Noob Inkwell And Dip Pen Questions

[mylifeandjourney]

So I want to dry out a dip pen and inkwell. I've never tried either, so what should I look out for when trying to purchase them?

 

And some other random questions:

1) Looking on ebay, it looks like there are nibs for dip pens. Are there certain types of dip pens that support interchangeable nibs?

2) Do I need a cover for the inkwell? Won't they dry out relatively quickly without one?

3) Whats the procedure for cleaning them? Say I'm done writing for the day, whats the procedure for cleaning the ink off the dip pen?

4) And what are some inexpensive options for purchasing them? I'm' talking like $20 or less for a dip pen, $20 or less for an inkwell.

 

Links or any resources would be appreciated.

[Enai]

Hi, FPN member jbb usually has several listings here for dip pen nibs and holders. Look for her listings at the Classifieds forum here. Her prices are very reasonable and affordable. She recently also had an inkwell for sale, but I don't know if she's sold it already. Talk to her.

 

I clean pen nibs just by wiping off the ink with a kitchen napkin. That's it, really.

[kernando]

1. Go look around a good art store if you have one. The metal things are the pens. You stick them in holders. That's the whole idea until you get to fixed glass pens or fancy old gold and pearl pens and holders, in which case you could change the points, but you're probably not going to have multiples.

 

2. Why bother with an uncovered inkwell? Or don't fill it with any more ink than you can use.

 

3. Rinse, as in with water, then wipe. That's if you're using fountain pen ink. If you use calligraphy or drawing ink, you have to learn to use pen cleaner. I haven't tried that stuff yet.

 

4. Dip pens shouldn't be expensive. Also, buy a bottle of ink and no inkwell.

[asdfg68plus1]

There are a few people in the classified section who are selling a dip pen holder with an assortment of nibs. If I remember correctly, it was maybe $7.

[mylifeandjourney]

I got a dip pen and nibs from jbb. Having fun with them!

 

Thanks all.

[Enai]

Having fun is key. You're off to a good start. May your calligraphic exploration take you to happy adventures.

[Bo Bo Olson]

So I want to dry out a dip pen and inkwell. I've never tried either, so what should I look out for when trying to purchase them?

 

And some other random questions:

1) Looking on ebay, it looks like there are nibs for dip pens. Are there certain types of dip pens that support interchangeable nibs?

2) Do I need a cover for the inkwell? Won't they dry out relatively quickly without one?

3) Whats the procedure for cleaning them? Say I'm done writing for the day, whats the procedure for cleaning the ink off the dip pen?

4) And what are some inexpensive options for purchasing them? I'm' talking like $20 or less for a dip pen, $20 or less for an inkwell.

 

Links or any resources would be appreciated.

 

Unless you have a screw top ink well or one that really seals tight. I have one that seals tight.

It will dry out.

The trick is to make sure the ink well if metal or stone has an glass or porcelain insert.

I have a number; doubles; All of these are Art Deco doubles; marble (2), black glass and glass, French wood 1925, single marble. Most with ink roller and a letter holder...1930-40-s Wood with glass ink wells. An silver plated Art Nouvelle single, a couple of bigger ink wells glass and a huge round spiral bubble in the crystal glass, and a few small sterling silver ink wells; in a double pen stand.

 

I had been using two inks and swapping ink wells out...some said Ink dries out.....not me....I was wrong.

I put some Lamy Blue from a few cartridges into an ink well, and it dried out, and rapidly from lack of use.

 

If you buy a double ink well and I like them, they will not have on the whole a screw on top. You must limit your ink in them to the two inks you use most.

If you do so, and fill and re-fill you won't notice it drying up.

 

In the old days, they used only a couple of ink wells, say a red, a black or a blue ink, and wrote all the time, so they did not dry out much.

 

If you only use a couple of inks, and refill you should have no problems....but the buy a lot of ink wells and put lots of different ink in them is a no no......they will dry out.

 

So get ink wells with screw on tops; which I think are rare, or use your ink from your well often, and refill.

 

I still like my inkwells.

 

DO NOT buy itti bitti ink wells, they are hard to fill a pen in, unless the well is filled well. When the well is half empty, it's hard to fill.

 

If you want I'll drop pictures of my ink wells into the thread.

Most ink wells hold a shot of ink...some less, occasionally more.

I have one that holds with the insert 30 ml and with out perhaps 50 ml, but that is large for an ink well.

 

As long as you realize an non screw capped ink well is a temporary pretty ink storage unit and not long time storage like a bottle, then you are ok.

 

There is if you have the inserts...and only buy ink wells with inserts; if stone or metal wells, there is nothing that says you can not pour the ink back into the bottle, wash the insert and put different ink in it.

I would do that, when I change out which ink well set is on my desk.

 

I have pens and inkwells in rotation.

Some glass inkwells have glass inserts, some do not. That is up to you, but I've been lucky at that; on my best glass set.

Except for my big round glass ink well my singles do not have glass inserts.

[Bo Bo Olson]

There are some real nice antique inkwells with pen holder stands.

1800's the nib was called the pen, and the wooden or celluloid or stone or gold or silver pen holders rested in the stand above the ink wells.

 

I don't have one of those yet...they are more expensive of course.

I'm just starting to get into dip pens my self...but next year it's on my list to do.

[Paddler]

So I want to dry out a dip pen and inkwell. I've never tried either, so what should I look out for when trying to purchase them?

