Dip pen not holding ink

[HenryLouis]

Hey, I just got my pack of dip pen nibs + a holder. The thing I don't get is the ink only writing maybe one character and then making two lines of ink. I don't know what's the problem. I washed the new nibs, and even put them under a flame. The darn things are really scratchy as well!

 

Btw, they are Joseph Gillot 170, 303, 404 (is really really scratchy), and 1290. They are all scratchy? Can you tell me what the problem is?

[JakobS]

Are you using fountain pen ink, or calligraphy ink? Calligraphy inks will flow much smoother than fountain pen inks in a dip pen. As far as scratchiness, because most dip pen tips are not tipped they will have more scratchiness than a fountain pen, it may take awhile to get the proper movements down to have writing with them go more smoothly. Some nibs are also made for certain styles of writing and may not be as forgiving at any angle that you would hold the pen. Though, like you, I am still pretty new to using and enjoying dip pens, and I know others will chime in with more specific answers to your problem.

[HenryLouis]

I'm using fountain pen ink. I'm also having a problem with feathering, although I think it's because of the nib cutting into the paper.

 

Are you using fountain pen ink, or calligraphy ink? Calligraphy inks will flow much smoother than fountain pen inks in a dip pen. As far as scratchiness, because most dip pen tips are not tipped they will have more scratchiness than a fountain pen, it may take awhile to get the proper movements down to have writing with them go more smoothly. Some nibs are also made for certain styles of writing and may not be as forgiving at any angle that you would hold the pen. Though, like you, I am still pretty new to using and enjoying dip pens, and I know others will chime in with more specific answers to your problem.

 

[Vulcan1066]

I would clean the nib itself with some rubbing alcohol or hot soapy water. The nibs usually come with a protective oil on them so that they dont rust while waiting to be purchased.

[stevlight]

I sometimes take a fine sandpaper to mine. Also try a globe or mapping nib --they are smoother. Somewhere--I think here in writing or penmanship forum --someone made a feed by twisting wire around a dip pen nib. The wire held more ink so they could write longer between dips.

[davidspitzer]

I'm using fountain pen ink. I'm also having a problem with feathering, although I think it's because of the nib cutting into the paper.

 

Are you using fountain pen ink, or calligraphy ink? Calligraphy inks will flow much smoother than fountain pen inks in a dip pen. As far as scratchiness, because most dip pen tips are not tipped they will have more scratchiness than a fountain pen, it may take awhile to get the proper movements down to have writing with them go more smoothly. Some nibs are also made for certain styles of writing and may not be as forgiving at any angle that you would hold the pen. Though, like you, I am still pretty new to using and enjoying dip pens, and I know others will chime in with more specific answers to your problem.

 

 

what ink are you using? You may want to try an iron gall ink - I found it to be easier to use than the India inks, but to be fair I am biased - now if I could only think where to get some Iron Gall from...

 

The other poster is very correct their is a laquer on most new nibs and require a good washing with some mild soap and water to prep before using - (make sure to rinse and dry thouroughly before dipping in your ink

 

oh and one other suggestion - your nib should have a cut out - make sure to fully submerge that cut out into the ink as that acts like a mini resovoir for the ink , than wipe the bottom of the nib on the ink bottle and write. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to get a sentence or two on a dip

Edited May 29, 2009 by davidspitzer

[ZeissIkon]

I sometimes take a fine sandpaper to mine. Also try a globe or mapping nib --they are smoother. Somewhere--I think here in writing or penmanship forum --someone made a feed by twisting wire around a dip pen nib. The wire held more ink so they could write longer between dips.

 

Someone over on the Penmanship forum posted a photo of beeswax feeds they'd molded on dip nibs. I've also seen dip pens with fountain pen style feeds (with a comb/collector) -- there's one for sale on the Marketplace right now (not mine, but I'd have snapped it up if I had that kind of money); one of those might write a paragraph or more between dips (one of my fountain pens will do about that if I dip it).

[kuragari389]

I would clean the nib itself with some rubbing alcohol or hot soapy water. The nibs usually come with a protective oil on them so that they dont rust while waiting to be purchased.

 

 

Which doesn't help at all after you do purchase them. I'm currently (whoa there) because I just washed the ink off a couple of my favorite flex dip nibs, set them to dry, and came back to find them totally orange with rust.

