Evil Mad Scientist Wiki - User contributions [en]

Pen choices

2021-12-23T05:58:35Z

ShelM: /* Alternative tool heads */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [https://www.wilton.com/extra-fine-foodwriter-edible-color-markers-set/609-105.html Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

* Copic Multiliner SP series make permanent markings on eggs, but on *uncoated* glass surfaces such as some Christmas tree ornaments the ink never bonds to the surface. Even 24 hours after application, the ink smudges off with just the touch of a finger.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist). Examples of an engraving on a clear tree ball decoration may be seen [https://imgur.com/45t37ty here] and another [https://imgur.com/cNlKXip here]. Remarkably fine lines may be engraved.
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2021-12-23T05:57:27Z

ShelM: /* Alternative tool heads */ Added links to two images of engravings made with the vibrating diamond point tool.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [https://www.wilton.com/extra-fine-foodwriter-edible-color-markers-set/609-105.html Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

* Copic Multiliner SP series make permanent markings on eggs, but on *uncoated* glass surfaces such as some Christmas tree ornaments the ink never bonds to the surface. Even 24 hours after application, the ink smudges off with just the touch of a finger.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist). An examples of an engraving on a clear tree ball decoration may be seen [https://imgur.com/45t37ty here] and another [https://imgur.com/cNlKXip here]. Remarkably fine lines may be engraved.
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Eggbot Control

2017-12-22T09:58:29Z

ShelM: /* Timing */ Very minor spelling correction

{{EggBotDocs210}}

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

----

== Introduction ==

The Eggbot Control extension is the main Eggbot extension. This is the tool to use when you are ready to "print" your drawing on your Eggbot. It is your plotting "control panel". In addition to plotting, you will also use it to adjust settings for your Eggbot. For example, to control how high to raise or lower the drawing pen.

The Eggbot Control extension presently has eight tabs, each of which is described in its own section below. When opening the Eggbot Control extension the first time after launching Inkscape, the selected tab will always be the "Plot" tab. However, during a working session, Inkscape remembers which tab you last selected and will automatically select that tab upon re-opening the extension.

Values which you specify in the various tabs and set with the "Apply" button will be saved by Inkscape along with your other Inkscape preference settings. You do not need to set these values each and every time you run Inkscape.

== Plot ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-01.png

The function of this tab is straightforward: send your Inkscape drawing to your Eggbot. Simply click the "Apply" button, and plotting will begin (assuming, of course, that your Eggbot is powered up and connected via USB to your computer). If you wish to close the extension, click the "Close" button. To select another tab, just click on the desired tab.

Once you've adjusted the Eggbot control values with the other tabs, you will mostly use this tab and the "Setup" tab in order to load and unload eggs and then draw your plots.

If you wish to plot only a portion of your drawing, consider using the "Layers" tab. To resume a paused plot, use the "Resume" tab.

== Setup ==

http://wiki.evilmadscience.com/s3/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-02.png

The "Setup" tab is used for two stages of setup. First, for setting up the proper pen up and down stops for the objects you will be drawing on. Then, as you set each object up in the Eggbot frame and subsequently unload it, you will again want to use this tab to raise the pen and disengage the motors. (Having the motors disengaged makes it easier to align the object for precise drawing.) Often, you can leave the pen stops unchanged until you switch to a new object whose size or shape is significantly different from what you were drawing on previously

To draw on an object, the Eggbot places the pen in a down position (down stop) and then rotates the egg or moves the pen or a combination of the two. When a section of the drawing is finished and the pen needs to be repositioned without actually drawing, the pen is raised into an up position (up stop). The act of raising the pen is a "pen up" operation; the act of lowering the pen is a "pen down" operation. The physical raising and lowering of the pen is accomplished with the pen lift motor -- a servo -- whose arm (horn) lifts or lowers the distal pen arm. This servo arm has about 180 degrees of travel with 0 degrees corresponding to pointing down vertically and 180 degrees pointing up vertically. The Eggbot Control sets the pen up and pen down positions as a percentage of this range of travel. So, assuming that the servo arm is attached such that it is horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees, then a pen position of 0% corresponds to vertical down (0 degrees), 50% to horizontal (90 degrees), and 100% to vertical up (180 degrees). Odds are, however, that when you attached your servo arm (horn) to the servo motor, it did not end up that such that it is dead on horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees. In that case, the relationship between percentages will be offset by some constant angle. For instance, 50% may correspond to 10 degrees below horizontal. Thus, you may find yourself using percentages that don't fit the description of 50% equals horizontal. That's fine. Or, if you want, you can reposition the servo's arm to give better agreement with 50% being horizontal.

