Author Topic: Custom tool to demonstrate splitting tines  (Read 6452 times)

Offline Christo

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Custom tool to demonstrate splitting tines
« on: June 10, 2014, 08:30:02 AM »
Does anyone know what he is writing with when he does the backwards B outline ? (http://vimeo.com/29619683 @ 5:00) Is it something that splits open with pressure like a dip pen or does it have something like a spring that he releases for the thick strokes? - Hopefully you can make sense of my question... Thank you!
« Last Edit: June 13, 2014, 07:10:34 PM by Erica McPhee »

Offline Scarlet Blue

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2014, 03:41:40 PM »
Christo - I've been trying to find that tool for a couple of years now! A French calligraphy blogger also has one, but Google translate didn't get me any closer to giving me a name for it!
I think it's some sort of engineering tool... some sort of engineers double ruling tool. I have spent hours searching on line for it.... I think it might be vintage :-( Whatever it is, I want one!!

Offline Christo

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2014, 06:19:48 AM »
We will eventually find out (hopefully!)

Offline Christo

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2014, 09:11:48 AM »
I had enough of searching & sent Mr Paul Antonio a message.. He said it's a custom tool! so.. it seems we will have to get creative and build our own :D
« Last Edit: June 12, 2014, 09:52:46 AM by Christo »

Offline Brad franklin

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2014, 12:44:22 PM »
I guest if I had paid more attention to the forums I could have told you that. In one of his videos he says it's made for him to show the class the spread of the tines. Sorry 

Offline Scarlet Blue

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2014, 06:03:02 PM »
I found the French blogger who has a similar tool...

http://calligraphieetc.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/langlaise-resiste.html

Lovely calligraphy blog... just wish I could read French.

Offline Christo

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2014, 02:40:24 AM »
Greeeeeat! Thanks for that! It shouldn't be too difficult to make something similar hopefully... Let's just hope it works :D  - I will let you know what happens once I try it out..

(No worries Brad!)

Offline Scarlet Blue

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2014, 06:14:42 AM »
Blimey! Can you make me one too?!
Has Brad always been green or has my screen gone funny?

Offline Brad franklin

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2014, 09:29:18 AM »
No I hatched last night. See I am a green pistachio nut. Or maybe just a nut. No need to adjust your screens I am green.

Offline Christo

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2014, 12:16:03 PM »
Don't laugh.

Promise?

Anyway.. I tried something extremely rough / quick & very funny looking out of two pieces of cardboard, a xylophone mallet, brown tape, rubber bands & two borrowed pencils from ikea (I will return them) only to see if it could work i.e. open & close & write ! and it does. poorly.. but it does!.. just like a pointed pen! or more like my first 'pointed pen' that I cut out of a plastic bottle. 

The problem(s) with this extremely bad construction was keeping the pencils aligned which is not at all surprising since I just pierced the cardboard & stuck the pencils inside, so, with a lot of pressure, they were pushed out of place. The card was also a little flimsy too.. especially after drilling through it in my hand with a screwdriver .. :D

Here is a pic just to show how 'simple' the design is. I taped the pieces of card together leaving the front end untaped so it can split open with pressure..  it worked better than expected & wrote thick - thin - thick - thin..



who's that laughing in the back? 

Next step is trying a stiffer / snappier material (a thick ruler might work perhaps?) & finding a way to attach adjustable holders (such as those on compasses?) to hold the pen / pencil / chalk / whatever..
« Last Edit: June 13, 2014, 04:48:14 PM by Christo »

Offline Brad franklin

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2014, 02:42:38 PM »
Thats cool. No laughing here,does it work?

Offline Christo

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2014, 04:25:15 PM »


Excuse the writing... As you might be able to see (I live in the dark), the pencils were not perfectly aligned from the start...  The material needs to be stronger & thinner & the holders need to be placed differently so I can see what I'm writing! .. With the right materials it should be possible to make a 'decent' one I hope! I will try it out when I have the time (by the way, it can write at about four times the thickness you see there but one pencil in particular is much too loose & moves..)
« Last Edit: June 13, 2014, 05:02:06 PM by Christo »

Offline AndyT

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2014, 04:30:49 PM »
Don't laugh.

Absolutely not.  What you have there is proof of the concept - well done!

Offline Brad franklin

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Re: Re: Paul Antonio video - Oblique v. straight holder
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2014, 05:30:02 PM »
Good first try.

Offline Scarlet Blue

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Re: Custom tool to demonstrate splitting tines
« Reply #14 on: June 15, 2014, 06:42:48 AM »
Seriously impressed.