Dip Pens

[mpizzazz]

This afternoon I got out my new dip pen, nibs and ink and had a practice with it. It may take until ReCreate in May to get the hang of it. Has anyone else played with it yet? or are there any experienced 'dippers' who can give us some tips?

[pbp908]

At this point you're ahead of me - I haven't taken them out of the packing yet, so I'm interested to see if anyone has tips.

[pamcook]

Mine is still in the original packaging, too. I haven't used one since 8th grade art class.

[jmp1022]

I got mine but haven't played with it yet

[ChristyB]

haven't even decided if it's something I want to get yet

[pamcook]

I've been using the PITT pen or a sharpie. I love the look of the dip pen so I'm willing to give it a try. Hoping Donna will be able to teach me!

[mpizzazz]

I've been looking for the PITT pen to try. Michaels only has the set of 4 for $12 so with my next 50% coupon, I might get them to try. Do they write on anything?

[ChristyB]

I've been looking for the PITT pen to try. Michaels only has the set of 4 for $12 so with my next 50% coupon, I might get them to try. Do they write on anything?

pretty much. I have yet to find something they don't write on

if you can get the 4 pack of different nibs-S(superfine), F (fine), M (medium), & B (bold) then you get more selection.

I have to hide mine from Shai because she loves them so much

[pamcook]

The one I got was too fine - I really don't use it often.

[LadyJaine]

Are you talking a pen with no reservoir? Or a pen with a second layer of metal, creating an area where ink can be stored? And are you using India ink? Fountain pen ink? Calligraphy ink?

800px-Three-pens-six-nibs.jpg (86.53 KiB) Viewed 790 times

(I grabbed the picture from Wikipedia, I love that site!)

Anyway, the bottom 3 nibs on the left have only a capilary channel, to draw the ink towards the point. You'll find you need to dip them much more frequently, like at the end of every word. The 2 bottom nibs on the right have a reservoir, and you will be able to write a few lines before you need to re-dip. And, if my eyes don't deceive me, the far right nib is rusted.

I used dip pens to entertain myself in high school, taking notes with them. Then I discovered fountain pens and never looked back. But you want to make sure that you are using the right ink, because some will clean off the pens and some won't. Over time, the layers of ink will clog the nib and it won't work. You can get calligraphy tips in different shapes and widths, which will give a thick and thin to the letters as you create them. I use a medium left-handed italic nib for my fountain pens. I'm right handed, but they work best for the way I write.

The most important thing to remember with dip pens is to pull, don't push. Ascending strokes should be minimized or at an angle. If you push, the nib will stick, skip, spatter, and might even break. Keep the pressure consistent, but light. Pressing too hard will spread the nib apart and way too much ink will flow, or the lines you create will become doubled, and not in a good way.

And they really aren't kidding. DON'T share your pen. I did once. The person wrote one word with it and the nib needed to be replaced, as it wouldn't work for my hand any more.

If you really want to see some crazy expensive fountain pens, check out Joon.

[mpizzazz]

thanks for the tut, Jean!
The ones I got were called Round Hand Set. There is a variety of widths from 0 to 5. They all have the reservoir underneath. I realized I had to push the reservoir back from the tip a bit otherwise I was writing with the tip of the reservoir. I also found I had to hold the pen more vertically than normal to get a nice line. I am left handed and wondered about that. Years ago when I tried Calligraphy, I had to use a different angle to achieve any results resembling the alphabets. I'm not aiming for that here just to write normally.
The ink I got is called Calligraphy ink by Higgins.
I was at Michaels so the choice was limited. I didn't want to spend much money since it is for the class at ReCreate and I might not pursue this.

[fuzzylover]

OMG - I haven't done that since High School. I remember my Dad bought me a small set of pens - I don't even know where they are now. But............. as mentioned I do remember the nibs giving me trouble with the ink thickening up and messing up the writing, didn't know it was the type of ink. I just remember using India Ink????

[mpizzazz]

Are you talking a pen with no reservoir? Or a pen with a second layer of metal, creating an area where ink can be stored? And are you using India ink? Fountain pen ink? Calligraphy ink?

What kind of ink do you think is the best to use with the dip pen?

Thanks

[jdrhope]

I must have the pen with no reservoir because mine doesn't write much more that one large letter at the time. It works for me because I don't really use it that much anyway. I use India ink!!

[LadyJaine]

I usually use ink designed for fountain pens, because I use them and always have a bottle or two around the house. Fountain pen ink is water soluble. India ink is not, IIRC.