Fountain Pen Fan

Rhodia Paper Project Week 21 - Part 2

Rhodia Pad No. 19, White, Lined, 80g

Delta Dolce Vita Medium Size, Medium Nib with DeAtramentis Sapphire Blue Ink

I did a view of this paper earlier this week but I wanted to follow up with this review as well.  Week 21 of the Rhodia Paper Project sent both the white and the yellow colors of the Rhodia Pad No. 19 Paper.  

Like the yellow version this is also lined paper and it is shown as being 80g paper.  

Just like with the yellow version this paper is smooth, shows no bleed through and was a pleasure to write on.  I would highly recommend this paperfor both personal and professional uses.  

Thanks for reading!

Rhodia Paper Project Week 21

Rhodia Pad No. 19, Yellow, Lined, 80g

Tested with Delta Dolcevita, Medium Size, Medium Nib, DeAtramentis Sapphire Blue Ink

So I am a bit behind with my blog posting, but I wanted to get to this sample.  Last week, as a part of Rhodia’s ongoing paper project, I got a sample of this paper.  It’s from a Rhodia Pad, and it measures 11 11/16″ x 8 5/16″.  

My first impression is that the paper is very smooth, and of about average thickness.  When I started my writing test, there was no feathering and no bleedthrough even when I laid down some heavy ink spots.  

This would be a great paper for business or recreational use.  I think it would be great with just about any pen and it feels great in your hand and as you are writing on it.  

This is clearly a premium paper, but in order to figure that out, I think you might need to write on it a bit.  It’s definitely a paper that won’t attract a lot of attention from the person getting it, and perhaps for your situation that’s a good thing.  

Normally I prefer blank papers, but in this case, this sample may have me reconsider my stance.  The lines on the page are crisp, thin and unobtrusive.  I would surely recommend this paper to anyone looking for a good lined paper which will work well for fountain pens.  This would be great for taking class notes or handing in class assignments that might be hand written.  

Thanks for reading!

Iroshizuku Syo-Ro Ink Review

HP 32lb Premium Laser Paper

Lamy Vista, 1.1mm Stub Nib

So, I received this ink as a gift last week and I’ve been looking for a pen that I could use to do a review.  I had my Lamy Vista cleaned out for a while, but I hadn’t been thrilled with its performance so I wasn’t really considering using it.  It had really been skipping a lot and having start up problems so I didn’t really enjoy using it.  

Still, after a week of this bottle of ink staring at me, I wanted to get going on this review, so I picked up the Lamy, inked it up, and decided to give it a whirl.  Boy am I glad that I did!

First, I love the color of this ink.  Green is my favorite color in general, and I love finding inks that have varying shades of green in them.  Second, the pen performed great, and there weren’t any issues with it at all.  There were no hard starts, no skipping, no issues at all!

I think the ink has a nice amount of shading, some of which you can see in the pictures as a result of using the stub nib.  I surely wish my handwriting was better so it would show off nicer, but sometimes I have to work with what I have on hand.  

I also don’t usually use the HP Premium Laser 32lb for a review.  I just tend to enjoy the Rhodia papers better either their Premium R Pads or the DotPads.  Still, for a very smooth paper, it had no problem with this ink.  I can’t really see any feathering or bleedthrough.  There’s a bit of show through, but I really don’t mind that much.  

I was shocked by the drying time.  Especially since this pen does have a pretty broad line, and is far from a dry writer.  

So what’s the bottom line?  Well, I LOVE the performance of this ink. I think it’s definitely worth the money.  As for the color, I’m not sure it can displace Iroshizuku Kon-Peki as my favorite ink color, but I think it’s firmly in the top three.  I think the only reason it’s not number 1 is that I really can’t use it on a day to day basis at work, since it’s not quite blue enough for that.  

Thanks for reading!

-FPF

Palomino Blackwing 602 - Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed

Writing Sample on Rhodia Dot Pad

So, I’ve heard and read a lot about Blackwing Pencils.  I’ve heard about how sought after they are, how they were on the market, then taken off the market, only to reappear again for a short time before disappearing completely.  

Due to the high cost of a vintage original Blackwing, and the limited supply, I may never get to use one myself.  I can’t comment about the quality of a vintage Blackwing.

Luckily for me and this blog, Palomino now makes the Palomino Blackwing 602.  While they may say that they are made to the specifications of the original, many hardcore devotees of the original Blackwing maintain that there can be no comparison.  Sadly, I can’t comment on that either.  

Still, I can review the Palomino Blackwing 602 as it stands on its own, and I must say that it stands very well.  

Most of my review is in the pictures above, which will also serve as a writing sample, but from the moment I wrote the heading on the first page, I was barely able to believe that I was writing with a pencil.  Gone are the days of having to press down so hard that my hand would cramp.  

