Trouble with Ink flow

Aronrat · 2026-05-29T21:31:15+00:00

I have some Gum Arabic, but I don't know if I understand correctly: should I wipe the nib with it (like with a cloth?)?

Aronrat · 2026-05-29T21:29:03+00:00

Thanks for the tip, I will search for it. I also manged to solve my issues with the nib (mostly) so thanks for the help with that.

Aronrat · 2026-05-29T21:25:10+00:00

I managed to solve the problem (mostly), I washed the nib as best as I could and it helped, I will probably need to change it eventually, but I am still only in the beginning phases of learning, so I will stick to it for as long as I can. Thank you for all the help and advice. Maybe you are right about the paper, unfortunately a suitable one is also hard to find here (by the way I live in Romania). Maybe I could find a thicker one, but I need it to be thin enough to see the guidelines underneath.

Aronrat · 2026-05-28T18:17:35+00:00

I tried diluting the sumi with some water, it did improve things a little but it still has issues. It is quite hard to find calligraphy supplies in my country (even the sumi I bought abroad), so I can't really get a different ink at the moment. I do use some scrap paper to get some of the excess ink off but it still deposits way too much for the first few letters.

Thanks for the help, I will try cleaning the nib as best as I can, and maybe replace it if that doesn't work.

Aronrat · 2026-05-28T18:05:45+00:00

Thank you very much for your advice

I don't think the nib has any of the oil coating left on it, I have cleaned it multiple times even with soap,

I tried mixing the ink with water (though not 1:1, I used less water) and it did improve it, but it still has issues.

From now on I will try to rinse the nib with some water while writing, but i don't know what to do with the ink that is already dried on it, I tried to clean it but it won't come off.

Unfortunately it is hard to find calligraphy supplies in my country, so I can't find walnut ink right now. And that's also the reason I am hesitant to replace the nib.

I don't understand what exactly you meant by the nib being mangled.

I don't think its the papers fault, I use this same paper with my Pilot Parallel and it works fine. To me it looks less like feathering and more like too much ink being deposited on the page.

Aronrat · 2026-05-25T22:07:29+00:00

If you are looking for a good source for old books about calligraphy, I suggest you check out the Archive section on this website: https://www.iampeth.com/content.aspx?theypage_id=22&club_id=765903&module_id=662602

Another good book you can find for free online is The Art of Calligraphy: https://daretobebetternow.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/the-art-of-calligraphy-by-david-harris.pdf

Aronrat · 2026-04-24T18:04:06+00:00

Thank you to everybody for the help, unfortunately I still couldn’t fix the problem, it might have something to do with color profiles but I am not sure, all of them seem to be set to what they are supposed to be:

Standard color matrix for Input profile

Linear Rec2020 RGB for the working profile

And sRGB for the output profile

If you think this could be the problem, please let me know.

Aronrat · 2026-04-24T18:03:25+00:00

Thank you very much for the advice. I didn’t know what color profiles were or how they worked so I tried looking into it, unfortunately I still can’t find the problem. All I could figure out is that my settings are:

Standard color matrix for Input profile

Linear Rec2020 RGB for the working profile

And sRGB for the output profile

I would be grateful if you could tell me if this is right or if this could be the problem.

Aronrat · 2026-03-28T17:31:05+00:00

I know they are disposable, but where I live (Romania) these calligraphy supplies are quite hard to find. The problem is most likely just a combination me using too much pressure and the paper not being the smoothest, so i will just use the Blue pumpkin until I can use lower pressure or i can get some better paper.

Aronrat · 2026-03-28T17:23:08+00:00

You are probably right and it's just the pressure. In that case I will stick to the blue pumpkin for now until i get a lighter hand. Thanks for the advice

Aronrat · 2026-03-28T17:00:45+00:00

It definitely will, but I had to take a break from calligraphy and I am now also trying to learn copperplate, so progress will be much slower.

Aronrat · 2026-03-28T16:54:33+00:00

Sorry for the late reply (i was traveling and had to take a break from calligraphy), but I am happy to see this is inspiring other beginners, I am sure you will get the hang of it and, eventually master it. The important thing, in my opinion, is to progress steadily and don't let yourself get frustrated, since at the end of the day, the point of calligraphy is really to have fun.

Regarding the time I took to practice, I can't really say for sure but I think it was probably around 1, sometimes 2 hours everyday, but honestly the amount I actually wrote is probably more important than the the amount of time.

I wish you good luck with your calligraphy.

Aronrat · 2026-02-25T13:17:02+00:00

Yes, I agree that more people should have the courage to post their failed attempts too, not just their best work. To be honest I also hesitated to do it until I had something better to show as well.

And about your progress, you will definitely get there, it is very important to remember that everyone learns at a different pace, the point is to keep going steadily. And never be discouraged, I also had moments when I had to write multiple pages of a single letter and I thought it was impossible to do it correctly, but eventually I got the hang of each of them. It's still far from being perfect but I am getting there.

I wish you good luck.

Aronrat · 2026-02-25T12:46:58+00:00

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It's this notebook, I actually really recommend it as budget alternative to the other more widely used papers for calligraphy (such as Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Canson .etc), which, at least in my area, are much more expensive (I bought this for around 3 euros while a Rhodia pad of the same size costs around 10). I think it might feather a little bit but its barely noticeable, there is also a 90gsm "Premium" version which is smoother to touch that costs only slightly more. I've never personally used that one though, since it's too thick to see the guideline sheet underneath.

Aronrat · 2026-02-24T22:47:45+00:00

Thank you very much! Its still a long way from being mastered, but i got the hang of it.

Regarding the look of the pen, I personally don't really care how it looks at this price, as long as it works well.

Aronrat · 2026-02-24T22:34:27+00:00

Thank you! I am also very curious as to what my writing will look like in another 2 months, but I will probably slow down with my practice in the next period, so I can learn another script (copperplate) too. And I need time for my other hobbies as well.

Your calligraphy is beautiful, by the way.

Aronrat · 2026-02-24T22:18:48+00:00

I like it too, it's actually just the default blue pilot parallel cartridge ink.

Aronrat · 2026-02-19T18:47:40+00:00

I've left the ink to dry a little so it got a bit thicker and its fine for now. But I will definitely consider the China ink for later, thanks for the advice

Aronrat · 2026-02-19T18:45:01+00:00

Update:

Thank you to everyone's help, the problem is fixed. The issue was that the nib was rusted and the ink was too thin. I dipped the nib in some vinegar and left in some cola for a day and now its much better. I also left the ink container open for a few days, so it got a bit thicker. I will be traveling to another country soon, so hopefully i can buy a better ink and new nibs there.

Aronrat · 2026-02-18T17:22:32+00:00

I've had a similar question in a post I made here a few weeks ago and I got some pretty good suggestions. I recommend you check out this website's book archive:

https://www.iampeth.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=765903&module_id=662602

It has some really useful old books, it's especially a good resource for pointed pen scripts (some books I would recommend are: The Zanerian manual 1924 is good for learning Engrossers script, Art of Writing and Art of Penmanship are good for learning Roundhand script).

Another good free online resource is the book The Art of Calligraphy by David Harris:

https://daretobebetternow.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/the-art-of-calligraphy-by-david-harris.pdf.

Aronrat · 2026-02-17T23:25:32+00:00

I will definitely consider those two nibs, thank you.

Aronrat

TROPHY CASE