Outlands Scribes Handbook
Calligraphers and illuminators use many different kinds of tools in the practice of their art. Some of these are virtually identical to those used by medieval scribes, while others are modern adaptations that help to simplify the work. Presented here is a general overview of the more commonly used scribal tools. This list is not intended to be all-encompassing, particularly as new types of pens, brushes, and other tools are coming out on the market regularly.
Dip Pens
The writing tools of the medieval scribe were primarily reeds, quills, or brushes. Quills are the wing feathers of large birds, such as turkeys, geese, or swans. Reed pens are made from the stalks of the Giant Reed plant. Bamboo may be used similarly to reed. For a discussion of these, please consult "The Preparation and Use of Quills and Reeds" by Donald Jackson in the Calligrapher's Handbook.
The most commonly used dip pens nowadays consist of a metal nib in some sort of holder, most often wood or plastic. Dip pens are most easily classified by flexibility and cut. In order of increasing flexibility, the most commonly available metal pen nibs are:
- Brause
- Tape
- Heintz and Blankertz
- Mitchell (Rexel) Italic
- Mitchell (Rexel) Roundhand
- Copperplate nibs (various- Brause, Hunt, Gillott)
- Speedball (no flexibility data obtained)
Information Sources: Pendragon, John Neal Bookseller
With a more flexible pen nib, the scribe can vary the width of a drawn line more than he could with a stiffer nib. A more flexible nib therefore requires better pressure control than one of lesser flexibility. This pressure sensitivity can be reduced somewhat by changing the angle of the pen to the writing surface.
Pen nibs may be cut square or oblique. The entire reason for changing the cut of the nib is to change the effective pen angle without twisting the hand. Square cut pens are most commonly used by right-handed scribes; left oblique cut nibs are useful for left-handed scribes or for the right-handed with scripts such as Hebrew. Right oblique nibs may be used for the scripts which require a steeper pen angle.
All of the above nibs will fit into a Speedball holder.
Fountain Pens
The most common calligraphy fountain pens are Plantignum (made by Pentalic), Osmiroid, Shaeffer, and Rotring. Some are available with left-oblique nibs for left handed scribes or for scripts written from right to left, such as Hebrew or Arabic. The nibs are generally very stiff, which is an advantage if you tend to bear down when you write. The greatest problem with fountain pens is that most of them take special ink cartridges. The ink in these cartridges is generally a dye-based ink, and therefore it will fade in daylight (see section on permanence). Pigmented inks are the most permanent, but tend to clog fountain pens. It is possible to use fountain pens like dip pens, loading them with ink by applying one or two drops to the nib above the capillary. If you do this, make sure to clean the nib thoroughly. Another option is to purchase one of the refillable plastic bladders that are sold to fit some fountain pens. This will allow you to use whichever ink you choose in your pen, but be careful to use only those that are safe for fountain pens. Calli black permanent ink claims to be made for fountain pens. See the chart later in this section for more information on different brands of inks.
Coating
When a pen is purchased, it frequently will have a coating of oil or varnish which prevents rust during shipping or storage. This coating interferes with the adhesion of ink to the nib and can be removed in one of several ways: a) the nib can be immersed in boiling water for several minutes, b) the nib can be passed through a flame to burn the coating off and then quenched in water to re-temper it, or c) the nib may be dipped in gum Arabic to cause the ink to adhere to the nib.
Tempering
The stiffness of a metal pen nib can be adjusted somewhat by tempering. This involves attaching the pen to its holder and heating the nib end over a flame for a few seconds and then cooling it. The rate of cooling will adjust the flexibility of the nib; rapid quenching in water gives the most flexibility; air cooling gives the least. The success of this is largely a matter of experience.
