Field Notes and Doane Paper Fountain Pen Ink Testing

I finally got around to doing a little testing with my fountain pens in Field Notes and Doane Paper notebooks like I've been swearing to do for months. I can't say there were any real surprises, but here are a few takeaways:

Field Notes America The Beautiful Edition

The Spring 2013 COLORS subscription release from Field Notes is what got me interested in doing this test due to the thicker 70# Finch “Soft White” paper. As expected, it handled the sampling of inks I threw at it very well. There was little feathering, and virtually no bleed through the back of the page. This is a nice upgrade to the standard Field Notes paper.

Field Notes Red Blooded

Speaking of the standard Field Notes paper, the stock Red Blooded Edition uses Finch Paper Opaque Smooth 50# Bright White. I have good luck with my ultra fine nibs on this paper, but as the nib gets wider the feathering becomes more noticeable. There is also more bleed through to the back of the page, rendering it useless if you like to write on both sides. Others report using wide nibs with success but I'm not seeing the same results.

Doane Paper Utilty Journal

Being the genius that I am, I cleaned some of the fountain pens I had inked before testing them in the Doane Paper Utility Journal. I think the 80# Text Stock 100% recycled pages handled my pens wonderfully. Writing felt smooth and clean with no feathering and only slight bleed through to the back.

Conclusion

With the rare exception, notebook manufacturers don't put fountain pen friendly paper high on their spec list for pocket sized notebooks. Which is the best notebook for fountain pens? This test is far from exhaustive, but from these three popular models I prefer the Doane Utility Journal. I thought it had the cleanest overall writing performance. America The Beautiful is right there performance-wise if you prefer lines over grid + lines, with the Red Blooded (and other stock Field Notes) further down the list.

As manufacturers keep making them, I'll keep testing them. Stay tuned!

Palomino Blackwing Pearl Review

Mechanical pencils? Yes.

Drafting pencils? Absolutely.

Wooden pencils? Almost never.

Why is that? These are obviously beloved writing instruments with traditions carried through the centuries. I like writing and tradition, so why no love for wooden pencils?

I think for me it boiled down to portability and convenience, plus the inability to write the super-fine lines that I love. But change, it is a comin'. I think my relatively new love for fountain pens has changed my perspective a bit. What started as a strict adherence to extra-fine nibs has branched out as far as 1.5 mm stub nibs. I had no idea what I was missing!

That may be the case too with pencils. There are some great products on the market that I am missing out on. I reviewed the Blackwing 602 in late 2011 and enjoyed it. So much so, I vowed to continue using it regularly. I didn't. Now that I have the new Blackwing Pearl in hand I'm starting to realize how much I am missing out.

The Pearl is a fun pencil to use. It is beautifully designed with a pearlescent sheen and gold accoutrements. I would have preferred a pink eraser over the black, and luckily you can make that happen if you so desire (there are even orange erasers!)

Comparing the Pearl and the 602 directly, the Pearl is softer and slightly darker. I actually prefer the firmness of the 602 over the Pearl, especially since it is close in darkness. Both are super smooth with points holding longer that you would expect.

I hope I find a way to work these Blackwings into my regular rotation. I also want to try out other wooden pencils. What do you recommend?

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 55 - I'm So Jealous

In Episode 55 of The Pen Addict Podcast Myke and I have fun catching up on new releases and purchases, including a killer new Retro 51 limited edition model, two new fountain pens I have on the way, and a possible new addiction entering my life in woodcase pencils.

Myke also drops the hammer on me concerning two new pens that recently landed in his mailbox.

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#Boom

Pen Addict + Huckberry Giveaway Winner

This has been one of the coolest giveaways I have done on The Pen Addict and it was all made possible by my friends at Huckberry.com. Huckberry sources some of the finest goods on the planet and keeps their inventory fresh by making those products available only for a limited time. And, if you shop at Huckberry using the link above, I get a small percentage back which helps support this site.

Without further adieu, the winner of the giveaway is:

Congratulations Julia! Please reach out via the Contact Page and I will coordinate getting you these awesome prizes.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and thanks to Huckberry for their support of The Pen Addict!

Stabilo Sensor Fineliner Review

Not all drawing pens are created the same. In fact, there are more differences in these types of pens than you can imagine. Archival, water-proof, fade-proof, lightfast, pigmented, cushioned, metal encased, light, heavy, refillable - I think you get the picture. No one pen can cover all of those bases, but most of them can handle a few very well.

From a feature standpoint, the Stabilo Sensor Fineliner brings cushioned writing and a metal encased tip to the table. The latter is a very import thing for those that use drawing pens alongside rulers or stencils. It gives the tip added durability that other similar pens can't handle. The cushioning works in conjunction to make this a very comfortable pen to write with.

I noticed when using it that this is a very inky pen, something it shares with another metal encased tip pen in the Rotring Tikky Graphic Drawing Pen. I didn't care for it in the Tikky but now I am wondering - is this a feature? Does it need to be this wet to keep up with the speed the pen travels while using it against a ruler? I'm not sure, but it's a thought.

Outside of the writing aspects, the barrel is very comfortable and lightweight. It is also priced right at $1.60. If you don't require archival ink properties in your drawing pens this is one to check out.