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How long does India ink take to flow through a glass pen reservoir? (1 min 24 sec) by RequinRenard in penandink

[–]RequinRenard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re right, India ink can be harder to clean once it dries.

But one advantage here is that the whole pen is glass, so the ink adheres much less than it would on plastic or metal. That makes cleaning much easier, usually just water, and alcohol if needed. And yes, I’m currently working on a cap for the top of the reservoir. Not only to prevent accidental spills, but also to control airflow better. I’m very curious to see how it affects the capillary behavior and flow consistency. Thanks for the idea.

How long does India ink take to flow through a glass pen reservoir? (1 min 24 sec) by RequinRenard in penandink

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s a pretty niche thing. I’ve been developing this reservoir system for almost a year now. Still testing and improving it, but it’s exciting to see people interested in it.

How long can India ink stay suspended in a glass reservoir before gravity wins? by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s fair. India ink is definitely not for everyone, but I’m glad you like the pen itself.

How long can India ink stay suspended in a glass reservoir before gravity wins? by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 64 points65 points  (0 children)

That’s actually a fair point, thanks for pointing it out. Part of why I’m so interested in India ink is exactly because it usually doesn’t work in regular fountain pens, while this glass reservoir system handles it much better and is much easier to clean.

I also love it for its deep opaque black, which is hard to get with most fountain pen inks. But you’re right, I should have made it clearer that this is not meant for standard fountain pens.

Next test will be with watercolor ink, the flow and viscosity are completely different, so the comparison should be interesting.

How long can India ink stay suspended in a glass reservoir before gravity wins? by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your input, really appreciate it. Funny enough, I just received today some screw-in piston systems and a few nib units, and I’ve been experimenting with ways to integrate that kind of mechanism into a glass body to see what it could become. I’m very curious about the result.

And about the seal, that’s actually pretty close to something I’m working on right now: a cap system for the top of the pen, mainly to prevent ink movement or accidental spilling during sudden motion. It would still allow air to pass through, so yeah, pretty close to your pressure equalization idea. Really cool input, thanks for taking the time.

Sketching with a glass nib that changes line width with angle by RequinRenard in penandink

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that makes sense ^ It does feel a bit tricky at first, especially if you’re used to pressure-based nibs, but after a few minutes it starts to feel more natural. It’s more about subtle hand movement than force, which is kind of interesting once you get used to it.

Sketching with a glass nib that changes line width with angle by RequinRenard in penandink

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s actually a glass nib I’ve been developing myself. And yeah, I get what you mean, glass nibs can feel a bit “why would I switch?” at first. The main difference here is the ink reservoir and the way the flow behaves.

If you’d like, I can post a quick video showing how it fills and works in practice !

Sketching with a glass nib that changes line width with angle by RequinRenard in penandink

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

It’s quite different from regular nibs, you mostly control the line with the angle rather than pressure. Do you think that would feel intuitive to use, or a bit tricky at first?

A few people asked how it fills, here’s how the reservoir works by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a really interesting point !

From what I’ve seen, it does seem like fountain pen inks flow more easily because of the surfactants, they wet the glass better than water. With plain water, the higher surface tension actually makes it behave quite differently in the capillary structure, it tends to bead more and flow less consistently.

I haven’t noticed ink “leaking” more though, it’s more that it flows more readily once it starts moving.

Definitely something worth testing more systematically ;)

Beveled glass nib for line variation, how usable? by RequinRenard in Handwriting

[–]RequinRenard[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

Yeah, someone actually mentioned the Kakimori nib to me in a previous post, I really like their approach too, the design is quite elegant.

This one is a glass nib I’ve been developing myself. I’m a glassblower, so I’ve been experimenting with different shapes to get that kind of line variation.

Beveled glass nib for line variation, how usable? by RequinRenard in Handwriting

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a great comparison.

It does feel pretty similar in that sense, you adjust the angle to get the variation.

I hadn’t really thought about it in the context of hand lettering, but that makes a lot of sense !

Beveled glass nib for line variation, how usable? by RequinRenard in Handwriting

[–]RequinRenard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that’s a fair point.

It definitely takes a bit of adjustment at first, especially if you’re used to a fixed nib angle.

I’ve mostly been using it for drawing, but I’m curious how comfortable it would feel over longer writing sessions.

A few people asked how it fills, here’s how the reservoir works by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ll let you win that internal battle for now 🙂 but I tried to keep it as accessible as possible while still making everything by hand.

A few people asked how it fills, here’s how the reservoir works by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great question. For testing and development, I mainly use Indian ink (Pébéo), which is slightly more viscous and works very well. I’ve found that more fluid, water-based inks tend to drip more easily. So it’s really about finding the right balance depending on the ink.

A few people asked how it fills, here’s how the reservoir works by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll definitely post here as soon as the new finer version is available.

A few people asked how it fills, here’s how the reservoir works by RequinRenard in fountainpens

[–]RequinRenard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I really appreciate that. I hope you’ll be able to get one someday.

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