Hello, any tips, tricks or advice on how to use dip pens with nibs?!!? I purchase a pen with a set of nibs and the first time I used it with testors enamel paint it worked Beautifully! The paint was flowing nicely and I was able to write multiple full names on a piece of cardboard and eventually transposed it to the blank. Now that I'm ready to inscribe a second blank, darn thing won't even write a part of a letter! The paint doesn't seem to flow to the tip even when overloaded. I did however noticed that I'm scratching (from the sound of it) the nib a little bit when practicing on a piece of cars board. Could a bad nib be the culprit? Or paint? I changed out nibs and same results. Any advice or input would be greatly greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Check YouTube Mud Hole has a video on how to use them

Bill - willierods.com

If the nib has been replaced the only common denominator now is the paint. Is it possible the length of time you had the bottle opened the paint thickened just a bit now isn't flowing as well? You might thin what you have or try another bottle.

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Try applying the paint to the bottom of the nib with a toothpick. Do not fill the reservoir, just a drop at the end of the nib, You can also try thinning the paint a little. Was the nib cleaned very well after the first use? Use magnification to see if there is some dried paint in the split.

Chris Richer
Iroquois ON

Oh forgot to mention, I did try thinning out the paint and same result. The paint just bunched up right before the tip. I'll double check the split area of the nib and make sure it's clean. Thanks.

They are temperamental. I find India ink to be the best ink/paint to use, I thoroughly clean the nibs, including the "slit," and I buff the nib points to provide a rounded point that doesn't scratch. Then, the ink has to be sealed to prevent running with CP or epoxy. Not a piece of cake, but I find India ink flows the most reliably with no surprises.

I use Speedball ink. It comes in a variety of colors plus gold and silver. It works better than paint and you can wash it off with water (before it dries). That way, if you make a mistake you can just wipe it off and start over. I've never had a problem using it with Speedball nibs.

I only use opaque acrylic "fabric" paint. It is water soluble, flows well and cleans up if you make a mistake.
Dries enough to epoxy over in am hour max. Buy it in craft stores
Herb

Sid,
Welcome to the world of pens and nibs!

You are experiencing a very common problem that can be solved a couple of different ways.

A pen nib - has a very fine groove that runs the length of the nib. This holds the ink supply and allows the ink to run to the tip and to allow the nib to work well.

You had a brand new nib and for the first time that you used it - it worked perfectly.

But, I suspect that you did not do a surgical cleaning of the nib after using it to remove every spec and particle of paint from the nib groove. Even a single spec of paint left in the groove will completely stop up the nib and prevent the paint from flowing.

When using Testors paint, I found that the only thing that worked for me to clean the nibs was Xylene. Xylene is a pretty toxic solvent and needs to be used with good ventilation. However, its chemical properties are such that it does a pretty good job of cleaning the nib.

Although I no longer use Testors for the very reason that you mention - when I did use Testors, I would clean the pen nib after every partial line of lettering. I would wipe the nib with a clean paper towel and then I would dip the nib into a glass container of Xylene and swish it around a bit, and then use a fine brush to brush out the nib groove, and then dip it again and finally wipe it off with a paper towel.

However, there is potential for damage to the nib when you are doing this cleaning. If, when you are cleaning the nib, you exert too much force and separate the nib - the nib is ruined and really can not be made to work again.

So, in that vein, I would find the particular nib that worked well for me and I would buy a dozen nibs at a time. I just came to realize that when using the testors paint, I could only clean the nib so many times before either the nib could no longer be cleaned, or I would have damaged the nib groove for the paint and or ink to flow.

I doubt that there is anything wrong with the paint or its thickness. Rather, I suspect that the nib is plugged and either has to be cleaned or replaced.

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Having said that about Testors paint, I did a bunch of searching using various India Inks and similar products.
But, finally, I have settled on using Speed Ball Acrylic Ink. This is a water based ink that cleans up with their cleaner, or will clean up well just using hot soap, water and a tooth brush.
Since going to the Speed Ball Ink, I have really reduced the amount of Nibs that I consume.

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Or if maybe you would like to try a Pentel sunburst metallic Gel pen A coat of clear When dry scoff with a gray scoff pad heat the script with a hair dryer several times Then in about an hour or two Spray LIGHTLY with Fixative DRY coats

Bill - willierods.com

I've tried the India ink before and it took awhile to dry. It would run off when I apply CP after a couple hours of drying time. I'll try the other suggestions and really clean the nibs. Thanks again guys!

I have had the same issues so I hoped there was a magic answer here. The first Speedball india ink I used smeared when I applied CP even though it dried overnight. I then got some Dr Martins Bombay india ink which is waterproof and does not smear. However I also have the issue of nibs stop working so I continue to experiment. Seems like silver Testors is the only thing that has worked well so far.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI

John,
As others, including myself have said - gry Speed Ball Acrylic ink and you will not look back.

As has previously been posted, the ink dries hard so that you can coat it with epoxy finish in an hour and not have it smear or run. Give it a try.

Be safe

Nib pressure and perfect practice on different rod blanks. Try a few letters at a time. Have a hand rest near the blank to keep your hand in position. When complete, cover inscription with a coat of acrylic spray, found at art stores. This is compable with finish, so no smearing will occur.

I use Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent Calligraphy Ink. It cleans up and thins with alcohol. Dries fast, and is designed to flow through nib pens. You can mix 2 of the colors to get an other, or different shades. You don't need to cover it with CP, just run the epoxy. The Iridescent properties makes the inscription flash and glow when light hits it. I hope this isn't against the rules but here is a link: [www.docmartins.com] .

Mike Bradfrod
R.M.B. Fishing Rods
Nampa, Idaho

I also use Dr. Ph. Martin's calligraphy ink. The stuff is great!
Norm

Thanks for all the recommendations guys! Looks like I have a few ink/paint to try.