Dip Pen Nibs

[AllenTBar]

Hope everyone is doing well

 

I've come across varying instructions across the inter-webs for how to properly clean or prepare a dip nib for use and some of it is quite varying.. I've read everything from flame treatment to detergent to soap and water to toothpaste... I figured I'd ask you folks and hopefully tap into a well of rather more reliable knowledge. I have a variety of nibs i'm planning to begin studying copperplate with, including zebra g and brause steno nibs, among some other italic and varied flex nibs. I get very inconsistent writing with all of them, sometimes ink globs to the nib and all deposits onto the paper in one giant ball, sometimes the ink refuses to stick to the nibs, sometimes the nibs seem to work relatively normally. Before I go off to the forge with a toothbrush and some laundry detergent , I'm hoping someone can chip in as to what my issue is and if I'm even on the right path in that I need to clear off some manufacturing oil/debris. The ink I'm using is either Higgins eternal black or Ziller Wild Viola Violet, and the paper is generally the "Black N Red" brand notebooks that I've found work really well with all of my fountain pens and inks.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

A..

[rwilsonedn]

You aren't cleaning off debris. The nibs are intentionally coated with a water-repelling oil to keep them from rusting. You are cleaning that off. It is a different situation than for fountain-pen nibs, in which you really are cleaning off unintentional residues. So it takes more thorough cleaning, and it is mandatory. The reason you read about so many different methods is that all of them work.

And yes, the ink globs you are describing are exactly how ink behaves on a nib still coated with its protective oil.

Of course some inks will behave like that anyway. Some people suggest dissolving a little gum Arabic into the ink to improve its viscosity. Others suggest a touch of liquid dish-washing detergent to decrease surface tension. With any given pen and ink, you will need to experiment. But the first step is to strip the oil from the nib.

The second step is to enjoy discovery!

ron

[Cryptos]

I'm a saliva man myself (that sounded better in my head, but anyway). Which makes me wonder what other readily available enzymes might work that won't require sticking a nib in my mouth.

[AllenTBar]

You aren't cleaning off debris. The nibs are intentionally coated with a water-repelling oil to keep them from rusting. You are cleaning that off. It is a different situation than for fountain-pen nibs, in which you really are cleaning off unintentional residues. So it takes more thorough cleaning, and it is mandatory. The reason you read about so many different methods is that all of them work.

And yes, the ink globs you are describing are exactly how ink behaves on a nib still coated with its protective oil.

Of course some inks will behave like that anyway. Some people suggest dissolving a little gum Arabic into the ink to improve its viscosity. Others suggest a touch of liquid dish-washing detergent to decrease surface tension. With any given pen and ink, you will need to experiment. But the first step is to strip the oil from the nib.

The second step is to enjoy discovery!

ron

Thank you for your response - so is there one particular method you'd suggest above the rest that you find works well for cleaning the nibs upon receipt? As for the ink consistency I am happily playing with that as well, but with fountain pens that I dip, as I have yet to achieve any level of consistency with dip pens with which to test ink behavior.

 

 

I'm a saliva man myself (that sounded better in my head, but anyway). Which makes me wonder what other readily available enzymes might work that won't require sticking a nib in my mouth.

 

 

The active enzyme in saliva is amylase which primarily reacts with carbs and the sort to begin the digestive process... Makes me wonder what exactly are the nibs being coated with during the manufacturing process. It would seem to make more sense to use a form of lipase or something similar to break down what I previously assumed was some kind of hydrocarbon oil used to prevent rusting... That would also mesh well with the detergent theory, as soaps and detergents are effective at removing those long hydrocarbon oil chains.

 

I'll leave the gumming of nibs to a secondary method and persevere to find a more efficient method that does not put my mouth in such proximity with pointy objects I think

 

 

A...

[Randal6393]

The best method I know of is to keep a small jar of alcohol on your desk and dip the nib a time or two before using. No, use denatured, not Jack Daniel's. The professional calligrapher that recommended this method dips a new nib once or twice, dries with a lint-free cloth, redoes the two steps, and then rinses in water, wipes dry again. Then commences to write, being sure to not touch the nib with fingertips. (A great way to introduce more oils into the equation.) Have tried it, it works well for me.

 

Best of luck,

[AllenTBar]

The best method I know of is to keep a small jar of alcohol on your desk and dip the nib a time or two before using. No, use denatured, not Jack Daniel's. The professional calligrapher that recommended this method dips a new nib once or twice, dries with a lint-free cloth, redoes the two steps, and then rinses in water, wipes dry again. Then commences to write, being sure to not touch the nib with fingertips. (A great way to introduce more oils into the equation.) Have tried it, it works well for me.

 

Best of luck,

Are you sure a nice bottle of black label won't do the trick?

 

Thank you though, I have plenty of denatured lying around for my woodworking projects, I'll be sure to try some out later today.

 

 

 

A...

[aeba]

I'm a saliva man myself (that sounded better in my head, but anyway). Which makes me wonder what other readily available enzymes might work that won't require sticking a nib in my mouth.

There's something... satisfying in sucking a nib. But only after scrubbing it with toothpaste and a brush.

[dcwaites]

It's not the enzymes in saliva that you are wanting, but a thin layer of proteinaceous gloop* that sticks to the nib on one side, and allows inks to wet it on the other. A more gracious solution is a small container of very dilute egg white (eat the rest of the egg, it's good for you).

 

Or, what I usually do is dip in an ink that really wets the untreated nib well (Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng, Baystate Blue, or whatever you find works). Let it dry and then rinse off in a glass of water. Shake the excess water off and dip in the ink you want to use.

 

I try to keep all my dip pens with a thin patina of dried ink. If it won't wash off, then it doesn't interfere with the ink you are using.

 

 

 

*gloop -- highly technical biosciences term

[ac12]

 

The best method I know of is to keep a small jar of alcohol on your desk and dip the nib a time or two before using. No, use denatured, not Jack Daniel's. The professional calligrapher that recommended this method dips a new nib once or twice, dries with a lint-free cloth, redoes the two steps, and then rinses in water, wipes dry again. Then commences to write, being sure to not touch the nib with fingertips. (A great way to introduce more oils into the equation.) Have tried it, it works well for me.

 

Best of luck,

 

 

I do essentially the same.

I wipe the nib with rubbing alcohol (inert ingredient = WATER).

About $1 for a quart bottle at the drug store.