How to prepare a dip pen nib so it holds a lot of ink
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2020
- Learn how to prepare your dip pen nib so it writes like a dream.
Quick answer: use your own saliva, rubbing alcohol, or a lighter.
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Him; I spit into the paper towel.
Me: * already licking the nib *
lol
🤣
Thank you very much! Complete beginner, bought a new dip pen with nibs for pen and wash drawing and nearly binned it as I just couldn't get it to work. Tried your tip of wiping with isopropolene alcohol and it worked like a charm. You saved my day, thank you!
Perfect tutorial for a beginner nib user. Had no idea that they needed to be prepped. Used some spit et voila. Working nib. Thank you!
Omgggg thank you so much for making this video! I recently purchased a nib and when I went to write with it, it didn’t write like “the other videos I watched about that nib” 😂😂and I got really discouraged. I had practiced my calligraphy for a few weeks before trying my dip pen and then to have it not write ✍️ the way I had saw it on the videos kinda killed my motivation to use it. Now that I know you have to prep it first, I can’t wait to get home and prep it. Thank you again!
You’re welcome!
You, my friend, are a lifesaver! I was wondering why the ink seems to only be on a small portion of my nib and only writing a little, before running out. The saliva trick worked an absolute charm, so thank you very much! 🙏🏻🙌🏻
Soap and hot water followed by cleaning alcohol. Dry. Start. Works well for me.
Its a good thing i saw this before my nibs arrived. I intend to do more illustrating with ink so its good to know what to do to prepare them beforehand
Thanks a bunch for this! I'm a beginner getting a new set of nibs and everywhere I looked either had methods to clean the oil off that I couldn't use or took too long to explain making me a little confused and impatient. This is an underrated video, keep up the great work!!!
Awesome!
Thank you so much! I never figured out why my old nibs always worked much better than my new ones, but now I know, thanks to you.
thanks a TON! As a long time traditional and now digital artist, youtube enthusiast for several years and a complete total newbie to dip pens, (haven't even dipped once with my new set yet) I thank you again for making this straight to it, complete and easy to digest video, unlike the few poopy videos i skimmed through to get here. instant subscribe here and now i'm off to your website as i dip for the first time! haha, cheers.
Definitely helped me out! Simple and to the point! Thanks 🙏
Thanks for the useful and practical tips! Best wishes!!😀
Thanks for the vid! I made out with the nib and it started to work perfectly, thanks! 😁
This did the trick! Thank you for sharing!! ❤❤❤
This is a perfect biscuit of help, i JUST started a new nib and it cannot hold a single letter so I tried the spit, after I got rid of the chocolate that was still in there, and it holds a little better, will do this a few times and also the flame, have the same kind of lighter. I thought it was just broken as the other nibs held up longer. So thank you!
Thank you so much, very helpful!
Thanks for the advice.
Thank you for this video!
Your video helped me a lot, the pen holds a lot more ink and the ink is applied way more evenly, so thanks for sharing this with other people ☺️
Good to hear!
Thank you very helpful video!
A very interesting presentation. I wondered why after purchasing a batch of vintage Mitchell nibs, that they didn't seem to hold much ink.
I'll try this tomorrow and hopefully this will be the answer. 👍
This flame worked for me! Thanks for the tip!
My grade school teacher always used a dip pen. He was educated in France in the 50s/60s so I'm that may or may not have something to do with it. I'm going to start now. Thanks for the great tips.
Thanks for this. Very helpful!
Thank you!
"or if you're in to fire use a flame" The way you said that broke me so hard. I never expected to laugh so much at a how-to video. Thanks, made my day!
