Dip Pen Problems

[DiffydaDude]

So i wanted to try a bit of calligraphy but i ended up getting frustrated cuz this one type of nib, a clone of this kind:

its always having problems. the first problem is i loosened the little resevoir under it so i could move it, but now it gets too loose and comes off whenever i try to pull the nib out. 2nd is the fact that i have such a bad issue tryna make the ink come out sometimes. I dunno if its just with the colored inks or what but it always stays congealed in the nib and doesnt come out. And it makes me super frustrated! Its not like that on the speedball clones or the normal looking nib, so i was wondering if theres a kind of colored ink thats good for using with nibs like the aforementioned one. I also need more black ink; preferrably one that can be used in fountain and dip pens. Maybe i could get lamy or something. Or maybe its just an issue with the fact that my nibs came from some company called Plotube. idk maybe yall have had experience with them? TBH thats probably why its so hard for me to enjoy using dip pens alot. For goodness sake the normal looking nib was made for a fountain pen. I mean its not a bad kit but ive used my art teachers nibs and hers are really dang simple to use and not frustrating, probably because im not as worried about rusting them or letting ink dry or all that other junk cuz theyre 40-50 years old

[Melooon]

I don't have the expert knowledge to answer this ~ perhaps someone here will, however I think you would have better luck on a more specialized forum; a quick search came up with this: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/

You might even be able to find the answers you need by searching the existing posts there! Good luck! 

[TheFrugalGamer]

It's been a while since I've done any dip calligraphy, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt. But for the reservoir problems, you may be able to remove it entirely and bend it back into shape. It's basically just a piece of metal, so if you're careful and use jewelry pliers, you may be able to reshape it so that it fits better (I'm assuming you have the top clip style of reservoir. I wouldn't know about other kinds).

And for the ink getting clogged, I remember having a lot of issues with mine due to the condition of my pens. Mine were Speedball, but they were old and very rusted. I did my best to clean them, but eventually had to accept that I wasn't going to get really nice flow because they had been mistreated before I got them. Eventually I got new ones in some specific sizes I needed, and they did flow better. I'd give yours a good clean (get some scrap cloth or yarn up under that reservoir, maybe wet it first), and if that doesn't fix it, the issue just may be due to the manufacturing.

This page has a few tips on cleaning that you might find helpful:
https://calligraphypen.wordpress.com/tag/reservoirs/

[DiffydaDude]

@TheFrugalGamer the issue is not with the nib being clogged, its with the ink beading inside the nib and not flowing through it easilly. i have to move the resevoir to the very tippy tip to get any kinda ink to come out easily

[TheFrugalGamer]

@TheFrugalGamer the issue is not with the nib being clogged, its with the ink beading inside the nib and not flowing through it easilly. i have to move the resevoir to the very tippy tip to get any kinda ink to come out easily

Hm, I'm not sure then. It sounds more like an issue with the ink itself, then. I've never had that particular problem with my inks, but I think you mentioned yours was colored, and I only ever really worked with black India ink.

[Junebug]

Old dip pens were sold with the nibs coated in oil so they wouldn't rust in the box. If you haven't cleaned off that oil, either by burning it off or washing it off with soapy water, this would cause problems with ink flow issues.