The DIYp Pen: Last Dip Pen You Will Ever Need.

Dip pens are very useful tools, but let's face it. They aren't practical.

Glass dip pens are too wet and if you drop them, that's it.

Steel nib dip pens are better, but hold less ink than a pinhead.

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi or Sailor Hocoro dip pens are great, but they are expensive, especially if you want the reservoir for the Sailor. Lastly, they are limited to the nib you chose for them.

Enter the ultimate dip pen setup:

The DIYp pen.

A dip pen that is so versatile that will become the only one you need:

The whole point of this project is based on low cost and versatility.

You will need:

i. A dip pen set (This is the one I got)

ii. A nib of your choice (I used this chinese no. 6 naginata nib I had lying about, but you can use most no. 6 nibs, I would think.)

iii. Glue (optional)

I ended up using the wooden holder (on the left) because of its girth, but both types work equally well.

This is the most important element of the whole set up. You need a dip nib like the one on the left. We will cannibalize it to make ours (the one on the right) much better.

You will need to remove the "reservoir" from the dip nib. This is what will hold the ink and deliver it to the nib.

These are just friction fitted, so removing it is really easy, and no tools are needed. Just make sure you don't bend it.

Just like you removed the reservoir from the dip nib, you can reverse the operation and install it on your nib of choice. You need to make sure that:

1. The reservoir covers the breather hole and as much of the slit as possible
2. It is aligned with the center of the nib (the tip of the reservoir pointing to the tip of the nib, not to the left or the right of it, as that might lead to leaks or not work as intended)
3. There should be tension between the tip of the reservoir and the nib. If it is loose (if there is a gap between the tip of the reservoir and the slit of the nib below) it probably won't deliver ink well.
4. You can see in the picture showing the underside of the nib that the reservoir is visible through the breather hole and that there is some room for the ink to gather in.
5. When you install it in the holder, it might want to slowly push out on its own. This is because of the tension in the nib itself and depends on the curvature of the nib and the curvature of the holder. If it's constantly being pushed out, you can glue it in place with some epoxy. (make sure you scuff the surface of the nib that will be glued with some coarse sandpaper beforehand, otherwise the glue might just not stick)

This is what it all comes down to. You made it! Now you can enjoy the best dip pen you have ever used.

Before we see the reason why I came up with this solution, let's see the problem.

Using just a nib in a dip pen, is problematic at best.

The nib doesn't hold much ink, the first time you touch it on the paper will most likely cause a much larger amount of ink to be deposited on the paper, and you will need to dip it in again multiple times just to finish a sentence.

PS: The ink is Lamy Black.

Using the method mentioned above, you get:

The nib of your choice: You can use any nib you have, from cheap, generic chinese nibs you get in packs of 3 of 6, to a gold nib that is worth more than most pens. You can choose whatever fits your writing style.

A huge ink capacity: The reservoir holds (as you can see in the picture) a HUGE amount of ink compared to other dip pens. It also regulates the flow, protecting against blobs of ink on the page.

A versatile system: I kept my nib unglued, because I might want to change a nib from time to time. In that case, all I have to do is remove the nib from the holder, remove the reservoir, install it on the nib I want, and simply put that back in the holder.

A cheap solution: The cost can be as low as 6-8 dollars by using a cheap set of fountain pen nibs. And there is no maintenance cost, just rinse it with water.

I hope this helps you enjoy your inks and your overall writing experience.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me.