Finish that soda or beer and get writing!
I have been reading about how to make a folded pen for calligraphy from a soda can and a handle (I used an old chopstick in this case). It only takes about 2 minutes and creates a very unique line based on how you cut the tip shape. If you have not seen how to make one it consists of 4 basic steps:
1 – Cut the top and bottom off of a clean soda can and then make a top to bottom cut so you can lay the rest flat
2 – Cut a roughly 3″x3″ square and fold the sheet in half and work the fold line flat
3 – Cut the nib shape (experiment here, different shapes will have an effect on ink flow and line weight)
4 – Insert the handle (a dowel rod, pencil, or even chopstick will work) about half way down the nib and tape around the handle.
You can add a small piece of tape along the writing edge of the nib to help keep the edges tight but place it closer to the back and not near the tip where you will be writing with it (you can see the small scrap in the picture).
Dip in your favorite ink and see how it goes – you may need to adjust or experiment with nib shapes to find the right effect but for a few minutes and a soda can this is pretty cool. The paper here was some Borden & Riley paper for pens and the ink is my favorite – Apache Sunset.