Suggestions on FP friendly envelopes?

[katherine]

Hey fpgeeks!

It's that time of the year where it's time to send out Christmas cards... Unfortunately, the envelopes that came with my cards from mpix feather like crazy. The only pen/ink that does feather is my Kaweco Sport + Kaweco Blue. The same ink in my Sheaffer Modern Crest bleeds... I'm guessing it's because it's a much wetter feed.

I'm specifically looking for 5x7 envelopes. I'd ideally like to use a flex pen on them, and I don't mind waiting for the envelopes to dry. :) Any suggestions?

[katherine]

Update: I just bought a pack of Recollections envelopes (all Michaels had)... and mixed results, but overall, they're not great. Slightly better than the envelopes I had, but still not what I'd consider "fountain pen friendly".

[Chrissy]

Have you looked at Crane web-site? I think they sell envelopes on their own

[inklord]

Clairefontaine "Triomphe"... Goulet's have them in 6.38x4.33
http://www.gouletpens.com/stationery/c/13/?facetValueFilter=Tenant~Type%3Aenvelopes

[VertOlive]

I ran across these at a Joanne's Fabric/Craft store and buy them whenever I see them now. They're inexpensive [Black Friday $3.49 for 50 pack] and take FP quite well:

http://www.joann.com/coredinations-envelopes--a7-ivory%3B-50-pack/13660774.html

[katherine]

Have you tried using a dip or flex nib on them?

[VertOlive]

If you mean the Joanne's envelopes, I have used a Mitchell nib in a dip pen with Sailor Kingdom Note "Evening Cicada" ink. It worked fine for me. Also a 1950's Pelikan M400 with flexy gold nib works.

[katherine]

Cool! Thanks. I've found some stuff that's fine with fountain pens... but not so much with dip pens. Will look for a JoAnnes!

[RudyR]

Hi Katherine,
I am one of the forums Iron Gall ink fanatics. It is of my opinion that everyone should have a bottle of iron gall ink handy for just such reasons as yours. It will not feather on even the worst of papers. It is also water resistant and is perfect for envelopes.

Stick the envelope into a drawer and a century later someone can recover and still read it. If you believe the myths and hate talk about IG ink use it for a short time and flush it out of the pen. It will flush out very easily. Iron gall ink is wonderful.

[katherine]

Interesting, thanks for the tip, RudyR!

Do you have any brand preferences?

[RudyR]

Here are my preferred ig inks:

Montblanc Midnight Blue IG formula (discontinued and no longer available)
Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies Registar's Ink otherwise known as ESSRI
R&K Salix or Scaribosa (has a purplish tint)
Platinum Blue/black (Mor blue than black)

Therehas been a lot of chatter about a company called KWZI (sp?), but I'm unfamiliar with it. I'll have to buy some, for science of course.

Most ig inks are dry but Platinum's is a bit wetter. I don't recommend Diamines Registar's Ink simply because it is the driest of them all and is just too expensive for essentially the same results.

[bluesea]

Great info on iron gall inks--if I were find a bottle of MG ig ink, it would be snapped it up in an instant.

Otoh the pens I would use with ig inks have f to xxf nibs, which to my eye look best with well saturated inks. For myself this means blues, blacks, and blue-blacks not leaning towards the greyscale. In this I've been happy with Montblanc Permanent Blue and Black. They dry fairly quickly and produce a thinner line out of a given nib.

[Lady Onogaro]

I often use Platinum Black with a Platinum Desk Pen. I do not have problems with most envelopes.

[RudyR]

Great info on iron gall inks--if I were find a bottle of MG ig ink, it would be snapped it up in an instant.

Otoh the pens I would use with ig inks have f to xxf nibs, which to my eye look best with well saturated inks. For myself this means blues, blacks, and blue-blacks not leaning towards the greyscale. In this I've been happy with Montblanc Permanent Blue and Black. They dry fairly quickly and produce a thinner line out of a given nib.

+1
There are few waterproof inks that can approach the quality of MBPB. It is my most recommended permanent blue with Pilot Blue coming in a close second. But I still prefer IG inks.