because its like. cool leather notebook with handmade paper, the idea of writing in it with something Modern Feeling feels weird to me, if that makes sense. like ill do it if i have to but preferably id love to have something that feels similarly . anachronistic i guess is the word. for writing in a hand bound handmade leather journal. maybe im putting too much thought into it
@typhlosion not at all I would totally do the same!
Trying to think what else will have the same like... analogue vibes hmm
@typhlosion glass pens or a dip pen like the speedball nibs are fun! but imo are better at testing out inks than writing for any length of time
Depends what you want to use the pen for tho tbh! (E.g. Long writing or decorative writing)
@typhlosion there are too many factors to make a call. Everyone who has a bunch of art supplies and tries a new paper has to waste the first page on swatches to know what they can use.
India ink can be DIY'd without too much effort or expense - the ingredients are very common. Since the pages are handmade, this might be the way to go, aesthetically speaking. But there are also people who inked their fountain pens with food coloring right off the shelf and journal with that.
@typhlosion I've used a fountain pen just fine with bog standard moleskine notebooks
it does smudge and "blur" less on "better" paper, but I wouldn't say it "doesn't work" on standard notebook paper