Best Dip Pen/nib For Easy Multiple Ink Testing?

[SamCapote]

I'm posting this because I have found the glass (spiral) dip pens that wash off easy don't always pick up some inks, and tend to flow way heavier than is realistic. So I'm looking for a metal dip nib that has a decent line, holds the fountain pen inks, and also easy to wash off. So far I have tried some of the tips in this Manuscript "Round Hand" dip pen set, with #5 being the smallest. This Speedball Artists Pen set mostly has too wide of nibs, with B-5 being the closest to a fountain pen line (but way wider than the Manuscript Round Hand #5). Ideally, you need a tip that can store a bit of ink, washes & dries easy, has a decent line and not scratchy on normal paper. So far, I have not found my ideal, but Round Hand #5 is the closest.

 

These two sets were nice because they have that brass flap that allows more ink to be stored between dips. The Round Hand were smoother on normal paper, but the smallest size (#5) still seemed to wide.

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/dip2s.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/dip3s.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Dip5s.jpg

 

Most of the "comic" sharp point ones shown here are flexible tips that are too fine and scratchy unless used on smooth, hard, posterboard, and don't hold much ink:

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/dip4s.jpg

 

 

Edited July 1, 2010 by SamCapote

[txinsk]

Honestly, I like using my spiral glass dip pen (fancy herbin glass dip pen). Yes, the initial line is a bit wet for what I normally write, but if I run the ink out to the end it approximates a very dry pen. Then when I pick up my sample card, the early line approximates a wet pen and the latter line a dry pen. It does not tell me about the flow of ink in any pen, but it does give me an expectation of colour put down by any pen and some ink. One key thing is that, if you are not aware of this, after the (censored) dipped it should be touched to the side of the rim to remove excess ink. The glass nibs tend to overload so a little less improves performance. Just a tip if you were not aware.

 

Rick

[Maruk]

SamCapote,

 

John Neal has some script nibs in stock, some that may be applicable would be:

Hero #40, Gillott 303 and Brause Steno 361

 

There are many others for real fine spencerian script, but I don't think you want them that narrow. Also, if you want to PM me with your address, I can go across the street to the art store and pick up a variety of dip pen nibs for you.

 

Best of luck.

 

Nib Seller Links:

John Neal - Pointed Nibs

[jbb]

I have a nice assortment of dip nibs that I think would work for you. PM me if you're interested.

 

Birmingham Pen Co. dip nibs

Edited July 1, 2010 by jbb

[Ipno Tizer]

Whereabouts in the world are you?

 

If you're in the UK, or if you're planning a visit here in the near future and can get to Birmingham, the Pen Room museum have got shed loads of NOS dip pen nibs which they will normally sell you for 60p - £1 a pop. My favourites are the Esterbrook relief and the Heath Elongated J. I don't know if they do mail order, but if you can't get to visit, you could always e-mail them and ask. If you can visit they will often let you try some nibs out before you buy them.

 

As for ink, I find Herbin to be the most well behaved with my dip pens.

 

 

[SamCapote]

Thanks for input. Sorry I didn't have my location in profile which I just fixed--in USA (Connecticut). I may try those suggestions at John Neals. Let me add a few more details of what I'm looking for.

 

I have hundreds of different inks, from virtually all of the fountain pen ink manufacturers that I want to record samples of and do some more FPN posted reviews. There are a number of inks that do not coat the glass dip pens effectively enough to use that instrument, in addition to the heavy line flow that does not represent fountain pen nibs. It takes to long to clean and flush a typical FP nib with feed, so was looking at these metal dip pens as a compromise. Most of the ones I posted in my OP have very sharp, pointed tips that scratch and catch on most ordinary paper. Ideally, I was hoping to find some of these metal dip nibs that have more of a rounded tip to behave like a FP (fine to med) nib, and that holds enough ink to last for at least 3-4 lines of writing.

 

That way I could do samples of 10-15 inks at a sitting, flushing in a couple glasses of water as I did with those Higgins dip inks in OP. I'm not looking for one to do fancy scripts, but jbp's sampler looks like those are writing nicely on ordinary (common) paper. I'm not sure how they would work with a wide diversity of ink brands though.

