I want a blotter



When I write with a fountain pen, sometimes the ink doesn't always dry fast enough and I smudge it.  

I found someone to make a blotter for me, however, the challenge is, the price of the blotter paper.  

After shipping and taxes, a 10 pack of blotter paper costs $2 a sheet from amazon.

But what if I could make my own?  I could buy a pad or ream of appropriate paper and then cut it to size.  That way we can make the blotter the right size so that no paper is wasted.

What kind of paper would work for blotter paper?  

Seems like the ones I remember had a green felt like something.  I wonder if you could make some thin felt to use.

I'm not sure that felt would work well as it retains moisture and doesn't dry as quickly as paper.

I could see blotting the first page, then when I blot the second, the ink on the felt would transfer off the blotter onto the second page.

However, I do think a layer of felt between the paper and the wood would be a huge help.

Talking with people old enough to have used blotters, they suggest that blotting paper was green and that it was made from linen.  Now there's an idea.

Maybe cloth, either a thin linen or cotton might work?  Used wovens from the thrift store?  maybe even cotton sheets?

I'm thinking (because I'm in the middle of an abstract, handsewn, strip woven dye project) that if the ink was some really good india ink, the cloth might have some interesting graphics by the time it was thoroughly used and could continue life in a pieced something or other...maybe as a patch?

I'm thinking of how absorbent my linen kitchen towels are...and how absorbent worn cotton knit t-shirts are...and cotton bed sheets.

How does the blotter paper attach to the wooden thingy?  

I did see where the best blotter paper is cotton, linen or hemp.  

I've noticed when I'm brushing india ink onto cotton or linen cloth it bleeds around the edges unless I size the cloth with soy milk first.  
I think though, unless the ink has a drying additive, it won't dry instantly on any sort of blotter?

This article is interesting:

"Before blotters were invented, the preferred (albeit expensive) method was sprinkling salt over fresh written text to speed the drying process."

"Hand blotters came into fashion during the early 1800s, and generally featured a small handle mounted on a curved base, whose bottom surface was covered in felt and gently rocked over written text to absorb wet ink."

"Blotting paper was first manufactured in the United States by Joseph Parker & Son in 1856. Parker (no relation to Parker Pens) became the industry leader after recognizing the absorbent quality of softer paper sheets made without adding a binding element, or “sizing,” to the paper mixture. The result was a thicker card material that absorbed ink without damaging a pen’s nib or smudged written words."

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/office/ink-blotters

This is a blotter with the paper attached.  See pictures below the main picture:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Carved-Wooden-Bear-Ink-Blotter-with-Fords-Blotting-Paper/382413707659

Here are some good pictures on how a blotter works.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/590937828/antique-wooden-rocking-blotter-with-10?ref=hp_rv



There are three parts.  The handle unscrews and a plate is lifted off the top of the rocker.






Looking at my old scrap of blotting paper, the main advantage is that it wicks the ink directly up into the fabric, but not along the fabric.  If that makes any sense.

The ink I use is regular fountain pen ink.  It's water soluble to make cleaning the nib easier.  

I bought this blotting paper from etsy.  It's brilliant.  I don't have a blotter yet, but I keep a scrap of this paper in my notepad and use it to blot what I've written.  

It's especially good with my waterproof ink as that stuff takes ages to dry.