Getting started with dip pens

[AAAndrew]

I've gotten a few messages recently asking about how to get started with dip pens, and I thought I'd put out a guide so that others may also be helped by this. It's also a bit long to keep writing. 

 

Ok, so you want to write with a dip pen like they did in the old days? I can help with that. First off, almost all ink-to-paper from 1830-1930 was done with dip pens. The peak was probably 1860-1920.  Before that you still had some quill usage (thought that dropped precipitously by 1840s when cheap English steel pens because available), and after that fountain pens became more affordable. Dip pens are still made, but ones for daily usage were no longer made after 1952 with the two largest US makers closed up their factories.

 

Vintage nibs for everyday writing came in a LOT of styles depending on what kind of writing you wanted to do. The most widely-sold pen (what we call a "nib" they used to call a "pen" so I tend to use the terms interchangeably) was the Esterbrook 048 Falcon. It's a good compromise medium point, medium flex, holds a lot of ink, and it outsold all other US pens. If you're wanting to get into dip pens, the 048 Falcon, as well as Esterbrook's 788 Oval Point are both good ones to start with. They're still quite readily available from eBay and relatively inexpensive, they made billions of them, and are good ones to learn on. They will fit into any standard modern or vintage holder that has a metal insert. There are no feeds on dip pens, so no heat setting needed. Just stick the nib in the holder, prep it (more on that below), dip and write. For modern pens, the Zebra G or Nikko G are considered good "beginner" pens. 

 

Writing with a dip pen takes a little getting used to. The main thing is that you will need to train yourself to have a very light touch. And when I say "very" I really mean it! On the upstroke with a dip pen you will be touching the paper only enough that the capillary action from pen to the outer fibers of the paper will draw ink. On the downstroke, you can exert as much, or as little pressure as you want and the pen will bear. That's where you get your flex. But it's the upstroke that cause people to catch the pen on paper and splatter ink. 

 

The other main change you will probably have to make is position of your hand. We tend to hold our pens and pencils out to the side of the hand, because modern roller balls and ball points, as well as pencils, don't have a "direction" to the tip. Hold a pen in your hand. Look at the angle of the line of the pen to the line of your forearm. With a dip pen, you will want to get that as close to 0-degrees as possible. You will also need to pull your elbows in towards the body so that as much as possible the line of your forearm is 90-degrees from your body, so sticking straight out ahead. 

 

This all may sound a little daunting, but it is not that difficult, kids used to learn it all the time, and notice I say "as much as possible" several times. 

 

As for prepping a nib, removing the protective coating put on by the manufacturer to prevent rusting, there are several options. I'm not as familiar with modern nibs and what they're coated with. Some like to scrub it with soap and a toothbrush or toothpaste and a toothbrush. If you're using vintage nibs, alcohol can work because the nibs are mostly coated with a shellac varnish, and shellac softens in alcohol. You may need to soak the nib in the alcohol to really do a good job. I like to use the controversial flame method. If done carefully, it is fast and works well. There are some downsides and it is fairly easy to over-do it and ruin your nib. To do it right, insert the nib in the holder, and using a lighter, wave the concave center of the nib (not the delicate tip), over (not in) the flame, keeping it moving, for the count of "one, one-thousand." Move it away, then move it back over for another count of "one, one-thousand." Then take a paper towel or tissue and wipe off the nib. The flame should have heated up the nib enough to soften the varnish (sometimes you'll even see a small puff of smoke), and then wiping it off makes sure it is clean. 

 

After you do this, you'll want to be very careful to only handle the pen (nib) by the sides or the back end (the heel). If you get finger oils on the underside of the nib, you can quickly take them off with a quick wave over the flame and a wipe. You'll know this has happened when the ink either flows too quickly, or won't flow all the way down the nib and sticks up away from the tip. 

 

Inks. There are two main things to keep in mind with inks. One, is that dip pens lay down a much, much wetter line of ink than a fountain pen. This impacts both the paper (bleeding) as well as how the ink shades. The other thing to remember is that fountain pen inks are formulated to be free flowing so they can flow easily through tiny channels in feeds. With a dip pen, you dip it, get a glob of ink on the back of the nib, if it is properly prepped, and it flows down the slit using capillary action combined with gravity. Dip pen ink does not need to flow quite so easily as fountain pen ink. The surfactants they add to fountain pen ink to help it flow, to make it a "wet" ink, can actually prevent the ink from sticking to the back of the nib because it's meant to disrupt the surface tension of the water. It's this surface tension that allows the ink to stick to the back of the prepped nib, which you want. 

