Messages

1

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: English Court Hand

« on: December 06, 2023, 09:45:34 PM »

This was written in the style of English Court Hand c1730

@Ken Fraser

2

Tools & Supplies / Re: Rusty nib

« on: November 30, 2023, 10:13:55 AM »

A short while ago I bought several nibs from ebay. The advert said - 'Vintage Hinks, Wells & Co No. 3 Broad Stainless Steel Nib'. On reciept of the nibs I very quickly had a look at the nibs and had to put them away for a week or so before really looking at them.
The point of the post is this: On closer inspection I have noticed that the nib in question has rust on the outside left side (just below the word London) and also on the inside at the same level. The rust doesn't appear to have eaten through the metal.
I'm under the impression that stainless steel doesn't rust, so how is the nib rusty.

@Mark T
There are many kinds of stainless steel, and some do rust. The higher the chromium content, the less it's likely to rust. And no, I have no idea the amount of chromium in these nibs.

 I have no interest in debating with the seller as it is a nib costing a couple of £'s, but I do have an interest in learning about the nib. In adverts I have seen, when it states gold nib, am I correct in thinking that it is only the point to the back of the tines which are gold?, or is it actually the whole nib - likewise when it says stainless etc. I'm guessing that a brass stated nib is fully brass.

Almost all dip  pen nibs that are said to be gold are gold plated. One interesting exception can be found in this old thread. I've been looking for one of these for ten years and have only found one other, and it was a straight nib, not oblique.
https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6007.msg72822#msg72822
There are many 14K gold fountain pen nibs though. If solid gold it will be stated on the nib (say, like 14K).

Also, is there anything to put on a nib to stop it rusting, other than to make sure the nib is totally dry once cleaned, and in point of the above mentioned nib, is there anything to stop it rusting more.
I'd appreciate an education if possible. Thank you.

After you dry the nib, you could put WD-40 or any machine oil on it, but you would then have to clean that off before using it again. Too much work. I would think you would wear out the nib before any significant rust developed and just toss it when it no longer performs well.

3

Tools & Supplies / Re: Rusty nib

« on: November 30, 2023, 09:47:20 AM »

I knew there was something else I wanted to ask -

Older nibs by way of antique/vintage never been used before. (early turn of 20th century/mid century 40's/50's)
Should they be treated the same way as 'new' nibs dating from 2000's as in - stick in a spud, spittal, lighter flash past, alcohol, white vinegar prior to dipping in the inkwell?
I'm tending to think probably not, but I would much rather be safe than sorry.

@Mark T 
Yes, prepare all nibs of any age before using.

4

Everyday Handwriting | Penmanship / Cursive is back

« on: November 28, 2023, 10:13:13 AM »

(For some of us, it never left, of course.)
From the Wall Street Journal, 27 Nov 2023

5

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Moth Wings & Floral Things 2024 Calendar GIVEAWAY!

« on: November 26, 2023, 12:00:16 PM »

@Erica McPhee 
Outstanding work. A Tour de Force.
They are all nice, but I think I like September the best.
(In the odd chance, I win the gift one, please pass it along to someone else--I've already ordered one).

6

Tools & Supplies / Re: Unused older nib

« on: November 23, 2023, 09:46:11 AM »

I have bought several old 'new' nibs, and would appreciate some advice on what to do by way of nib preperation.
I'm assuming that a really old nib wouldn't have an 'oily' coating, and that a nib from the 1940/50 and younger probably would, so is there a difference in how to 'pre-clean them' so to speak.
Also,....
One nib I bought has rust on the 'shoulder/side' (sorry, don't know if there is a proper term for the parts of a nib other than the tines) which has also spread to the inside of the nib..... is there a solution to use which will stop the rust from getting worse, or is it a case of biting the bullet and counting my loses.
Any help greatly appreciated.

@Mark T

No difference in preparing an old or new nib. Like Schin, I use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel (reply 20) to prepare a nib.
Check this thread out:
https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=248.0
It's old but still good.
Regards rust, if it is not near the tip and not extensive, it may be usable and the rust can be removed with WD-40 or any rust remover, whereupon you will need to prepare the nib again to remove the oil. If you have a bunch of these rusted nibs, give them a light coating of oil and prepare them as you use them.

7

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Modified videos

« on: November 23, 2023, 09:29:44 AM »

I'd ban the posting of speeded-up videos which are misleading and give the wrong impression of skill and dexterity. This must be particularly disheartening to beginners. Instagram is very guilty of this practice.

Does anyone agree...or is this just the griping of an out-of-touch old dinosaur.

@Ken Fraser
Agree 100%. Very misleading. I enjoy seeing the speed at which people actually write.

8

Flourishing / Re: Compound/complex ending flourish - order of pen strokes?

« on: November 17, 2023, 09:18:54 PM »

This is a great question. Using images for educational purposes are allowed.

I wasn’t able to get to my pen and Cyril beat me to it with a “real” calligraphy demo. But here is something I did up real quick in ProCreate.

I began with the word first, then went back and did the capital.

As you have deducted - flourishing can take quite a bit of preplanning.

Interesting.
I would have guessed step 1, followed by step 3 continuing to step 2.

9

Tools & Supplies / Re: What is this nib called?

« on: November 17, 2023, 02:24:01 PM »

Thanks @AnasaziWrites ! What kind of lines does it produce?

@Erica McPhee
@Mark T

Mark is correct--a fine line. Not an extra-fine line though. A Gillott 303 will give you a finer line, and a G170 finer still and better for small script, although a 404 might be better on paper that is soft, where a sharper nib might cut the paper. Not as flexible and stiffer than Spencerian 1 and G604ef. A good nib and more affordable, generally, than the others mentioned.

10

Tools & Supplies / Re: What is this nib called?

« on: November 17, 2023, 09:50:04 AM »

Bit of a 'Know ya onions' type question.
Does anybody know what nib this is?

After some surfing and finding a really good website which show pictures of nibs, I think I have found that the nib is a '404'. It doesn't give detail of its age or if still in production though.

@Mark T
Hinks, Wells & Co,  404F

This is an antique nib, note the hand grind and age of box, so not in production anymore.
Most similar to (if not a clone of) the Gillott 404F

Anyone looking to identify (and possibly buy) antique nibs, particularly European nibs, many can be found on this site:
https://shop.kallipos.de/en
from which this photo was taken. Highly recommended.
The G404F is mine.

11

Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Re: Breakfast

« on: November 14, 2023, 04:52:32 PM »

Breakfast

Tasty.

12

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Re: Handwritten Calligraphy

« on: November 14, 2023, 04:49:18 PM »

I write all 26 letters on my back

@Mark T
You must have very flexible arms.
Something like this?

13

Copperplate, Engrosser's Script, Roundhand Calligraphy / Re: Elegance

« on: November 13, 2023, 11:05:38 AM »

Elegance

@Ken Fraser
......

14

Open Flourish | General Discussion / Re: Which phone for calligraphy pics?

« on: November 10, 2023, 11:38:00 AM »

to upload to Instagram I use the Istagram app on my Galaxy S8. The Instagtram camera does a great job with considerable
editing capabilities.
To upload to The Flourish Forum I don't use a camera at all, but scan my artwork and convert the image from.pdf to .jpeg on my PC before uploading. In this way my image isn't distorted and looks just as it did when I wrote it. This, of course, only works with still images.

@Ken Fraser
At what resolution (dpi) do you typically scan? Can you not scan directly to .jpeg or .jpg?

15

Broad Edge Pen Calligraphy / Re: Photography

« on: November 10, 2023, 11:33:18 AM »

Photography

Beautifully done. Precious little room for error in a script like that.