A pen that is made up of only two pieces may seem like a fairly rudimentary and easy to use object. Mastering the calligraphy pen, though, will take some getting used to before you will be able to consider yourself proficient. When you think about buying and using a calligraphy dip pen there are some tips that you should take into consideration.
A dip pen is a kind of calligraphy pen made up with a handle and one of a range of differently sized nibs. The handle may be made of wood, bone, metal, glass or plastic. Some of these nibs have an ink reservoir permanently attached while others have a slip-on version.
Although fountain pens are an option for some types of calligraphy, the types of inks required for quality calligraphy are unsuitable for the fountain pen. Old-time dip pens were charged with ink by dipping the nib into ink before writing, this is not the only way to add ink to a calligraphy pen. In fact the dip pen can be recharged with ink by feeding it with a syringe, a paintbrush or an eye-dropper so that you can better control the flow of ink.
When connecting the nib to the pen holder you must push the nib firmly into place so that the dip pen does not shake when you write. The nib should be sitting securely between the metal prongs inside the pen holder and its outer shell.
A little word of caution about pen nib sizes. Although they may all range in size from a 0 to a 6, some manufacturers have made their smallest size nib a size 6 and worked up as the number have fallen. Most other manufacturers increase the number size as the pen nib size increases, so a 0 is the smallest and so on. This problem is alleviated to an extent when buying a complete set of pen nibs from the same maker, but familiarising yourself certain manufacturers standards is a good idea.
Once you've got your new calligraphy pen, the first thing you need to do is give it a good clean with detergent and water and then dry it completely afterward. The thin layer of oil that most nibs have applied to them should be removed before the first time you use them.
When choosing a dip pen over a fountain pen, consider the following advantages the dip pen affords you. A wide range of inks can be used with a dip pen. Inks such as India ink, traditional iron gall ink or acrylic inks will work fine in a dip pen while these kinds of inks will clog up and ruin a fountain pen. Naturally, the fact that you can interchange pen nibs gives the dip pen a much greater flexibility over the fountain pen. Price is a further advantage that a dip pen gives you with replacing nibs a lot cheaper than replacing entire pens.
You will ensure the life of your dip pen is a long one if you are diligent in cleaning the nibs after use. Just as important after thoroughly cleaning the nibs is ensuring that they have been properly dried. You need to take care that your prized calligraphy pen nib hasn't rusted from one use to the next.
Buying a good quality calligraphy dip pen and pen nibs will ensure that you will start off with the best possible equipment for producing fine quality work. All that is left is practising often and making sure you clean your pen nibs without fail.
Find out more about the calligraphy pen as well as learning about the range of calligraphy pen nibs available. There are plenty of opportunities for buying an inexpensive calligraphy pen with such a wide range available to choose from.