Very helpful. Thanks
thank you
Thank you for accepting sharing this wisdom 🙏 Until yesterday, the last time I held a calligraphy pen was 9th grade art 1 class (a lady never reveals her true age 😉lol ) My son bought me a small set for Christmas w/ 1 pen a couple extra nibs, 4 inks, a pencil, eraser, and sharpener. But when he came over he forgot that present, but he told me what it was. Just hearing about it put me in tears so he ended up also getting me a bigger set and brought both to me yesterday 🙃. I've taught myself everything I know (or should I say knew, long story...) about art and am still learning/teaching myself constantly. So when we tried to write with the set he brought and the pen didn't seem to be holding on to the ink, I was starting to think they included the wrong kind of ink, that it was too thin... It's late right now that I'm watching this video, but I have no doubt that your wisdom will help me! Bless You 🙌
thanks for the tip on nikko g nibs
Another suggestion would be having a travelers tube of toothpaste. Apply a small amount, let set, and with an old toothbrush gently brush the nib.
Ref: Dr. J. Vitolo, PhD, DMD
SEMPER Fi
Holy crap thank you
All the other videos I tried to watch were SO SLOW. I was pulling my hair out until this video. Thanks for a great tutorial!!!!
Shockingly helpful! I have been trying to do calligraphy and want to use a dip pen for white parts on my art to no avail. You're an example of one prepped and one not was insightful for me! My book on calligraphy said to use soap and water; that's a lie! I don't like the spitting idea. I'm a lady we don't spit. But, found it the best, so, lady's do spit now. Thank you so much, as I thought that I just really sucked at calligraphy and the rest. Ready to have fun!
Isopropanol would actually be the best since it's hygroscopic which will help prevent rust on the sensitive steel of the nib.
Great tip - probably oil on new nib, repelling the ink.
good
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I got a bunch of nibs from ebay and thought they were defective. Alcohol worked like a charm. And the nibs are working beautifully.
I've found that even vinager works
3:48 I would have a part of a potato, and shift the potato often.
I have water base and oil base stamp ink. Will it be good for use in dip pens?
ohhh that's whyy
Oh wow! Who knew??? Why don’t nibs come with an instruction to clean before use? Thank you so much for this information.
If you buy them as part of a starter kit they will sometimes have instructions.
Hi! Another begiinner discouraged here! I come from Barcelona,, Spain, looking for an answer for that "mistery" !! Thank you very much!!!!
Can you please make a video on quill pen nibs and inks. Coz i guess this prepping of the nib doesn't apply to quill pens
I need a nib with a 2mm base for my quill. Any ideas…?
did not know how to find isopropolene, but does hand sanitizer work? its a alcohol right
how to make the dip soft! ?
does this work for quills
Thank you, it worked super well! I got a dip pen as a present and couldn't get it to write properly and i just thought it was bad quality... I tried the saliva trick which made a huge improvement and then i tried using a flame cause i had a lighter nearby and it was even better! It writes very well now! Just want to ask what kind of ink you use?
Higgins Eternal Black, any Walnut ink, Sumi ink - Just have to experiment with different inks. Some need a little water added, others need to dry out a little to thicken up.
HELLO 🙋🏻♀🙋🏻♀ CAN YOU USE WHITE VINEGAR TO PREP THE NIB ?
Can you let it soak in some alcohol? Just for a bit.
Or you could just use hand sanitizer , and lighter fluid. That will remove the oils.
great video. Could you recommend a dip pen or a pen that can last at least for three lines to write wedding invitations? I am thinking that if I use a dip pen will take me forever to write 100+ envelopes. Thanks!
I see many some artist use Lamy Safari fountain fountain pen for drawing. It has cartridge so you do not need to dip it. I think it can work for calligraphy too
What about running the nib under a hot tap/faucet, then wiping off with a paper towel ?
Don’t think that will work very well because it’s oil you’re trying to remove. You need some type of soap or acid to remove the oil.
What nibs would you suggest are best for writing with? Brand too please.
Nikko G and Hunt 101. Two well made nibs that will give you two different writing experiences.
The reason of not using fire in normal circumstances is because the nibs are already tempered. And by applying heat and then dipping it in either your spit or in ink right away, is kinda like giving it a temper again. And that makes the nib very soft and will not last as long as if you just use some alcohol or your saliva. The tip won't be super precise. Hence, don't use flame at all or if you want, let it cool down for 10 minutes and then use ink or whatever you want.
