Dip Pen question

[Lugworm]

I have occasionally tried dip pens in the past and just can't get on with them.  Too much ink when you start writing, not enough ink after a few words, generally makes my writing a mess.

However when I dip a fountain pen, its brilliant.  Steady ink flow and many many lines of writing.

 

My question is, why don't they make dip pens with a similar nib and feed as fountain pens?  I'd buy one.

[BigBlot]

Someone once described a fountain pen as a controlled leak, and that's pretty apt. The ink has to flow smoothly, but not so smoothly that it pours out of the pen. So it is that we fins in the feed and an air hole in the middle of the nib. The fins slow the ink, allowing it to flow by capillary action, and also manages the flow of air into the reservoir.

 

I'm not sure this would work on a dip pen, since the fins are entirely immersed in the liquid on dipping, just like when you fill a converter. When I fill my convertor fountain pens, I always have to wipe off the nib and feed before writing. My guess, without dipping a nib and section into fountain pen ink and trying it like a dip pen, is that it would tend to blot.

 

Dip pens seem designed to hold in via surface tension, so you find wide bodied nibs, and large holes in them to serve as reservoirs. Well, except for Speedball nibs, which use a clip on top to act as a reservoir. The exception is the crow sized nibs, which hold ink in a barrel that slides into a holder, and the old quill and reed pens may have worked the same way.

 

To address too much ink when you start writing with a dip pen, I tap off the excess into the bottle, much like tapping off excess paint from a paint brush. Please note that I've only tinkered with dip nibs a little, and am hardly an expert. Yet tapping off excess ink solved the too much ink at the start issue. Unfortunately, that does nothing for the necessity of frequent dipping.

[sgphototn]

1 hour ago, Lugworm said:

I have occasionally tried dip pens in the past and just can't get on with them.  Too much ink when you start writing, not enough ink after a few words, generally makes my writing a mess.

However when I dip a fountain pen, its brilliant.  Steady ink flow and many many lines of writing.

 

My question is, why don't they make dip pens with a similar nib and feed as fountain pens?  I'd buy one.

Ranga makes them with ebonite feeds. I no longer use glass dip pens. I got a broad nib as that better reflects the ink properties important to me as I write with stubs and italics 90% of the time. 

 

Ranga Dip pens

[Stompie]

The ink you use is a big factor. If you dip a dip pen into fountain pen ink you will pick up problems because it is a lot thinner than dip pen ink and will generally jut run off the nib.

If you really want to use a specific colour on a dip nib then use a separate container to dispense some of your fountain pen ink into and then add some Gum Arabic to it, that will thicken it up a bit.

 

You must also clean the dip pen nib before use as they have manufacturers oils on them that could also make the ink run.

[sidthecat]

I notice that a few makers are putting out pens designed for dip nibs...Akkerman has something in a pump-filler. You can also put a dip nib in a fountain pen, if you can match the size. I have a few vintage pens with anitque nibs and they're a lot of fun.

[BaronWulfraed]

On 1/21/2021 at 6:21 AM, Lugworm said:

My question is, why don't they make dip pens with a similar nib and feed as fountain pens?  I'd buy one.

Ever look at an Esterbrook Dip-Less?

 

Alternatively, look into finding a "reservoir" that will fit your existing dip nibs (these often look like copper boxes that clamp to the nib wings and nestles under the nib -- they hold a few drops of ink, and release it at a steadier rate than just a bare nib). Depending upon the nib-holder, you might be able to take part of a hair-pin, give it an S curve, and fit it under the nib -- so the tip of the S is just on the tip side of the strain relief hole of the nib. The belly of the curve can hold a drop or two of ink, and feeds it to the slit as one writes.

[Gilberto Castaneda]

Nib must be cleaned before use of rust prevention oil which was added at the factory.

Search for how to do it. Among other, with a lighter or a match just burn the tip a bit, but you can also use saliva.

[5thhistorian]

Some fountain pen inks work better than others with dip pens. I tried different methods but using a lighter to scorch off the manufacturing oils worked extremely well with my nibs.