Dip pen wire reservoirs

[HLeopold]

How essential is the shape? Could you design something more effective at holding ink perhaps, with a less conventional design?

 

That is a very interesting idea, I am sure there must be other ways of doing it, maybe there are even some more old books with ideas lurking in them. I know of other reservoir designs that are not wire based for example the William Mitchell reservoir design that fits underneath a broad pen, that holds a good amount of ink. I also know of another (in my avatar) that I think is made by Leonhardt, it fits in the holder under the nib and looks like a pointed metal plate, that is suitable for the pointed pen and italic nibs. There are others such as the metal plate that Brause put on their broad "Bandzug" nibs.

In terms of wire reservoirs there must be other ways of designing them to hold more ink. The main factors you must keep in mind though are capillary action and surface tension, you don't want a reservoir that leaks or dumps the ink on the page and you don't want a reservoir that simply fails to hold anything when you dip it. With the conical design I find that the pointedness of it feeds the ink from it at just the right pace in to the split of the nib and the cone holds ink like a cup. Obviously the most simple variation on this design would be the size of the cone but that does not really change the way it works, rather it just changes the capacity. Radically different designs using wire, or whatever else you can think of are definitely something worth thinking about

 

How about taking the spring from a "click" type ball-point pen, hook the ends together and then attach to your nib-holder as you did with the ones you made? I would think this would work pretty well, would be able, possibly, to hold more ink. You might even be able to just loop it around the nib so that it crosses the breather hole and/or slit.

 

I would try it myself, but I don't have a dip pen handy right now.

[RLTodd]

The most basic radio receiver consists of an antenna, a tuning coil, a diode and headphones. It doesn't even need a battery as the signal itself powers it.

 

In the early 1900s the diode (the "detector") was a piece of crystal (usually galena) in a holder. To get a signal you had place a piece of very fine tapered wire in delicate contact with the right spot on the crystal.

 

The wire was known as a "cat's whisker". :meow: The whole thing was called a "crystal set"

 

And, no, I'm not old enough to remember them in use!

 

I remember when almost every bright young boy built one. Now their parents give them a ipod. >groan<

 

 

[dcwaites]

The most basic radio receiver consists of an antenna, a tuning coil, a diode and headphones. It doesn't even need a battery as the signal itself powers it.

 

In the early 1900s the diode (the "detector") was a piece of crystal (usually galena) in a holder. To get a signal you had place a piece of very fine tapered wire in delicate contact with the right spot on the crystal.

 

The wire was known as a "cat's whisker". :meow: The whole thing was called a "crystal set"

 

And, no, I'm not old enough to remember them in use!

 

I remember when almost every bright young boy built one. Now their parents give them a ipod. >groan<

I never built one, but I used to own a commercially-made crystal radio.

 

The earpiece was a high-impedence one that wouldn't load the circuit too much, while the crystal and cat's whisker were encased in a tiny glass tube about 5mm long. You could just see the whisker wire, which had an S-shape to give it some spring, and a tiny, tiny crystal, probably galena.

 

 

[Tweel]

...the crystal and cat's whisker were encased in a tiny glass tube about 5mm long. You could just see the whisker wire, which had an S-shape to give it some spring, and a tiny, tiny crystal, probably galena.

That actually sounds like the 1N34 diode I mentioned above. Rather than a cat's whisker and mineral crystal, it's a semiconductor diode utilizing germanium rather than silicon (the little "whisker" is just an internal lead). Still often referred to as a 'crystal" set, though.

 

Just wondering -- how would it work to pull the cotton off a Q-Tip and wire it (by wrapping, that is) to the underside of a dip nib, in contact with or very near the slit?

 

-- Brian

 

[myremecophaga]

The most basic radio receiver consists of an antenna, a tuning coil, a diode and headphones. It doesn't even need a battery as the signal itself powers it.

 

In the early 1900s the diode (the "detector") was a piece of crystal (usually galena) in a holder. To get a signal you had place a piece of very fine tapered wire in delicate contact with the right spot on the crystal.

 

The wire was known as a "cat's whisker". :meow: The whole thing was called a "crystal set"

 

And, no, I'm not old enough to remember them in use!

