Author Topic: Pens and papers  (Read 6085 times)

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Offline raptor1956Topic starter

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Pens and papers
« on: August 25, 2020, 04:06:56 am »
I know a lot of us use CAD for drawings but it's still nice to be able to sketch things on paper.  What are your favorite pens and papers for doing this.  This isn't limited to electrical drawings...


Brian
 
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Offline 0culus

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2020, 04:36:30 am »
Oh man...

I do love me Lamy AL-star fountain pens with Iroshizuku inks. I have a couple of Pentel Graphgear pencils. For paper, engineering pads the whole way. It's laid out so you can consistently label your notes and it has the subtle graph paper printed on the reverse side, so it's easier to read written notes and interspersed hand drawn plots vs regular graph paper.

Lab notebooks that are intended to be a permanent record for inventions are also great if you want something that's hardbound.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2020, 04:38:18 am by 0culus »
 

Online ataradov

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2020, 05:17:36 am »
Pencil Pentel P205B - https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Automatic-Pencil-Barrels-P205BP2-K6/dp/B000SBSAYE
Paper Blank Index Cards, 5" x 8" - https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Blank-Index-Cards-50/dp/B00006IFD6

I rarely use pens, but when I do, I use plain generic pen from MUJI - https://www.muji.us/store/gel-ink-ballpoint-pen-cap-type-0-5mm-blue-black-4550002796921.html I like them a lot.

I hate notebooks, since they don't ever go flat. And I don't like big size paper since it is hard to keep it in front of a keyboard.

I use quite a bit of that paper. I'm not too worried about invention/patent documentation requirements and all used cards just go into a common box just in case I ever need them. For the record - I never ever needed them. But sometimes it is fun to go through the stack and see what I was working on.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2020, 05:23:31 am by ataradov »
Alex
 

Offline ANTALIFE

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2020, 06:57:15 am »
+1 for MUJI pens https://www.muji.com/au/products/cmdty/detail/4550002794118

These are quite comfy, come in lots of colours, and are super easy to get replacement refills for

Offline ChristofferB

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2020, 07:20:10 am »
Gel ink rollers or felt tip is equally good for me, but I'm completely unable to use notebooks efficiently. Especially spiral bound ones, since I'm left handed.

My uni bookstore used to have these A3 graph paper (5mm) pads. They were inconvenient at best to carry but man it was sweet being able to make every lecture into a single poster sized overview.
--Christoffer //IG:Chromatogiraffery
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Offline emece67

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2020, 08:15:31 am »
.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2022, 03:53:15 pm by emece67 »
 
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Offline TimFox

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2020, 01:44:39 pm »
For paper, I like "Clearprint" brand drafting vellum, especially with 10 lines per inch grid.  Available in pads, with all normal American drafting sizes (8.5x11, 11x17, etc.).
 

Offline Tomorokoshi

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2020, 05:05:52 pm »
I'm somewhat partial to Pilot G-2 0.7 pens because they come in lots of colors and they feel right.

So anyway, sometimes I print out schematics from Altium onto B-size (11x17) paper for the purpose of marking up comments and changes.

To my dismay one pen after another stopped working after writing just a few words or crossing out a few parts. What happened?

That Altium background gets printed, which renders as a very light gray. The dot particles are so small that the action of the pen writing on the paper releases the particles and they get trapped in the pen roller. This was a new printer. One of the older printers didn't have this problem, so something is up between the dot size, toner chemistry, adhesion, etc.

I blame Altium just because.
 

Offline Domagoj T

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2020, 06:07:41 pm »
For mechanical pencils - Zebra DelGuard 0.5
https://www.zebrapen.com/product/delguard-mechanical-pencil/
It's basically impossible to break a lead on them.

For pens - Pilot V-Ball RT 05.
https://www.pilotpen.eu/en/v-ball-rt-05-fine-tip.html?master_product_id=1266
They never fail to work from the moment they touch the paper, something I value a lot. Unfortunately, they are fairly expensive and don't last long. Worth it anyway.

I'm fine with printer paper.
 

Offline PlainName

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2020, 11:05:41 pm »
I am quite liking the Kuru Toga self-sharpening pencil:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZIS7EYE

Although my current one is a pink 0.7, then do various sizes, colours and materials. Essentially, whenever you write it rotates the lead so you don't get a flat spot.
 

Online ataradov

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2020, 11:09:48 pm »
I tried multiple self sharpening and "never break the lead" pencils, but they all are too bulky. I honestly prefer 50c BIC to any of those.

