Notes after Ruth Chesterman’s Inky Fun evening – a couple of companies where you can get inky supplies. I do collect all sort of dip pens and inky stuff. I occasionally buy new but not often. I do get a lot of dip pens and nibs from EBay, Vinted, Etsy. If you want to explore inks and all sorts of pens, google:
- Cult Pens
- Pure Pens
- Ferris Wheel Press UK
- Tom’s Studio
- And of course Amazon has all sorts of inks, pens etc etc
There are so many types of inks but if you have a fountain pen, please check the ink before you fill your pen up. You will clog or ruin your fountain pen if you use the wrong ink.
If you want a store that has a specialty in nibs try Scribblers. They have an amazing selection.
And some interesting notes from Anne Anderson:
I liked my stick-pen, but I’d noticed the ink softened the wood at the tip. This got me thinking that maybe a hard wood might do better – did you know they made quarter-staffs out of blackthorn, because the wood’s so tough? I have some in my garden, so this morning I wrangled a few of the dead twigs off my tree. This wasn’t easy, as even pencil-thick twigs are really difficult to cut with secateurs. I sharpened one with a knife to a sharp point, did another with a rotary pencil sharpener, and a third loosely with a knife & then burnt it for a few seconds. Each has great qualities:
- The first has a fine and sturdy point.
- The second is also pointy, but has smooth sides for broad strokes.
- The burnt one, when cleaned and sanded, has a rounded end for wider marks.