TACHIKAWA

Flex nibs for thin lines

Tachikawa & Co., Ltd. was founded in 1935 in Japan, and is best known for their high-quality dip pens, nib holders and other drawing supplies. Most popular for drawing and pointed nib calligraphy (Copperplate, Spencerian) are the comic nibs, including the expressive G nib with its g-shaped slits that allow the nib to flex under hand pressure. We recommend the slightly stiffer Nikko G for beginners and then move up to the more expressive G Model. For traditional italic fonts, try the calligraphy nibs, available in Type A square tip for beginners, Type B round tip for softer edges and Type C rectangular tip for a full italic effect. Nibs are chrome plated to minimise rusting and sharp edged for crisper lines. The reverse side of the nib packaging shows the marks each nib can make. A dip nib requires a nib holder and most people use a straight dip pen holder and rotate the paper to write, or right handers might prefer a right-leaning holder (oblique) that makes it easier to keep the nib parallel to the slope of the desired writing. Clean residual oil of a new dip nib by a quick exposure to a flame or cleaning with toothpaste. All dips pens work best on smooth paper.