 

And some other random questions:

1) Looking on ebay, it looks like there are nibs for dip pens. Are there certain types of dip pens that support interchangeable nibs?

2) Do I need a cover for the inkwell? Won't they dry out relatively quickly without one?

3) Whats the procedure for cleaning them? Say I'm done writing for the day, whats the procedure for cleaning the ink off the dip pen?

4) And what are some inexpensive options for purchasing them? I'm' talking like $20 or less for a dip pen, $20 or less for an inkwell.

 

Links or any resources would be appreciated.

 

 

There are about three different types of dip pens:

 

Glass pens have glass nibs that are finely fluted and taper to a point. They are fun to use. You generally have to rotate them while you write as the flutes on one side run dry. Some are not made well and can be cranky. They will write properly with fountain pen ink.

 

Some dip pens are made like fountain pens with a feed, but no reservoir. They use fountain pen ink and will write a half page or more on one dip. Most do not have easily interchangeable nibs.

 

The dip pen with the interchangeable nib and holder is the most common. There are about 3,000 different makes and models of nib out there. Fortunately, there are only a couple hundred real differences. I would try jbb's assortment to start with. Depending on the width of the point and how much ink it lays down on the paper, one dip can write anywhere from a word to a couple of lines. Most of these nibs can use fountain pen ink. Some want something thicker, like India ink or "calligraphy" inks.

 

Inkwells from back in the day, when dip pens were all you had, had a small reservoir about the size of a big thimble (maybe a thumb thimble). The reservoir held about two - three milliliters of ink. You filled the reservoir at the beginning of a writing session and emptied it back into the bottle at the end. The reservoir accomplished two tasks: 1. It was shallow, so you could dip your nib to the bottom and not have to guess where the ink was. Using a large inkwell is a guessing game. 2. It had a wide mouth so you did not touch the holder against the lip and get it inky and then transfer the ink to your fingers. (When you dip, you ink the nib and then drag it lightly across the lip.) Such an inkwell usually had a lid, but it did not fit tightly enough to prevent evaporation.

 

At my desk, I keep an ink bottle filled with distilled water. Tap water is OK, but distilled water has nothing dissolved in it, so it will clean a little better. At the end of a writing session, I wipe the nib off with a tissue and then dip it in the water and wipe again. Ink left on a nib for long periods of time can corrode it. Corrosion happens fastest at the edges of the slit and right at the point, making the pen very scratchy.

 

Eventually, a nib will wear down to the condition where it's sweet spot is very small. It will begin to scratch when not held just perfectly. Then it will catch an edge and send a fine spray of ink across the page. When that gets aggravating, you either get a new nib, or smooth the old one and become a nibmeister. (Smoothing a nib is not very difficult. After all, these nibs were inexpensive and you were going to throw away the worn one anyway. What is to lose by trying?)

 

For nibs and holders, I would e-mail jbb. I know about some of the nibs she offers and they are good. She knows where her towel is.

 

I got one of my inkwells from my grandmother's estate. I purchased one from the Victorian Trading Company. I don't know if they still stock these; their stock varies from time to time.

 

Paddler

Edited August 12, 2010 by Paddler

[jbb]

I got a dip pen and nibs from jbb. Having fun with them!

 

Thanks all.

 

I'm glad you're having fun mylifeandjourney.

Dip Pen with 10 Assorted Flex Nibshttp://bestsmileys.com/writer/1.gif

[penlightening]

The art store, as stated before, is a good bet. Speedball pens are inexpensive, and have an exhausting number of nib options. Again, as stated previously, you buy a 'holder' (now plastic, but sometimes wood) and simply push the nib into the groove in the end. Many are for calligraphy, but you can find something for everything. Pick up a speedball instruction booklet while you're at it. It's a dying, lost art; in the past it was used by design / graphic artists (before the computer age). As for an ink well, I just use the bottle of Sanford's India ink or Dr Martin's, both of which will undoubtedly be prominently displayed next to these pens. Not as sexy as a cool, antique ink well, but an frugal start to the ways of the old-school.

[tigger23505]

Ouch, sore subject - I really got started with fountain pens, and dip pens and everything else as a result of looking for a Sengbusch inkwell. (I still haven't bought one yet.) On the other hand, I have found and learned to love the following items:

Esterbrook Dip-Less dip pens and the Dip-Less inkwell series my personal favorite is the 444 aka hockey puck. http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_esterbrook_gallery.htm the 444's are toward the bottom of the page.

 

One of the nice things about the 444 and 407 wells is that the pen is the 'cap'.

 

My go to inkwell at work is a massive clear glass and bakelite, with a self closing float in the center. I take most of the notes that I make reading e-books with that inkwell and an Esterbrook Dip-Less with a 2665 nib.

 

I've also got a bunch of Leonardt nibs that I picked up at one of the local art supply stores - I've had some issues getting them prepped for work. Mainly due to my impatience, and failure to follow the instructions at the IAMPETH web site.

 

Can't say enough about IAMPETH (www.iampeth.com) the folks there have gone out of their way to preserve the methods, techniques and craftsmanship of dip pen writing. There are things that a skilled penman can do with a dip pen that as far as I know are impossible with anything else. One of the best parts for me is this part of the IAMPETH web site where they have collected some vintage penmanship instruction manuals. http://www.iampeth.com/lessons.php

 

The last important thing to note about dip pens, is that they allow the use of inks which would absolutely kill any other type of pen. Including thins like thinned paint, Iron Gall Ink, and of course India Ink.