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Product Help
Instructions and helpful hints for using our calligraphic and bookbinding supplies.
Please check back here periodically, we will be adding to this page as frequently as practical.
Help Topics
Gouache
Instacoll
Manuscript Cartridge Pen Nibs
Miniatum
Pointed Pens
Ruling Pens
Vintage Nibs vs. Current Nibs
Gouache
Which Winsor & Newton white gouache do I need?
- Permanent White is the strongest and most opaque white. Use it for writing in White or tints of white. (Winsor & Newton says their Permanent White has been modified so that it can be used for mixing other colors. )
- Zinc White has always been recommended for color mixing. It has a lower tinting strength.
Which Winsor & Newton black gouache do I need?
All the blacks are a dense black for calligraphy. Ivory Black and Jet Black are generally recommended.
- Ivory Black is less opaque with lower tinting strength and makes brown (warm) greys and sepia tones when mixed with white.
- Jet Black is a rich, deep, opaque black which makes blue greys when mixed with white.
- Lamp Black is a less opaque black of lower tinting strength, giving paler, blue (cool) greys when mixed with white.
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Instacoll
How do I use instacoll?
First, lay the Instacoll. Because Instacoll is an acrylic base, it has a high surface tension which means it is somewhat “slimy” and flows much better from a brush than a pen.
After you have laid the Instacoll, let it dry approx ½ hour. Please note that how long the base should dry before you gild on it, varies depending on two factors: how thick you laid the base and how humid the room is. The loose rule of thumb is that you can lay the gold as soon as the base is tacky. It does not have to “set up” hard or dry completely. If you wait too long, the gold does not adhere.
Now you are ready to lay your patent gold leaf. Use your finger as a burnisher and put two layers of gold on the base.
Use a cotton ball or silk cloth to burnish the gold and then remove the excess.
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Manuscript Cartridge Pen Nibs
I would like to see a picture of the nibs available in the Manuscript Cartridge Pen sets.
We have a pdf file which shows the available nibs.
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Miniatum
How do I use Kolner Miniatum?
Patent gold is recommended.
Apply Miniatum directly to smooth paper (or vellum) with brush or pen. The smoother your paper, the more mirror-like the finish to the gilding. (If you work on textured paper, the texture of the paper may follow into the gilding.) Miniatum will provide the best results when the size forms a slightly elevated bead on the surface. The minimum drying time is 3-5 hours depending on the thickness of the layer of Miniatum, the temperature, and the humidity. (Composition Metals require a shorter drying time.) The material remains open for gilding for the next 20 hours. You may find that you get a better finish with overnight drying. Apply patent leaf by simply laying the leaf on the surface and rubbing the paper backing with a cotton ball. After you have finished applying the gold, press over the surface of the gold with a cotton ball to make sure you have good contact. Burnish with a new cotton ball, one direction only. Loose leaf gold can also be used. Use the tissue from the books to protect the gold leaf when rubbing onto the Miniatum.
Once the Miniatum has passed its open window, gold will not adhere to it.
You can also reference Reggie’s instructions for Instacoll, a similar product by the same manufacturer. He recommends a much shorter drying time for that product.
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Pointed Pens
Why do I have to keep dipping my pointed nib in the ink?
All pointed nibs (pen points) come with a protective coating to keep them from rusting. This coating repels the ink so you don’t get a full load when you dip the point in the ink. You need to remove the coating. The easiest method is to put some saliva on your finger and rub it on the pen point and wipe it dry. (Some points need to be handled with care – they may be easily damaged or have a sharp point.) See if this doesn’t allow you to write a few more strokes before you have to dip again.
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Ruling Pens
What instruction do you recommend for using a ruling pen for lettering/calligraphy?
Unfortunately I don’t know of a printed manual on using the ruling pen. There is information out there, but it usually does not include a lot of explicit how-to instruction. Here are three sources for info:
If you already own Annie Cicale’s excellent book The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering, there are color photos of a variety of ruling pens and folded pens that can be used for lettering along with some examples lettering done with a ruling pen on page 96. There is not enough info to warrant purchasing the book just for the ruling pen page, but the book as a whole would make a fine addition to any calligrapher’s library. (B2811, $17.95 Paper)
Letter Arts Review 13.2 (LR13-2, $12.50) has an extensive article by Paul Shaw, “Demystifying the Ruling Pen,” on the history of the use of the ruling pen for lettering, the types of ruling pens used, and a presentation of the work of master scribes work using the tool. Other articles are on manuscript books by William Morris, a 13th century Book of Hours, Brick Carving by Richard Kindersley, and Sheila Waters on Uncial and Half Uncial.
Bound & Lettered 5.2 (BL5.2, $8.50) has a five-page article Using Pens with contributions by Glen Epstein, Jim Chin and Kate McKulla which includes examples and an exemplar alphabet with ductus.
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Vintage Nibs vs. Current Nibs
What is the difference between one of your current nibs and a vintage nib?
For some of our current nibs, there is stock of vintage nibs available. The vintage nibs will have several advantages.
1. The quality control on the vintage nibs will much better. You nibs will be more precisely made and you won’t get defective nibs, or not nearly as many.
2. Vintage nibs can be sharper, but write smoother, can be more responsive, can flex better. Vintage nibs can be more expensive than currently made nibs, but they can a better value.
3. Simply put, vintage nibs are better made and out of superior materials. They are worth trying. You may or may not find that the difference between vintage and current nibs is important to you.
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