Plus Pentel I use is symmetrical, so I can rotate it however I want anyway, so that feature is kind of strange to me.
Alex
 

Offline PlainName

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2020, 11:26:56 pm »
It's not that much bigger than a 'norm' one. In fact, it's more comfortable if your fingers are getting old ;)

I agree with staying cheap. I go through phases of treating pens/pencils as art and trying different shapes and mechanisms (so long as they're cheap).

Current phase is related: staple-less staplers. The mechanism on some is jolly clever and while they're all pretty similar they have differences that can, er, make a difference.
 

Offline mc172

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2020, 12:01:22 am »
I'm one of those people that feels more comfortable with a messy desk so I've got about 9 pencils of various type and length (i.e. age) scattered around and an open ream of printer paper that I take pages from to scribble on. I've also got about 4 pencil sharpeners and a Stanley knife for when I can't find a sharpener.
 

Offline RandallMcRee

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #13 on: August 26, 2020, 01:37:47 am »
Mechanical pencils--try this one (both 0.5mm and 0.7mm)!
https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-GraphGear-Automatic-Drafting-PG525A/dp/B0006HXQXA

As for pens--just don't.

Btw--true story--my office fired someone in the IT department. They made the mistake of letting him wander around to gather his stuff. Yep, the mechanical pencil shown above disappeared from my desk.  Unfortunately, I was in a meeting. |O

Hey, for paper I always have a pad of this:
https://www.amazon.com/TOPS-Engineering-Computation-Punched-35500/dp/B001J87JTM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=engineering+paper&qid=1598407161&sr=8-1
« Last Edit: August 26, 2020, 02:00:24 am by RandallMcRee »
 

Offline Black Phoenix

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #14 on: August 26, 2020, 02:01:00 am »


Currently I have the following items that I use regularly:

rOtring 600 .5 Mechanical Pencil;
rOtring 600 Ballpoint Pen;
Pentel Graphgear 1000 .7 Mechanical Pencil;
Pentel Graphgear 1000 .7 Needlepoint Pen;
Ohto Multi MF-20K3B .5/ Needlepoint Black/Needlepoint Red Multi Pen

And from all of these the one that really have more use out of it is the Ohto Multi. The weight is perfect, more to the tip because of the 3 mechanism of their functions, the Needlepoint are great to write in any kind of paper, they simply glide without any problem, kinda like a gel pen.

The rOtring 600 is comfortable and have a balanced weight (mostly uniform, you can put the finger in the middle and the pencil will stay in equilibrium on your finger) but I can't recommend at the normal price other than a novelty or if you like the colour scheme of them (the black is textured instead of flat). If you can get on discount (sometimes Amazon have it) and you like go for it, you can't go wrong with it.

The Pentel Graphgear is a very well regarded and known double knock mechanical pencil with a hybrid grip, metal and rubber. Heavier on the tip. you can't go wrong with it. Regarding the Neddlepoint pen, it is almost impossible to find online and when available in sites as eBay costs more than 150$. The reason it is because Pentel released this pen in a design of the mechanical pencil back in 2003 as a limited edition. Two kits exists, the .5/.5 needlepoint in black grip and the .7/.7 in blue. Neddlepoint recharges are still available to be sold, in stock, the pens are discontinued and only the mechanical pencils are sold. I was able to snatch a kit back in 2006 in Japan in .7 (.5 was the first to go and it is the rarest of them).

Also I recommend as lead the Uni NanoDia in the hardness you like (I use HB but 2B is also great). This lead is very soft, and basically melts on paper, without feeling scratchy or look like is trying to fight your movement to write. Good resistance against smudging and easy to erase. Another alternative in terms of lead is the Pilot Neox in the same HB or 2B, very close to Uni NanoDia. Other alternative is the Pentel Ain Stein lead, although I find it a little scratchy to my tastes, but it works great if you practice lead rotation (rotating the mechanical pencil as you write, kinda like what the Uni Kuro Toga does automatically each time you lift the tip from the paper).

As paper, I've been using loose leaf from Kokuyo, dotted and it is a very good paper to write on. I don't know if they have in normal non perforated A4, I buy B5. They have different kind of paper formulations, some harder than others, that translates in a different feeling when writing. Can't recommend other paper because I only have as experience the normal 80g/100g copy paper that have lots of formulations depending of the brand.