 

I remember when almost every bright young boy built one. Now their parents give them a ipod. >groan<

 

And the days when it takes skill to build a PC have gone too, I did so a couple of years back, and its only then when you realise how important a skill putting lego together really is... makes you wonder why no emphasis is placed on it in the curriculum.

[wykpenguin]

I have found coils of wire in home-improvement stores. The wire is steel and is wrapped in green, white or black plastic usually for tying up stuff.

 

All I had to do was strip the plastic coat.

[kifndir]

Hi，

I also use the esterbrook relif nib that you have her. The ink doesn't flow very well, does it? I took an awl and poke a hole right at the end of line that separats the two branches of the nib; well, you know what i mean. Now, it's much better. But the nib still doesn't hold much ink. I was just wondering where did you get the reservoir under it? I checked the leonardt website, but apparently, they nolonger sale them in stores, for the cie has turned it's intention to the production of other metal corner, what ever that it. What a pity

Thanks

Edited May 10, 2011 by kifndir

[USMCMom]

I had first seen this wire reservoirs in a YouTube video and thought it was brilliant!

[GeeBee]

Fuse wire should be ideal size wise by the looks of it and is easily formed and cheap.

 

I have built a lot of Crystal radios in the past (many years ago) of all different types, great fun and exciting seeing how many stations you could receive.

[AD356]

Lozzic or anyone else that has built any of these. Is there any problem with leaking or dripping ink?

[KateGladstone]

That wire gizmo is amazing. Is there any chance you'd make them in bulk to sell to aficionados of dip pens?

[indigirl]

Man, you FPN folks are always blowing my mind!!! This is too cool.

[Chevalier]

I made a new wire reservoir today, using a very fine Ikebana wire. I twisted it together three times (taking the wire in the center, having the ends on one side, twisting until the wire is joined together, and starting again). Three times was enough to get a material that is stiff enough to make the reservoir. The inner side is flat, because I've spread the multiple layers of wire, after I made the reservoir.

 

I think it holds the ink a little better ...

 

 

 

http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/7258/wirecg.jpg

 

 

Sorry about the quality, but it's a tiny thing (I made it for a crow quill), and I only have my cellphone atm.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Chevalier

[USMCMom]

Lozzic or anyone else that has built any of these. Is there any problem with leaking or dripping ink?

 

I've made a couple since I first saw the video and haven't had a problems with leaking or dripping.

[ticoun]

Lozzic or anyone else that has built any of these. Is there any problem with leaking or dripping ink?

 

I've made a couple since I first saw the video and haven't had a problems with leaking or dripping.

 

the only problem i had with these is that after writing for a bit, the ink doesn't form the "bubble" in the nib hole, and stops writing.

[Pickwick]

Thank you for the replies <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> . It seems there is a wealth of "old stuff" out there, sometimes I think it is all gone and then I see something like this. I have seen a book talking about one of those quill reservoirs, I think they used the excess cut quill to make a curled reservoir as well, it is all quite interesting.

I will post more detail about how I did it later on when I have enough spare time.

 

Btw I love your avatar The Doodler <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":clap1:" border="0" alt="clap1.gif" />

 

Thank you for posting that, I'll definitely give it a try. Which nib is the Brause, I like the steel one. I'm experimenting with adapting dip pen nibs into a fountain pen with success. I particularly like the ones you have.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

[ticoun]

Thank you for the replies <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> . It seems there is a wealth of "old stuff" out there, sometimes I think it is all gone and then I see something like this. I have seen a book talking about one of those quill reservoirs, I think they used the excess cut quill to make a curled reservoir as well, it is all quite interesting.

I will post more detail about how I did it later on when I have enough spare time.

 

Btw I love your avatar The Doodler <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":clap1:" border="0" alt="clap1.gif" />

 

Thank you for posting that, I'll definitely give it a try. Which nib is the Brause, I like the steel one. I'm experimenting with adapting dip pen nibs into a fountain pen with success. I particularly like the ones you have.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

 

the steel nib is a brause 76 "rose"

[Luiz]

Lozzic, Thank you for sharing with us! Unfortunately, your youtube tutorial video is Private.

 

Is it as simple as the pictures show? I'd love to add a reservoir to the flexible nib I've purchased...