Hand oil and skipping

[fncll]

I've noticed that Stephen Brown uses some kind of small plastic sheet under his hand when he is writing in his videos. I've noticed that the lower half of many of my papers don't seem to handle ink as well as the top. I thought it was my pen angle, but now I think it might be oil or something from my skin getting onto the paper. Do any of you use some kind of shield when you write?

[Tracy Lee]

Yes, I use another sheet of paper or the plastic pad I purchased from Nanami paper. It is especially an issue on my Zerkhall Butten, and the amalfi paper. Both suck up the skin oils and really just ruin a letter. The Triomphe isn't as bad but I take precautions anyway. Even Tomoe River can be adversely impacted by the friction of your hand sliding across repeatedly, never mind the oils.

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[ardgedee]

I used to use cheap cotton gloves with the thumb and first two fingers snipped off, for when I was using ink. It's less awkward than using a slipsheet, although it's probably going to do a better job of preventing accidental brushes from smearing ink than it will at protecting the paper from skin oil.

[KrazyIvan]

I use a sheet of blotting paper.

[MisterBoll]

I've noticed this on Fabriano pads but not at all on Leuchtturm notebooks.

Good idea about using the Nanami pads.

[ndw76]

I have a similar problem if I write anywhere that doesn't have aircon. Not so much with the ink and the paper, but with my hand sticking to the paper. My solution is to try to only write where there is aircon. I have tried a plastic pad, but that leaves my hand in a puddle of swet.

[jbb]

I use a sheet of blotting paper.

Me too, I use a sheet of blotter paper.

[Saintpaulia]

OK. I've been through this. Early on actually (meaning last year ). I used the same item as SBRE - a plastic sheet (I always try to do the same thing Stephen does ). Anyway, I noticed it the most on certain papers, such as Clairefontaine and Rhodia. Once I switched over to more textured papers, such as Crane and Cotton Mill, I did not have this problem. For notebooks & journaling I use M by Staples and no problem with that either except with very smooth nibs, such as my Diplomat Traveler. Still I do have dry hands and live in a cool climate.

Now, here's my immediate thought: 'I am fairly sure that our grandparents and parents did not have to do this when they used their fountain pens. But maybe I'm wrong. I just think that this would be considered very "fussy" and silly to them'. Whenever I run across such a problem I always take it back to early times and ask myself, "Why now?".

[KrazyIvan]

OK. I've been through this. Early on actually (meaning last year ). I used the same item as SBRE - a plastic sheet (I always try to do the same thing Stephen does ). Anyway, I noticed it the most on certain papers, such as Clairefontaine and Rhodia. Once I switched over to more textured papers, such as Crane and Cotton Mill, I did not have this problem. For notebooks & journaling I use M by Staples and no problem with that either except with very smooth nibs, such as my Diplomat Traveler. Still I do have dry hands and live in a cool climate.

Now, here's my immediate thought: 'I am fairly sure that our grandparents and parents did not have to do this when they used their fountain pens. But maybe I'm wrong. I just think that this would be considered very "fussy" and silly to them'. Whenever I run across such a problem I always take it back to early times and ask myself, "Why now?".

Our grandparents probably did not have the super smooth papers we have.

[Saintpaulia]

Now, here's my immediate thought: 'I am fairly sure that our grandparents and parents did not have to do this when they used their fountain pens. But maybe I'm wrong. I just think that this would be considered very "fussy" and silly to them'. Whenever I run across such a problem I always take it back to early times and ask myself, "Why now?".

Our grandparents probably did not have the super smooth papers we have.

I am sure they didn't and yet they wrote so beautifully. This was back when handwriting was still taught in grammar school. One needs but look at the handwriting of people today who did not have this kind of education to see the results of that omission! My God! some of the sellers on Ebay and elsewhere who do writing samples of their pens' nibs have such childish handwriting that if I were them I wouldn't let the whole World know how poorly I write!

[dobemom]

***I am sure they didn't and yet they wrote so beautifully. This was back when handwriting was still taught in grammar school. One needs but look at the handwriting of people today who did not have this kind of education to see the results of that omission! My God! some of the sellers on Ebay and elsewhere who do writing samples of their pens' nibs have such childish handwriting that if I were them I wouldn't let the whole World know how poorly I write!***

Whenever I write something down for a patron at the library invariably they comment on how beautiful my handwriting is. I assure you it's not that great, but I think at this point in time anyone who can write at all is an anomoly. I always ask my students if they were taught cursive in school and some look at me like a deer in headlights. Some say they were given a handout to see how it's supposed to look, and some say they did it twice in grade school. As I recall for the students at the school I attended it was thirty minutes a day, every day for two years...using the Reinhart Method, which I loathed ( anyone remember the capital 'Q' that looked like a '2' ? ). My mother and grandfather had taught me using Palmer Method. I wasn't crazy about that either, so I kind of came up with my own..very simple with no curleyques or embellishments. The fact that this impresses anyone makes me wonder if anyone will be writing with a pen in twenty years.

[tandaina]

Ugh, yes. I hated the stupid capital Q (and quite a few other silly capitals). They've been jettisoned from my lexicon, not sure I can even remember how to do them anymore. :P

And I too get comments about how nice my handwriting is, which it really isn't, all perspective I suppose!

[cwent2]

I think a whole thread could be devoted to handwriting and the need to keep this skill in our school systems - I have seen references to studies where hand writing and math skills are linked. But I ramble.

Vote to keep penmanship as a required skill in elementary school

End of my rant.

[erpe]

Vote to keep penmanship as a required skill in elementary school

It stills is, at least here in Holland. It's even better, in my son's school, the weapon of choice for the first 2 years is a Lamy ABC

[Avastgard]

Going back to the hand oil subject, I have been experiencing this problem as well, and it puzzled me for a while. Now I know what to do.

But skipping really isn't my problem (although it happens sometimes). What usually happens is that the ink doesn't get absorbed by the paper propperly, so it leaves a very strange and uneven shading, as if water had been thrown on it.

[Silverbreeze]

I use fingerless gloves often. Both in writing and typing. I am sure some of my pen pals can tell when I forget.

[gregamckinney]

+1

.

[00Photo]

I just use a sheet of paper, usually one I've misspelled words on and had to start over

[kaisnowbird]

I just use a sheet of paper, usually one I've misspelled words on and had to start over

Yep, same here.