[ZeissIkon]

I would clean the nib itself with some rubbing alcohol or hot soapy water. The nibs usually come with a protective oil on them so that they dont rust while waiting to be purchased.

 

 

Which doesn't help at all after you do purchase them. I'm currently (whoa there) because I just washed the ink off a couple of my favorite flex dip nibs, set them to dry, and came back to find them totally orange with rust.

 

Rubbing the nibs with a little steel wool or fine sandpaper may help, though that won't get into the slit (flossing the slit, as you'd do with a balky fountain pen, might work). A trick I learned years ago (for cleaning black powder firearms, actually) was to wash the steel in the hottest water you can manage; the heat will soak into the metal and promote very complete drying after you blot off the visible water -- but with my black powder stuff, I'd always follow that up with a light coating of machine oil. You could oil your nibs after washing, too -- a couple drops of 3-in-1 or sewing machine oil would do the job, or a similar amount of WD-40 would be even better -- but then you'd have to clean off the oil every time you sit down to write.

 

Honestly, I don't know what users of steel pens did in the early 19th century, when these pens had mostly replaced quills but fountain pens and gold nibs were still being invented. The cost of a steel pen in those days was enough that one couldn't simply expect to replace the nib daily (after it rusted overnight), else quills would have still been the standard into the 1880s. Possibly rubbing a little skin oil onto the steel after cleaning away the ink?

[Gothmeister]

You can also get little reservoirs that clip on to the back of the nib. I found some at a local Art & Crafts Shop.

[Paddler]

After you dip the nib in ink, look at it. The ink should smoothly coat the nib down as far as you dipped it. If the ink beads up anyplace, the nib is not clean enough. After you wash the nib clean, you must not touch it with your fingers! That puts skin oil on the nib and you will have to start over.

 

If you have used the soapy water or alcohol and the ink still beads up on the nib, clean all the ink off and then lick it on both sides. Don't slobber it up; just lick it. Careful! Don't cut your tongue. Write a couple of characters on scratch paper to wick the spit out of the slit and then dip the nib in ink. The ink should now coat evenly. That lick should last until you clean the nib after your writing session. Next session, just lick and dip.

 

Paddler

 

[HenryLouis]

The ink dosen't bead on to the ink. I'll write maybe one character which is bacically a blob of ink. Then It'll give off two really thin lines from the two tines.

 

After you dip the nib in ink, look at it. The ink should smoothly coat the nib down as far as you dipped it. If the ink beads up anyplace, the nib is not clean enough. After you wash the nib clean, you must not touch it with your fingers! That puts skin oil on the nib and you will have to start over.

 

If you have used the soapy water or alcohol and the ink still beads up on the nib, clean all the ink off and then lick it on both sides. Don't slobber it up; just lick it. Careful! Don't cut your tongue. Write a couple of characters on scratch paper to wick the spit out of the slit and then dip the nib in ink. The ink should now coat evenly. That lick should last until you clean the nib after your writing session. Next session, just lick and dip.

 

Paddler

 

[grimakis]

Use thicker calligraphy ink... FP ink is too free flowing.

[ZeissIkon]

Henry-Louis, you may be pressing too hard. From your description, it sounds as if the tines are separating ("two really thin lines"), and they should do that only when you apply a little pressure to intentionally widen the stroke. If you're pressing enough to spread the tines all the time, the ink in the slit will all deposit very quickly instead of going onto the page over several inches of line.

[PAKMAN]

I've experienced the same problem and pretty much gave up on dip pens. I guess I should buy some thicker ink and clean some nibs and try again.

[Gran]

Here's what Ziller's of Kansas City recommends:

 

Cleaning the nib

 

To clean a new nib, first dip the nib into ink. Next use your dry eraser and rub the wet ink on the nib top and bottom. Wipe clean and use. A crusty nib can inhibit the ink from flowing smoothly off the pen. Clean nib in water with a little ammonia. If necessary, scrape excess build up off with an exacto knife.

