The Indispensible Sakura Micron Pen

[Curryman]

If you've never used a Sakura Micron before, they're terrific ultrafine artist's pens that have a wide variety of applications for miniatures painting, from blacklining to dotting eyeballs, and even the odd bit of shading. For more information, check out the article on my blog, The Screaming Alpha.

http://thescreamingalpha.com/2009/06/01/the-indispensible-sakura-micron-pen/

[MadMö]

Ah thanks.
I was looking for a brand name of very fine pens.

[Curryman]

I think the Microns will suit your needs. I'm not sure of their global distribution status, but you might try looking in art supply stores, or maybe craft shops. I've seen them both places here in the US. Thanks for reading.

[Hauptgefreiter]

Thanks, Curryman, for this useful information. I was thinking about using ink pens for technical drawings. They go down to a size of 0.1 mm. I haven't tried this yet, because I'm a little afraid of the ink being too fast flowing. It seems to be different with those Microns

[Schogun]

Absolutely great for eyes. My tips are quickly destroyed doing lining though.

[Grimmnar]

Hey Curryman,

What are your thoughts on Rapidograph pens?
I have one for blacklining and the like. :-)

Grimm

[Bako]

Ah yes, those are some nice ones. I've got a few. Personally I like using them on paper, not so much on miniatures, though that idea for eyes I might have a try. I'll prolly still prefer the very thin brush though.

[Curryman]

Hey Curryman,

What are your thoughts on Rapidograph pens?
I have one for blacklining and the like. :-)

Grimm

Do you mean tech pens in general or the Rotring ones in particular? My stepdad was an architect, so I've been around drafting gear most of my life. I swiped my first pen of that type off his board when I was just a lad.

I have not personally used the Rotrings (too expensive for a hobby tool over here), but I hear from people who use them professionally that they're very nice pens. I do wonder about the durability of the points when doing model painting work, which is MUCH harder on those tiny nibs than the flat smooth paper they were designed for. That's why I like the Microns, which I can usually find somewhat inexpensively and then use to destruction.

[Hauptgefreiter]

Technical ink pens have replaceable tips, so no need to throw away the whole thing. As said above, I haven't tried them on miniatures. Using them in their intentioned way, for drawings, I have made best experience with Rotring Isograph and Rapidograph (only difference is the ink tank, IMO). Their advantage is that they're finer than the Microns

[Melvin]

2.50 dollars O_O (1.80 when buying 12 or more even) they are double that here (3.50 euros) and I eat inkpens for breakfast lunch and supper :\
(talking about the 0.05 ones, 0.1 ones by staedtler are cheaper here but less usefull to me.)

it never even remotely occurred to me to use them on miniatures, Im terrible with small brushes so this actually is a great idea to try out

to the last poster, would you have advisable replacable ink pens ? the ones I tried were horrible and much too wet to properly ink drawings with.

[Hauptgefreiter]

to the last poster, would you have advisable replacable ink pens ? the ones I tried were horrible and much too wet to properly ink drawings with.

Hello Melvin,
unfortunatley I didn't had the possibilites to go through different brands of ink pens. The Company provided Rotring Rapidographs, I own a set of Isographs. As I see it, the Rapidograph provides better possibilities concerning replacement. Concerning technical drawings, I haven't found out a difference in performance. Concerning price, they're not cheap, so this isn't something to invest for one or two projects.
I hope that helps

[warrenpeace]

One thing I noticed when using micron pens for blacklining of 28mm War of Spanish Succession troops around the belting was that the ink seemed to evaporate away if I didn't get a varnish coat on the figures within a few days.  Maybe that was my imagination or something, but I was surprised and had to redo a bit of blacklining.  Normally I blackline with accrylic paint, but I used the micron pens because I was in a hurry and the figures in question had not had black paint put down before the belting was painted.  I'd suggest using the microns as a last step before putting on some gloss coat or dull coat or whatever is used as a sealer, and don't wait too long to seal.

[Curryman]

That's an interesting observation, Warren. I've never waited very long after using the pen before varnishing. Perhaps the ink has a relative abundance of moisture, making it prone to evaporate from a non-porous surface like a mini? I don't know, but I think your advice is probably sound.

[Bako]

2.50 dollars O_O (1.80 when buying 12 or more even) they are double that here (3.50 euros) and I eat inkpens for breakfast lunch and supper :\

Ouch! That's like 7 something dollars (could buy a mini from the UK for that much). I go through mine pretty fast myself. Wouldn't be to fond of em if they cost that much for me