Inky T O D - Ink Pen Paper And Handwriting Musings #1 Which Nibs Attract You And Why?

[senzen]

 

Yes, I did. I have noticed that this happens with quite a few inks. They start out dark and intense then lighten up as I write. I store my pens in a horizontal fashion, so perhaps the ink pools in the feed and when I first start writing the ink moves more quickly out of the pen, then slows to its normal rate after a line or two.

 

It's the first time I see another greenish blue do it as radically as Équinoxe 6, several people find it frustrating, I tried keeping the pen in a box, which helped with Ama Iro and a Sonnet... But it still does it, but I've made my peace with it, it just has a mind of its own and I really like it in its different variations anyway.

[Runnin_Ute]

What nibs?

 

The Emerald Green isn't as blue as it appears in the scan.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Runnin_Ute

[pajaro]

I like fine and extra fine, probably because I am left handed and don't like accumulating ink on the outside of my left hand as it moves across a page (it's on the bottom as I write). I often write quite small, and medium and wider often look like a blob sequence.

 

Parker 51 and 75, Pelikan M3XX and M4XX, Montblanc 144 and Lamy 2000 are favorites.

 

Usually I use a dry ink, like Pelikan 4001 inks. Violet, green and blue black.

Edited April 11, 2018 by pajaro

[southpaw]

Yes, I did. I have noticed that this happens with quite a few inks. They start out dark and intense then lighten up as I write. I store my pens in a horizontal fashion, so perhaps the ink pools in the feed and when I first start writing the ink moves more quickly out of the pen, then slows to its normal rate after a line or two.

 

I suspect it has to do with water evaporating from the ink in the feed, resulting in a higher concentration of dye. As writing continues, ink from inside having a coming through, resulting in a gradual lightening up to the "normal" color for that pen/ ink/paper.

[amberleadavis]

http://heismylawyer.com/2018-2/2018-05/slides/2018-05-19_Ink_9.jpghttp://heismylawyer.com/2018-2/2018-05/slides/Stubs-Compared_3.jpg

[ENewton]

I like cursive italic a lot, but my handwriting is very small, so even the medium cursive italic I'm using right now is not entirely practical. Maybe at the SF Pen Show I'll have the chance to try a finer one.

 

My favorite nib is the semiflex fine on my Parker Victory. I don't actually flex it, just like the way it feels in normal writing.

 

For flexible writing, I use a brush.

[amberleadavis]

So, based on what you (as in several posters) are saying, I may enjoy the wet inks and huge nibs because I write HUGE and I'm a righty.

[Torrilin]

The righty part is definitely a factor. I can write huge, but I’m pretty fussy about the relationship between line weight and x height. A 6-7mm x height is about what I want for xf, f, m, and 1.1mm italic. Leading varies but can get pretty enormous. I flourish big. Why bother with handwriting if there’s no flourishes and pretty bits?

 

Once I’m out of the small writing zone, I’d guess I want around a 10mm x height for a 1.5mm italic. That’s pretty bold given my default size. And I can comfortably go up to around double that with the same nib? Something pretty huge anyway, tho the huge stuff edges spidery.

 

A 1.9 or 2.4mm can get really big while still maintaining line weight. I don’t feel like it’s very practical to get bigger without increasing the paper size.