For the future to add the collection, probably will try the Spoke 5, a machined aluminium or titanium mechanical pencil that uses the internals of the Pentel 20X series. Also in my sights are the Metaphysis mechanical pencil and ballpoint, mostly because of the design of it and the HMM mechanical pencil and ballpoint, from a design company in Taiwan.

Other than that, Platinum is also a brand I want to try, as Kaweco too.
 
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Offline bsfeechannel

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #15 on: August 26, 2020, 03:03:00 am »
Cheap-butt Chinese Hero 329 fountain pen (a Parker 51 knock-off) filled with Lamy blue ink and A5 sized notebooks. Sometimes I use a uni-ball micro deluxe blue. I used to use a 0.7 mm Pentel P207, but I switched from graphite to ink a few decades ago.
 

Online aargee

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #16 on: August 26, 2020, 04:44:54 am »
This was a gift from my children.  Apparently a local guy hand crafts them. Writes nicely and the touchscreen knobby thing works well.
Not easy, not hard, just need to be incentivised.
 

Offline PlainName

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #17 on: August 26, 2020, 05:26:02 am »
That's... different  :-+
 

Offline emece67

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #18 on: August 26, 2020, 11:10:54 am »
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« Last Edit: August 19, 2022, 03:53:26 pm by emece67 »
 

Offline Sal Ammoniac

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #19 on: August 26, 2020, 05:01:40 pm »
I use rOtring mechanical pencils in 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7mm with Pentel Ain Stein 2B lead. For paper, I typically use green quadrille engineering paper in pads.

"That's not even wrong" -- Wolfgang Pauli
 
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Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #20 on: August 26, 2020, 05:44:16 pm »
I have learned not to fall in love with pencils or papers since my career and hobby have far exceeded the life of several product lines.  It is disappointing when after years of service a good instrument finally fails and you find that it is no longer made.

That said I have been able to stick with 0.5 mm black lead mechanical pencils for a long time.  when replacement time comes I usually have to cycle through a few tries to find something suitable.

I like spiral notebooks for things that have to stick around for a while.  But for the scratch work, notes and just general work I use the never ending supply of drafts/misprints/etc of printer paper.  It accepts pencil well, usually has one completely clean side and saves a few trees.
 

Offline emece67

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #21 on: August 26, 2020, 07:57:45 pm »
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« Last Edit: August 19, 2022, 03:53:37 pm by emece67 »
 

Offline tszaboo

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #22 on: August 26, 2020, 09:11:57 pm »
A4 notebook with 5mm grid
Staedtler pigment liner 0.3mm <- buy this and try it, you will never regret it.

And sometimes Zebra F-301 Compact Ballpoint
« Last Edit: August 26, 2020, 09:20:16 pm by NANDBlog »
 
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Offline raptor1956Topic starter

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #23 on: August 26, 2020, 10:26:17 pm »
Mechanical pencils--try this one (both 0.5mm and 0.7mm)!
https://www.amazon.com/Pentel-GraphGear-Automatic-Drafting-PG525A/dp/B0006HXQXA

As for pens--just don't.

Btw--true story--my office fired someone in the IT department. They made the mistake of letting him wander around to gather his stuff. Yep, the mechanical pencil shown above disappeared from my desk.  Unfortunately, I was in a meeting. |O

Hey, for paper I always have a pad of this:
https://www.amazon.com/TOPS-Engineering-Computation-Punched-35500/dp/B001J87JTM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=engineering+paper&qid=1598407161&sr=8-1


Well I do prefer pens...

I also like the TOPS ENgineering Graph Paper, but with the 10 lines per inch with the 10th line a bit darker/thicker -- pad form is best a I can't deal with spines or binders.  I also tend to clip the pad into a clip board so I can write on my knee or where ever.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013CIJ20/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Brian
 

Offline bsfeechannel

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Re: Pens and papers
« Reply #24 on: August 26, 2020, 11:49:05 pm »
Cheap-butt Chinese Hero 329 fountain pen (a Parker 51 knock-off) filled with Lamy blue ink and A5 sized notebooks. Sometimes I use a uni-ball micro deluxe blue. I used to use a 0.7 mm Pentel P207, but I switched from graphite to ink a few decades ago.

Do such Hero pens work? I tried some Parker 21/51 chinese clones years ago, but with really bad results, all of them failed to simply keep the ink inside them.

The Hero 329 works surprisingly well. It's pretty reliable. It has a smooth nib, doesn't skip or scratch. And the ink flow is moderate, not wet, not dry. I've had no issues with leakages. For the price, it's worth a try.
 
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