 

I'm thinking since the round hand #5 worked the smoothest so far, I might try the No4 Mitchell nib in a size 6 from here. These round hand types do not scratch on the paper at all, and the flow is adustable with the slip-on reservoir.

Edited July 2, 2010 by SamCapote

[Lloyd]

The Dollar 717i clear piston fillers can be quickly taken apart and reassembled for thorough cleaning after using tenacious inks (pull out the nib/feed and unscrew the piston from the body). For quick cleaning after low saturation inks, you wouldn't need to take it apart. I'm sure there must be other pens that can be quickly taken apart.

[drmom777]

I like to use an old Osmiroid calligraphy nib that I have stuck in the body of a defunct gel stick pen. The Osmiroid nib has a sort of cruder feed system than other nibs that is easy to clean by dipping sequentially in two cups of water and then blotting. My arrangement may not be pretty, but it works great.

[smeden]

The Dollar 717i clear piston fillers can be quickly taken apart and reassembled for thorough cleaning after using tenacious inks (pull out the nib/feed and unscrew the piston from the body). For quick cleaning after low saturation inks, you wouldn't need to take it apart. I'm sure there must be other pens that can be quickly taken apart.

 

Interesting! Could you explain more in detail how to unscrew the piston.

[AllWriteNow]

Just want to mention that we have Hand Turned Ebonite Dip Pens.

These are fitted with ebonite finned feeds. A 15 second dunk and you can write several lines.

Easily rinsed with water and ready for the next ink.

Vintage nibs fit these pens nicely.

 

http://www.allwritenow.net/images/Varuna_Dip_Pens_01.jpg

 

Steve

Edited July 2, 2010 by AllWriteNow

[Lloyd]

The Dollar 717i clear piston fillers can be quickly taken apart and reassembled for thorough cleaning after using tenacious inks (pull out the nib/feed and unscrew the piston from the body). For quick cleaning after low saturation inks, you wouldn't need to take it apart. I'm sure there must be other pens that can be quickly taken apart.

 

Interesting! Could you explain more in detail how to unscrew the piston.

 

Nathan, who sells these rebranded as Noodlers pens, showed me. Mine have ink in them right now so I can only try to recall; I can't double check without making a mess.

1. Remove the endcap.

2. Between the piston knob and the body is the thread region where the endcap screws on. Grab these threads (use of a rubber grippy thing may help) and unscrew the inner workings from the body. I think it works best if the piston is in the "up" (full of ink) position but it may be the opposite.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Lloyd

[dizzypen]

Sam, I see you have one of the Comic nib holders from JetPens.

 

Do you have a fountain pen that is no longer functional?

 

I'm actually using a Sheaffer's Medium steel nib from a Sheaffer's TipDip Cadet with my comic nib holder. It works perfectly, and because it is a fountain pen nib it writes much closer to a FP than anything else I've tried.

[smeden]

The Dollar 717i clear piston fillers can be quickly taken apart and reassembled for thorough cleaning after using tenacious inks (pull out the nib/feed and unscrew the piston from the body). For quick cleaning after low saturation inks, you wouldn't need to take it apart. I'm sure there must be other pens that can be quickly taken apart.

 

Interesting! Could you explain more in detail how to unscrew the piston.

 

Nathan, who sells these rebranded as Noodlers pens, showed me. Mine have ink in them right now so I can only try to recall; I can't double check without making a mess.

1. Remove the endcap.

2. Between the piston knob and the body is the thread region where the endcap screws on. Grab these threads (use of a rubber grippy thing may help) and unscrew the inner workings from the body. I think it works best if the piston is in the "up" (full of ink) position but it may be the opposite.

 

Thank you so much for this tip. It works! I just tried it and it is not at all hard to do. To get a good grip I used a strip of rubber from an old bicycle tube.

 

I also tried to convert the pen to an eyedropper by removing the piston assembly. This did not turn out so well because the ink ran straight through the nib/feed. Perhaps someone has a solution for this?

