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I recently acquired a bottle of Diamine's gold Drawing & Calligraphy Ink (acrylic base) and a bottle of Dominant Industry's Hologram (unknown base but smells a lot like Testor's enamel paint). I am hoping to inspire (in myself) more dedicated calligraphy practice and give myself a chance to increase my range of paper color options. I gave both inks a vigorous shake prior to opening the bottles and grabbed some nib holders. Then came the problem: both inks want to dry on the nibs faster than I can get them transferred to paper. I managed to struggle my way through what could loosely be called "writing" but it was a frustrating experience. I realize that most inks won't last very long on the nib (ie, I was expecting to have to dip the nib into ink several times to complete a word, sentence, or sweeping decoration) but I was having difficulty in lining a single 5mm downstroke with a Jinhao medium nib on some grid paper. I don't think there is anything wrong with the inks, per se. I've seen videos where Hologram gives other people (presumably more talented than I) some troubles. The Diamine Gold is cheap and the Hologram is very... experimental...ish? I assume that they aren't high-end options but any ink that isn't water-based is a new beast to me. The Diamine ink would immediately start to separate and needed to be mixed often but in all other respects the inks behaved admirably. Does anybody have experience with these types of inks and can offer tips and tricks? Do certain nib materials or shapes work better than others? Are nib holders the best way to go? or brushes? Can they be thinned and put through an air brush?

I just found this mini-documentary on YouTube and found it fascinating so I thought I'd share it.

Someone asked me to adjust the nib on their pen to make the ink flow more. They told me that over time the ink flow had slowed down. The first thing I think is that the pen needs cleaned. So I took it apart. In side the ebonite feed was encrusted with old ink. Being an ebonite feed it is not as if you can soak it in an bleach solution. Thus it took forever to clean this guy. The owner was using Winsor Newton ink. If you buy it in a pack like pictured bellow it says Calligraphy ink on the package in big bold letters. If you buy it by the bottle the label in the bottle says that it is for Fountain Pen and calligraphy. I am guessing that there is shellac in this ink like many calligraphy inks. Has anyone else had similar problems?

Greetings to all, from the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, USA. Today was a beautiful day in New Mexico, where it is common to see the clouds dip below the horizon due to the curvature of the earth. I'm very happy to be a part of a group of people who won't think me to be a bit "off" to own 10+ fountain pens 15+ calligraphy pens, 20+ bottles of ink and a huge stack of beautiful writing paper and more nibs than I care to count! I've been in love with paper, pen and ink since my days in Junior High School (way before color television, if you must know!). It all started with an unknown brand of fountain pen that my mother gave to me and a bit of experimentation with my trusty Gilbert Chemistry Set. Of course, it didn't take me long to clog up that pen, but by then I was smitten. I am retired now and these days, I write mostly with a fountain pen or dip pen depending on my mood and which ink color that feel like using. I am new to calligraphy and I do try and practice my calligraphy when I get a chance. I am also a new member of Escribiente, the calligraphy society in Albuquerque, NM. Mostly I enjoy pointed pen work and broad pen calligraphy. I really love Spencerian and English Roundhand. My pointed pen mentor is Bill Kemp, who is a past president of IAMPETH. Woodworking is another great love of mine and I had been making and giving away dip pens to my friends. Many of my IAMPETH friends and calligraphy guild friends started asking for my pens and encouraged me to start selling my pens. With Bill Kemp's encouragement, I reluctantly did so and started an Etsy Shop called RodgersPenBox. My pens were recently reviewed by Lindsey Bugbee of 'The Postman's Knock' here: http://thepostmansknock.com/artisan-made-calligraphy-pen-holders/ and by Gentian Osman here: http://www.gentianosman.com/2014/04/beautiful-handmade-wood-holder-from.html I'm very excited to learn more about fountain pens, dip pens, ink and paper from all of you on this network and look forwards to joining in on forum discussions. Rodger