with your own hands.

“Nowadays, few people write by hand. The age of computers, mobile phones and other gadgets seems to have completely atrophied the ability to write with a pen. All the more beautiful. Moreover, with a pen. This is why calligraphy skills become a valuable skill.

Imagine how nice it would be for your loved one to receive a postcard written in a special font and even by hand. You can purchase a fountain pen at an art store. But the above product is rare. We are not talking about companies and types of metal pens here.

We bring to your attention the most ancient natural writing instrument – ​​the kalam (or kalyam). It was used by the ancient Persians and Indians. You will get it absolutely free if reed grows in your area.
Interesting? Well, then be patient and go for the reeds.

Late autumn is the time. At this time it matures completely. Green doesn't suit us.

The prey must be cleared of leaves. Let it dry for a couple of days.

Ready? Take a sharp knife. A pocket bag is enough. Cut one segment first.

Measure from the edge a gap the length of your thumb.

Very carefully, without demonstrating force, we cut one layer of the stem to half its diameter.

We cut again at an angle of about 30 degrees, stepping back a little.

Then we make the cutting angle even sharper.

We give the appearance of a wide flat feather.

We cut off the tip so that it is even. Like this.

We clean up all the irregularities. Then we turn the feather over and cut off the layer, retreating 1.5 mm at an angle of about 45 degrees.

It is better to do this on a table or any other convenient flat support. The finishing touch. Be careful. You need to make a cut right in the middle of the feather.

But first, so that the crack does not spread throughout the reed, it is necessary to do small hole. Ideally, a thin drill is used. But you can pierce it with an awl.

Kalam is ready. Now you will need ink or ink. If possible, you can try to replicate the famous fonts of the Middle Ages. But this is not necessary. Try writing a few letters and maybe you will get your font.

With the help of kalam and ink, you can beautifully sign a card, a note for a gift, or the packaging itself. And what are the possibilities in decor... Good luck!”

Thanks Dmitry! I’ll add on my own that I saw a scribe with a calligraphic pen at the Medieval Festival in Spain. It cost him 3 euros to write a name beautifully on a prepared sheet of paper...

In order not to forget the page address and share with friends, add to your social networks:

Many modern people prefer to use ballpoint pens, but there are those who still prefer the grace, clarity and individual style of fountain pens. Instead of a ball, a sharp pen is installed at the end of such a pen, leaving behind lines of varying thickness depending on the pressure on the pen, writing speed and the direction of specific strokes. Plus, the fountain pen can be refilled with ink multiple times, so it can last a lifetime. However, fountain pens are used a little differently compared to ballpoint pens. Once you learn proper writing technique, you will find it noticeably easier to write with a fountain pen.

Steps

Part 1

How to write with a fountain pen

Hold the pen correctly. Remove the cap from the pen and hold it in your dominant hand, gently holding it between your thumb and index fingers. In this case, the body of the handle should rest on the middle finger. Place your remaining fingers on the paper to stabilize your hand position.

Place the pen nib on the paper. This may seem simple enough to do, but the design fountain pen somewhat more complicated than the ball one. Because of the pointed nib instead of a ball at the end, the pen must be positioned correctly on the paper to be able to write with it. This is the so-called optimal position.

Hold the pen firmly. When writing, there are two ways to control the pen: with your fingers or with your hand as a whole. When you work with a ballpoint pen, it is quite possible to use only your fingers, since thanks to the ball the pen will write in any position. But the fountain pen must be controlled with the whole hand so as not to miss the optimal position. Therefore, use the recommendations below.

• With the pen in your hand, keep your fingers and wrist still, using your whole arm to move the pen as you write. Practice writing in the air first and then on paper to gradually get used to writing with your whole hand.

1. Press lightly on the pen as you write. There is no need to apply a lot of pressure to the fountain pen, however, you should apply some pressure to the nib to get ink into it. Gently press down on the pen and start practicing writing with a fountain pen.