 

There has been some reports that ink has flowed past the piston and this might be a reason to remove the piston and clean the pen.

 

It is also nice to know that you have a pen that you can take completely apart for your self.

[Lloyd]

The cap jewel/clip unscrew to either clean its insides or to fix a bent clip, too.

According to Nathan, the head of the piston (is that the right terminology?) can be fixed when it no longer properly keeps ink between it and the feed. He told me of two approaches. Neither have I tried. Roughly speaking:

1. The head of the piston is made of wax and, as such, a little heat can be applied to the head (while it is outside of the body) and then the head can be pressed on a solid surface to spread it out (be careful not to spread it too wide).

2a. Take a small bit of bicycle inner tube.

b. Pull the feed out as I described earlier.

c. Press and twist the opening of the body (where the piston enters the body) into the rubber tube to make an indentation. Cut this disk out of the rubber.

d Here's the mystery: there is a way to attach the rubber disk to the piston head. I'm not sure how to do it; Nathan told me it can be done, though.

[SamCapote]

Sam, I see you have one of the Comic nib holders from JetPens.

 

Do you have a fountain pen that is no longer functional?

 

I'm actually using a Sheaffer's Medium steel nib from a Sheaffer's TipDip Cadet with my comic nib holder. It works perfectly, and because it is a fountain pen nib it writes much closer to a FP than anything else I've tried.

 

I don't, but that is a good thought. I definitely want something that I can swish and rinse easily, and many of the straight nibs I have tried are too sharp pointed, scratchy, or don't hold much ink for doing a review and/or series of test writings. The best I have found so far are the "Round Hand" with adjustable reservoir slide on clips, and I was able to find them in size 6 from these sources. So I'll post results when I get them.

 

http://www.calligrap....asp#reservoirs (shows different styles & lines--the Round Hand with curved nib edge behaves very much like a traditional fountain pen nib)

 

http://www.johnnealb...etail_list/16/3 Go down to No4. Mitchell Nibs (Round Hand) and I ordered size 6 my OP bottom of page writing samples are with a size 5, so I think this size 6 will be perfect. Reservoirs are sold at bottom of link.

 

http://www.misterart...ibs-B-Style.htm also in size 6 but the Speedball brand. (Again, also note the covering reservoir that you can slide closer/farther from the tip to control the ink flow, as well as hold a good amount of ink.

[dcwaites]

One of the problems I have found that very few dip pen nibs will give you a result that is similar to what a fountain pen will.

 

I started with the Speedball nibs, but could never get the result I wanted.

 

Finally, after trying about a dozen different designs, I picked up a D. Leonardt's DP400.

 

These come in a range of sizes and I have one in 0.5mm. They are made of stainless-steel, have a reservoir and a small, circular turned-up nib, so that the one in 0.5mm size approximates a medium-fine nib. The ink flow is such that the line written with any ink compares well in wetness and intensity with a similar, medium-wet fountain pen nib. It is neither thicker and darker, nor thinner and lighter, and gives me a good indication of what the ink will look like in a fountain pen.

 

Because of the stainless-steel construction it rinses off easily, so it is simple to change from ink to ink without cross-contamination.

[SamCapote]

One of the problems I have found that very few dip pen nibs will give you a result that is similar to what a fountain pen will.

 

I started with the Speedball nibs, but could never get the result I wanted.

 

Finally, after trying about a dozen different designs, I picked up a D. Leonardt's DP400.

 

These come in a range of sizes and I have one in 0.5mm. They are made of stainless-steel, have a reservoir and a small, circular turned-up nib, so that the one in 0.5mm size approximates a medium-fine nib. The ink flow is such that the line written with any ink compares well in wetness and intensity with a similar, medium-wet fountain pen nib. It is neither thicker and darker, nor thinner and lighter, and gives me a good indication of what the ink will look like in a fountain pen.

 

Because of the stainless-steel construction it rinses off easily, so it is simple to change from ink to ink without cross-contamination.

 

That sounds perfect. Where did you find it? I was looking at their website, but cannot get a good idea of its details or availability. The only one I see with DP400 is the ornamental nib ?

