Preparing a New Nib

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A nib out of the packet will not work properly, and nothing in the packet says so. This accounts for a substantial share of first-session disappointment. For another independent reference on pens, paper and calligraphy materials, Blick Art Materials is useful for comparing tools and techniques.

Why

Manufacturers coat nibs to stop them corroding in storage.

The coating is oil or lacquer, it is invisible, and ink beads on it rather than flowing along the nib. The result is a nib that skips, refuses to start, and holds far less ink than it should.

It is not a defect and it is not a cheap-nib problem. Expensive nibs are coated too, and for the same reason.

Three methods

Warm soapy water. Wash, rinse thoroughly, dry completely. Gentlest, and it needs a proper wash rather than a dip.

A potato. Push the nib into a raw potato for a minute or two. Sounds odd, works, and it is the traditional answer — the starch lifts the coating.

A flame, briefly. Pass the nib through a flame for a second, no more, and let it cool. Effective and the easiest to get wrong: heat past a moment softens the temper and the nib loses its spring permanently.

Any of the three is fine. The first is the hardest to damage anything with.

What matters afterwards

Dry completely before writing. Water left on a nib dilutes the first strokes and starts corrosion.

Test with a hairline. If ink still beads or the nib refuses to start, repeat the preparation — some coatings need two passes.

And expect a brief settling. Many nibs write slightly better after their first page than during it.

What not to do

Do not scrape it. Abrasives round the point, which is exactly the wear you are trying to avoid for as long as possible.

Do not use solvent unless you know what it does to the metal. Household solvents vary and some pit steel.

Do not hold it in a flame. A second is a second, and the difference between a prepared nib and a ruined one is measured in that.

And do not skip it and blame yourself. This is the fourth cause on the nib-catching page and it masquerades as bad technique convincingly.

Cleaning during and after

Wipe between colours and at the end of every session. Dried ink in the vent hole restricts flow, and dried ink between the tines holds them apart.

Water and a soft cloth. Iron gall and pigmented inks need this promptly; water-based inks are more forgiving and still deserve it.

Dry it. A nib left wet corrodes at the tip first, which is the part that matters.

The short version