<ol start="1">
<li>The pen's up position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen up position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen up position to be a value larger than the pen down position.</li>
<li>The pen's down position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen down position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen down position to be a value smaller than the pen up position.</li>
<li>Use this item to select whether to toggle the pen's position or raise the pen & disengage the motors when the "Apply" button is clicked.</li>
</ol>

After you have set the desired values, click the "Apply" button. To cancel your changes, click the "Close" button.

== Timing ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-03.png

The "Timing" tab controls how fast the Eggbot's motors and pen arm servo operate. Getting these speeds set to reasonable values will enhance the quality of your plots. Here reasonable means that they are not so fast that slippage or pen skipping occurs, but not so slow that plotting takes too long to be fun to watch. And, you do not want to drop the pen too fast; otherwise, it may damage the pen tip, make the start of a line slightly wider, or cause the pen to bounce and miss part of the drawing (see item 9).

As regards plot quality, pay particular attention to items 4, 8, and 9 below. Item 5 is also significant but not as important as 4, 8, and 9.

<ol start="4">
<li>The "Speed when pen is down" setting controls the maximum number of motor steps per second which may be taken by either or both stepper motors. (Recall that the egg's circumference has 3,200 steps and the pole-to-pole distance is 1,000 steps.) The default value of 300 steps per second is a fairly good choice. If you want to get a quick sketch out as a "draft", go ahead and use a faster value. Also, to get a feel for the effect of different speeds, try comparing a plot at 250 or 200 steps per second with one at 300 or 400. Peck plotting and engraving require much slower speeds than those used for drawing with an ink pen.</li>
<li>The "Speed when pen is up" value controls the maximum speed at which either or both stepper motors can operate while moving the raised pen between locations over the drawing surface. You can use much larger values than the pen down speed without compromising the quality of your plots. However, allowing the speed to be too high may introduce slippage as the egg is rotated.</li>
<li>To control how fast the pen is raised, change the "Pen raising speed" value. This value controls how many percentage points the pen is raised per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to raise it will be (U - D) / R where R is the pen up rate as percentage units per second. A reasonable target is to have the pen raised in well under half a second. (And yes, it would make more sense for this field to be "how many tenths of seconds to take to raise the pen" and let the computer do the math for you.)</li>
<li>As the pen is raised, the Eggbot will pause before initiating another operation such as rotating the egg. The time to wait is specified in units of milliseconds (ms). There are one thousand milliseconds in a second (e.g., 200 ms is 0.2 s).
 Technical note: The delay starts at the beginning of the pen's upward movement, not at the ending, so you may wish to compute the time that it takes the pen to move up. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen raising speed R of 50, and want a 200 ms delay after the pen gets all the way up. Referring to item 6, we see we have (U - D) / R = (68-62)/50 = 6/50 = 0.12 seconds = 120 ms before the pen gets up. Adding the 200 ms pause we want, means we must actually set this value to 320.</li>
<li>With the "Pen lowering speed" timing, the rate at which the pen is lowered towards your egg is controlled. It is important to not drop the pen (i.e., lower it too fast). Also, keep in mind that the Eggbot does not sense when the pen has made contact with your drawing surface: the Eggbot simply lowers the pen until the up/down servo has reached the proper setting (item 2 of the "Setup" tab). Like the "Pen raising speed", the "Pen lowering speed" is expressed as the number of percentage points to move the servo arm per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to lower the pen will be (U - D) / r where r is the pen down rate in percentage units per second. Lowering the pen in half a second or a bit longer is reasonable.</li>
<li>After the pen has been lowered, it is important to wait a fraction of a second before starting to draw again. This gives the pen arm a chance to settle in and recover from any minor bouncing. If you start to draw too soon after lowering the pen, there can be some skipping of the pen tip. To control the length of this pause, the "Delay after lowering pen" value is used. This value has units of milliseconds (ms) where 1 second is 1000 milliseconds. This delay should probably be no less than a quarter second (250 ms) and values as large as half a second (500 ms) are not unreasonable.

 Technical note: As with raising the pen, the delay starts at the beginning, not at the ending, of the pen's downward movement. You may wish to compute the time that it takes the pen to move down. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen lowering speed r of 20, and want a 250 ms delay after the pen gets all the way down. Referring to item 8, we see we have (U - D) / r = (68-62)/20 = 6/20 = 0.3 seconds = 300 ms before the pen gets down. Adding the 250 ms pause we want for settling, means we should actually set this value to 550. </li>
</ol>

== Options ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-04.png

A number of plotting related options are set with the "Options" tab. Most of these options need only be set once and then forgotten. They do not vary as you change your drawing media. Remember that any changes you make will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button.

One important option for owners of the 2009 clear acrylic "Classic" Eggbot is that described in item 11 below. Later versions of the EBB firmware reversed the direction of the egg motor to support the relocation of the pen arm in the 2010 Eggbot kits. Consequently, Eggbot "Classic" owners should check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg)" check box.