   Part 2

   How to fill a fountain pen with ink

   1. Determine the type of fountain pen. Today you can find three types of fountain pens on sale: with cartridges, converters and a built-in piston system. The difference between the two is the ink supply system and the way the pen is refilled with ink when it runs out.

      • Nowadays, cartridge fountain pens are the most common because cartridges are the easiest to change. To write with this type of pen, you will need to buy ready-made ink cartridges and periodically replace them in the pen when the ink runs out.
      • Converter pens are equipped with a reusable cartridge that is inserted inside. They are suitable for you if you don't mind having to refill the ink cartridge yourself every time you run out of ink.
      • Piston pens are similar to converter pens, except that they have a built-in refill system, so you don't have to replace the refillable cartridge with a converter purchased separately.

   2. Replace the fountain pen cartridge. First, remove or unscrew the cap from the pen, then unscrew its body. Remove the empty cartridge from inside. Then follow the steps below with the new cartridge.

      Fill the piston handle. Remove the cap from the pen and, if necessary, the additional cap on the back of the pen that covers the piston mechanism. Turn the piston position adjuster (usually counterclockwise) so that the piston is positioned at the writing end of the pen. Then follow the steps below.

      • Dip the pen nib completely into the ink bottle so that the ink covers the hole in the base of the nib.
      • Start turning the plunger clockwise to draw ink into the pen.
      • When the ink tank is full, remove the pen from the ink bottle. Turn the plunger slightly counterclockwise again to release a few drops of ink back into the bottle. This will allow you to get rid of any air bubbles.
      • Wipe the pen from ink with a napkin.

   3. Fill the converter pen. Converters in fountain pens come in two types: with a piston mechanism or with a dropper refill system. To refill a dropper pen, remove the cap, unscrew the barrel, dip the pen into ink, and then follow these steps:

      • Slowly press down on the ink tank and wait until air bubbles appear on the surface of the ink.
      • Slowly release the ink tank and wait for it to fill with ink.
      • Repeat these steps until the reservoir is full.

   Part 3

   How to use pen nibs correctly

   1. Choose the right nib for your everyday writing. There are many different types nibs for ink pens which are intended for use in different situations and to create a variety of effects. For daily writing, choose:

      • a feather with a rounded end, leaving behind uniform lines;
      • re small size writing with thin lines;
      • a stiff nib whose halves spread just enough so that it won't break under pressure when you press on it in an attempt to create bolder lines.

   2. Choose nibs for decorative writing. To write decorative or calligraphic handwriting, you will not need nibs used for everyday writing. Instead, opt for one of the options below.

In my Soviet past, the office tricks and tips below were used very often. I also shortened the rods, changed the writing units of the pens I liked, shaded an incorrectly written letter or word...

I came across these tips here Encyclopedia of Technologies and Methods. Let's read, remember our childhood? :)

Hand rest.

Make a springy hand rest out of wire and writing will become much easier. The part of the wire facing the hand is insulated with tape. The stand can be easily removed and put on your hand. Let's add: this trick prevents the paper from getting dirty when the hand touches the sheet, as a result of which the ballpoint pen malfunctions.

Unscrewing tight parts.

When separating tightly screwed parts (for example, handle housings), you can use a small piece of sandpaper.

Adhesive bandage to increase finger strength.

Dried ballpoint.

Do not rush to recharge your ballpoint pen just because the surface of the paste on the open side of the refill has dried out and therefore the paste has stopped flowing to the ball. Drop 2-3 drops of acetone into the rod, and then slightly break the crust with a needle - the pen will regain its previous functionality.

Storing ballpoint pen refills.

A supply of ballpoint pen refills can be stored for years in a test tube with a tight stopper without fear of the paste drying out. If dried rods are placed in a test tube with fresh rods, they soon restore their properties.

Reworking the refill of a ballpoint pen.