This is not, however an inexpensive pencil.  I won’t be lending these out.  At $23 for a box of 12, they are about twenty times the cost of an average school pencil.  Still, when you write with them, you see where the money goes.  

First, even to look at one you see there’s something different about it.  I can’t get over how much I like the color of the pencil, with a silvery grey color that has a really nice sheen.  The eraser is unique for a wooden pencil.  It is designed so that you can adjust the eraser as it wears away so you don’t run out of eraser as quickly.  Lastly, the tagline on the pencil is definitely true.  How often do you hear about products living up to their advertising these days?  Not often enough!

I’d definitely recommend this pencil for anyone who writes a good bit throughout their day.  Being able to use less pressure is going to mean less fatigue, and your hands will thank you for that.  

I definitely look forward to seeing where in my daily routine I can use a pencil instead of a pen!

Thanks for reading!

Rhodia Paper Project Week 20

G. Lalo Coreale Deckled Edge Pastel/Blank - 250g

As a part of the Rhodia Drive ongoing Paper Project, I recently received two samples of the G. Lalo Coreale Deckled-Edge cards in Cream, and a light Lavender.  In full disclosure, these were provided to me at no cost for the purpose of a review.  

The paper of both the envelope and the cards themselves are very textured.  As a result I didn’t think that they would be suitable for fountain pens.  Boy was I wrong!

I used a Delta Dolcevita Medium, with a Medium nib, filled with DeAtramentis Sapphire Blue.  

Although textured, the paper took to the ink very well.  There was no feathering to speak of and definitely no bleed through.  The lack of bleed through is no surprise on a card stock as heavy as 250g, but the lack of feathering was an extremely pleasant surprise.  

These would be great cards to keep around to use as a thank you card, where you are able to write a personalized message, I could also see these being used as wedding invitations, or invitations for any event.  

Anyone receiving one of these cards for any reason is sure to enjoy the feel of the envelope in their hands.  

The envelopes are lined with a white paper, and the edge of the envelope is embossed with “G. LALO - PARIS” which I thought was a nice touch.  

With the performance these cards offer, I would encourage anyone to consider them as a notecard that would be suitable for any message!

Thanks for your time!

Aurora Black Ink Review

Rhodia Premium “R” Pad, Pilot Metropolitan Medium Nib

So everyone told me how awesome Aurora Black ink is and I thought I had to try it out.  There are definitely things that I like about the product as a whole, and there were a couple of pet peeves about the product.  Let’s talk about it!

So, let me start with the bad.  As you may be able to see I took pictures of the jar when I first opened it.  I noticed that the jar was heavy and looked nice.  It’s not fancy, but it looks nice and heavy.  The jar was double sealed.  There was the outer black cap, and then there’s the inner cap.  Now my issue is that getting that inner cap off the jar was really pretty difficult and I needed to use my fingernail to pry it off.  This led to to me getting ink all over my hands and under my fingernails.  Is it the end of the world?  No.  Was it annoying, absolutely.  

Now for the ink itself.  I probably should have used a different pen, but I only had one pen that wasn’t inked yet.  I used a Pilot Metropolitan Medium Nib.  It worked well, and didn’t skip at all.  It was a little scratchy, but that had nothing to do with the ink.  

Now the ink itself was well behaved, flowed well, and didn’t bleed through or feather very much.  You can see from the scans, the pen was laying down a dark thin line.  I did a swab test in the upper right hand corner.  I just smeared ink from the jar on the page.  Even with the pen laying down a thick line, there was still no bleedthrough.  That probably had more to do with the paper than anything else.  

I think the ink is priced very well.  I paid $16 shipped from Amazon which I thought was a fair price.  The bottle has 45ml of ink, which is larger than some jars, and smaller than others like Iroshizuku.  I liked the ink itself, and I even appreciated the inner cap because it made me feel like they cared enough to keep the ink in the bottle, but making it easier to remove would be nice.  

Still, this is an ink I’d recommend, and if I continue to like it I will make it my standard black ink.  

Thanks for reading!

Sailor Yama Dori Ink - First Impressions

Sailor 1911 Full Size with a Zoom nib on Tomoe River Cream Colored Paper

So I placed the order for this ink weeks ago.  When I realized that I ordered it from a shipper in Japan, I decided not to cancel the order, but instead to wait for it.  

The markings on the jar itself are different than the markings on the jar of Sailor Avocado that I’ve bought here in the US, so that’s pretty cool.  

The ink is, in my opinion more blue than green, but the green shading shows up more when I scan the page.  What’s funny is that when I compare the page I scanned to the other images I’ve found online of this ink, I feel that they are very similar.  When looking at the ink on the page, I find it to be far more blue.  Either way, both of the shades are beautiful.  

As I wrote, I would recommend this ink for more of a wet writer, because the shading will be easier to see, but then again, I love broad wet writers in the first place, and rarely use nibs on the finer scale.  