 

http://www.iampeth.com/ziller_inks_tips.php

 

 

Also, this paragraph:

 

How To Make The Ink Flow Readily From A New Pen

 

Most pens have a protective coating of some material to prevent rust when they come from the factory. If you try to use these pens as they come from the box, you will find that the ink will not flow or it will all come off in one blot. It is our experience that the fastest and best way to prepare a pen is to dip it in water and then use a soft white eraser on the inside as well as the outside. Use this eraser as though you were cleaning an invisible film from the pen. Remove the mixture of water and erasure dust with a piece of hand tissue and above all, you must not touch the point of the pen with your fingers before dipping it in ink. You will find this treatment will eliminate most of your trouble and you can start right off with a new pen.

 

 

I use the latter method of putting the nib in water, using the white eraser and wiping it dry. Has worked very well for me.

Edited May 30, 2009 by Gran

[HenryLouis]

Yes, I do that only to try to get ink out. There will still be ink not going to the tip

Henry-Louis, you may be pressing too hard. From your description, it sounds as if the tines are separating ("two really thin lines"), and they should do that only when you apply a little pressure to intentionally widen the stroke. If you're pressing enough to spread the tines all the time, the ink in the slit will all deposit very quickly instead of going onto the page over several inches of line.

 

[ZeissIkon]

Yes, I do that only to try to get ink out. There will still be ink not going to the tip

Henry-Louis, you may be pressing too hard. From your description, it sounds as if the tines are separating ("two really thin lines"), and they should do that only when you apply a little pressure to intentionally widen the stroke. If you're pressing enough to spread the tines all the time, the ink in the slit will all deposit very quickly instead of going onto the page over several inches of line.

 

Okay, then continue with what others have suggested re: getting a thicker ink. Art supply and craft stores (here, I'd got to Hobby Lobby) are likely to sell Higgins Eternal inks, which are made for dip pens and aren't terribly expensive. India ink should also work well, though some draftsmen used to leave the stuff to sit with the lid off for 24 hours when they opened a new bottle, to let it thicken a tiny bit.

 

Edit: Wait, I just reread that -- you're saying after you get one letter that's a blob, the nib still has ink (say, in the vent) that won't travel to the tip? Or is that ink just on the surface of the nib rather than anywhere that connects to the slit?

Edited May 31, 2009 by ZeissIkon

[HenryLouis]

Theres ink on the inside curve just over the breathing slit

Yes, I do that only to try to get ink out. There will still be ink not going to the tip

Henry-Louis, you may be pressing too hard. From your description, it sounds as if the tines are separating ("two really thin lines"), and they should do that only when you apply a little pressure to intentionally widen the stroke. If you're pressing enough to spread the tines all the time, the ink in the slit will all deposit very quickly instead of going onto the page over several inches of line.

 

Okay, then continue with what others have suggested re: getting a thicker ink. Art supply and craft stores (here, I'd got to Hobby Lobby) are likely to sell Higgins Eternal inks, which are made for dip pens and aren't terribly expensive. India ink should also work well, though some draftsmen used to leave the stuff to sit with the lid off for 24 hours when they opened a new bottle, to let it thicken a tiny bit.

 

Edit: Wait, I just reread that -- you're saying after you get one letter that's a blob, the nib still has ink (say, in the vent) that won't travel to the tip? Or is that ink just on the surface of the nib rather than anywhere that connects to the slit?

 

[ZeissIkon]

Theres ink on the inside curve just over the breathing slit

Edit: Wait, I just reread that -- you're saying after you get one letter that's a blob, the nib still has ink (say, in the vent) that won't travel to the tip? Or is that ink just on the surface of the nib rather than anywhere that connects to the slit?

 

If you have ink on the inside curve over the slit and it won't enter the slit, you may not have gotten all of the coating out of the slit. In any case, *something* is preventing the ink from wetting the inside of the slit, and what you're getting as a blob when you first start is excess ink that should have been wiped off on the inner edge of the ink well/bottle after you dip. IOW, your pen is taking up ink, but it isn't delivering it in any proper fashion at all.

 

I'd start by repeating the initial coating removal, then (based on instructions from Ziller that were pointed to up the thread) lick both inner and outer surface of the cleaned nib. Following which, don't touch the nib surface at all, except with a rag or tissue to clean it when ink builds up.

 

Edit to correct ink maker's name.

Edited May 31, 2009 by ZeissIkon