A piece of writing equipment that is made up of only two pieces may seem like a fairly rudimentary and easy to use object. But the calligraphy dip pen can take some getting used to before you even have a chance of mastering it. When you think about buying and using a calligraphy dip pen there are some tips that you should take into consideration.

A dip pen is a kind of calligraphy pen made up with a handle and one of a range of differently sized nibs. The handle may be made of wood, glass, bone, metal or plastic. Some of these nibs have an ink reservoir permanently attached while others have a slip-on version.

The majority of calligraphers choose to use a metal dip pen over, say, a fountain pen because of the range of inks that can be used with a dip pen, inks mixed to different colors and consistencies. Although the name of the dip pen implies that it is to be dipped in ink to charge it, this is not always the case. In fact the dip pen can be recharged with ink by feeding it with a paintbrush, an eye-dropper or a syringe which ensures that you get good control of ink flow.

When connecting the nib to the pen holder you must push the nib firmly into place so that the dip pen does not shake when you write. The nib should be sitting securely between the metal prongs inside the pen holder and its outer shell.

A little word of caution about pen nib sizes. Although they may all range in size from a 0 to a 6, some manufacturers have made their smallest size nib a size 6 and worked up as the number have fallen. Most other manufacturers increase the number size as the pen nib size increases, so a 0 is the smallest and so on. This problem is alleviated to an extent when buying a complete set of pen nibs from the same maker, but familiarising yourself certain manufacturers standards is a good idea.

When buying a new dip pen nib it is advisable to give it a good clean with detergent and water before thoroughly drying it. Many nibs have a thin layer of oil applied to them to protect them in transit and failing to remove this oil will affect the quality of your work.

When choosing a dip pen over a fountain pen, consider the following advantages the dip pen affords you. A wide range of inks can be used with a dip pen. Inks such as India ink, traditional iron gall ink or acrylic inks will work fine in a dip pen while these kinds of inks will clog up and ruin a fountain pen. Naturally, the fact that you can interchange pen nibs gives the dip pen a much greater flexibility over the fountain pen. Price is a third advantage that a dip pen gives you with replacing nibs a lot cheaper than replacing entire pens.

You will ensure the life of your dip pen is a long one if you are diligent in cleaning the nibs after use. Just as important after thoroughly cleaning the nibs is ensuring that they have been properly dried. Nibs are made from metal and you don’t want to find that your favourite Esterbrook nib has rusted between uses.

Buying a good quality calligraphy dip pen and pen nibs will ensure that you will start off with the best possible equipment for producing fine quality work. All that is left is dedicated practice and diligence when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your pens.

Find out more about the calligraphy pen as well as learning abou the range of calligraphy pen nibs available. There are plenty of opportunities for buying an inexpensive calligraphy pen