This was a very cool ink and I’m thrilled that the bottle finally came in.  I can’t wait to use it in my work journal, and in other letters and notes.  

Thanks for reading!

Rhodia Paper Project Week 19

Le Carre Pad, 80g, White Paper, Violet Grid

So as a part of Rhodia’s ongoing Paper Project, in week 19, they have sent me some paper samples from a Le Carre Pad for review.  They sent me two sheets of each, the large size and smaller size Le Carre Pad.  

Both pads are listed as 80g, white paper, with a Violet Grid.  Since both sheets were the same apart from the size, I elected to use the larger sheet for the review.  Please find the link to the paper here:

http://rhodiapads.com/collections_orange_le_carre.php

This is the first time I’ve used a square sheet of paper.  Typically I use more of a paper with a typical ratio.  Even so, the square format is nice if you’re sketching or looking to write more text on a page.  

The paper is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Rhodia.  The paper was smooth and took ink very well.  

While the paper had no feathering, there was some bleedthrough on the Parker “51″ pen.  I think that was because it was the finest nib I used, and it had a tendency to scratch the paper a bit.  Even so, I feel that the back side of the paper was still very usable, and I would feel perfectly confident using both sides of the paper even with this pen.  I included a scan of the back of the page as well.  

The paper was smooth to the touch, and the violet grid offers a nice reference to keep your writing straight while at the same time not being too distracting.  Anyone who needed graph paper for a school type application, or a math class would enjoy using this paper.  I would recommend that anyone add this paper to their rotation if you’re looking for something different than your average sized sheet of paper.  

In full disclosure, this is a paper sample that was provided to me at no cost for the purpose of providing a review.  

Tomoe River Writing Sample

Hello Fountain Pen Fans!

So, if you aren’t familiar with Tomoe River paper, then this is the blog entry for you!

Tomoe River is paper from Japan.  It’s an extremely thin paper, but it’s very suitable for fountain pen use.  At first, it was difficult to come by here in the US.  Due to the weight of paper, it was rarely worth shipping a whole box of it unless you were in some sort of a buying group.  

I’ve heard varying numbers on the weight of the paper, but I’ve heard around 52g, and I’d say that’s about right.  

The paper is relatively smooth but there’s definitely some texture to it.  Some people have described it as “Bible Paper” and that’s probably an accurate description for someone who hasn’t ever seen it or felt it.  The other description that I found close is “Onion Skin” paper, although that might refer to even lighter paper.   

The paper does often show ink through the other side, but even with the broadest pen, there’s no bleedthrough.  The last sample is a brush pen, which really isn’t the best for writing but even with what amounts to a brush smearing paint on the page, there isn’t any bleedthrough.   The paper also does not have very much in the way of feathering.  It’s really quite amazing considering it is so very thin.  

I don’t normally show the back of the page, but in this instance I feel that it’s important to demonstrate how little showthrough there is and that there is no bleed through.  I personally use both sides of the page quite often, and never find the showthrough even slightly distracting.  

The paper is available in a cream or a white color.  I tend to prefer the color of the cream paper when I’m writing.  When purchased in either color, I’ve only ever seen it blank.  A lined version may exist but I haven’t seen it yet.  

I’ve seen the paper available from gouletpens.com, jetpens.com, as well as paperforfountainpens.com, which happens to be where I have purchased the paper so far.  Both Goulet, and Jetpens have the paper available in loose sheets, but paperforfountainpens also offers a journal, which is how I personally use the paper most often.  I do also have loose sheets, and that’s exactly what I reviewed above.  

This paper does come at a rather premium cost.  Gouletpens offers the paper at about $14.95 per 100 sheets of A4.  Jetpens offers it at about twenty cents less.  Paperforfountainpens offers 300 sheets for $19.50 as of this writing.  Don’t forget though that there is always shipping, and each of these vendors will set their shipping prices as they see fit.  

No matter who you may decide to buy this paper from, Tomoe River paper is second to none in terms of quality and writing experience.  I use it for writing to pen pals, and when I receive a letter written on it, it’s always fun to hold the paper feel it, and look on in amazement as it seems to take even the broadest of pens with ease.  

In full disclosure, apart from being a customer, I’m not affiliated with any of the websites mentioned in this post.  

Thanks for reading!

Uniball Signo 207 Bold - Blue

Disposable Pen Day!

I’m often asked if I even use disposable pens anymore.  Of course I do.  As much as I love Fountain Pens, I can’t always use one, or have one at the ready to sign say, a credit card receipt.  

When I’m asked for a recommendation for a disposable pen, I always ask what someone is trying to get out of their writing experience.  If they’re unsure, I at least let them try the Uniball Signo.  

