Calligraphy Pen Maintenance
There are some really beautiful calligraphy pens out there and I suspect that if you own one you take quite a bit of pride in the look and feel of it. All the more reason to make sure that the very best of care is taken with it to keep it in good working order.It is a good idea to clean the pen and reservoir on a regular basis giving them a thorough soaking in a pen cleaning solution. You can also give the underside of the brass flange a gentle shave too with a single-edged razor, removing any dried build up without causing damage to the metal.
With some of the waterproof inks the drying time is quite quick and even the tiniest bit of caked ink will spoil the flow of the ink. To prevent this you can keep a container of water nearby when working regularly dipping the nib and cleaning it dry with an absorbent cloth followed by a check that there are no stray fibres left behind.
Often when you buy a new nib it will come with a thin layer of oil on it to preserve the tip. Before you begin using the new nib you will have to give it a good rinse to clear it off and then thoroughly dry it, again making sure that no stray fibres are left behind.
Careful cleaning of your calligraphy brush is also required. When you first buy your calligraphy brush it will come with a protective coating of diluted glue which will have to be washed off. To do this you shouldn’t hold the brush under running water in case the delicate hairs are damaged. Instead pool the water and slowly rotate the brush without applying any pressure to the tip. Eventually the hairs will loosen completely.
After using a calligraphy brush the ink will have to be cleaned out of it. Particular attention will have to be paid to the inner bristles which will trap a sizable amount of ink. The idea is to carefully squeeze the ink from the middle of the brush to the tip until no more ink remains. After the brush has been completely cleaned you will have to squeeze the brush so that it is shaped back into its pointed tip.

June 20th, 2008 at 11:10 am
[...] Cleaning your calligraphy pen [...]
November 5th, 2008 at 3:43 am
hi
can you tell me if I can buy pen kits,or some how make my own pens .I do wooden pens and want to assemble calligraphy pens to sell or give away to friends .not sure how to get the kits with nibs and add wood to it .I can only find fully assembled ready for sale . All wood sites have pen kits with fountain pens but not calligraphy nibs and I can`t remove the nibs on them .
bob
February 6th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
You can buy just the nibs themselves, however, they are very hard to find. The only place I have ever found them is at a hobby lobby in ohio. Michaels also sells very limited amounts of them too. I moved to California and I have called every stationary supply store within fifty miles and no one sells individual nibs. You might try another on line store, but the quality ones are hard to find. Good luck
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
[...] can also find more calligraphy pen maintenance tips elsewhere at The Calligraphy Pen. Tags: calligraphy pen maintenance, [...]