The Gear

Handwriting the Bible using a Fountain Pen

I figured I would let you all know what gear I am using on this project. I use the term "gear" because it sounds much cooler than to tell you I use a pen and paper.  In the end, however, yes... I just use a pen and paper to handwrite the Bible.  Simple enough, eh?  So if you think you need anything fancy, you can rest easy in the fact that if you have the following items, you have what it takes to scribe the Bible by hand:

1.  Bible (You kind of need to know what you are going to be writing...)
2.  Writing Utensil (Pen, Pencil, Marker, etc)
3.  Something to Write on (Paper, Cardboard, Animal Hide, etc)

See?  Simple. 

Well, I never stop at simple, so here is what I ended up with after careful thought and deliberation:

1.  Pens

I am using LAMY Safari Fountain Pens. These guys are inexpensive, write great, and come in a ton of colors. They are very lightweight pens, and I find I enjoy writing with lighter pens rather than heavy ones.  They are also rugged, as they are made of ABS plastic and have nice big wire clips.  You can learn more about the LAMY Safari here:  http://www.lamyusa.com/fountain_main_safari.php (This is the USA site, but you can also go to http://lamy.com for the full German/English site.)  LAMY is a Germany company -- and I am a fan of German engineering.

Both pens have the fine nib and I am using the converter (Z24) in both of them so I can use the ink of my choosing. However, the LAMY ink cartridges work great if you want to stick with those.

I now have two LAMYs.  I started with one, and quickly bought another one. I wanted to have a pen loaded with black ink, and another loaded with blue ink so I didn't have to change ink colors back and forth in the same pen. I have a yellow one loaded with the blue ink (I'll explain the inks later) and a charcoal (matte black) one loaded with black ink.  I love bright colors...especially yellow and orange.  When I found the yellow Safari with a fine nib...I took it home.  The matte black Safari was the one I was originally keen on, but it has been difficult to find.  Once I saw it at a local shop, I knew I should grab it up.  It took a few days to make the decision, but we're only talking about $30 here...so I went for it!  The charcoal Safari has a black nib and black clip.  It is so Tacti-Cool, and if you know me...you know I am a fan of being tactical...even in my writing instruments. It matches my handguns, knives, and flashlights! : )

2.  Ink

My ink of choice is Noodler's Ink.  I am using the Bulletproof Polar Black and Bulletproof Polar Blue. Deciding on an ink is tough stuff...but Noodler's is very well regarded by fountain pen users, and their Bulletproof inks had me sold. You can find out about Noodler's Ink at http://noodlersink.com/. They are made in the USA and there is a color or type of ink to suit you for sure.

I picked Bulletproof because of its uber-permanence.  From http://noodlersink.com/noodlers-durable-ink-classification/: 

• “Bulletproof” refers to any Noodler’s Ink that resists all the known tools of a forger, UV light, UV light wands, bleaches, alcohols, solvents, petrochemicals, oven cleaners, carpet cleaners, carpet stain lifters, and of course…they are also waterproof once permitted to dry upon cellulose paper. 

It may seem like overkill, but hey..this is the Bible we're talking about! : )  In all seriousness, I wanted permanent ink.  I don't really need fraud protection, but it's a bonus.  If you are not aware, fountain pen ink is water-based.  Very few inks can actually be classified as permanent, because the ink is soluble in water. Good if you get some on your clothes, bad if you spill a cup of coffee on your notebook.

I decided to go with the Polar line because it is in fact "bulletproof" but also happens to be freeze resistant.  Again, from http://noodlersink.com/noodlers-durable-ink-classification/:

• “Freeze Resistant Inks” include Polar Blue and Polar Black, which will resist forming a solid mass of ice within a glass ink bottle during most cold weather conditions (though they will form some harmless ice “slush” when very cold). The first “Polar” ink was “freeze proof” to -114° F, but the reformulated Polar inks made from 2006 and later have a faster dry time, better flow rate, and are basic “freeze resisting” inks to avoid expansion barrel cracks in pens and broken bottles in mail boxes on cold days.

Overkill?  Sure. I don't plan on writing in freezing temperatures...but I also don't want to have to worry if I leave my pen or ink in the car overnight in freezing temps.  I live in a colder climate where it is a very real possibility.  I have frozen water bottles in my car all the time.  So...why not?

Most important however...is the Black is black.  It was what I was looking for in a color (or lack of color?) for my pen. The blue is a decent blue. It's not quite as bright as I would like, but it's a good blue nonetheless.

Both inks do write nicely in the LAMY Safari. Flow is good, and they behave well on paper.  There is noticeable nib creep with both colors, but that doesn't bother me much. I can live with that, and even the LAMY ink seems to creep a tiny bit.

3.  Paper

For paper, I went with HP Premium Choice 32lb Laser Paper.  I didn't want to spend a fortune on paper, and after some research this was found to be a good choice for fountain pen writers.  It is thick, and very fountain pen friendly.  I am using both sides of the paper, and there is very little noticeable bleed-through between sides (almost none). I also wanted a paper with no lines.

I decided on loose paper rather than notebooks for several reasons.  First, I wanted to bind the final product, and loose paper is the ticket for that.  Second, I don't have to scribe the Bible in order.  Because I am using individual pages, I can bounce around as I see fit, and just put everything in order as I go. Not so simple with pre-bound notebooks.  Third, it allowed me to find the paper I want. Fourth, if I make a major mistake, I can just re-do a page (front and back) without having to deal with it inside of a notebook.  And finally, the loose laser paper is easily scanned should I want to make a pdf version of the writings for archival purposes.

4.  My Bible

This might sound like the easiest of all decisions to make, but there was some thought here. What version?  Are there copyright issues that I need to worry about?

My final decision was to scribe the version of the Bible I most often read:  ESV.  Are there copyright issues I need to worry about? Yes. However, I researched the fair use exception to copyright and I believe I am okay because this is a project that I am doing for personal use, not to be sold or generate profit, and not to be publicly reproduced or distributed.  You will need to do your own research on this, and make sure you feel comfortable with whatever version you scribe. There are several versions that can be copied without any question, such as KJV or even the modern NET Bible (which is clearly free to reproduce).

5.  My Style

I chose to scribe the Bible in a two-column-per-page format.  Not sure why...it just says "Bible" when I see it, rather than every other type of text that runs across the entire page.

I created a template sheet with lines and markers that I lay under the page I am writing so I can keep a consistent format and my lines don't wander too badly. It's hard to see through the 32lb paper, but I can see it enough to use as a guide.

I am writing in black ink, and using the blue for verse markers and other little items.

I am writing in a standard handwriting style...nothing fancy.  My handwriting isn't super pretty to read, but I figure it will get better as I go.

6.  My Starting Point

I decided to start with Matthew.  No particular reason why, it just seemed like a great place to start. I imagine I'll bounce to the Old Testament for the next book.  Time will tell.  I will say that starting in Matthew was a little tougher than I thought.  Chapter One is full of genealogy...and that' tough writing -- Very hard names to spell and lots of repetition.  Once I got to the story of the Birth of Jesus, it got easier to write, because I could read and write in chunks or sentences rather than almost word for word as I had to do with the genealogy section.

That's about it!  I'm off and running, so there is no turning back now.

BTW, if LAMY or Noodler's Ink or HP would like to sponsor me since I name dropped all of your products...just let me know.  I am sure we can work something out! : )