"People who are good at writing are good pens, and good pens are a weapon to disturb good workers. It will soon be comfortable. He is called a talented person who doesn't choose a pen, so there is no way to talk about it! " (Wang's "Pei Wenzhai's Calligraphy and Painting Spectrum") Ancient calligraphers chose and used their own tools very carefully; Similarly, today's hard-pen calligraphers should not be very careless when choosing and using their own creative tools. The following are some experiences and methods I have summarized in choosing and maintaining pens in use, hoping to be a reference for hard-pen book lovers.
Let's first look at the materials for making a pen, the types and forms of the nib.
The appearance of modern pens and the materials used to make their rods and sleeves are varied, but the main component-the nib-is made of metal, which can be used to make the nib, from hard and wear-resistant space metal titanium to expensive gold. Using these rare metals as pen tips is mainly based on the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of pen tips to prolong the service life of pens.
The types of nib can be divided into all-wrapped, half-wrapped and all-exposed. As the name implies, the all-inclusive style is to wrap the nib and tongue in the pen, and only the nib of about 2 mm is exposed to write; The fully exposed type exposes most of the nib tongue; Semi-enclosed is in between.
When choosing a pen, if conditions permit, you can choose a golden pen. The pen tip type can be completely exposed. Because the gold pen is a high-grade pen, it is very fine from the sleeve rod to the nib, and its nib has excellent wear resistance and other properties. The reason why full exposure is advocated is that this pen tip has good elasticity, and the strokes change greatly when writing, which can improve the expressive force of creation.
Of course, not all the more expensive and high-grade gold pens are suitable for us. For example, the world-famous Parker fountain pen is well-made and can be guaranteed for life, but its price is not acceptable to every author. Moreover, its pen tip is delicate and soft, suitable for writing touching and uniform letters, not suitable for writing artistic square Chinese characters, especially for beginners.
As for the choice of full exposure type, it is also my personal opinion. Calligraphy writers can also be selected according to the needs of habits or creative effects.
To buy a pen in a stationery store, you should first choose a pen type according to your own preferences and economic ability, and then choose it specifically. You can follow the following steps.
First of all, the rod sleeve is not damaged, and the nib is the most important. It should be installed firmly and not loose. The size of the metal particles in the nib is basically the same, and there should be no flaws. The nib is close to the tongue. Then put it on the paper according to the writing posture, and check the size of the nib seam and the elasticity of the nib. Finally, you can inject ink to see if there is any water leakage in the water storage skin or piston cylinder; Tap the paper with the pen tip, and no water drops should come out; Mark the paper with "∞" and don't scratch it. Water is smooth; Write a few words according to the habit to see if the change of line thickness meets your own requirements.
It is impossible to choose the perfect pen that completely meets your own requirements, which requires the author to use the selected pen more and practice more frequently in order to master it skillfully and create good works with ease.
Hard-pen calligraphy generally uses black charcoal ink. This kind of ink contains colloid, and when it is used, the pen does not have a sleeve, which is easy to condense and block the nib for a long time, resulting in poor water flow and poor writing continuity. This is a small trouble that hard-pen calligraphy lovers often encounter. At this time, the pen will be cleaned and maintained.
The nib of most pens can be completely detached. We can clean the nib with a soft brush and watering can, but some pens cannot be disassembled or are afraid of damaging the nib. At this time, you can put the pen in a clear water basin, rinse the remaining ink repeatedly, then rinse the nib with a watering can, and pull the fine cotton thread into the gap of the nib of the pen tongue (not suitable for all-round pens) for cleaning. It can also be cleaned in general. But sometimes the residual ink will block the fine cracks in the tip of the pen, and it won't wash off, and neither will blisters. You can put your hair in and wash it.
When using a pen, in addition to regular cleaning, you should also pay attention to the following aspects: First, don't press the nib too hard; Furthermore, don't write on hard and rough objects; After use, the pen cover can protect the pen tip from damage and inject high-quality ink. These measures can protect your pen from damage, prolong its service life, make it serve you in the best condition, and create more and better hard-pen calligraphy works.