“Rusty nibs! How the internet tells you to care for calligraphy nibs, and what I actually do!” from moonandtide site
So a few options for storing nibs so that they stay bone dry:
store with silica gel
oil them?
storing them separately because rust begets rust
SOOOOO… can I salvage this nib?
There are 2 kinds of rust; surface rust and red rust. AHHHH! It looks red to me but “Nibs are so tiny it can’t be easy to tell the difference, but if your nib is fairly new and has a spot of rust on it, it might just be salvageable. Get an old toothbrush and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, and rub gently (with a drop of water). Surface rust will clean away, and your nib might be ok to use.”(moonandtide)
Apparently I was NOT supposed to dunk my nib in water to clean it. OOPS! My nib went for a thrash and sink in the water as I happily and naively cleaned it. Kinda like I was cleaning paintbrushes in kindergarten. You all know what I mean right?
Here is a video which can be used as a shaming device for my nib cleaning technique.
Is it unkind that I think this is kind of funny? Or is that the best compliment a blog post can receive? I guess we’ll chat about that in our learning pod time. That video did well to explain why the rust appeared, and I can make a connection to what the video said not to do and your analogy of a cleaning brushes in kindergarten. I also like the concept of this post in general. It reminds me of my post about how to photo composition or how to develop film because it reminds us that this is all a learning process. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Elizabeth! I’m sorry to hear about your nib! I feel like I would have done the exact same thing and assumed they were like paintbrushes just like you did. The video you included in your post would have been very helpful before but at least you know now! I am excited to see if your nib survives in your post next week! I hope you’re having a great weekend!