I recently came across a thread on the Calligraphy subreddit whilst looking for tips on how to load up your nib with ink in the best way (to avoid dumping too much ink when you come to write), and in amongst people suggesting using brushes, using eye droppers, and dipping up to the eye hole in the nib – a few folk were suggesting sushi fish. And it turns out they work really well!
For anyone unaware, these are the little bottles of soy sauce that comes in the takeaway or food-to-go supermarket ranges of sushi packets. They look like this:
They effectively work the same as an eye dropper. The bottle itself holds a tiny amount. Once you’ve loaded up with a little ink, you squeeze the bottle ever so gently to get a little bulb of ink, then just touch it to the underside of the nib (or under the reservoir if it has one).
Provided your nib is properly prepared (cleaned with a suitable cleaner, or toothpaste, saliva… even a flame if your nib isn’t too delicate), the nib will “grab onto” the bulb of ink and draw it in. You will probably find the nib actually draws more ink away from the bulb from the bottle, and you end up with a slight surplus on the underside of the nib.
Give it a shake or two over your main ink bottle to knock off the excess and you’re good to write straight away!
Jim Scribbles 