Korean Brush "fountain Pen"

[djmaher]

Hi all,

 

I just thought I'd post this as a matter of general interest to all. My partner just returned from 6 weeks in Korea, and on her last day there in Seoul, discovered a man selling calligraphy "supplies", inks, books etc. from a sidewalk booth. He spoke little English, and seemed to be in the middle of transcribing a poem out of another book, perhaps to get people to stop and look and maybe ask questions about the rest of the items he was selling. As he was writing, he stopped to help other people interested in his wares, even "demonstrating" the brushes and pens he was selling right on the scroll he was creating...

 

When he was finished with the scroll, he was going to discard it, and when my partner realized this, she immediately wanted to buy it from him. I think she recognized the value of something "real", created by hand, by a real person, not on computer, and sort of in the spur of the moment. At 1st, he did not want to sell the scroll, saying, or trying to say, that it was crude, messy, not his best work, not worth selling, etc....After a bit of cajoling, he ended up just giving the scroll to her, still a bit uncertain and definitely not wanting her to pay anything for what he considered, maybe, not his best work...

 

Then, knowing my interest in fountain pens, her eyes were drawn to the "pens" he had there, and immediately became to consummate salesman...It was then she realized that they were brush pens, even though she wasn't exactly sure what they were (but thinking I'd figure it out when she got them home....)

 

Below, are the results of her pen "shopping trip", along with a bit of the scrolls, etc...

 

I hope you enjoy!!!

 

They may be Chinese in origin. Note the Parker Aerometric filler clone, right down to the tiny hole in the filler tube. Perhaps someone can translate the Hangul or Chinese on the ink and pens...Maybe this has been posted elsewhere, but I still hope you enjoy the photos!!

 

Finally the wonderful man encouraged against use of ANY other kind of inks, except what he sold her. Maybe just a selling thing, but maybe the pens also will clog badly with the wrong type of ink. I am somewhat familiar with inks used for Chinese and Japanese (somewhat evil word in Korea, apparently, and with reason...I'll explain if someone is curious...)for brush painting. The pens do not have any visible collector or feed system, as near as I can tell. Just a simple tube feed straight to the brush from the ink sac. I was thinking that maybe a bit of Herbin inks in these will be just fine...

 

Any thoughts???

 

Dave

 

BTW, photos on the way!!!!!

[djmaher]

Our pen/brush seller and his wares...

 

The scroll he is working on is now the scroll in my possession

 

He's also writing on said scroll with a pen he is about to sell to someone else who had been shopping his little stand

 

My pens and replacement tips are in the foreground....

[WanderingAuthor]

Hi all,

 

I just thought I'd post this as a matter of general interest to all. My partner just returned from 6 weeks in Korea, and on her last day there in Seoul, discovered a man selling calligraphy "supplies", inks, books etc. from a sidewalk booth. He spoke little English, and seemed to be in the middle of transcribing a poem out of another book, perhaps to get people to stop and look and maybe ask questions about the rest of the items he was selling. As he was writing, he stopped to help other people interested in his wares, even "demonstrating" the brushes and pens he was selling right on the scroll he was creating...

 

When he was finished with the scroll, he was going to discard it, and when my partner realized this, she immediately wanted to buy it from him. I think she recognized the value of something "real", created by hand, by a real person, not on computer, and sort of in the spur of the moment. At 1st, he did not want to sell the scroll, saying, or trying to say, that it was crude, messy, not his best work, not worth selling, etc....After a bit of cajoling, he ended up just giving the scroll to her, still a bit uncertain and definitely not wanting her to pay anything for what he considered, maybe, not his best work...

 

Then, knowing my interest in fountain pens, her eyes were drawn to the "pens" he had there, and immediately became to consummate salesman...It was then she realized that they were brush pens, even though she wasn't exactly sure what they were (but thinking I'd figure it out when she got them home....)

 

Below, are the results of her pen "shopping trip", along with a bit of the scrolls, etc...

 

I hope you enjoy!!!

 

They may be Chinese in origin. Note the Parker Aerometric filler clone, right down to the tiny hole in the filler tube. Perhaps someone can translate the Hangul or Chinese on the ink and pens...Maybe this has been posted elsewhere, but I still hope you enjoy the photos!!

 

Finally the wonderful man encouraged against use of ANY other kind of inks, except what he sold her. Maybe just a selling thing, but maybe the pens also will clog badly with the wrong type of ink. I am somewhat familiar with inks used for Chinese and Japanese (somewhat evil word in Korea, apparently, and with reason...I'll explain if someone is curious...)for brush painting. The pens do not have any visible collector or feed system, as near as I can tell. Just a simple tube feed straight to the brush from the ink sac. I was thinking that maybe a bit of Herbin inks in these will be just fine...