I understand the theory, but in practice I’ve never tempered a nib to the point where it was either too flexible or became too weak for an acceptable amount of use. Granted I’m doing this with $1-2 nibs. I wouldn’t apply heat to a $10 nib.
Can I just use warm water?
@@nunyabiznes33 warm water isn’t going to work very well, also most people like to clean their nibs multiple times while they’re writing, so you would want something that you don’t have to keep warm.
@@PerfectBiscuits I soaked it in alcohol. Gonna take it out tomorrow and check if there's any difference.
@@nunyabiznes33 And? Don't leave us hanging man! What happened?
Thank you very much. I have a question... when I am done with the nib, do I need to clean it?
Yea you’ll want to keep your nibs clean, they’ll last a lot longer.
I'm left handed and am trying to teach myself uncial script. I was wondering can you recommend a comfortable nib pen holder that will hold calligraphy nibs or can all nib holders hold any type of nib?
Any pen holder will work for just about any nib, pointed or broad edge.
Is this a one-time thing or do you prep the nib every time you use it?
It should be a one-time thing, but weirdly I've had some nibs, especially chrome/shiny nibs, need repeated prepping. Not exactly sure what is going on with those nibs.
Regardless, you will learn to identify when a nib isn't writing properly. Then you can visually inspect it and see if the ink is covering the nib or if it s beading up (like I showed in the video). If the ink is beading, then you know the nib needs to be cleaned.
@@PerfectBiscuits Awesome! Thank you!
What’s the brand of the blue nib holder?
Idk, it was given to me. It’s nothing special.
Should I do this every time b4 writing?
No, just once, but remember to clean your nub with warm after after writing to prevent drying
Thank you, does this apply to quill nibs as well?
Quill pens are completely different. This applies to steel pens.
@@PerfectBiscuits How so?
@@larryglatt2548 steel pens have a coating of oil on them that needs to be removed before the pen will hold ink. Quill pens do not.
DUDE!! OMG what a difference... I was miffed. now I can write at least a whole line... much happier..😂
hello! is using the flame method a one time thing? or will I have to do it every once in a while, along with the saliva
just got a new nib was wondering
Flame should be one time. After you get the nib holding ink and writing, you’ll need to clean it whenever ink dries up on it. I usually do this with saliva, but you could also do it with a little cup of water mixed with an alcohol based cleaner (or a number of different things).
@@PerfectBiscuits thank you! using the fire and saliva made my inking flow v well
Soap and water.
Water and soap.
How do you avoid ink blobs while drawing?
Prepare your nib properly and it shouldn’t be a problem.
I learned Italic Calligraphy years ago, but only use it for my homemade greeting cards, envelopes, etc. I use a pen that takes an ink cartridge. I have several size nibs with it. I also use speedball pens. What is the benefit in using a dip pen. TY
Mostly, flexibility and it makes u feel like a wizard, but fr, it offers much more flexibility especially a g nib, i recommend the Tachikawa g
what nib you using there?
I don't remember.
May I ask what was the two nibs you used?
i think they're hunt 101 and leonardt principal
Looking more thoroughly, I'm pretty sure both of them are Leonardt principal
I just started calligraphy and my nibs hardly hold any ink, please help me someone! I’ve tried the potato, rubbing alcohol, soap, cleansers, different inks, I don’t know what’s going on... 😞
Have you tried using a flame?
Perfect Biscuits yes and I tried your spit method
Angela M gotta be the ink then, chances are you need to add a little water to the ink to thin it out or possibly let the ink sit out so it thickens. What kind of ink are you using?
Perfect Biscuits at first i used walnut ink but then I bought India ink
@@theditzypenguin9119 Hmm, the walnut ink should be decent right out of the bottle. Is the ink beading up on the nib? If so, then there's still oil on the nib.
Can I use lemon juice to prep the nib???
I’m sure it would work.
