I’m still playing with the dip pen. Some of my correspondents have had to put up with my scratches and scrawls and have been kind enough not to complain. I flatter myself I’m getting better – perhaps a little. I had confined myself to the Esterbrook Relief nib which seems to make the most of my writing. I thought it was time to be brave and try something new. I have a wide variety of nibs, some from my own purchases and others from Rob Parsons who kindly sent me a selection of nibs.
I bravely chose a pointed nib, A Macniven & Cameron Waverley. It requires a delicate touch and feels somewhere between an everyday fountain pen nib and a paintbrush. Being very careful with the nib at first, until the nib took on a little polish, I managed to avoid digging into the paper or depositing any blots. This Waverley is a lovely nib and on the right paper I can write with it quite well. An interesting point: not all Waverleys have the tilted tip for which they are famed. This one’s just a straight, pointed nib. It’s capable of some flexibility – a semiflex, I’d say. But that’s more than I’m capable of.
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Oh Deb I learnt to write at school with a Waverley nib!! I still have a box of them ! I have not tried one for quite a while. I will do now!!
I’m delighted to hear it, Penny! Let me know how it goes.
Judging from the hand in your letter that arrived last Wednesday, whatever you are using makes my penmanship look like that of a drunken cave-man.
Thank you, Michael!
I can only encourage you to continue using the nibs in question, Deb. Developing muscle memory (and a light hand) takes time, but time/patience and practice is really all you need. Also, it’s only after taming a dip nib that I understood what is meant by a “flexible” (or “wet”, or “fine”) nib. I am always intrigued how “smooth” dip nibs can be. They seem to “glide” on the (generous amount of) ink that they carry on them after a dip.
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Thank you for the encouragement. When things are going well the nib almost appears to move above, rather than on the paper.
I wish you all of the very best. If you come across Copperplate please try it. It is beautiful and not as difficult as one thinks.
Thank you, RA. I’m afraid I don’t have the patience for calligraphy. I’m more about content than style.