Nib Cleaner

A common item on a calligrapher's desk is a small container of water. You swish your nib (the business end of a dip pen) in the water to clean it in between working or leaving the desk so ink doesn't dry in the pen.

My friend, MB, who I met at Coloring Camp (a.k.a. Enders Island) had posted on Facebook a nifty, nib cleaning set-up. It was a very simple and clever design. A toothbrush head was snapped off and the head was hot-glued to the bottom of a plastic container filled with water. To clean your nib, you gently rake it over the brush. Sadly, I forgot to write down the name of the calligrapher who had originally thought of this tool, and couldn't find the MB's post.

Edited: Comment from my colleague and "cousin", Alesia.  "I believe it's Carrie Imai who is the genius who did this first. I got one of these in a workshop she taught."

I was hunting around for a small container and telling Himself about this gadget. He had an empty pill bottle and a suggestion.

"Instead of gluing the brush to the bottom of the container, why don't you glue the brush to the side of the container? Then just dip in and out down the side with the brush."

Brilliant! But there's a reason Ma didn't name me Grace. I thought the tall and narrow,  pill bottle was too narrow. I know I'd end up tipping it and would have water flooding my desk.

I needed a more stable vessel. I had a 1/4 cup Ziplock container, snapped a toothbrush head off the handle, and hot glued it to the side of the container. I thought the lid with a small hole cut in it would minimize spillage.

After using the setup for a bit, I decided the lid was more a hindrance than a help. There are times when you know you have plenty of ink in the reservoir, but the ink just doesn't flow through the pen. If you dip the nib in water, just barely break the surface tension of the water, that will get things flowing through the pen. This wasn't easily done with the lid on, at least not for me.