Dip pen advice for beginner ?

[Eoghan2009]

I love my shimmer inks but they tend to clog.  I am thinking about a dip pen - but have not taken the plunge.

 

How do you stop the ink drying out?

 

Can you use standard inks or do you need to switch?

 

I have NO experience of a dip pen so any advice gratefully received - like a beginners dip pen?

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Eoghan2009 said:

I am thinking about a dip pen - but have not taken the plunge.

 

How do you stop the ink drying out?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by that. You don't keep ink ‘in’ a dip pen between writing sessions, but are supposed to clean and dry the nib after each use. A single dip of the nib in ink will probably produce no more than one line (or two, on the outer) of writing, even with a fine nib, and so it's unlikely that the ink from one dip will dry out before you can fully consume it in the course of writing with the dip pen.

 

1 hour ago, Eoghan2009 said:

Can you use standard inks or do you need to switch?

 

Most fountain pen inks can work, although I've encountered the odd one that just refuses to cling to the nib after dipping.

 

[dipper]

A good way to start would be to jump right in with a selection of different types of dip pen nibs, and one of two cheap dip pen holders (the wooden handle thing that the nib or "pen" fits into.) Play around with different inks and nibs and papers and it will all begin to make sense.

 

There are dip pens that replicate the range of nib types we see in fountain pens, but that push the boundaries way further: Flex nibs that go out to ridiculous line withs. Knife-edge sharp italics that are 5mm wide or more. Needle-sharp fine nibs that pierce the paper if slid the wrong way. Hard as nails nibs for writing with carbon-copy paper layers beneath. Nibs with clip-on reservoir gadgets to hold a few extra drops of ink per dip. And even nibs made from a folded drinks-can with sticky tape and a pair of scissors. Generous size nibs, and tiny little nibs. Modern nibs (eg the Zebra G nib as a good quality example), and lots of vintage nibs that can be picked up on eBay in quantity.

 

So the key is to start cheap, but with as wide a selection of nib types as you can find.

 

The handles ("pen holders") needed can be home made. If purchased you may need to select so that the gripping part of the handle fits the curve of the nib used ( the "pen" ). If you buy a set of nibs from an art store the handle to fit all the nibs in that maker's set will often be part of the package.

 

Photo of what's on my desk today .....

[Corona688]

Dip pens amount to paintbrush handles with a replaceable nib.  Most nibs still made in the 21st century are art nibs, the rest disappeared.  They often resemble fountain pen nibs, but they're just untipped steel.  They're cheap, and can write with almost anything.  They can and do rust and snap, so don't pay or obsess too much.

 

Most dip pen nibs are sharp and fragile these days.  This is because spidery Spencerian writing is one of the last 21st-century uses of a 19th-century invention.  Go for lettering nibs, unless you actually want something that fine.

 

 

Pictured here is the Speedball sketching set cheaply found in North American art stores.  No experience with Scottish stores, but I hope you can find something similar.  A big holder like the one shown should hold nearly any flattish nib made by anyone.  The one it holds in the picture is a Speedball 512, a tough reliable line-drawing nib.  The smaller holder is for crowquills, which are round, flexible, and atom-splitting sharp.

 

 

 

On 4/15/2022 at 5:46 AM, Eoghan2009 said:

How do you stop the ink drying out?

 

Like a paintbrush.  Rinse and go and rinse again.  Rust is a bigger problem, but the nibs aren't precious.

 

On 4/15/2022 at 5:46 AM, Eoghan2009 said:

Can you use standard inks or do you need to switch?

 

Just about any ink is compatible with these pointy sticks.  Use anything from water to paint.  Purpose-made dip pen ink is thicker than fountain pen ink though.

 

On 4/15/2022 at 5:46 AM, Eoghan2009 said:

 

I have NO experience of a dip pen so any advice gratefully received - like a beginners dip pen?

 

Without knowing what's available to you, all I can really tell you is my favourite nibs:

 

Hiro Crown #41:  Nice enough I make excuses to use it.  Extremely smooth for a dip pen.    It has just a little flex.

Speedball 512:  Sturdy and reliable.  No flex at all.  Inelegant and just works. 

Brause Rose:  Very flexible, without the atom-splitter tip of a "real" calligraphy nib.  Sometimes fussy.

[Daosus]

On 4/15/2022 at 5:46 AM, Eoghan2009 said:

Can you use standard inks or do you need to switch?

 

 

You can use any ink you want.  Even gouache colors, appropriately diluted, will work.  Fountain pen ink is often quite runny.  If you want something thicker, and thus a finer/drier line, I suggest mixing the ink with some gum arabic in a separate container.  

 

I have personally used, fountain pen ink, Calli "calligraphy ink," various India inks, and hand-ground Sumi sticks.  The nice thing about dip pens is that they're pretty forgiving.

 

Oh, and rinse off the nib with something that removes oil.  A scrub with soap or alcohol will do the trick.  Some people like to use a lighter to remove the manufacturing oil, but I found that you can sometimes affect the temper of the metal.

 

 

[AAAndrew]

Sorry I missed this when it came out. 

 

Dip pens work with some fountain pen inks, but not all. If the ink flows too well, it won't stick to the underside of the nib. (inks are made "wet" by adding ingredients that make reduce the surface tension of the water in the ink and it's this surface tension that's needed to keep the ink up on the nib after dipping). 

 

If the ink is too wet then adding a bit of gum arabic, available in many art stores and online, can "thicken" the ink to the point where it works. 

 

One thing to consider is that dip pens lay down a VERY wet line compared to fountain pens, which can be a very good thing for shimmer inks. It also means you dip fairly often. But once you're used to it, it's not that big of a deal. 

 

I have a fair amount of information on dip pens on my site, The Steel Pen – Writing, history, and the history of how we write and if you have any questions you don't want to ask here, there's a contact me page that goes directly to me. 

 

Good luck!

 

Andrew