 

Any thoughts???

 

Dave

 

BTW, photos on the way!!!!!

 

I have a Japanese brush pen, and at least mine does require a special ink. I've never tried Herbin, but many inks dry out on the bristles and ruin them, even soaking them won't clean them perfectly. The ink used in my pen - and I'd think possibly in yours - seems to be designed to stay wet until it is applied to paper.

 

I do wonder about Noodlers; Nathan might have created something suitable with his bulletproof line - but I certainly can't guarantee that, so try at your own risk.

[djmaher]

OK, the moment I'm sure everyone is waiting for!!!

 

OK, maybe not.... :embarrassed_smile:

 

Pens appear to be identical inside, as to filling. You can see the Parker-esque fill sac/presser bar.

 

Silver pen is aluminum, very lightweight. Marked with the number 800.

 

Black pen more weighty and substantial. Marked with an "Emperor Dragon" imprint on cap base, and inside pen below brush-type nib. Marked with an 801 on cap base.

 

Both pens have a stylized dragon logo on them.

 

Both pens' replacement tips are the same, with a simple tugging on the tip to remove.

 

Inks have Japanese, Chinese, and Hangul script, I think. 1000 Won=$1.00.

 

Any thoughts on types of inks that would be "safe"? I have several Herbin inks that I think would be kind of gentle on these pens.

 

Granted, they are not the best pens in the world, but maybe because they are from half way around the world, I dont want to mess them up if I can avoid it.

 

Any advice would be great!!

 

Dave

 

Owner pointed out that his phone # is on the label, if we needed more ink.

Edited August 27, 2011 by djmaher

[djmaher]

Further info.....

 

Said "brush" is actually foam or something similar. Some kind of spongy stuff..

 

I suppose I could just use one of the spares, and give one up for the cause, just to test....

 

Dave

[WanderingAuthor]

Any thoughts on types of inks that would be "safe"? I have several Herbin inks that I think would be kind of gentle on these pens.

 

Granted, they are not the best pens in the world, but maybe because they are from half way around the world, I dont want to mess them up if I can avoid it.

 

As I said above, I own a Japanese brush pen. The tip is different; mine is a badger (I think, I know it is real hair) brush, not foam. But the principle is the same. Mine is fascinating to write with; I've written with it in English, it is a bit like a very broad italic, only with different qualities. You should have seen the faces on the bank tellers who watched me endorse checks with this.

 

Anyway, I know that my pen requires special ink. In specific, it is not supposed to dry out in the tip. So the ink is formulated to stay wet in the brush. I'm pretty sure J. Herbin would fall flat here. Noodlers bulletproof inks might work, if you washed the tips carefully before it had a chance to evaporate too much. You can probably buy replacement tips as well as ink from the seller, so that experiment might not be too awful. If they were badger hair tips, now, those cost enough you don't want to waste one.

 

I'm really not even sure Noodlers is quite right, although the ink for my Japanese pen does remind me a bit of Noodlers, as it is very smooth and saturated. It comes in only two colours, black and deep red (vermillion?). Normal fountain pen ink that is designed to dry normally would probably ruin the tip. (Edited to add: In fact, my pen comes with a specific warning against using fountain pen inks. Or India inks. The ink is supposed to be formulated for brush pens, specifically.) The only reason I wonder about Noodlers bulletproof is because it is designed not to bond to anything that is not cellulose. Of course, I have no idea what your tips are made of...

 

I would guess if you got any ink designed for this sort of pen, it would work in any of them - although, again, I'm not sure about the badger hair brushes. They might require a higher quality ink to keep in condition than the foam. (I know yours isn't badger hair - I'm including this caveat for anyone else who might search, find this post, and apply the advice to other brush pens.)

Edited August 27, 2011 by WanderingAuthor

[shl]

The Korean on the ink bottle reads "Ten thousand years brush"

[krz]

What a great encounter.

 

I use an older Ackerman pen brush that I keep a Noodler's Lexington Gray wash in, it's been filled for years now and works like a charm.

 

I also bought a couple of Chinese brush pens that are piston filled. They run a bit too wet for fountain pen ink but work nicely for blending watercolor.

[padams2359]

I have a set of various bamboo brush sizes and the liners shown above. I have used the liners to paint, but have not used ink or gouche.

[WanderingAuthor]

I also bought a couple of Chinese brush pens that are piston filled. They run a bit too wet for fountain pen ink but work nicely for blending watercolor.

 

I doubt they're made for fountain pen ink; at least, the ink made for my brush pen seems slightly thicker and is very highly saturated. (I'm guessing it might not be a good thing to use in fountain pens, either.)

[ANM]

Those are some beautiful brushes in the picture. One or two seem to be made from feathers rather than hair. I have never seen any like those before.