What Calligraphy Pens Are You Using?

[gardener]

I am new to calligraphy and am using a quite cheap manuscript fountain pen with various nibs. Also tried William Mitchell dip pen with vatiable results. What are your favourite pens/nibs?

[Fabienne]

The Lamy Joy with a 1.5 nib. Very smooth and seldom skips. I also have a TWSBi with a 1.5 nib but that one does skip every once in a while. I like it a lot but I don't think the ink flow is as lush as it could be.

[caliken]

I am new to calligraphy and am using a quite cheap manuscript fountain pen with various nibs. Also tried William Mitchell dip pen with vatiable results. What are your favourite pens/nibs?

Manuscript pens and edged nibs are great value for money and will give years of good service.

 

IMO the William Mitchell square-edged nibs set the standard for quality and consistency.

 

Ken

[Nonsensical]

I'm using Pilot Parallel pens, 1.5mm, 2.4mm, 3.8mm and 5.0mm nibs. Very fun pens.

[Randal6393]

For handwriting, I use a variety of fountain pens -- love the Pelikan and Lamy pens, very useful. For really fine work, agree with Ken -- nothing beats the Mitchell pens, and get great results from the Manuscript pens.

[Paddler]

I have a few "calligraphy" pen sets. The Sheaffer Viewpoint and No Nonsense pens are easiest to use. I would call them "cursive italic". I sometimes use them for journal writing. The Manuscript set gives more line variation, but is slightly more edgy. If I want to go full-out with the line variation, I use a Platignum Silverline pen with a full set of interchangeable nibs. These are sharp italic nibs and I not only have to hold the pen properly, but I have to part my hair in the middle and hold my mouth right. On a bad day, these nibs can be goads to a more colorful vocabulary.

 

Edited to add: The Mitchell Round Hand nibs work well, but I find that they need a reservoir for more consistent results. A bit of bare copper wire can be made into a spring shape and fastened to the nib, just touching the top of the slit. It will hold a drop of ink where the flow can be regulated by the slit width.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Paddler

[caliken]

Edited to add: The Mitchell Round Hand nibs work well, but I find that they need a reservoir for more consistent results. A bit of bare copper wire can be made into a spring shape and fastened to the nib, just touching the top of the slit. It will hold a drop of ink where the flow can be regulated by the slit width.

 

The Mitchell, detachable reservoirs for these nibs, should be available at the same stockists.

 

Ken

[andybiotic]

For italic variants, I use the Osmiroid calligraphy set with plenty of nib choices, a lamy 1.5mm italic modified into a crisp, crisp italic, and pilot parallels.

 

For roundhand, copperplate-like, spencerian-like scripts, I use my Waterman superflex, Mabie Todd wet noodle fountain pens, or dip nibs such as the Gillotts 303, 404, 170, 290, Brause (no. 76) rose, and my favorite, ivison phinney spencerian no. 1.

[dms525]

I would second the suggestion of Osmiroid pen and nib sets. The broader nibs are especially good.

 

For everyday use - correspondence, note-taking, list making, etc. - I almost always use nibs that have been ground by a nibmeister for my Pelikans and Conway Stewart modern pens. Binder, Mottishaw, Masuyama, Pendleton Brown all do great work grinding stock nibs to cursive italic. I'm sure there are others as well, but those are the ones whose nibs I have personally used.

 

David

[gardener]

Thanks everyone some interesting feedback. Bought myself a Pilot Parallel 1.5mm pen to try. so far so good but the ink supplied (cartridge) with the pen seems to blead more than my Diamine ink.

[Ink Sandwich]

When not using dip pens, I simply use a different nib on my Lamy Safari (either 1.1mm or 1.5mm). I think stub 'broad' nib on the Pilot 78g is also pretty good.

[Fabienne]

I am not a pro, I just started to attempt calligraphy but I am using a TWSBI 1.5 italic and love it. Diamine China Blue is stunning through that wet nib. I also have a Lamy Joy 1.5 which is great but the nib is actually a bit thinner than the TWSBI.

[brunico]

Bought myself a Pilot Parallel 1.5mm pen to try. so far so good but the ink supplied (cartridge) with the pen seems to blead more than my Diamine ink.

 

The supplied converter - that Pilot says should only be used for flushing the pen - can be used as a converter. That said, with the last couple of Parallels I bought, the supplied converter didn't fit snugly, but the CON-20 and CON-50 converters do.

 

The 6mm gets quite thirsty, so a converter very quickly pays for itself. They're delightful pens: enjoy them!

[1point1mm]

"Calligraphy" pen(s) that I have are from Manuscript and Kaweco. The latter is the one I prefer most, though I'm not saying I do write calligraphically.

 

Hope you find what you're looking for and Enjoy!

[amberleadavis]

I really like my Reform because it has a piston fill. Though I'm going to try using it as a highlighter.

[gardener]

Bought myself a Pilot Parallel 1.5mm pen to try. so far so good but the ink supplied (cartridge) with the pen seems to blead more than my Diamine ink.

 

The supplied converter - that Pilot says should only be used for flushing the pen - can be used as a converter. That said, with the last couple of Parallels I bought, the supplied converter didn't fit snugly, but the CON-20 and CON-50 converters do.

 

The 6mm gets quite thirsty, so a converter very quickly pays for itself. They're delightful pens: enjoy them!

thanks brunico

[joelchan]

I use the German online Calligraphy pens ..

[patrickfp]

IMO the William Mitchell square-edged nibs set the standard for quality and consistency.

 

Ken

 

John Neal sells "Michell Rexel Round Hand" nibs. Are "Mitchell Rexel" and "William Mitchell" nibs the same?

 

Thanks.

[Randal6393]

I believe the Mitchell Rexel Round Hand nibs are produced by the William Mitchell Pen Company. These simple nibs are the top of the line for broad-edged alphabets. Couldn't find any direct reference to the nibs being produced by the William Mitchell company but, from the looks and quality of the Rexel pens and reservoirs, I believe they are the same. Anyone know for sure?

 

Best of luck,

IMO the William Mitchell square-edged nibs set the standard for quality and consistency.

 

Ken

 

John Neal sells "Michell Rexel Round Hand" nibs. Are "Mitchell Rexel" and "William Mitchell" nibs the same?

 

Thanks.

[VladDracule]

Im curious if anyone could provide links to buy everything you need from stratch for one of the suggestions youve all made? for example the mitchel caligraphy sets