Preparing New Nibs

[Pchi]

This is probably one for the dip-pen users out there.

 

What methods do you guys use for preparing new nibs ready for inking? I know the standard advice is to heat them in direct flame for a couple of seconds which is the method I use for fairly robust nibs but I'm very wary of doing this with the really fine, super-sharp flex nibs as I've heard it can affect the flex. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but I've never risked it.

 

I've heard of various things to get the protective oils off so the pen is ready for use - anyone got any tips and tricks? At the moment I just keep inking up the finest nibs over and over; eventually this overcomes whatever is on them but it's awfully wasteful of ink and very time-consuming; I really need to find a better way especially as I'm concentrating on learning copperplate at the mo so am trying all sorts of different nibs.

 

Whilst we're on topic, do fountain pens ever come with this coating of whatever it is? I've never noticed it on my FP's, so just wondering...

 

All comments gratefully received. Is it safe to flame very fine nibs or am I best off looking for something else that cleans them off?

 

Thanks all.

 

Polly

[watch_art]

Saliva.

[DanF]

Caliken had a post in the Handwriting forum about using some sort of mesh like container in a dishwasher, running it through a cycle and was very pleased with the results. Not having a diswhasher (other than my self), I tend to use the flame technique. Leaving a little carbon residue also helps hold in on a slippery nib.

 

I have heard about using saliva, but would be afraid some sort of biological contamination of the ink.

 

Dan

[Pchi]

I read something about saliva but assumed it was someone extracting the urine (can't say any naughty words on here, even very mild ones - it gets replaced by (bleep) or at least it does in messaging. Delicate little flowers we are.) It sounds too easy to be true - are you all going to laugh at idiot me, sucking on pen nibs like a toddler with a particularly troublesome lolly?

 

No dishwasher either, although I'm tickled at the thought of a whole dishwasher cycle for one tiny wee nib! I take it you've had no problems with the flame technique then? I can't see how a second's heat could affect the nib, but it's almost guaranteed that you'd find out it DOES on the most delicate, irreplaceable nib...

Edited April 23, 2013 by Pchi

[Mickey]

Here's the Joe Vitolo method. Brush nib in one direction (toward the point) with tooth paste, top and bottom. Rinse, dry, coat with saliva and allow to dry. You're ready to go. The saliva leaves a thin coating of protein on the nib, which helps the ink wet the surface. I tried all the usual methods (and a few unusual ones) and this works best.

[opticalserenity]

Perhaps I needed to do this on my recently acquired Montegrappa that is having some flow issues... If I flush it with soap water and fresh water several times to get all the ink out, can I then add some saliva to it and then try to ink it?

[Paddler]

I scrub a new nib with lighter fluid (paint thinner, naphtha, mineral spirits) on a cotton swab. Then lick the nib on both sides and write the spit out of the slit. After a writing session is over, I clean the ink off the nib for storage. I have to lick again before a new writing session. If you leave a nib in the open air near the kitchen, cooking oil vapor will make it necessary to use to use the solvent again at the start of the next session. We don't have a vented stove, so I have to keep my nibs in a closed container.

[Mickey]

Perhaps I needed to do this on my recently acquired Montegrappa that is having some flow issues... If I flush it with soap water and fresh water several times to get all the ink out, can I then add some saliva to it and then try to ink it?

 

Cleaning is a good idea, but adding saliva is not going to get you anywhere. Your problem is almost surely flow into and through the feed, not flow between the feed and tip (which would be roughly analogous to the dip pen issue). If you have a feed to tip issue, which is possible, it would be because the slit taper is wrong, which probably means a trip to a nibmeister. Spit won't help

 

You might use some dilute (10 to 1) household ammonia to clean up the pen or commercial pen flush (Binder markets one, as does Platinum) or use an ultrasonic cleaner to loosen dried ink. Then rinse thoroughly.

[Mickey]

I scrub a new nib with lighter fluid (paint thinner, naphtha, mineral spirits) on a cotton swab. Then lick the nib on both sides and write the spit out of the slit. After a writing session is over, I clean the ink off the nib for storage. I have to lick again before a new writing session. If you leave a nib in the open air near the kitchen, cooking oil vapor will make it necessary to use to use the solvent again at the start of the next session. We don't have a vented stove, so I have to keep my nibs in a closed container.

 

Probably not necessary if you write more often than you fix fish and chips.

[Paddler]

I scrub a new nib with lighter fluid (paint thinner, naphtha, mineral spirits) on a cotton swab. Then lick the nib on both sides and write the spit out of the slit. After a writing session is over, I clean the ink off the nib for storage. I have to lick again before a new writing session. If you leave a nib in the open air near the kitchen, cooking oil vapor will make it necessary to use to use the solvent again at the start of the next session. We don't have a vented stove, so I have to keep my nibs in a closed container.

 

Probably not necessary if you write more often than you fix fish and chips.

Well, something makes nibs inkophobic if I leave them uncovered. Nobody smokes here and a house built in 1886 doesn't out-gas noxious fumes anymore.

