How Do I Clean My Dip Pen - Am I Supposed To?

February 1, 2019

I wandered down to the local art supply shop and picked up some cheap nibs, ink and holders so I can get started playing with dip pens as part of my attempt to learn Spencerian script.

That was a couple of weeks ago.

Looking at those supplies this morning, I wondered why I haven't played with them yet. They sit at pride of place on the kitchen table - unopened.

I know I need to clean the nibs before I use them - youtube gives me several options, including one that involves vodka.

But I can't see any videos on how to clean the nibs at the end of the session.

Am I supposed to clean the nibs?

If so, how do you clean your nibs?

Is there something I can use from around the house to clean them with?

February 1, 2019

I simply rinse mine off with water and dry 'em so that they don't rust.

February 1, 2019

I rinse in water (either in the sink, or I have a bad habit of using my drinking water next to me- then I don't drink it).

The bigger thing is to make sure that you dry it well, even if that is a quick dry then leave to air dry. Depending on your holder you will need to be more careful with that as the wood under the paint can swell and cause the paint to split, and flake. So be careful not to over wet your holder.

Before I start a new nib I just run it under hot water and have always found that sufficient.

You may not have one yet, but in case you do or are likely to get one if you have a reservoir to use with your nibs, I have found it a mixed thing to remove or leave on. Leaving on can leave a little ink behind when rinsed. But taking it off and on weakens it faster - so I tend to risk a little ink being there.

Regards,

Fiona

February 1, 2019

Before the first use, I wash a dip nib with undiluted dishwashing liquid. Only one nib has ever needed more preparation; in that case, rubbing alcohol worked. (I guess I could have used vodka...)

After using a nib, I remove it from the holder, rinse it with water, and immediately dry it with a soft paper towel. Don't put the nib back into the holder unless it is absolutely dry.

February 1, 2019

Most dip pen nibs need to be cleaned before first use. The factory oil/firm that prevents rusting will interfere with ink flow. I have a small bottle of rubbing alcohol that I dip the point in several times, wiping it off on an old linen napkin I keep for pen work. You can also stick them in a potato for a minute or two and even saliva will work. I don't recommend using a flame unless you know what you are doing.

My regular writing routine is to dip the point in a jar of water and wipe off every few minutes of writing. I am still learning myself but so far that has worked for me.

Edited February 2, 2019 by CraigR

February 2, 2019

Thanks, everyone for your suggestions. I gave it a go and safely cleaned my nib afterwards.

I'm surprised how scratchy the nib was and how long the calligraphy ink took to dry. It acted more like oil paint than what I know as ink. I'm not sure I like it.

This dip pen calligraphy is going to take a lot of practice. I'm terrible at it, but at least with this, I got more ink on the page than my hands - Unlike when I work with my Ahab fountain pen.

February 2, 2019

Yep. It's the scratchiness I wasn't counting on, for some reason. I ended up sticking a Jowo nib in my holder and I'm pretty happy with it. Of course I don't do calligraphy. I mostly just use it with India ink to address envelopes.

C

February 2, 2019

I don't know what kind of nib this is, but it has the number 101 on it. I got a couple of other sizes (at least one of each of any nib that looked pointy in the shop).

This skill is going to take a lot more practice than I expected - but it's also oddly addictive. I was just going to do some scribbles. I'll just go until the ink is gone, okay one more dip. okay, this is the last dip. This really is the final dip. and about an hour later, I finally finish.

How about storing the nibs? Should I put a few drops of light machine oil on a paper towel in the tin with the nibs? Or store them some other way?

February 2, 2019

I put a new nib into a small dish and spritz them with Windex. Then give them a rub with an old piece of denim or flannel. That's what I did as a Civil War reenactor... sometimes I'd use camp coffee, which was strong enough to peel tar-paper off a roof.

February 2, 2019

You do have to prep your nibs before you use them to take off the factory coating that protects the pen, but also prevents the ink from flowing well. There is a lot of advice out there. I just wrote a long piece the other day in another thread on this topic, and have some advice here.

