Dip pen not holding ink

[dcwaites]

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.

Your problem is your ink. I will get that with some very inks, like the Diamine inks or Nooder's Baystate Blue. That is not to criticise those inks. They are made for fountain pens and work beautifully in them.

 

I find I get best results when using a dip pen with dryish inks like Parker Quink (Permanent) Blue or Black, Sheaffer Skrip Blue or Black, Noodler's Ottoman Azure and Sailor Jentle Blue. Wetter inks (all the Diamines I have tried, all the Private Reserves I have tried, Parker Quink Blue-Black) flow too well down the nib slit and leave too much ink on the paper.

 

Some India inks, like Windsor & Newton, work better in broad calligraphy pens than they do in fine pointed nibs.

 

If you want to use dip pen nibs for normal handwriting, you might want to look at bowl-pointed pens, like the Hunt 512, MacNiven & Cameron's Waverly pen and the like. They behave well with a wide range and the turned-up tip makes them more pleasant to write with.

Fine-pointed pens are ideal for certain styles of ornamental calligraphy and drawing, but can be painful for normal handwriting.