Plan drawing

paul ron said:
drafting is fun. something i saw on another site, a fellow was detailing a project using a ruling pen. i have these pens in my drawing tools but never used it. instead i learned to use koi nor drafting pens.

after seeing how well the guy did striping with the ruling pen, he inspired me to try my hand at it.

here is a nice basic tutorial for the ruling pen im sure you guys will get a kick out of. perhaps you even have these pens in your collection of drawing tools?

www.jeeamirza.com

Quick Guide: How to use a Ruling Pen — Jeea Mirza

An introduction and step by step guide on how to use a ruling pen or steel pen.
www.jeeamirza.com www.jeeamirza.com

enjoy!
Click to expand...
Those pens are messy. They've long been replaced with technical pens. They typically use a cartridge and India Ink. Rapidograph comes to mind.Screenshot_20250509-095109_Chrome.jpg
 
Hello Shipbuilder,
I find drawing and drafting to be a great way to improve one's understanding of the ship building experience. Here is a good reference for under $20, " LOFTING" written by Allan H. Vaitses ISBN#0-937822-55-8. For a new or experienced builder interested in the how's an why of a drawing and the table of offsets this is a good read.

Ragnar
 
In the past, I have tried those drafting pens a number of times, but they are totally beyond my capabilities, and seemed only good for depositing ink blots all over the work. I use cheap fineliner drawing pens that come in packs from .005 up to .8 mm in each pack, and they work great for me, and are quite cheap as well -
 
Philski said:
Those pens are messy. They've long been replaced with technical pens. They typically use a cartridge and India Ink. Rapidograph comes to mind.View attachment 518772
Click to expand...

Holy smokes! They never were cheap, but almost $200 bucks for a basic set of seven is mind-boggling. There's a lot of different pens for specific drafting applications. The Rapidographs are excellent for general purpose use but ruling pens still have their special uses. As I expect you are aware, a lot of people don't know how to use a classic ruling pen and that's what causes them to have a reputation for being "messy." I don't know how many "artists" I've seen dip a ruling pen into an ink bottle or try to ink against a straightedge without an edge raised or relieved on the underside, and so on. Although I have compasses designed to hold technical pens, there are many instances were a good ruling pen will do a much better job of it. Obviously, one will have to master the classic ruling pen if they want to get into "rivet compass" territory or draw dotted and dashed lines.
 
I can't really imagine how to do a dotted line with a pen, but I can do dashed lines with one. I have no idea what a rivet compass is. I tried all ways with those ruling pens, including puttng the ink between the points with a fine dropper, but still well beyond my capabilities. These are what I use -https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146370744322?_skw=fine+liner+drawing+pens&itmmeta=01JTV4BRX9ZZGEXDA458A24RXP&hash=item2214605002:g:Ok8AAOSwYbBno3x7&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eyH2YeENg4V6bNRJ5zZVeevzKtPPPwdPzVAfR5WqYioH+0ymuabujNXNOEpCpLkxeG6twYwH9Rus4A5JhGHPm4PFTmiGRzrCD7PpgbuZzCgwGlOH2BWtfTar6/nORl+kdixrpdFcNJd4H1eDOvdDGDCx6SCBpJbi0lqszq+IpdhLx6By2w2SgkmNswEZYrMRzxXFnV/8zGcDN3vYVLRD7NZ9o2rkoDjvVg/Y2IT/atObv9FjH7PHDLmIHmNFU/es6K7JLw+HtSbEqXM5vwyRGy3eTorDDgvTCu2S3uslF6fA==|tkp:BFBM6o6v5NZl

£5.29 a pack -
 
Last edited:
Bob Cleek said:
Holy smokes! They never were cheap, but almost $200 bucks for a basic set of seven is mind-boggling. There's a lot of different pens for specific drafting applications. The Rapidographs are excellent for general purpose use but ruling pens still have their special uses. As I expect you are aware, a lot of people don't know how to use a classic ruling pen and that's what causes them to have a reputation for being "messy." I don't know how many "artists" I've seen dip a ruling pen into an ink bottle or try to ink against a straightedge without an edge raised or relieved on the underside, and so on. Although I have compasses designed to hold technical pens, there are many instances were a good ruling pen will do a much better job of it. Obviously, one will have to master the classic ruling pen if they want to get into "rivet compass" territory or draw dotted and dashed lines.
Click to expand...
I have a set from years ago and they're still in great sgape but I don't think I paid anywhere near $200.00 for them. And I clean the nibs in an ultrasonic cleaner when needed.
 