[Mickey]

I scrub a new nib with lighter fluid (paint thinner, naphtha, mineral spirits) on a cotton swab. Then lick the nib on both sides and write the spit out of the slit. After a writing session is over, I clean the ink off the nib for storage. I have to lick again before a new writing session. If you leave a nib in the open air near the kitchen, cooking oil vapor will make it necessary to use to use the solvent again at the start of the next session. We don't have a vented stove, so I have to keep my nibs in a closed container.

 

Probably not necessary if you write more often than you fix fish and chips.

Well, something makes nibs inkophobic if I leave them uncovered. Nobody smokes here and a house built in 1886 doesn't out-gas noxious fumes anymore.

 

My comment was made in jest, but aggressively cleaning nibs will return them to ground zero. (Do you use naphtha or such after that initial cleaning?) If you remove the necessary patina, ink will not wet the pen. Wash up with a little water after writing (I keep a syringe and rag nearby for just that purpose) and don't over do it unless you are writing with acrylic or such, then a more serious cleaning is probably necessary. I sometimes have to smudge a little ink on a balky nib to get it flowing, but I've never had to re-spitify one.

[humsin]

Can someone enlighten me on the whole saliva thing? What's the reasoning?

[Mickey]

Can someone enlighten me on the whole saliva thing? What's the reasoning?

 

Once dried, the saliva forms a slightly textured coating of protein on the metal, which, like the texture on a fountain pen feed, holds on to the ink. So when given an avenue of escape (like the fibers of a piece of paper), the ink leaves the nib (or pen) more slowly than it would otherwise. Lacking the texture (or a reservoir), the ink would immediately flow off the surface. BLOP! The texture or patina also allows the nib to hold more ink without resorting to a reservoir. Someone better versed in fluid dynamics could give you a tidier explanation, but that's essentially it.

[UK Mike]

I had forgotten all about the need to prepare dip pen nibs, but I can recall in my early days at school we always used to suck the tip of the nib the first time before dipping. The ink we used then was mixed from a powder and would dry to a pasty crust on the nib so future dips had no problem in sticking to the nib.

[aenjin]

Very unscientifically: I put some spit on a paper towel and scrub the new nib a bit, wipe it with some water+paper towel, dry, and then do some test inking, the nib is usually good to go after 1-3 dips. This has always worked for me but on the whole but I should say I prefer fiddling with the ink if things are not working out. If the ink's not sticking means it's too watery, so I leave the cap ajar for a day to however many days to get it to thicken and increase surface tension, and add water/appropriate solvent by drops if I need the reverse.

[Paddler]

I scrub a new nib with lighter fluid (paint thinner, naphtha, mineral spirits) on a cotton swab. Then lick the nib on both sides and write the spit out of the slit. After a writing session is over, I clean the ink off the nib for storage. I have to lick again before a new writing session. If you leave a nib in the open air near the kitchen, cooking oil vapor will make it necessary to use to use the solvent again at the start of the next session. We don't have a vented stove, so I have to keep my nibs in a closed container.

 

Probably not necessary if you write more often than you fix fish and chips.

Well, something makes nibs inkophobic if I leave them uncovered. Nobody smokes here and a house built in 1886 doesn't out-gas noxious fumes anymore.

 

My comment was made in jest, but aggressively cleaning nibs will return them to ground zero. (Do you use naphtha or such after that initial cleaning?) If you remove the necessary patina, ink will not wet the pen. Wash up with a little water after writing (I keep a syringe and rag nearby for just that purpose) and don't over do it unless you are writing with acrylic or such, then a more serious cleaning is probably necessary. I sometimes have to smudge a little ink on a balky nib to get it flowing, but I've never had to re-spitify one.

If I leave the nib uncovered for a day or two, I have to use the solvent again and then lick. Otherwise, a lick gets things started again after a cleaning.

[JeffPDX2]

I have been using the Joe Vitolo method (toothpaste followed by saliva) with good results. I tried the flame, but the results vary too much for my preferences.

[caliken]

No dishwasher either, although I'm tickled at the thought of a whole dishwasher cycle for one tiny wee nib!

I put my nib or nibs in the machine with a load of dishes!

 

Ken

[Piper 987]

I know it's a bit late to get into this thread but I do have a new trick (at least to me).

 

Recently, we had our kitchen remodeled and went with a gas range instead of electric. Using tweezers, I hold the new nib just above the flame for about one second per side and voila... no preserving oil and just a hint of blackening (soot?) which seems to help the nib hold ink. That is, the nib works better left alone after the flaming than if I rub off the soot.

[Randal6393]

Hmmm ... one of the professional calligraphers shows dip pen preparation in her videos on YouTube. She dips in rubbing alcohol, dries, then rinses with water and dries. Keeps two small containers on her desk. Makes the point that finger oils will necessitate redoing the process, which is why she makes her cleaning so convenient.

 

Tried it, it works pretty well.

 

Enjoy,