Fountain pen question

[megwrites]

A few weeks ago I asked about fountain pens. And your advice was very, very helpful!

To try it out, I bought a disposable model (Varsity disposable fountain pen) because it was on sale and learning from a $3.00 mistake is better than a $30.00 mistake, especially when the difference is part of a medication that I need to keep me from getting very unhealthy.

But as I was using it, I found that on some things, the ink "feathered" out and sort of seemed to soak into the fibers of the paper. So my question is this - will a higher quality fountain pen have this problem less and is the problem of feathering about the paper, the pen, or the ink.

Also, I like writing with a fountain pen. I know that I need to eventually (when I have the money) invest in a much nicer one.

I guess my question is, is there any kind of fountain pen or ink that will not feather? I'm looking for something where I can write in my journal and on other types of paper. I love how my handwriting turns out when I use a fountain pen and I love the flow of it. Also, I love how it works when I draw things.

I'm definitely converted to the idea that fountain pens are awesome. So - the question of feathering. How do you get past that or is it just part of using a fountain pen?

Comments

[apis_mellifera]

Feathering is mostly a paper issue, although a pen that writes very wetly (as Varsity pens do in my experience) will definitely make it worse. A finer nib will deposit less ink on the paper, too. A good paper for fountain pens, weirdly enough, is the Eco-Friendly line from Staples. The paper is made from bagasse and is inexpensive. Rhoda and Clairefontaine are nice but more expensive. You generally want a reasonably non-absorbent paper for fountain pens.

A really good resource is the Fountain Pen Network. That's where I went when I was first getting interested in fountain pens. There are also a lot of blogs out there, too, with people talking about these very things. I can dig out some links from my feed reader if you're inclined in that direction.

[owlectomy]

I'm actually surprised at how little my writing feathers when I'm using a fountain pen. (I've bought a couple, in the $40-60 range). As long as I'm using decent paper and a finer nib, I tend to get no feathering at all. If you're using paper that has a rougher, newsprinty texture, you'll definitely get more, but you don't have to buy high-end paper to avoid it.