Pen and ink

“ The pen itself is like any other gold pen, but the barrel is full of ink. A little tube carries the ink to the point, and the slight bending back of the pen as one writes lets it run out upon the paper. At the end of the slit, at the back of the pen, is a hole to let air into the barrel as the ink runs out. A perfect fountain pen ought to be prepared to write—without shaking—whenever the cap is taken off, and not to refuse to work so long as a drop of ink remains in the barrel. ”

“ In applying the ink to the bow-pen as to all other instruments, care must be taken that the ink lies between the points only and not on the outside, for in the latter case the ink will flow down too freely and make a broad, ragged line, perhaps getting on the edge of the square blade or triangle, and causing a blot of ink on the drawing. ”

“ The requisites of a good black writing ink or black writing fluid require it to flow readily from the pen, to indicate in a short time a black color and to penetrate the paper to an appreciable degree, and more important than all the rest, to be of great durability. When kept in a closed vessel no sediment of any account should be precipitated, although such will be the case in open ink-wells, and this the quicker the more the air is permitted to get to it. ”

“ After the lines have dried, cross them with a wet brush; if they wash readily, the ink is too soft; if they resist the water for a time and then wash tardily, the ink is good.
Care must be exercised not to overload the pen with ink, and, like the pencil, the pen should always be moved from left to right and from the bottom to the top of the board. When inking, both “nibs” of the pen point must rest evenly on the paper and the pen be pressed only lightly against the T-square. Never ink any portion of a drawing until the penciling is complete. ”

“ Very frequently it happens that so much of the size and the superficial layer of fibres must be removed that the mark of the ink can be distinctly seen on the reverse side of the paper, and the lines have a distinct border which makes them broader than in the same writing under normal conditions. If a sharp pen be used there is great likelihood that a hole will be made in the paper, or a sputter thrown over the parts adjacent to the erasure. ”

“ In modern fountain pens a feed bar conveys, by capillary action, a fresh supply of ink to replace that which has been left on the paper in the act of writing, means being also provided by which air can pass into the reservoir and fill the space left empty by the outflowing ink. In another form of reservoir pen, which is usually distinguished by the name stylograph, there is no nib. but the ink flows out through a minute hole at the end of the holder, which terminates in a conical point. ”

“ The other period was that in which written characters were made with liquids or paints of any kind or color. The liquids (inks) were used in connection with a pen manufactured from a reed (calamus) , while the paints were "painted" on the various substances with a brush. The writing executed with both of these instruments was on materials like the bark of trees, cloth, skins, papyrus, vellum, etc.
The ancient as well as modern pens, though of many sorts and kinds, are to be classified under two general heads, those which scratch and those which use an ink. ”

“ All these precautions may make tampering with the amount more difficult for a clumsy novice, but it only imposes a few moments' more work upon the accomplished manipulator. He takes his strong solution of chloride of lime and rain water, or other prepared chemicals, and with a pen suited to the purpose, by neutralizing and abstracting the coloring properties of the ink, he carefully obliterates such portions of the lines in the figures and written amounts as suits his purpose, then easily makes the alteration he desires, the red ink coming out as readily as black. ”

“ Before starting, the pen should always be tried upon a piece of loose paper, to test the thickness of the line, and also to see if the ink in the pen is not too thick or too thin: if too thick, it will not work evenly, while, if too thin, it will flow too rapidly, and run upon a color ground as if on blotting paper. ”

“ For clear, sharp writing it is practically essential that there should be no ink on the back of the nib. A small piece of linen, free from fluff, should be kept for a pen-wiper, and the back of the pen should be wiped before commencing to write. The ink should be kept free from pieces of fluff or small hairs, as if these get into the pen it is impossible to produce good writing. ”

“ A good fluid waterproof drawing ink should be used. Care should be taken to procure one that will not thicken either in the bottle or in the pen. It is a great fault with some inks that, although they do not seem to thicken very much in the bottle, they do so in the pen. When this is the case, good writing is almost impossible. One cannot produce good writing if one has to stop every little while to wash out one’s pen. Besides, when the ink is beginning to thicken, clear, sharp writing becomes impossible. ”

“ The cumbrousness of our method of writing no doubt strikes us all at times. In our mechanical age it is wonderful that no further advance has yet been made towards simplicity. What an apparatus is this of pen, ink and paper! The invention of steel pens goes but a little way to wards improvement. ”

“ Under the microscope tracing by the pen-nibs are usually easily visible, and they differ with every variety of pen employed. A stiff, fine-pointed pen makes two comparatively deep lines a short distance apart, which appear blacker in the writing than the space between them, because they fill with ink, which afterwards dries and produces a thicker layer of black sediment than those elsewhere. ”

“ It is a good thing to accustom yourself to hew and shape your drawing out of a dirty piece of paper. When you have got it as right as you can, take a quill pen, not very fine at the point; rest your hand on a book about an inch and a half thick, so as to hold the pen long; and go over your pencil outline with ink, raising your pen point as seldom as possible, and never leaning more heavily on one part of the line than on another. In most outline drawings of the present day, parts of the curves are thickened to give an effect of shade ”

“ When mixed to the requisite thickness, which may be ascertained by drawing a line with a common pen, it should be covered to protect it from the particles of dust floating about the room. Ink should be rubbed up perfectly black, for pale ink makes the boldest drawing look weak. ”

“ The autographic ink is, as a rule, used for drawing or writing on paper, and the result is then transferred to the stone. Instead of this, any litho tusch can be used, but for some work the autographic ink is more advantageous. This ink must be thin, run easily, but not patchily, from the pen, and must keep for a long time equal in quality and action. It is very advantageous that specially-prepared paper is not required, since this always makes the work more difficult; firm, hard writing-paper is quite good enough for this work. ”