@@PerfectBiscuits thanks
HI, I am wondering why, when I go to write with my nib, I have it full, not too full, but when I write it often just releases all the ink onto the paper in a big blotch and ruins the word I am writing?
Sounds like you need to clean the nib more, either that or you are still loading it up too much with ink.
@@PerfectBiscuits Ok, I will try cleaning it again, have just put it into a potato.
@@SarahlabyrinthLHC ah ya, the potato kinda works. Rubbing alcohol is kinda foolproof, or spit works really well. Either way you’ll know when it’s full clean. The ink will cover the nib completely in a thin coat.
The other possible issue is your ink is either too thin or too thick.
@@PerfectBiscuits Well, I tried the potato, the spit and toothpaste and toothbrush on it as well as a flame so it should be clean but It still doesn't want to hold ink. (walnut ink)
@@SarahlabyrinthLHC walnut ink probably needs a little water added to it. Did it come in a bottle? Or powder?
They should make of bamboo nibs
I mean,they work better ,the nibs
Could use some innovation?
I’m skeptical. Don’t see how you’re going to get as sharp or as durable a point with bamboo vs steel. Send me a video though and I’d take a look.
How do I get water out of the barrel that holds the nib 😬😬😬
I wouldnt worry about it, it will dry out, maybe stand it up somehow so the water drips out
@@PerfectBiscuits OH ok thank you! I’ve been worrying all day!
No wonder why my pen didn’t work😵💫
Use soap!
Ok, so I need another alternative. As a teacher, I am not, nor am I having my kids use spit for this and we are not bringing potatoes to school. LOL What else could be used? Citrus?
Rubbing alcohol. Or windex, multi purpose cleaner, lemon juice, just make sure to wash with pure water after.
I bought another set of nibs, I guess it's the cheap nibs that really are the problem, already did the following multiple times: Wash and brush in hot soapy water; scrub with alcohol; soaked in pipe cleaner; brushed with toothpaste; lit with lighter. Unfortunately I can only afford these cheap $1 or so nibs. Poor problems. 😅
What ink are you using?
@@PerfectBiscuits Walnut ink and "calligraphy ink" that have these pearlescent stuff in it.
@@nunyabiznes33 Hmm, you might need to play with the walnut ink a little, either adding water or letting some sit out to thicken up. The shimmering calligraphy ink probably needs some water added to it.
I highly doubt your nibs are unusable, probably just need to dial in the ink.
I have 2 of these type of pens and.... didn't realize you had to PREP a dip pen! Lol ( they write like crud and this is probably why )
Thanks. With the price of potatoes these days, I'd rather eat them.
Spitting is funny lol
Good info PB but I wish you could have used your penmanship instead of those squiggly lines. I love to see a good penmanship demo.
I don’t mean to single you out because there sure is a lot of sketchy 'advice' about preparing metal dip pen nibs floating around. You say " I understand the theory, but in practice I’ve never tempered a nib to the point ..." in these comments -- but in this video @5:15-5:20 you show the result of heating a nib to remove the coating as "...discolored a little bit...". That straw-reddish color is the result of changing the temper. On these very thin small pieces of steel that's all it takes to change/destroy the temper. Sure the nib still 'works', but it's now 'outside factory specs' as they say for durability and performance.
I learned this decades ago but I guess schools and manuals no longer include such information. Dipping or immersing nibs in detergent, alcohol, or nail polish remover (that’s acetone -the best) then rubbing them with a cloth does the least damage. And I think the careful rubbing alone sometimes is enough.
No one mentions or uses reservoirs either. A reservoir allow you to write/draw 5-7X more before re-charging the nib. Yes, ink dries around it and needs to be cleaned off occasionally after 4-5+ 'loads’ depending on the ink and humidity, but it only takes a few swipes with an old paintbrush charged with slightly soapy water, a dip-rinse into plain water and a wipe off (that’s if you’re using India ink -the worst). Then re-charge the reservoir and continue to write/draw.
