Higgins Calligraphy Ink

[Chevalier]

Does anyone know, if Rapid-eze is sold under a difderent name in Europe? I'll have the chance to visit a Koh-I-Noor shop in august, but I'll need to know, what to search/ask for.

 

Is there any danger invovled, when trying to use Higgins pen cleaner on a fp or something similar? The pen I clogged is a 0.13, and seems to have a thorn inside the tip, I am afraid of shooting it out of the tip, using the rubber bulb.

[atypical]

Does anyone know, if Rapid-eze is sold under a different name in Europe? I'll have the chance to visit a Koh-I-Noor shop in august, but I'll need to know, what to search/ask for.

The European equivalent, at least in terms of function, would be Rotring technical pen cleaner.

 

Is there any danger involved, when trying to use Higgins pen cleaner on a fp or something similar?

Not being familiar with Higgins pen cleaner, there is not a lot I can say about it.

 

The Rotring cleaner has never hurt a technical pen of mine. In those few instances where I have used it to clean a fountain pen, I have not observed any detrimental effects. Do note however, that this is not the product's intended purpose.

 

In general, it seems that highly alkaline solutions can cause "frosting" of certain plastics. This would be something I would watch out for.

 

The pen I clogged is a 0.13, and seems to have a thorn inside the tip, I am afraid of shooting it out of the tip, using the rubber bulb.

The needle/wire/stylus in the tip of the pen should be attached to a plunger. This means that the risk of removing it from the tip, by the mere act of flushing, should be rather low.

[Chevalier]

Thanks atypical, that helps a lot.

 

I hope the needle inside the tip is really attached firmly. I've been unsure because the tip itself is already smaller than most sewing needles, and the needle inside the tip is so small, I needed a magnifying glass to spot it.

 

Rotring pen cleaner ... losing sight of the wood for the trees sucks.

[twduffy58]

Ahhh, after reading some of the posts here I may just let my newly purchased bottle of Higgins "fountain Pen India" sit quietly in it's box in my junk drawer and chalk it's purchase up to a learning experience.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Buy a dip pen; and nib or six.

[GHigley]

I'm a sucker for Sepia, so I'll give the Higgins a go in cheap Chinese pens and see what happens. I can always use it with dip pens should it prove problematic.

[musicman123]

I've heard lots of things about Higgins ink accompanied by terrible comments so I would recommend staying away from it, except in a dip pen. If worst comes to worst, the ink would permanently clog up a feed in a fountain pen. Some pens just can't get the feed replaced, unlike standard #6 feeds. If you must try them, do it in something cheap and that uses a standard #6 nib and feed, such as a Jinhao (X450, X750), or a Nemosine.

[dcwaites]

Don't forget, if you buy a cheap chinese pen with a #5 or #6 nib, you can take the nib out and fit it into a standard pen holder. That turns it into a dip pen that behaves like a fountain pen.

[musicman123]

Don't forget, if you buy a cheap chinese pen with a #5 or #6 nib, you can take the nib out and fit it into a standard pen holder. That turns it into a dip pen that behaves like a fountain pen.

If I really want to turn an FP into a dip pen, I just take the nib and feed out, then only put the nib in! It is basically a dip pen, but I don't need an actual dip pen. Dip pens feel too thin too me anyways.

[GHigley]

If I really want to turn an FP into a dip pen, I just take the nib and feed out, then only put the nib in! It is basically a dip pen, but I don't need an actual dip pen. Dip pens feel too thin too me anyways.

 

If you order from a pen turner you likely can order a specified grip section width. I've a handmade pen and some nibs on order from dippens.net for a very reasonable price and I expect Mr. Engen would be willing to take special orders.

[jasonchickerson]

I have found that Parker Quink Black is better in every way than Higgins Eternal, in dip pens and fountain pens. It is blacker when a lot of ink is laid down, while Higgins leans blue. Parker is so unsaturated, it is possibly the safest ink to leave in a pen. And they perform nearly identically on paper.