Essays & General Comments 07-11-12 PILOT PARALLEL PEN (November 12, 2007)
I have heard calligraphers raving on about these pens for a while now, but they retail at about £8/9 and it takes a cartridge, so I have always hung back. Anyway Craft Creations were selling them off - reduced, and I was in credit with them, so I treated myself.
This pen is Divine!
I got the 3.8mm which equates to a size 0 nib - the biggest I use - because they had sold all the smaller sizes. I also picked up 3 packs of refills to start me off. They arrived this morning and I have been playing all afternoon. The writing action is unbelievably smooth, it's like stroking silk. I am used to some resistance and feel from the paper when scribing, but this nib just glided over the surface.
I started out with the refills in (as per instructions), but I have just started to experiment. I reckon I can use the 'cleaning' converter to put my own colour in, and I can use the empty cartridges to add ink in too. I have been trying adding my own ink via a tiny little air space in the side of the nib housing, but I have not mastered it yet (that's why the ink looks 'puddled' at the bottom of the lettering) - but at least I know it's possible. I want to have a go with my favourite pearl inks - I think they might need thinning a bit.
I have heard on the grapevine that you can use Twinkling H2Os in nib pens. You need to soften the paint cake as normal - then, when you get the creamy mixture, put a little in a mixing pot (or use a clean margarine pot lid) and add tiny drops of water until it gets to a thin enough consistency to use in a pen. Wicked! Better put H2Os on my Christmas wish list! I have some of the cheap pearl paints from The Works - which are great, but don't have the same depth of colour as the real thing, and there is not the same wonderful deep colour shades.
I am going to start work on scribing a full quote or poem or something tomorrow, so drop by in a couple of days to see how I am getting on.
I love this pen - but I can see I am going to need a thinner nib as well - there are 2 smaller sizes - and I am just going to have to . . .
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