Nib Sharpening
The purpose of sharpening a nib is to make it give finer hairlines. This is accomplished by beveling the top of the nib above the point where it comes into contact with the writing surface. This is done by turning the nib over and drawing it back and forth over an Arkansas stone or a fine India stone (you can also use an inexpensive ceramic sharpening stone) at an angle of 25 to 30 degrees. See below. Care should be taken that the nib is neither overly sharp nor has burrs left on the edges. These can cause the nib to actually cut into the writing surface. The edges may be 'finished' by lightly touching them up on the grinding stone with a little water for lubrication, or on a crocus cloth
Reservoirs
The purpose of a nib reservoir is to hold ink so that the pen does not need to be reloaded so frequently. Most calligraphy pen nibs can be fitted with a reservoir. Most are fitted onto the top of the nib (Mitchells are attached to the underside). Most are removable for cleaning (except Speedball). The point of the reservoir should be about 2-3 mm above the nib point and should be just barely touching it. Any pressure from the reservoir will cause the nib to spread open.
Loading the Pen
Ink is generally loaded into the pen in one of two ways. The nib may be dipped into the ink or the ink may be loaded from a brush or an eyedropper. The first method is straightforward, but occasionally the pen overfills so that there is a tendency to 'blob' the first letters. This can be avoided by making a few marks on a piece of junk paper before returning to write on the work.
Angle of the Writing Surface
When doing calligraphy, particularly when using dip pens, the angle of the table that you are writing on can have a big effect on how well your pen works. As you can see from the diagram, tilting the writing surface causes the pen to be at a more shallow angle, therefore the ink flows more slowly from the pen, and is less inclined to "blob". Trying to use a dip pen on a flat table causes the pen to be too upright, and gravity pulls the ink out too fast. If you do not have a drafting table that can be set at an angle, try writing on a drawing board propped up with some books. With a large enough board, you can set the bottom edge of it in your lap, and allow the back to rest against the edge of a table. This provides a reasonably stable surface and is great for demos.
Cleanliness
Good calligraphy is impossible to do with a dirty pen or writing surface. Each time you load your pen and before you set it back on the writing surface, check its condition. Does it have ink-sodden paper fuzz or lint sticking to it? Is there a thick layer of half-dry ink on the nib? Is the end less than obviously square? Then look over at your working surface. Is there anything there that ought not be? Eraser dust, the odd cat hair, a bit of the surface that is not properly attached? If pen and surface are clean, make sure that the hand holding the pen has a cover sheet between it and the working surface; the oils from your hand can play havoc with the way inks and colors bond to the surface of your work.
Calligraphy Markers
Most of the felt tip calligraphy markers available on the market are not suitable for use on scrolls. They are made with dye-based inks which will fade very quickly, even if the scroll is kept out of direct sunlight. Please do not use most calligraphy markers for anything other than practice. The exception to this is some of the recently developed archival quality calligraphy markers, available from manufacturers such as Zigg. These markers use a pigment based ink, and state on the marker that they are archival, light-fast, and permanent. Because a marker will never give you as crisp of a line as a quill or metal nib, it is not recommended that you use them for the entire scroll text. These markers are ideal for filling in names and dates on scroll blanks, and for lending to the Royalty for them to sign scrolls. All too often the signatures on a scroll will fade because the Crown used poor quality ink when signing the scroll. If we as scribes do our best to provide them with archival quality markers, which are easy to use and transport, hopefully we can prevent this problem in the future.
Brushes
The brushes you use will depend primarily on your own preference and budget, but don't get too cheap, as you will often get what you pay for. Artist's brushes that are marked "watercolor" and/or "acrylics" will be best; good watercolor brushes are usually made of red sable and are expensive.
Nylon brushes, sometimes called "erminette", are nearly as good and not so expensive. Nothing ruins brushes so fast as not taking care of them. Clean them immediately when you are done using them. Some calligraphers recommend hanging them point down to dry to keep water from collecting in the ferrule. Barring this, they suggest drying them by laying them on their sides. Sometimes the point of a brush will become "bent". Mistress Gwyneth Maeve of Falconguard has discovered that if the "hairs" of a synthetic brush are immersed in scalding water, they can be reshaped. This apparently does not work on natural hair brushes. Another method for reshaping brushes, is to dip them in gum arabic solution, shape the tip with your fingers, and allow it to dry. When you wet the brush, the gum arabic will dissolve, but the brush will (hopefully) retain its new shape.
Other useful tools:
Pencils
Erasers
Rulers
Compass
Templates, French curves, Ames lettering guide, burnishers, X-acto knives, light table