 

Dip pen ink is the best bet for dip pens. I love walnut ink made from the crystals for everyday writing and practice, because it works great, is an easy-on-the-eyes brown, and is very cheap. Pelikan 4001 inks are the most consistently reliable fountain pen inks that work for dip pens. Otherwise, it's a (bleep) shoot. Any specific ink may work, it may not. Some inks, like those from Monteverde, work well when diluted 1:1 with water. This actually dilutes the surfactant and, ironically, adding water makes it less "wet." Usually any iron gall inks you find will work great with dip pens. I bought a bunch of Diamine Registrars years ago and I hoard it carefully. That's what I use when I write my bills using a dip pen as it's a "safe" ink that bonds to the paper. 

 

Paper is another thing you will need to be careful about. Because dip pens dump a load of ink, you'll want a paper that can absorb the ink without bleeding all over the place. I find the 25% cotton laser printer paper works well. Black and Red notebooks, as well as Rhodia are also very good papers for dip pens. Most high-end stationery will work, as well as, surprisingly, most checks take dip pen ink well. Paper that keeps ink more on the surface, can work with the right ink, but can also lead to a smeary mess. 

 

I have more tips and a ton of other information at my web site: https://thesteelpen.com/

 

If there were any questions about dip pens I missed, feel free to ask. 

 

Andrew

[corgicoupe]

Very good intro, Andrew.

 

Bob

[carlos.q]

If this board had a "thank you" button I would have pressed it... 😉

[catbert]

Thank you.

[Manofadventure]

Thank you for this wonderful post and also for putting all that information worth its weight in gold on your website!

 

I personally have put it to very good use, especially since I got the link to www.theesterbrookproject.com from your website, a few months back.

[JayHomeBody]

I used to have a glass dip pen, and the swirls leading to the tip was basically a reservoir. It was the best damn dip pen if ever used, so smooth and even. And it took to fountain pen ink like a dream. I found out about them from this video of a dude drawing with one, using noodlers blue ghost. Just... the audio is weird, I think he was talking about aliens. 

 

[AAAndrew]

Glass pens make good dip pens, and do seem to work a bit better with fountain pen ink. They are smoother, if well-made. The only problem I have, and that is more of a "What works for me may not work for you and vice versa" problem is that they are completely rigid. As you can imagine with glass, there's no flex. In even those steel pens rated as "Inflexible" there is some level of flex and softness. Depends on what you like. 

 

And to see some of those "Inflexible" pens, I have a short video on my perfunctory YouTube channel. I get a bit confused in talking about J.L. Isaacs. It was Leon Isaacs who died in 1889. Judah Leon Isaacs was Leon was Leon's son. 

 

 

[ParramattaPaul]

I have an antique dip pen (brass with a steel nib) that will take up ink but won't lay a line.  Do you have any idea why that is?

[AAAndrew]

2 minutes ago, ParramattaPaul said:

I have an antique dip pen (brass with a steel nib) that will take up ink but won't lay a line.  Do you have any idea why that is?

Does the ink not flow down to the tip?  If so, and it looks like it was used at some point, then most likely it has oils on the underside of the nib preventing ink flow. The least dangerous approach is to dip in ink and vigorously wipe it off with a paper towel or tissue. Do this a few times. If that doesn't work, you can remove the nib from the holder, and wash it carefully with a little soap and water, then dry it thoroughly before putting it back in. The last thing to try is the flame technique I mentioned. Put the nib in the holder, wave the middle of teh nib, concave side down, above a flame for a second. (count one-one-thousand). Then wipe it off with a tissue or paper towel. Then don't touch the underside of the nib. That should do it. 

 

If the nib hasn't been used before, you may need to do the flame technique twice, one-second above the flame, then pause outside the flame for a second, then one-second above the flame. Remember, don't get the tip over the flame. 

 

If the nib is broken, or just won't work well, you'll need another nib. These were meant to be disposable. You would buy them in a box of 144. 

 

So, is the holder brass, or is there a brass flange-like thing over the nib? 

[Estycollector]

When I got into using a dip pen, Andrew was very generous sharing his knowledge. I recommend any fountain pen user give a dip pen consideration. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

One of these day...and besides some dip pen inks, I do have some 4001 inks and do have Oxford Optic 90g, which is the paper used in Red&Black.

I even have a couple oblique pen holders for right handers....left handers from my reading, get away writing with a dip pen, just perfectly, with out a gadget to make it better.

 

Anybody have a bottle of will power....half a bottle?

 

Hell, I don't even use my regular superflex pens.