As for cleaning, it depends on what kind of ink you use. If you are using water-based ink, like fountain pen inks (some work, some don't*) then just wiping them off thoroughly every time you're going to lay the pen down is a good practice to get into. One, it keeps you from forgetting and letting the ink dry and the water start rusting the nib. Two, it also helps to prevent you from getting ink where you don't want it.

If you're using an India ink, or a Sumi ink (used for Japanese brush painting), then you'll have to be a bit more careful about cleaning. Then I would use something like alcohol for Sumi ink (which can have shellac in it), or diluted window cleaner then swished around in water for India ink. Then, as others here said, make sure you wipe it completely dry.

The two most common reasons people try dip pens and give them up are proper positioning, and pressure. (two of the six "p's" for perfect penmanship with pointed pens I'm writing up in a book I'm working on). You want to hold your pen so that it's pointing as straight as possible along the line of your forearm. Many people are in the habit of holding their pen so that it sticks out to the side, almost perpendicular to the line of their forearm. If you hold your pen like this, you'll not be able to keep the two tines of the pen flat on the paper, and aligned along the direction of the major strokes of the letters. Keeping your elbows in towards your body also helps keep this alignment. You'll also need to turn your paper counter clockwise a bit so that they pen is pointing towards the direction of the angle of your slope for the letters. Roughly like this.

The second thing that takes people the most by surprise is pressure. As fountain pen users, we're used to using a relatively light pressure to write with, especially compared to those poor ball point users. With dip pens you have to take that to another level of lightness. Your pen, especially something as sharp as a Hunt 101, which is what it sounds like you might have, comes to an extremely fine point, and there is no rounded tip of iridium (or whatever) on the end to smooth it out. When making upstrokes on your letters, the pen itself must just barely touch the paper. You need just enough contact for the liquid of the ink to flow to the paper. When coming back down, you can continue to use a very light stroke if you're wanting more of a mono-line, like in most of Spencerian. Or, you add pressure to spread the tines, and thus lay down a thicker line. It is both this need for extremely light pressure, especially in upstrokes, as well as the modulation in pressure to create modulation in line, that can throw off first-timers.

Take it slow, take it carefully, and watch your position and pressure, and you could well be on your way to dip pen success.

*I have not tried all fountain pen inks with dip pens, but ones that are consistently good include Pelikan 4001 inks, as well as most J. Herbin inks. Noodlers black is used by some, though I've not tried it. And you'll need to make sure your paper can handle the much greater amount of ink that a dip pen puts down.

December 10, 2021

I have recently required an old (~1890's) dip pen with a lovely gold nib in its holder. Not sure if it is 14 (or 9) kt or not as it has no hallmarks.........it definitely does not look to be gold plated though.

I would like to remove the nib but I realize it is very old and oh, so delicate.

Does anybody have any recommendations about the best way for me to go about this process.

Soaking, I'm sure, before attempting....but how about adding some Dawn or some other agent to the water? Good idea, bad idea?

Gentle heat?? Good idea, bad idea???

What else?? I'm thinking I have one good shot at this!!

Thanks for any tips and/or advice!

January 14, 2022

Sorry it's been a while since your question.

Gold nibs should also be cleaned like any other nib. If it seems clean, then it may only need some gentle wiping off with a cloth and some alcohol. The advantage of gold nibs is that you can use soap, etc...

Now, saying that, there are some things to be careful of. If you leave the nib in the holder, you need to make sure you don't get the holder wet, as they almost all include steel parts that will rust. It's best to remove the nib first, but you are correct that you need to be careful because gold nibs can be fragile. You shouldn't need heat, but if the nib is stuck, gentle heat might help by expanding the metal of the holder, but I wouldn't go crazy.

If you can get the nib out, then I would carefully clean the nib with soap and water and a gentle toothbrush, ensuring that the tip is protected.

Good luck.