If you have a smooth refill for a ballpoint pen at your disposal, but need a refill with a stop for a spring, no problem. Heat the tweezers and use the tips to make two pinch pinches on the shaft.

How to refill a ballpoint pen.

You can recharge the ballpoint pen you like like this: remove it from full rod writing unit. The rod is inserted into the channel of a disposable ballpoint pen or into an empty rod and a thin wire is passed along their entire length until it stops at the ball. Then the structure is placed vertically and after a few hours the empty handle or rod is filled with paste.

Short ball rod.

When you need to reload a ballpoint pen, and instead of the required writing unit with a length of 107 millimeters, there is only an 82-millimeter unit, cut a 32-millimeter piece from the old unit and place it on a short unit. And now you can safely insert the knot made up in this way from two parts into your fountain pen.

Treatment of a staining rod.

After repeatedly refilling the refill of a ballpoint pen, the gap between the edges of the refill and the ball increases and the pen begins to write worse - it gets dirty. This defect will disappear if the end of the rod is crimped. The simplest “crimp” can be a push pin stuck into wood. Place the end of the angled rod in the corner of the button cutout and rotate it using light pressure.

So that the handle does not leak.

In imported ballpoint pens (Hungarian Pax, American Parker), the branded large-volume writing unit can be replaced with a domestic one. It is shortened from back side by 23 mm, the back part 25-30 mm long is cut off from the used unit and a new writing unit is assembled total length 98 mm.

Flawless pen ink.

If a fountain pen becomes clogged and fails, the problem is most often not in it, but in the ink. Having bought a bottle of ink, you need to filter it through a layer of filter paper and then add a teaspoon of alcohol (you can use denatured alcohol or cologne). With this ink the pen will write flawlessly.

Use this tip when you need to refill your fountain pen with ink. A piece of paper will keep your hands clean and will later serve as a cleaning material.

Refilling used markers.

Used felt-tip pens will still serve if they are refilled with ink. To prevent the ink from drying out, you need to store the markers without access to air, for example, in a container with water. Just check whether the caps fit well enough to the body.

(True, I don’t quite like this advice - the ink dries out and gets dirty. I filled the felt-tip pens with simple ink of different colors. You just need to let it drain thoroughly - and use it to your health!).

Multicolor ballpoint pen with pencil.

In multicolor ballpoint pen one of the rods can be replaced with a pencil. You need to remove the writing unit from the used rod and insert a piece of lead 10-15 mm long in its place.

Scraper for graphic and retouching work.

A convenient scraper for graphic and retouching work can be made from a collet pencil and a piece of trapezoidal-shaped blade clamped in the collet. The number of collet jaws should be even; if odd, the blade will bend slightly.

A match instead of a poster pen.

Those who need to write a headline or announcement in large letters can be advised to write the inscriptions using a match inserted into a collet pencil.

Eraser feather.

A piece of eraser with a few notches attached to an old brush makes a great poster pen.

Fountain pen.

Graphic designers often use a fountain pen with multi-colored ink and ink to design artistic posters and panels. After working with such a pen for a long time, the pen begins to scratch and catch on the paper. To correct this defect, take a small piece of fine-grained sandpaper - “zero”, and with pressure (no more than required for writing) use a fountain pen to make about two dozen circular movements. The pen will be polished and write well. Sandpaper Save it, it will come in handy more than once.

Preservation of steel feathers.

All writers are well aware of how quickly steel pens are corroded by ink and deteriorate even if they are thoroughly wiped each time after use. Meanwhile, there is a very simple way to preserve feathers for a long time. New feathers are immersed in the solution for half an hour before use. copper sulfate; they are then taken out so that they remain moist and allowed to dry. Steel parts and nibs treated in this way do not rust or be corroded by ink.

In addition to the above method, there is another one, in highest degree A simple way to preserve steel quills for a long time is to stick the quill into a raw potato after writing and leave it there until the next use. Alkaline potato juice weakens the oxidizing effect of ink on the pen and completely protects the latter from damage.

