Hi everyone,
One of my biggest problems at the moment is supplies. I have been trying to hunt decent copperplate nibs for the last two months, upto no luck.
Anyway Looking forward to learning new things!
Apoorva
Hi Apoorva,
Big Welcome to the Forum. Wonderful to see so many Indians on here.
Where are you based? Getting supplies in India is always a chore. Very few places have nibs, no places have stuff like Walnut ink. You can get paper here though.
As far as Nibs are concerned there are only 2 options for decently priced nibs. Ebay and this website
http://creativehands.in/william-mitchell-calligraphy-drawing-loose-nibs-pack-of-2-open-stock.htmlBut he is mostly out of stock. If you are comfortable with Gillott nibs then just write to them and ask them to get a bunch for you. They are priced very well. Most other sources in India charge a kidney for a nib
The other option is Ebay. For G nibs like Zebra, Ebay.com is a good option and quite decently priced. Getting it imported to India is not an issue as it's a small pack and does not attract custom duty.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR4.TRC2.A0.H0.Xzebra+G+nib.TRS0&_nkw=zebra+G+nib&_sacat=0There is one source in Mumbai that gets Leonard Principal EF nibs. Give me a day or so to find out the details and revert.
There are a few sellers on Ebay that still offer good rates for not so known nibs (European nibs, beautiful little creatures
. Contact me on personal message and I will link you up there.
For ink, You can try the Pelikan 4001 ink, which I found works quite well. You can also try the Camlin Photo Colours, which are a transparent ink and works well with the dip nibs
http://www.himalayafineart.com/Product/55/Camel+Transparent+Photocolours.aspxIf you want some walnut ink, send me your address and I will send you crystals. You will have to wait a while for Iron Gall ink, should you want some. I have to brew a fresh batch.
For paper, I got a bunch of Excel Pro DIgio 100gsm, which was beautiful. Can't find it online now. Perhaps the stationary shops around your place may still have stock of it. Make sure it has the "Digio" printed on it. I think
@ash0kgiri uses JK Excel Bond. Not sure. just ask him and he will confirm it. Another good writing pad I found works really well is this one.
Make sure you only get the A4 size. the paper in the other sizes don't take ink so well. IT has a 4mm grid printed on it and is lovely for practice.
https://nightingaleshop.com/top-open-writing-pad-design-a How are you placed for holders? Are you using a straight or oblique? Unfortunately, I gave away my last Yoke Deuce holder a couple of weeks back. Will be getting a fresh stock only in September. Again, I'll send you a few links on where you can get reasonably priced holders , should you want a brass flange oblique.
This should do for the time being, Send me a message and we can take it from there.
Please feel free to contact me directly for any queries or information you require, An Email or direct message is easier as I get a notification for it and can respond immediately.
Happy writing
Prasad