the rapidograph pens come as refilable and disposables. the refillable s are expensive.

but there are so many technical drafting pens out there, no need to spend alot of money. btw ive also had paint pens that are graded just as fine as drafting pens.


but the ruling pen is perhaps in that forgotten art catagory along with caligraphy, oil painting, water colors, sculpting, wood carving, film photograpy. art is morphing everday with new technology so non artists can feel like artists n craftsmen despite their lack of skills.
 
I am a not an artist or trained draughtsman, but the fact that I can produce a decent drawing with common cheap pens certainly does not mean that I am pretending to be a craftsman despite lack of skills. I am skilled in my own way, and maybe a skilled draughtsman could not do as well as me with a plywood drawing board and cheap pens. As with my models, I use special techniques developed by myself over the years,and they have always been based on simplicity, and simple tools.
 
In the past, I tried the two nib pen, and the refillable Rapidograph. The cheap fiber tipped disposable drafting pens have revolutionized things.

The other part of the equation is what you are drawing on. Frosted Mylar is also revolutionary. If you catch a misdrawn line quickly it’s erasable.

Roger
 
I draw on thick white drawing paper, 200 gsm, and even with poor eyesight, it all seems very clear when drawing jet black lines on snowy white paper. I don't feel that modern pens make it easier, it is just that the old professional pens simply made things harder. I am sure that they could have come up with something better 100 years ago, if they had really tried.
A ship model kit may create an illusion that the builder is far better than they really are, but I doubt if that applies to pens. I could draw just as well with a standard steel nib and Indian ink, but it would be slower, because I would have to wait for it to dry, but I dare say that applied to the double-nibbed things anyway. But I am speaking with a mind "unclouded by fact" and probably don't know what I am talking about anyway! :D
 
Philski said:
And I clean the nibs in an ultrasonic cleaner when needed.
Click to expand...

Yes, cleanliness is next to godliness when it comes to technical pens. If one isn't scrupulous about cleaning them after use and before the ink dries in them, that can spell the end of them. I have a couple of Koh-i-noor humidifier pen cases I use for my modern style Rapidograph technical pens. (I don't need two, but there they were for $2 at a garage sale... ;)) The holder holds the pens points down and has an air-tight clear cover that goes over the pens in the case when not in use. It has a sponge in the base which is soaked with water. This prevents the ink from drying out in the pen points. They come up on eBay now and again. Highly recommended.


1746932128150.png
 
The cheapo pens do not need cleaning after use - just put the cap back on, and they last for ages. I took up drawing because of the difficulty of finding illustrations for my downloads that didn't cost a fortune -

Clan Macalister.jpg
Clan Robertson with correct name copy - Copy (Medium).jpg


Donley boiler jpeg.jpg
 
shipbuilder said:
The cheapo pens do not need cleaning after use - just put the cap back on, and they last for ages.
Click to expand...
The modern "felt tip" technical pens are quite good. They've got good tight caps and don't dry out as soon as your back is turned. The one difficulty with them is that their tips will wear and become "round-edged" in use. For many purposes, this doesn't matter to most users. On the other hand, there is nothing that will produce what is known in the trade as the "snap" that is produced by a good technical or ruling pen. So far, nobody's come up with anything that matches the "snap" of a knife-edged pen and the shellac base of India ink on a white background.

Technical drawing reached what may have been its highest level with the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. I believe the below drawings are done on 8.5" X 11" paper. The earlier ones are hand lettered. The advances in duplicating technology now put less emphasis on the need for razor-sharp, high-contrast originals which were essential in the days of blueprinting, but what the old-time draftsmen could do with pen and ink remains today truly impressive.

1746992650003.png
1746992796618.png
1746992997274.png
1746995106791.png
 
As a freshman in Engineering school I was required to take a mechanical drawing course. I struggled to get a C.

I now realize that unlike my other engineering classes, this one actually required some artistic ability that I lack. Fortunately, when I joined the workforce we had dedicated draftsmen to prepare drawings.

Roger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top