Reservoirs used to be made of watch springs (good luck finding that now) or some other narrow, thin springy metal. That’s the ideal material. I make them now using narrow strips of thin stiffish plastic. Strips cut from credit card stock can be sanded down at the ‘working end’ to get the preferred flex and ‘ink holding’ finish. Usually 2-3mm wide and 1-2mm thick. The length and overall shape depends on the construction of the pen handle/holder.
Some holders are hollow with a spring that grips the nib. Some just have a curved slot the nib fits in, etc. The working end of the reservoir should touch the nib just below any gap, hole or filigree that interrupts the split in the nib (ie: the split that channels ink down the last few millimeters to the tip/paper). The working end must be bent into a curve (not too shallow, not to steep) so that just the tip of the curved end will touch the nib to hold a drop of ink - the “reservoir”. The other end which holds the reservoir to the pen must fit snugly into the gap between the bottom of the nib and the holder spring or slot. So this end needs to be long enough to insert 5mm or more into the holder. The overall length and shape of the handle end of the reservoir strip stuck into the holder requires some creative design by the user to best fit their holder(s) and produce a stable optimal drop of ink in the ‘reservoir’.
Once you understand how it works, you can make a hand-full of reservoir strips and easily adapt them to different nibs and holders.
Sorry I can’t include an illustration - I tried a bit of ASCI art but it didn’t work. If I can find the book I learned this from I’ll come back and add it to this post. [Don’t hold your breath. That was 40 years ago. { ; - ) ]
hitting the nib with a flame is one of the most idiotic things you can do to it. Nibs are made from spring steel, which contains between 0,5-1% carbon, so it can be hardened. That´s importtant because a nib made from mild steel would just bend and not spring back into it´s original form. To achieve that, nibs have to be heat treated. The first step is to heat the steel to around 800°C and then cooling it off quickly, for example by dropping it in oil. The steel is now very hard but very brittle. The nib would just break. That´s why there is a second step to the heat treating process, the tempering. The metal is heated up again, usually to 200-300°C, depending on the properties the final product is supposed to have. The tempering takes away a bit of the hardness but gives the steel it´s flexibility back. In order to burn off the oil from the surface you have to get the nib way hotter than 300°C. They grey color of the steel after he treated it with the lighter indicates that he heated it up well above 400°C That means the nib is now much softer than the manufacturer intended. It´s not as springy as before and it will wear out much faster.
That means by heating it with the lighter, he just ruined a perfectly good nib. Don´t do that shit. It´s stupid.
Couple things:
1. Nibs used for calligraphy that requires a fine line don’t last all that long anyways. The points tend to wear out before the nib breaks, even after a flame has been applied.
2. Some people like the increased flexibility of the nib after exposing it to a flame, even if it weakens the metal and shortens the life of the nib.
It’s worth experimenting with if you haven’t done it before. You won’t “ruin” a nib with a lighter, you just change it and that may be for better or worse depending on your goals.
@@PerfectBiscuits
1. this isn´t about the nib breaking. Heating it with the flame makes it softter so it wears faster and has to be resharpened more often. I never had a nib breaking. The point wears down and after resharpening them a few times they get shorter untill it affects the usability.
2. Why not choose a more flexible nib then?
@@Christopher_Giustolisi 1. Sharpening point pen nibs? Never heard of anyone having success with that. I mean I know you can do it, but you’re never going to restore it to factory performance. Everyone I know that does pointed pen calligraphy at a high level replaces their worn out nibs with new ones.
2. There’s only two modern nibs that I would even consider writing Spencerian penmanship with because of the way they perform. One is the Leonardt EF. It’s a little on the stiff side and a little heat can soften it up nicely.
spit sexual peopel : Dont save me the visual !!
All dip nibs are not created equal. Very cheap nibs are worse than useless. If you want the best results, be prepared to buy high quality nibs. Otherwise, whatever you do to the nib, you're just using junk. And if your nib can rust, throw it away. You may as well just write with an old nail.