Removing blots from a drawing.

To remove a blot from a drawing, erase it with an ink eraser, shade the area with a soft pencil and draw the line again. Ink does not smear on graphite. Once dry, erase the pencil with a soft eraser.

Removing ink from a drawing.

You can remove ink from a drawing in this way: clean the defective area with fine sandpaper, and then with the finest sandpaper - “zero”. Next, wipe with an eraser and polish with a smooth, hard object. At the same time, the paper fully retains its drawing qualities.

Cleaning up the carcass with a piece of glass.

Cleaning up ink on a drawing with a piece of glass from a burnt-out light bulb is much better than using a razor blade.

How to remove grease stains on paper.

Burnt magnesia is mixed with such an amount of completely pure gasoline that a granular mass is formed. Gently rub a small amount of this mixture grease stain using your finger, then remove small grains of magnesia from the paper. Fresh grease stains usually disappear immediately, while old stains are removed with repeated rubbing.

Carefully removing lines.

With a small piece of eraser clamped in a drawing pen, you can easily remove a pencil line from a drawing without affecting another one located close to it.

Taken from the section, “Encyclopedia of Technologies and Methods” Patlakh V.V. 1993-2007

I have several “alphabetic” posts, for example “”, “”. There is something missing about writing instruments.

Therefore, today I present a reprint from the wonderful blog “YaSkrepka” entitled “How a fountain pen works.” The article is very good, you couldn’t write it better. As always, I recommend subscribing to this blog.

There are already a lot of posts on YaSkrepka about various pens, including feather ones. How are they arranged? What principle is used when writing with a fountain pen? Reply to this interesting question I found out in the LJ community pen-ru “Pens and pencils.” It turns out that the writing unit of an ink pen can be divided into three parts:

1. feeder-feather block
2. ink tank (disposable or refillable)
3. pen body with cap.

For a classic open-nib fountain pen, this block looks like this:

The diagram requires a little explanation. We all know a can of condensed milk. And probably everyone knows the scheme for drinking condensed milk from a can - you need to punch 2 holes, through one of which you need to drink. What is the second hole for? If this is not done, a reduced pressure is created in the jar without air flow and the liquid (condensed milk) stops flowing out of the jar.

An ink pen is usually done a little differently. To simplify the design, the air supply channel and the ink supply channel were combined into one. And the speed of ink flow (and for different types of pens - for example F and B you need different quantities ink when writing) is regulated by the width or, more correctly, the cross-sectional area of ​​the channel. go to the bottom of the channel and are brought to the feather. Air through the air hole in the pen flows through the channel into the ink container and compensates for the pressure difference. Therefore, the combination of the air intake port, pen type and ink/air channel determines the normal flow of ink.

In addition, two more elements of the pen play a significant role in this - a collector in the feeder and ... ink. The commutator is commonly used in pens with an open nib. Its function is interesting - it is a buffer, a micro-reservoir between the pen and the ink container. These slots hold the small amount of ink that the pen needs to compensate for the writing speed.

Different writing speeds require different ink flow rates. You can “set” a certain average speed, but then when writing slowly the pen will write boldly, when average speed- optimal, but at high speed - there will be gaps in letters. In this case, at a slow speed, the collector draws excess ink into its system of ribs, and at a high writing speed, it releases the accumulated ink using the capillary effect.

Ink also greatly influences the character of the letter. Thick ink in a pen with an EF nib just won't let you write, and too thin ink and a B nib can result in blots and very thick lines.

In addition to density, the wettability coefficient plays a significant role, which is regulated by adding certain surfactants to the ink recipe.

