How To Clean Calligraphy Nibs

March 31, 2015

I am left handed. I just purchased a holder from Speedball and several left handed nibs. What I noticed, and I must admit my exclusive Calligraphy ink being used is red, it is staining the nib itself. So far, I do not seem to be able to clean the nib and remove the ink from the nib being used. It this normal? Is there something special used in order to remove ink from a calligraphy nib? I am just afraid that as I use the nib, it will end up being gunky and start failing to produce anything reconizable as I practice.

Edited March 31, 2015 by fountainpenlady

March 31, 2015

Hi, fountainpenlady,

Great to hear from you again. I always clean my dip nibs with a toothbrush and water, occasionally use a drop of dish detergent on stubborn spots. Haven't had any problems with inks mixing or colors changing.

Best of luck,

March 31, 2015

Hi, fountainpenlady,

Great to hear from you again. I always clean my dip nibs with a toothbrush and water, occasionally use a drop of dish detergent on stubborn spots. Haven't had any problems with inks mixing or colors changing.

Best of luck,

Thanks, I'll try it. I am once again just beginning. I am using one book and tracing paper. I have another on the way. I think it has something to do with learning Calligraphy in 10 easy lessons. Since lefthanded, I wanted to actually use lefthanded nibs. I am having fun when I practice. Could not resist not extending my love for red ink in my learning italics. Black looked so permanent, unforgiving and boring. Toothbrush, water and drop of dish detergent, got it. Thanks again

April 1, 2015

More than happy to be of service. Yes, red is lovely. But I don't feel that black is boring. It's the basis of writing and the color that is for writing out pages and pages of script. Unfortunately, many of the black inks I see now are too saturated and too easy to smear. The inks of 30 years ago seemed to settle into the pages and had a semi-transparent quality that is hard to find now.

One of my treasured books is Edward Johnston's Writing & Illuminating & Lettering. He has a chapter on rubricating, the use of red to accent a page of (usually black) script. The text is available on line, well worth a look at. Black and red work together so well.

After some 35 years or so, I still find many new and unusual things to learn about pens, writing, and scripts. So the journey is indeed much more than the goal.

Best of luck,

April 10, 2015

Which ink do you use fountainpenlady?

Some dip pen inks have Shellac which is waterproof once dry. It can be scraped off with a fingernail if it has not yet hardened. It is quite difficult to remove if it has dried on the nib for longer than a couple of days.

Salman

April 10, 2015

Which ink do you use fountainpenlady?

Some dip pen inks have Shellac which is waterproof once dry. It can be scraped off with a fingernail if it has not yet hardened. It is quite difficult to remove if it has dried on the nib for longer than a couple of days.

Salman

Bombay Red India Ink by Dr. Ph Martin

Edited April 10, 2015 by fountainpenlady

April 11, 2015

Bombay Red India Ink by Dr. Ph Martin

Ah yes Bombay Red India. I once purchased a bottle to use alongside my pointed pens, but it just had awful flow for pointed pen work.

Its a particularly annoying ink, in my experience, mainly because it contains some additives, likely shellac and/or some other special cellulose binder. During my brief use of the ink, I found that it had a propensity to stick to the steel on nibs, and required more than just a damp wipe to fully clean the nib. I believe that you ought to wash your pens by dipping them in water immediately after you use them. If you are more particular in your nibs, you may want to opt for an isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) wipe.

April 13, 2015

Iso is right, you can get rid of Shellac with alcohol. You might want to remove the reservoirs on the nibs and splay the tines a bit to get rid of any stuck in there with a toothbrush if ink isn't flowing well from your nibs.

Salman