When you have found a nice pen that you enjoyed writing with, and you wanted to extend its lifespan...
and it is a vintage pen that is sought after ....
or any pen that you enjoy.
Richard has a very detailed way to preserve such a pen.
You can read it here:
http://www.richardspens.com/ref/nibs/beginners.htmand a PDF here:
http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdfHere's what I do:
New nib often is over polished so that it feels very smooth (outer side of the tine and inner side of the tines). That's alright, but it won't last long as steel pens are pointed, narrow and won't hold its shape for long.
Here's a picture of a new nib (each pointed tines are well rounded).
Here's a worn-out nib that started to dig into the paper that I was writing with. It is still usable, but one has to be extra careful, and light handed.
Note that the tines are no longer the same length, and the tines are misaligned.
Step one: Follow Richard's instruction on aligning the nib's tines. What I usually do is a bit different from Richards', I pinch the tines are 1/2" from the tip with my thumb nails against my fleshy index finger. Then I stroke it a few times outward. Don't put too much pressure on the tines, as this will give the nib a bit of a curl. (You see these metals are thin.) That's okay if it happened, don't try to straighten it. Just as long as the pen is not misaligned anymore. Look at the center lines, both tines are perfectly matched.
Step two: Flatten the tip to equal lengths. Please check with loupe after 20 iterations.
Step three: Flatten the two tines width, so that they resemble the original nib
Note how the lapping paper is held. This is done on both tines. Please check the loupe after 20 iterations
Step four: Round out the points by doing circles at different angles to the lapping paper. Note at all times, the lapping paper is help with one hand, and on the other hand, the pen. Do this for -90 degree, 0 degrees, and 90 degrees. Check with loupe, then use the paper to polish the ends.
You did it: It should look like this: Those unpolished areas on the tines are dried ink. You can polish them buy why bother!
The outer side of the tines is very well polished, but not the inner sides of the tines. What does this mean? Scratchy at first.
Once you start writing with it doing drills (push/pull) shading, the inner side of the tines will be well polished too. If you done it as shown there, the lines that this renewed pen can lay down a very thin line.
As always, these skills come with practice. Wanna it give it a go?
But most of all... don't forget to do your drills!