To make it you will need a sheet of paper approximately A4 size and a ballpoint pen. You can take not only regular writing paper, but also wrapping or newspaper paper (you will need a little more of it). A trapezoid-shaped blank with a base length of 14–15 cm is cut out of paper. Glue is applied along the base of the blank, and a rod is pressed against it. After the glue has dried, the rod is tightly twisted into the paper, and the edges of the paper are additionally coated with glue. Cones are formed along the edges of the product. At the bottom, the cone is needed for ease of holding when writing, and top part can be trimmed with a utility knife.

The finished handle can be painted acrylic paint, which does not dissolve in water after drying. The handle can also be pasted over with colored gift paper or scrapbooking paper, as well as a page from a glossy magazine or foil tape. To prevent the paper from wearing out due to constant use, homemade pens additionally covered with transparent tape or varnished.

Wood handle

If you have access to lathe, you can make an unusual wooden pen body. You will need wooden blanks, metal tubes, rod, handle mechanism, glue and sandpaper.

Don't forget that finishing materials may affect the color of the wood. Therefore, test them on waste first - this will help insure against unexpected results.

A saw, a machine, vapors of varnishes and adhesives can be harmful to health if used carelessly, so it is important to remember the safety requirements when working with them.

Syringe pen

A beautiful stationery product can be made from a regular disposable syringe. The nose of the syringe is drilled to the size of the writing unit of the rod. The case is filled with colored gel, rhinestones, and sequins. A rod cut to fit the syringe body is inserted inside. The piston is filled with glue to fix the rod.

Thread pen

A tourniquet is woven from thick threads, and a rod is inserted into the middle. You can take threads of different colors and structures, the main thing is that they are of the same thickness. The plait is woven very simply: one thread is placed on top of the other from the middle to form a square. You can secure the rod in the bundle with a drop of glue.

fountain pen

To make an old-style pen, you need to take a large goose or turkey feather. If desired, paint it any color or several at once. The fluff at the base needs to be cut off and sanded a little with soft sandpaper so that the future handle is comfortable to hold. The tip of the pen must be cut at an angle - it is very hard, and the resulting tip can be used to write.

You can also insert a steel feather into a bird feather and mask the junction decorative material. A feather made in this way will be more durable. And of course, you can insert an ordinary ballpoint into the pen.

Gel pen

It differs from a regular ball one in that a gel rod is inserted into the prepared flask. The gel aquarium pen looks original. To create it, you will need a transparent tube with a wooden stopper, sealed at one end (something suitable can be found in a pharmacy or chemical glass store).

A hole is made in the cork according to the diameter of the rod; the cork can also be painted with acrylic paint. A mixture of water and glycerin is poured into the flask - the more glycerin, the thicker the filler, and the slower the decor will float in the body. We pour glitter, stars, and foil fish into the flask, insert the rod into the cork and close the flask tightly (for reliability, you can secure the cork with waterproof glue).

2-in-1 pen

To create it you need to take a pen and a simple pencil. Disassemble the pen, cut off a part from the pencil based on the length of the pen, and insert it into the pen body. To adjust the pencil to the diameter of the pen, it needs to be planed sharp knife and sand with sandpaper.

Insert the pencil into the body and secure with adhesive tape. Next, we cut the rod and assemble the handle. Now the pencil will always be at hand - with reverse side the pen you write with.

By the way, don’t throw away the remaining piece of pencil, it may still come in handy.

And in conclusion - a pen for spy game lovers

A fountain pen—either a regular one or a homemade one—can be filled with invisible ink. Making such ink is quite simple. The only thing is that you won’t be able to pour them into the rod, because they are very liquid.

There are three most common types of invisible ink and three ways to read what is written:

• diluted solution of copper sulfate - hold the paper over ammonia
• lemon juice - heat the paper with an iron or lamp
• milk - iron the letter with a hot iron.

A beautiful pen can be bought at any store. But if you are a fan of exclusives and a lover of products self made, you can make a one-of-a-kind pen. A self-made piece of stationery will become a unique designer souvenir for you and your friends.