How well our fountain pens dispense ink matters greatly to our writing experience. Many fountain pen users love a nice, juicy nib that lays down wet lines for a smooth and glassy feel against the paper.
Other writers prefer a reduced flow in their fountain pens for more controlled, precise writing. But how exactly do you decrease the ink flow in your fountain pen? Today’s article will cover precisely that.
How to reduce ink flow
You can reduce the ink flow of your fountain pen in several ways. Here are some of the most popular methods to try:
1. Use a dry ink
Sometimes all it takes is a drier fountain pen ink to create thinner lines and slow down the flow slightly in your pen. Some dry inks on the market include the ever-popular Pelikan 4001, LAMY blue or black, and some J. Herbin inks.
2. Adjust the tines
When increasing the flow of fountain pen ink, one would spread a fountain pen nib’s tines farther apart. To decrease the flow, you would have to push the tines closer together. You can do this by pushing the back of the point against a firm surface. Doing so will make the nib bend over slightly and the flow of the ink to the tip slower.
Another way of adjusting your tines is by pushing one tine under the other and repeating with the other side. It helps to have a good loupe so you can check and adjust the tine alignment.
If you’re uncomfortable with making these adjustments yourself, then it is always best to go to a nibmeister so that someone more experienced can handle and adjust your nibs with confidence.
3. Modify the feed
The feed is also responsible for how the ink flows in your fountain pen, so making adjustments here can greatly affect how your pen writes. One way to reduce ink flow is by blocking the airflow on some of the fins of the feed. Silicone grease can be applied to the bottom fins of the feed to restrict air and ink flow. When doing this, be careful not to put ink on the ink channels near the starting end of the feed.
It is worth noting that using silicone grease on the feed is not an exact process that will yield consistent results. Taking it to a friend or someone with more experience may help you reduce your pen’s ink flow more successfully.
And that’s all there is to it! Keep in mind that these adjustments can only do so much to reduce the ink flow in your pen. If you want to use a pen with an even more restricted flow, then it’s worth looking at models with finer nibs and different feeds. Regular use of drier inks will also help in this regard.
For those who want to do the opposite and have wetter writers instead, we talk about how to improve ink flow in a fountain pen in our previous posts.
Happy inking and happy writing!
Written by EndlessPens Blogger Ramona Kabigting