“ If you look closely at the outside of a steel pen just above the nib, you will see that across it run tiny lines. They have a use, for they hold the ink back so that it will not roll down in drops, and they help to make the point more springy and easier to write with.
The pen must be slit up from the point. This is done by a machine, and a most accurate one, for the cut must go exactly through the center of the point and not reach beyond the little hole that was punched. Only one thing is lacking now to make the pen a useful member of society, ready to do its work in the world ”

“ Apart from colour there are special qualities which recommend certain inks for limited applications, such as marking inks, ineradicable ink, sympathetic ink, &c. A good writing ink for ordinary purposes should continue limpid, and flow freely and uniformly from the pen; it should not throw down a thick sludgy deposit on exposure to the air; nor should a coating of mould form on its surface. ”

“ Its consistence should be such as to enable it to flow easily from the pen, without, on the one hand, its being so liquid as to blur the paper, or on the other, so adhesive as to clog the pen and be long in drying. The shade of color is not to be disregarded; a black approaching to blue is more agreeable to the eye than browner ink; and a degree of lustre or glossiness, if compatible with due consistence of the fluid, tends to render the characters more legible and beautiful. ”

“ Writing traced with a quill or gold pen dipped in this ink dries to a pale blue color; but if now a heated iron be passed over its surface, or the page of manuscript be held near a fire, the writing will quickly assume a jet black appearance, resulting from the carbonization of the sugar by a warm acid, and will have become so firmly engrafted into the substance of the paper as to oppose considerable difficulty to its removal or erasure by a knife. ”

“ No good waterproof burnt sienna ink seems to be obtainable, but a good substitute can be made by dissolving Winsor & Newton's water color of that name.
Ink lines should be drawn in full strength of color—lines that should be black must not appear grayish, for example—and pens should be kept clean. The same pen should not be used for applying two inks, as the mixture thus produced is likely to thicken or coagulate on the pen. A little black should be added to colored inks that are used in making drawings to be reproduced in colors in order to strengthen the lines for photographic reproduction. ”

“ A steel pen during use injures, and often greatly, the durability of a writing ink by giving up iron to it.
" 'For your purpose, where extreme permanency is the first requisition, I should not advise the use of an ordinary writing fluid. Many manufacturers cannot obtain sufficient fluidity in their writing fluids without making their inks very dilute, and observing a particular method of manufacture which, although providing more attained color for a time, sacrifices the permanent quality of their color in a great measure. ”

“ A species of disintegration and decay is now progressing and when approximately forty years of age, has destroyed all ink qualities.
If, however, "chemical writing fluid" is first treated by exposure to the fumes of an ammoniacal gas, a "browning" of the ink occurs, not only of the pen tracks but of the entire ink mark. If examined now with a lens, the ink is found to be thin enough to permit the fibre of the paper to be seen through it, thus indicating artificial age. ”

“ The majority of these inks unquestionably belong to the "gall" class and if prepared after the formulas utilized in preceding centuries should indicate like color phenomena. As these same peculiarities exist on both paper, vellum and parchment, it cannot be attributed to their use. Investigations in many instances of the writings indicate the exercise of a more rapid pen movement and a consequent employment of inks of greater fluidity than those of an earlier history. Such fluidity could only be obtained by a reduction of the quantity of gummy vehicles together with an increase of ink acidity. ”

“ Write, draw, or trace the original with a steel pen and the ink, on well calendered paper, not too thick. For drawing, a fine pen is the best. Then lay it, written side up, in a shallow dish, cover the paper with the transfer solution, leave it from four to five minutes. If the writing is several days old, leave it longer—about ten minutes. Lay it between blotting paper and dry gently by rubbing with the hand or a cloth. Then lay it, written side down, upon the polished plate, pass it from four to six times under the iron roller, having first placed a pasteboard over it. ”

“ But the ink does not agree with this. Illiterate people usually buy their ink in penny bottles. Now, this envelop is addressed with Draper's dichroic ink,—a superior office ink, sold only in large bottles,—and the red ink in which the note is written is an unfixed scarlet ink, such as is used by draughtsmen, and has been used, as you can see, in a stylographic pen.
"But the most interesting thing about this letter is the design drawn at the top. In an artistic sense, the man could not draw, and the anatomical details of the skull are ridiculous. Yet the drawing is very neat. ”

“ These ink-wells with rubber tops can be obtained for about one shilling each, but for staff and committee use a better variety should be ordered as the rubber degenerates quickly under the chemical action of the ink. Ink-wells should preferably be associated with pen-racks rather than with pen-trays. A rack sorts the pens and pencils out automatically in a visible order, while a tray wastes a large amount of time annually, owing to the groping and examining and fruitless fumblings necessitated before the right pen or pencil is found among its fellows. ”

“ Stylographic inks should not be used upon records, most of them are aniline. The absence of solid matter, which makes them desirable for the stylographic pen, unfits them for records.
Never add water to ink. While an ink which has water as its base might, under certain conditions bear the addition of an amount equal to that lost by evaporation, as a rule the ink particles which have become injured will not assimilate again. ”

“ In going over the pencil work the ink-line follows it in many cases so closely that it cannot assert the characteristics of penmanship. But in making preliminary small studies for a picture with the pen, an artist, feeling less necessity for a certain kind of accuracy, often uses the pen much more freely, sympathetically, and happily because he is actually drawing with it and not merely following over forms determined first in another medium. ”