 

I'm still searching...found this other Brause brand that looks similar here: http://www.pencity.com/Brause/OrnamentNibs.html

 

How well do these hold up over time, in terms of how many to purchase? I don't mind ordering from overseas online shops. Most of the places I'm finding them are in kits, and don't even include the 0.5mm size.

Edited July 3, 2010 by SamCapote

[dcwaites]

One of the problems I have found that very few dip pen nibs will give you a result that is similar to what a fountain pen will.

 

I started with the Speedball nibs, but could never get the result I wanted.

 

Finally, after trying about a dozen different designs, I picked up a D. Leonardt's DP400.

 

These come in a range of sizes and I have one in 0.5mm. They are made of stainless-steel, have a reservoir and a small, circular turned-up nib, so that the one in 0.5mm size approximates a medium-fine nib. The ink flow is such that the line written with any ink compares well in wetness and intensity with a similar, medium-wet fountain pen nib. It is neither thicker and darker, nor thinner and lighter, and gives me a good indication of what the ink will look like in a fountain pen.

 

Because of the stainless-steel construction it rinses off easily, so it is simple to change from ink to ink without cross-contamination.

 

That sounds perfect. Where did you find it? I was looking at their website, but cannot get a good idea of its details or availability. The only one I see with DP400 is the ornamental nib ?

 

I found mine in a specialist (i.e. high-end, very expensive...) stationery shop in Kings Cross, Sydney. They specialise in hand-made leather-bound journals and wedding stationery.

 

Yes, the one has the code DB400SA - J . I presume the A - J reflects the size code. I got the smallest one, 1/2 mm.

 

They have a list of international contacts under the Agents button. I tried the Australian one, but never got an answer. Hopefully you might do better with the US contact.

[SamCapote]

One of the problems I have found that very few dip pen nibs will give you a result that is similar to what a fountain pen will.

 

I started with the Speedball nibs, but could never get the result I wanted.

 

Finally, after trying about a dozen different designs, I picked up a D. Leonardt's DP400.

 

These come in a range of sizes and I have one in 0.5mm. They are made of stainless-steel, have a reservoir and a small, circular turned-up nib, so that the one in 0.5mm size approximates a medium-fine nib. The ink flow is such that the line written with any ink compares well in wetness and intensity with a similar, medium-wet fountain pen nib. It is neither thicker and darker, nor thinner and lighter, and gives me a good indication of what the ink will look like in a fountain pen.

 

Because of the stainless-steel construction it rinses off easily, so it is simple to change from ink to ink without cross-contamination.

 

That sounds perfect. Where did you find it? I was looking at their website, but cannot get a good idea of its details or availability. The only one I see with DP400 is the ornamental nib ?

 

I found mine in a specialist (i.e. high-end, very expensive...) stationery shop in Kings Cross, Sydney. They specialise in hand-made leather-bound journals and wedding stationery.

 

Yes, the one has the code DB400SA - J . I presume the A - J reflects the size code. I got the smallest one, 1/2 mm.

 

They have a list of international contacts under the Agents button. I tried the Australian one, but never got an answer. Hopefully you might do better with the US contact.

 

No luck with the USA contact, or anywhere else that lists that size. I sent an email to their contact which is at http://calligraphy.c...dReservoirs.asp and asked them if they know where I can buy them.

 

In the meantime, I'll just get some of the Brause which looks like an old and hopefully quality workmanship company here, which are sold pretty cheaply at PenCity here...maybe even get a couple of the 0.7mm size. They are also listed at UK's Scribbler's site here.

 

Then I'll compare the two brands of Round Hand in 0.5mm I listed above with these Ornamental style. They both seem to have the adjustable reservoir tab.

 

I know fountain pen inks are not ideal for use in nib pens, but actually the flow of Montblanc, Waterman, Herbin, and Diamine were superb with the round hand. That reservoir tab adjustable system keeps a nice supply of ink.

Edited July 3, 2010 by SamCapote

[Garageboy]

Speedball Hunt 101 is the nib I use. Flexy, but pours on the ink. I also use an Esterbrook Dipless