Hobby du Jour: Inky Amusement

Dip pens are the ultimate throwback for the modern writer. Dipping your nib in an inkwell can help you channel the great writers and icons. Ink-stained fingers, crisp paper, a fine point, this is how it was done. Presidential correspondence, scripts, scientific notes, all had to be written down using the ink and point.

I've always had a thing for good paper. Cotton, linen, raw and handmade. The way it feels and the way it soaks up the ink from a good, smooth-writing pen has always made me pause.

I've passed by many dip ink set ups in my time. This past weekend, I finally took the plunge into the inkwell. I got a little starter kit. I also couldn't resist a second, hand turned wooden nib holder.

I have three different nibs, and I've tried them all. I had to wipe them down with alcohol to strip the coating and get the ink flowing. My favorite is the round nib, though the other two fine-pointed ones write fairly smoothly for a beginner. I've got lots to learn. So far it's met my expectations. The control of the flow. The conscious effort to dip and write. To plan ahead.

And I now have another reason to use my most luxurious papers.