My pen obsession deepens

So now I'm obsessed with dip pens--those old-fashioned pens that you have to dip into an inkwell. It is technology somewhere between feather pens literally from a bird and fountain pens that contain ink and don't need to be dipped into an inkwell.

This began with my purchase of a trio of Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. That is a fun product--a $3 fountain pen that writes quite smoothly and despite its branding, can be refilled and reused indefinitely. I look forward to running out of ink and cracking one open.

I so enjoyed the feeling of the Varsity's nib scraping across the page that I got an itch to try writing with a dip pen. I bought a set with several nibs and started playing. I've had a blast comparing the feel of each nib. They vary in several ways.

Flexibility: A more flexible nib allows the writer to change the width of the line by varying the firmness of the pen on the paper. A firm nib is durable and works well for non-artistic writing.

Fineness: A narrow or broad line.

Ink economy: The finer and firmer nibs consume much less ink. One of the nibs can go several lines on a single dip.

I understand that dip pens are now used almost exclusively by artists. But I am just enjoying the experience of writing with them. I like the idea of writing the way people commonly did over a century ago. And as far as hobbies go, this is very inexpensive. I bought a set including two handles and six different nibs for about $10. Furthermore, dip pens have an old-fashioned utilitarian beauty to me, like a violin or a trumpet.

I'm interested in eventually playing with a true feather pen like many great minds fidgeted with long ago. I also want to try a glass dip pen. And I might also search around for an inexpensive practical fountain pen for regular use.

Photo from Wikipedia