Dip pen and ink

I got a very nice calligraphy pen set from my Grandpa that I really wanted to try out.  This was an especially exciting idea as I had heard so much about how using a dip pen can create a better variety of line thicknesses and enhance a drawing.  So, with much anticipation, I took my fold-out table and camp stool, my sketch pad, ink and pen set outside to give it a whirl for 30 min.

This is the pen set, by Sheaffer Eaton.  It's probably not their newest model, and upon opening it I discovered that this set had a refillable ink well.  I didn't have any means to fill it, so I persevered with the dipping plan.

And this is the small ink bottle that I had previously from another project.  This is a nice ink to work with.  It dries a little fast for my liking, but I guess the alternative wouldn't be better and likely messier :P

I'm not sure if it was my technique, the pens or a bit of both, but I found the pen dipping thing very frustrating!  After 30min this was all I had:

I tried out the different width pen tips to see the difference but I couldn't get the larger ones to work at all.  I mostly did the drawing with the smallest 0.03" tip.  When I could get it to work it was lovely!  I could work for several strokes before having to re-dip.  Although if I tried to do a straight line, forget it!!  The pen would stop working no matter how much ink I had loaded on it.  

I think I will look up some advice on how to use a dip pen and see if I can learn anything more and improve my technique.  I did really like the way the variable line thicknesses added to the drawing, compared to the drafting pen I used last time.  I'm also going to see if I can refill the ink reservoir for the pen and see if that makes a difference.