Thick Inks For Big Nibs

[sidthecat]

Ive been working with some old gold dip pens, and I managed to get my greedy little hands on a pen with a Leroy Fairchild nib: a Number Six.

Ive bought a couple of large-scale nibs, but its hard to find them in a usable state. This one, however, is.

But its size creates its own problems: the inks I have are too thin to pool nicely in the tines. I have a bottle of Platinum iron-gall, but all my other nibs prefer Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz, which isnt an IG but just works really well and gives my most frivolous jottings the patina of age.

So I ask the ink fancy: recommend me an ink for this monster. Whats out there?

Many thanks.

[Bibliophage]

The old Sheaffer Washable #62 (Black) seems to like the broad nib I installed in a Penatia.

 

Maybe someone here has a set of sample vials you could try?

[Eclipse157]

Get some gum arabic and play with the inks you have. I tried it for some flat point nib calligraphy and enjoyed the results, thicker ink is much more pleasant to work with.

[sidthecat]

That sounds interesting: I have some Liquitex Flow-Aid, but I think that’s for the opposite problem.

[mhguda]

Improvise somtehing like a feed in the nib holder, maybe? I've tried pieces of cork in the shape of a feed, under the nib inside the holder, and it worked wonders.

[Bibliophage]

Oh - Chinese brush ink. It's like india ink, but thicker. I have a bottle I picked up from a store in Little Saigon in Houston. You can also get ink sticks.

[sidthecat]

I have some of that...I’ll give it a try, although I’ve virtually abandoned black ink.

[DrDebG]

One ink that you may consider is GvFC Cobalt Blue - it is pretty thick but still workable. It does smear when used in heavy amounts. I can't use it in wide nibs because of the smearing.

 

Another thought: Dr. P.h. Martin's (https://www.docmartins.com/products/ocean-fountain-pen-ink-1-0-oz). This is their fountain pen ink - it is thick and completely water proof.

[Bibliophage]

I have some of that...I’ll give it a try, although I’ve virtually abandoned black ink.

If it works, they make ink sticks in various colours, and you can mix it to your desired consistency.

 

I just mentioned it because dip pen nibs can be cleaned more easily than FP's. I bought it by mistake, thinking it was fountain pen ink. I keep it for dip pens and my daughter's school projects.

[sidthecat]

I likewise bought it for a project, but it was a dip pen project. The nice thing about the gold ones is that they don’t corrode.

[Bibliophage]

I have an excellent polish for the steel nibs. It's Quixx all metal polish. Works better than the various other polishes I have - silver, brass, and 'anything goes'.

 

Don't use it on anything plated - it works very quickly.

 

I had a big pile of random steel dip nibs and pens, and it pulled virtually all of the rust off of every one - you can even read the R.ESTERBROOK properly now on some of them. Good as new.

[Mech-for-i]

if you are using it on dip pen, then nothing best good old India Ink or Chinese Stick ink ; I had a bottle of my own mix of Hero 232 + Hero 234 1:1 ( that's iron gall blue Black + Carbon ink ) and that's the one I used for archival need and it work on any pen , if you need color, try Holbin Artist Ink ( and Gum Arabic if you find them still not thick enough )

[Tweel]

I had a bottle of my own mix of Hero 232 + Hero 234 1:1

 

Those are actually compatible? Did you use it in a fountain pen or a dip pen?

[Sakura FP Gallery]

Perhaps KWZ ink. It has a little more viscosity then other fountain pen ink. Worth to try.

[Mech-for-i]

 

Those are actually compatible? Did you use it in a fountain pen or a dip pen?

 

I use it in my fountain pen, nothing seems to happen when they mix , and they just work , 232 is OK by itself, but 234 is known to be so heavy that it routinely clog pens if the pen is not used frequently , diluting it with water generally do not work so that's the way how I do it ; of course in the end its just black / very dark grey once its dried

[Tweel]

of course in the end its just black / very dark grey once its dried

 

But it's interesting that they're compatible. In the past I haven't had much luck mixing carbon ink with dye ink, and iron gall would seem to add a whole new regime of chemical activity. Thanks for replying!