I actually got my first Signo in a trade for a Uniball Jetstream.  The person who gave it to me was also into pens, and even though he gave me the standard and not the bold model, I really enjoyed writing with it and immediately did some research into the pen.  When I found that they were made in bold, I immediately ordered a dozen and haven’t looked back.  

I do still enjoy the Uniball Jetstream, and I will certainly review it soon.  I also used the Papermate Profile Bold 1.4mm pens and liked them, though I don’t enjoy the color of the ink as much as I do with the Signo.  

I’m thrilled that I had the chance to use this pen, and continue to use it every day.  Though it lays down a wet line, the pens seem to last quite a while, even with repeated use.  Occasionally, I’ll forget my fountain pen case at home, and while I will be upset for a little while, I remind myself that it gives me a chance to catch up with one of my Signos for the day, and that’s not a bad prospect at all!

Thanks for reading!

DeAtramentis Sapphire Blue Ink Review!

So, here’s an ink that’s very near and dear to my heart.  This was an ink that I purchased with my very first fountain pen, a Lamy Vista, probably about 5 years ago.  I purchased it from Art Brown’s pen shop in New York City, where I was working at the time.  Sadly, they’ve since closed, and that first bottle is long gone, but I continue to use the ink.  

I always loved the deep blue this ink had to offer.  In a broad pen, you really do get a chance to see the beauty of the color.  A finer nibbed pen might not show the ink quite as well, as I feel that it would be dark enough to perhaps be confused for a black.  

That being said, with all of my medium to broad nibbed pens, this ink looks great.  I do tend to use it on quality paper.  This review, I’m just showing it on HP 32lb paper, which is a decent enough paper, that doesn’t show too much feathering or bleedthrough.  

If you’re looking for an ink to call your standard blue, this is on the darker side of the scale but still a nice option.  

If you have any questions or you want to see something specific, please don’t hesitate to let me know!  I’m always looking for new ideas!

As always, thanks for reading!

Rhodia Paper Project Week 18

Quo Vadis Habana, Ivory, Lined, 85g

I was provided this paper by the Rhodia Paper Project for the purpose of reviewing the sample.  

This was a great writing experience.  I’ve wanted to try this paper for ages.  This paper was very similar to the paper in Rhodia’s Webnotebook, although the weight of the paper was slightly lighter.  

I preferred the line spacing of the Webnotebook because the spacing was much larger, but in general I prefer blank paper.  The Quo Vadis Habana is available in blank as well, and that would be my very strong preference.  If you are the type that likes a tighter line spacing, this might be the book for you.  

The only other complaint that I had was using a pencil, the paper was almost too smooth.  Generally when I write with a pencil, I prefer a little more feedback.  

Ultimately, both of these complaints are minor and clearly are personal preferences rather than there being anything wrong with the paper itself.  

I would surely recommend this paper to anyone who writes with fountain pens, or even someone who uses a rollerball or ballpoint pen who is looking for a better writing experience out of their paper.  This paper is definitely high quality paper and ranks high in my opinion.  

Thanks for Reading!

Rhodia Paper Project Week 18

Rhodia Webnotebook, Ivory, Lined, 90g

This paper was sent to me as a part of the Rhodia Paper Project, for the purpose of being reviewed.  

This was a very smooth paper, and one that I already use, and enjoy.  Although this just looks at the paper, I think that the book itself is made with excellent construction.  The cover and binding are high quality, and the book travels well since I use it as a travel journal.  

My only complaints about the paper are personal in nature.  I don’t love the lines, and I prefer the blank version.  Additionally I don’t love using a pencil with this paper.  I much prefer it with either a rollerball or fountain pen.  

That being said, this is paper that I use and I love using.  My complaints are minor, and generally they will vary from one person to another.  I think this is still fantastic paper and I would recommend it to anyone.  

Thanks for Reading!

A review of the Pilot Metropolitan.

HP 32lb Premium Laser

Fantastic writing experience!

Another lovely paper offered to me by Week 17 of the Rhodia Paper Project, courtesy of Rhodia Drive.  

As always in full disclosure, I was offered these samples for free from Rhodia Drive.  I thank them wholeheartedly, and will always review them honestly.  

In my humble opinion, Rhodia makes excellent paper for writing and sketching, and I look forward to the opportunity to review more.  

Anyone with any questions about my writing experience, should feel free to send me a PM and I would be happy to help you make your paper or pen purchasing decision!

Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

A Review of the Trophee Sketch Pad Paper.  

90g Paper, Blank White.  

Provided as a sample by Rhodia Drive’s Rhodia Paper Project

Thanks again for reading!

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen!

As a part of the continuing Rhodia Paper Project, I was sent additional samples for evaluation.  Please feel free to check them out. (http://www.rhodiadrive.com)

As always I’m very appreciative of the samples I was provided and I wanted to give everyone an idea of what this paper has to offer.  

Of course I must in good conscience tell everyone that these samples were provided free of charge.  

Thank you again for reading!