 

Here's a trick, with 'stolen' photo from the guy who showed it way back when when was new, take bees wax, heat it to so it sticks in the nib, and make your own rills/combs. That keeps you dipping less.

 

[ParramattaPaul]

1 hour ago, AAAndrew said:

Does the ink not flow down to the tip?  If so, and it looks like it was used at some point, then most likely it has oils on the underside of the nib preventing ink flow. The least dangerous approach is to dip in ink and vigorously wipe it off with a paper towel or tissue. Do this a few times. If that doesn't work, you can remove the nib from the holder, and wash it carefully with a little soap and water, then dry it thoroughly before putting it back in. The last thing to try is the flame technique I mentioned. Put the nib in the holder, wave the middle of teh nib, concave side down, above a flame for a second. (count one-one-thousand). Then wipe it off with a tissue or paper towel. Then don't touch the underside of the nib. That should do it. 

 

If the nib hasn't been used before, you may need to do the flame technique twice, one-second above the flame, then pause outside the flame for a second, then one-second above the flame. Remember, don't get the tip over the flame. 

 

If the nib is broken, or just won't work well, you'll need another nib. These were meant to be disposable. You would buy them in a box of 144. 

 

So, is the holder brass, or is there a brass flange-like thing over the nib? 

 

The nib is 'original' to the pen.  Both have been used, and the nib had a good deal of old, dried ink on it when I got the pen.  I've removed some of the ink residue (quite built up) with soap water and -- dare I say it -- a kitchen scrubber yet it still won't leave a line.  Could it be that there is dried ink built up between the tines preventing ink flow?

[ParramattaPaul]

10 minutes ago, ParramattaPaul said:

 

The nib is 'original' to the pen.  Both have been used, and the nib had a good deal of old, dried ink on it when I got the pen.  I've removed some of the ink residue (quite built up) with soap water and -- dare I say it -- a kitchen scrubber yet it still won't leave a line.  Could it be that there is dried ink built up between the tines preventing ink flow?

Interesting note:  When I was able to get the nib out of the holder just now, having removed more dried ink with the suggested alcohol, the nib is inscribed '313 R. ESTERBROOK PROBATE PEN MADE IN ENGLAND'.  With that, I'm confident that the nib and holder have been together for over 100 years.

[AAAndrew]

if there is a lot of dried ink it could be that it's clogging the slit and preventing ink flow. The 313 Probate's are fairly common. These were made to be thrown away when no longer working well. There's someone on eBay Australia selling a whole gross right now. I'm more of a fan of the 314 stubs myself, the 313 is a little too fine for me, but it's a matter of taste. 

 

That nib was made in the 1930's or 40's, so close to 100 years. But for A$68 you can get a whole box (144) of ones just as old. 

[ParramattaPaul]

Thank you.  The remaining dried ink has been cleaned off with alcohol thanks to your suggestion.  The slit between the tines is visibly open.  I wonder if it may be too wide.  Perhaps the nib is simply to badly worn.

[AAAndrew]

If the slit is visibly open then the pen is shot. Toss and get another. It’s what they would have done “in the day.”

[ParramattaPaul]

Ta. That is what I began to suspect. 

[Runnin_Ute]

We need to have this pinned. 

[rkesey]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:18 AM, AAAndrew said:

I've gotten a few messages recently asking about how to get started with dip pens, and I thought I'd put out a guide so that others may also be helped by this. It's also a bit long to keep writing. 

 

Ok, so you want to write with a dip pen like they did in the old days? I can help with that. First off, almost all ink-to-paper from 1830-1930 was done with dip pens. The peak was probably 1860-1920.  Before that you still had some quill usage (thought that dropped precipitously by 1840s when cheap English steel pens because available), and after that fountain pens became more affordable. Dip pens are still made, but ones for daily usage were no longer made after 1952 with the two largest US makers closed up their factories.

 

Vintage nibs for everyday writing came in a LOT of styles depending on what kind of writing you wanted to do. The most widely-sold pen (what we call a "nib" they used to call a "pen" so I tend to use the terms interchangeably) was the Esterbrook 048 Falcon. It's a good compromise medium point, medium flex, holds a lot of ink, and it outsold all other US pens. If you're wanting to get into dip pens, the 048 Falcon, as well as Esterbrook's 788 Oval Point are both good ones to start with. They're still quite readily available from eBay and relatively inexpensive, they made billions of them, and are good ones to learn on. They will fit into any standard modern or vintage holder that has a metal insert. There are no feeds on dip pens, so no heat setting needed. Just stick the nib in the holder, prep it (more on that below), dip and write. For modern pens, the Zebra G or Nikko G are considered good "beginner" pens. 

