Art Supplies and Stationery - Pens, inks, papers, and the like.

[Less Nasty Old Person]

I dont know if this is the right place for this but I got a tachikawa G nib and some India ink. Ive been using it for a while and I do not know if Im misusing it but the ink retention is really terrible, ink flow stops after couple minutes of use if I dont apply pressure and it tends to catch paper fuzz making it difficult to use in a single drawing session. Applying pressure isnt a good strategy cause I mainly use it for cross hatching rather than outlining, so I need to be fairly light handed. Also cleaning it is a pain in the ass. Am I using it wrong? My main go to are pigma microns, I just wanted to become proficient at manga pens as well.

No idea what a tachikawa G nib is (fountain pen?), but have you tried actual fountain pen inks? India ink is carbon and shellac. It's fine for dip pens, but technical pens and fountain pens might not like it as much.

 

[Georgio Cocklord]

No idea what a tachikawa G nib is (fountain pen?), but have you tried actual fountain pen inks? India ink is carbon and shellac. It's fine for dip pens, but technical pens and fountain pens might not like it as much.

Its a dip pen nib for pen holders, the kind japanese artists use.

 

[Godchu]

I dont know if this is the right place for this but I got a tachikawa G nib and some India ink. Ive been using it for a while and I do not know if Im misusing it but the ink retention is really terrible, ink flow stops after couple minutes of use if I dont apply pressure and it tends to catch paper fuzz making it difficult to use in a single drawing session. Applying pressure isnt a good strategy cause I mainly use it for cross hatching rather than outlining, so I need to be fairly light handed. Also cleaning it is a pain in the ass. Am I using it wrong? My main go to are pigma microns, I just wanted to become proficient at manga pens as well.

Those nibs have a very limited ink capacity (most of them anyway. I've seen a few with a tiny holder for extra ink). You have to dip it again when it dries or after a certain point if you've figured out the timing. That's why it's called a dip pen, cause you gotta dip it and dip it again to keep writing / drawing with it. Did you not realize that?

Curious, why do you think cleaning is a pain in the ass? Me, I just had a little cup of water nearby to dip the nib in, and some tissue paper to wipe the nib dry. Worked fairly well. Those things are really cheap so it's not like you need to be super careful with them.

 

[Georgio Cocklord]

Those nibs have a very limited ink capacity (most of them anyway. I've seen a few with a tiny holder for extra ink). You have to dip it again when it dries or after a certain point if you've figured out the timing. That's why it's called a dip pen, cause you gotta dip it and dip it again to keep writing / drawing with it. Did you not realize that?

Curious, why do you think cleaning is a pain in the ass? Me, I just had a little cup of water nearby to dip the nib in, and some tissue paper to wipe the nib dry. Worked fairly well. Those things are really cheap so it's not like you need to be super careful with them.

I thought theyd run out in 5 minutes instead of 2-3, Im only able to get an average of 50 strokes before they run out, my expectation was somewhere around 100.
I clean the nib using a cotton swab dipped in window cleaner, I want it to last a long time so I dont do hasty things like just dipping in water and rubbing it with cloth.

 

[Godchu]

I thought theyd run out in 5 minutes instead of 2-3, Im only able to get an average of 50 strokes before they run out, my expectation was somewhere around 100.
I clean the nib using a cotton swab dipped in window cleaner, I want it to last a long time so I dont do hasty things like just dipping in water and rubbing it with cloth.

Huh. Might try that out. You've made me feel a bit nostalgic for my old pens. Still think think it's way too autistic for such a cheap dip nib but what do I know.

Anyway, if you want more ink you're probably better off with a spoon nib or a Japanese nib, unless you specifically want the flexibility of a G nib.