Art Blog - Calligraphy: A Scribe's Notes

Although I try very hard not to leave my calligraphy nibs lying around with stuff caked all over them, it happens. Practices for keeping metal nibs clean, range from wiping them off with spit to buying commercially available cleaners. Brushes and pens can get expensive so keeping them clean will extend their performance and save money. I found this "recipe" in a calligraphy guild newsletter, sorry I don't know which one and it works so well I had to share it. This cleaning solution is ideal for cleaning metal pen nibs that are caked with lacquer based permanent ink, waterproof ink, gouache, masking fluid and pretty much anything else. It will also work on fountain pen nibs (not gold plated ones), technical pens and nylon brushes. It will dry out natural bristle brushes so don't try. This recipe makes a lot so you may want to halve it. In a jar with a lid, mix, 3-1/4 cups water, 1 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol and 1 tsp. dish washing liquid. All dish liquids are not created equal, Dawn and Sunlight work better, really. Drop nibs, pen parts etc. that need cleaning into the jar, close the lid and swish it around gently. Let the contents soak for an hour and swish it again. You will see the junk collecting in the bottom of the jar. If the crud is really bad you can leave it overnight but not much longer or things will start to rust. I pour the contents out through a small strainer so the nibs don't go down the drain. Catch the used cleaner in a cup or something, you can use it again. Rinse well. Then each one is scrubbed with an old toothbrush. I can't say this enough, dry thoroughly. Nylon brushes can be soaked, being careful to let only the bristles contact the solution. You can "hang" brushes over the mouth of a jar if it's tall enough. Give the brushes a good swish and soak for an hour then rinse really well, shape and dry. If anyone has any other make-at-home recipes for cleaners, let me know.

COMMENTS

 

1

  Nick Matyas ( homepage )

01/12/2010 * 15:45:30

I like your posting.
Thanks for your posting.

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2

  Jon

08/09/2009 * 18:22:44

You could do this, and it works quite well, but in a pinch just mix up some Windex and some 92% rubbing alcohol, it works wonders. Most of my inks are completely water-soluble, but my india inks are impossible to wash with water so a solution such as this works great!

 

3

  Marilyn New

05/19/2009 * 08:01:14

To be truthful, I always wash off my nibs so they stay clean. I keep Master's brush cleaner within reach for my brushes and if they are really bad, such as when I forgot acrylic on a brush and it felt like a pencil when I found it, I use Lowe-Cornell brush cleaner. It totally revived the brush and made it like new. It only takes a short moment to leave my tools clean and I'm the kind of person who would rather clean it at the time I'm using it. It doesn't feel like a job then. When in desperation, I use my ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and it pretty much cleans everything. I use the ammonia and alcohol solution mentioned above for this. Thanks for your blog.

 

4

  Sharon Thomas ( homepage )

02/27/2009 * 12:32:08

I just found your blog...thank you, thank you for the tips I've gotten in just a brief 5 minutes of reading! You are great!

 

5

  Marilyn New

01/23/2009 * 15:54:16

Minus the diswashing liquid, I've used this solution for cleaning my home for eons. I use 1/4 cup of the mixture in a quart spray bottle and it works quite well. Not all cleaners are created equal - - - most are much more expensive and sticky and smelly.

 

6

  Madeline Faiella ( homepage )

01/15/2009 * 22:58:43

Thanks for this solution Mary. I am going to look around here and see what I can clean!!!!

 

7

  ArtId Staff ( homepage )

09/15/2008 * 12:00:07

Not sure if this will work, but I cleaned some jewelery the other day and realized that a well cleaned out jewelery cleaner container would be perfect to use. It has a basket that makes placing and removing nibs into the cleaner very easy and neat.

 

8

  Alice Young ( homepage )

09/10/2008 * 18:53:58

I've just had a question on my blog regarding this; so I'll be sharing your link on my blog! Thanks for posting this!

 

9

  Jessica Greenlee ( homepage )

09/08/2008 * 18:56:53

Ooh, thanks! I'll have to try this!

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