 

Writing with a dip pen takes a little getting used to. The main thing is that you will need to train yourself to have a very light touch. And when I say "very" I really mean it! On the upstroke with a dip pen you will be touching the paper only enough that the capillary action from pen to the outer fibers of the paper will draw ink. On the downstroke, you can exert as much, or as little pressure as you want and the pen will bear. That's where you get your flex. But it's the upstroke that cause people to catch the pen on paper and splatter ink. 

 

The other main change you will probably have to make is position of your hand. We tend to hold our pens and pencils out to the side of the hand, because modern roller balls and ball points, as well as pencils, don't have a "direction" to the tip. Hold a pen in your hand. Look at the angle of the line of the pen to the line of your forearm. With a dip pen, you will want to get that as close to 0-degrees as possible. You will also need to pull your elbows in towards the body so that as much as possible the line of your forearm is 90-degrees from your body, so sticking straight out ahead. 

 

This all may sound a little daunting, but it is not that difficult, kids used to learn it all the time, and notice I say "as much as possible" several times. 

 

As for prepping a nib, removing the protective coating put on by the manufacturer to prevent rusting, there are several options. I'm not as familiar with modern nibs and what they're coated with. Some like to scrub it with soap and a toothbrush or toothpaste and a toothbrush. If you're using vintage nibs, alcohol can work because the nibs are mostly coated with a shellac varnish, and shellac softens in alcohol. You may need to soak the nib in the alcohol to really do a good job. I like to use the controversial flame method. If done carefully, it is fast and works well. There are some downsides and it is fairly easy to over-do it and ruin your nib. To do it right, insert the nib in the holder, and using a lighter, wave the concave center of the nib (not the delicate tip), over (not in) the flame, keeping it moving, for the count of "one, one-thousand." Move it away, then move it back over for another count of "one, one-thousand." Then take a paper towel or tissue and wipe off the nib. The flame should have heated up the nib enough to soften the varnish (sometimes you'll even see a small puff of smoke), and then wiping it off makes sure it is clean. 

 

After you do this, you'll want to be very careful to only handle the pen (nib) by the sides or the back end (the heel). If you get finger oils on the underside of the nib, you can quickly take them off with a quick wave over the flame and a wipe. You'll know this has happened when the ink either flows too quickly, or won't flow all the way down the nib and sticks up away from the tip. 

 

Inks. There are two main things to keep in mind with inks. One, is that dip pens lay down a much, much wetter line of ink than a fountain pen. This impacts both the paper (bleeding) as well as how the ink shades. The other thing to remember is that fountain pen inks are formulated to be free flowing so they can flow easily through tiny channels in feeds. With a dip pen, you dip it, get a glob of ink on the back of the nib, if it is properly prepped, and it flows down the slit using capillary action combined with gravity. Dip pen ink does not need to flow quite so easily as fountain pen ink. The surfactants they add to fountain pen ink to help it flow, to make it a "wet" ink, can actually prevent the ink from sticking to the back of the nib because it's meant to disrupt the surface tension of the water. It's this surface tension that allows the ink to stick to the back of the prepped nib, which you want. 

 

Dip pen ink is the best bet for dip pens. I love walnut ink made from the crystals for everyday writing and practice, because it works great, is an easy-on-the-eyes brown, and is very cheap. Pelikan 4001 inks are the most consistently reliable fountain pen inks that work for dip pens. Otherwise, it's a (bleep) shoot. Any specific ink may work, it may not. Some inks, like those from Monteverde, work well when diluted 1:1 with water. This actually dilutes the surfactant and, ironically, adding water makes it less "wet." Usually any iron gall inks you find will work great with dip pens. I bought a bunch of Diamine Registrars years ago and I hoard it carefully. That's what I use when I write my bills using a dip pen as it's a "safe" ink that bonds to the paper. 

 

Paper is another thing you will need to be careful about. Because dip pens dump a load of ink, you'll want a paper that can absorb the ink without bleeding all over the place. I find the 25% cotton laser printer paper works well. Black and Red notebooks, as well as Rhodia are also very good papers for dip pens. Most high-end stationery will work, as well as, surprisingly, most checks take dip pen ink well. Paper that keeps ink more on the surface, can work with the right ink, but can also lead to a smeary mess. 

 

I have more tips and a ton of other information at my web site: https://thesteelpen.com/

 

If there were any questions about dip pens I missed, feel free to ask. 

 

Andrew

What a great introduction. Thanks so much!