<ol start="10">
<li>Normally, the top of your Inkscape drawing will be drawn towards the headstock end of your Eggbot. By checking this box, the motion of the pen arm is reversed, causing the top of your Inkscape drawing to be drawn towards the tailstock end of your Eggbot.</li>
<li>Normally, a line moving horizontally from left to right in your Inkscape drawing will be plotted on your egg by rotating the egg counterclockwise when viewed from the tailstock end of the Eggbot. This action causes the line to progress from left to right across your egg. To reverse this action, check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2" check box. 
''Owners of "Classic" Eggbots -- clear acrylic Eggbot "beta" units from 2009 -- should check this box.''</li>
<li>Had difficulty drawing within the lines when you were a child? Still do? Not a problem! By checking this box, the Eggbot will "wrap" long lines by just continuing to rotate the egg in the appropriate direction. This is especially helpful for drawing patterns on your eggs which look similar to tessellations. The "Eggmazing" extension assumes that you have checked this box.</li>
<li>When checked, the "Start with pen centered" option tells the Eggbot that when you start your plot, the pen is resting at the center of your Inkscape drawing page. For example, if your Inkscape drawing page has a width of 3200 pixels and a height of 800 pixels, then the pen is assumed to be resting at the (x, y) point (1600, 400). The extension will automatically compute the center based upon your drawing's page dimensions. Note that this is a change in behavior from v2.0 of the Eggbot Control extension [1].</li>
<li>After finishing a plot, the Eggbot will position the pen back to the plot's starting position if the "Return to home when done" checkbox is checked.</li>
<li>If you have purchased or built an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] for use with your Eggbot, then use this option to enable the engraver while plotting. Note that when this option is selected, the engraver will be turned on and left running throughout the plot and only turned off when the plot is finished. The engraver is not turned off each time the pen arm is lifted. Use of this option requires version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension. [[Which version do I have|Click here]] if you need help determining which version you have installed.</li>
<li>Fundamentally, the Eggbot only draws straight line segments. When presented with a circle, arc, or cubic spline to draw, the Eggbot approximates the smooth curve with many short line segments that follow the path of the curve. This approximation can be made to appear smoother by drawing even more, shorter line segments. Or, it can be made rougher be drawing fewer, longer line segments. The degree of smoothness is controlled with this option. The smaller the value specified, the smoother the approximation will appear and the longer it will take to draw. The default value of 0.2 is generally an acceptable value.</li>
</ol>

== Manual ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-05.png

The "Manual" tab is so named as it allows you to manually send select, basic commands to the Eggbot. With the exception of the "Check EBB Version" command, these commands are intended to aid in fine tuning your Eggbot's setup for an egg or other object you are about to draw on. To some extent this tuning function of this tab has been supplanted by the "Setup" tab, but not entirely.

In general, you will want to select the operation to perform with the "Command" drop-down list, and then click the "Apply" button. For the two motor walking commands, you can also specify the number of steps to turn the motor forward (+) or backwards (-).

<ol start="17">
<li>Use the pull-down selection menu to the right to choose the command to send when the "Apply" button is clicked. The possible commands are:
<table border="0">
<tr><td>Raise the Pen</td>
<td>Lift the pen to the pen up position. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Lower the Pen</td>
<td>Lower the pen to the pen down position.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 2 (egg)</td>
<td>Rotate the egg forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of rotation from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a circumferential line will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. Note that the motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 1 (pen)</td>
<td>Move the pen arm longitudinally forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of motion from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a segment of a line of longitude will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. The motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Enable Motors</td><td>Engage the Eggbot's motors.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Disable Motors</td><td>Disengage the Eggbot's motors. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver On</td><td>Turn the engraver motor on. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver Off</td><td>Turn the engraver motor off. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Check EBB Version</td><td>Inquire of the Eggbot its firmware version. Use this command before and after upgrading the Eggbot's firmware.</td></tr>
</table>
</li>
<li>When walking either motor, you can specify the number of steps to rotate the motor by. Use a positive integer value to rotate the motor forward, while a negative integer value will rotate it backwards. Remember that for the egg motor, motor 2, there are 3,200 steps in a full rotation. For the pen motor, motor 1, there are also 3,200 steps in a full rotation-- or rather, ''there would be'' if it could travel in a full circle. The travel of the pen arm is, however, constrained by the Eggbot chassis and the typical travel range is 800-1000 steps between the two polar regions. The actual range depends on the exact configuration of the Eggbot and what it's plotting on. Object size, pen type, and chassis configuration will all affect pen-arm travel. </li>
</ol>

== Resume ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-06.png

The Eggbot has a useful feature which allows you to pause and resume your plots. By pressing the PRG button on the Eggbot's EBB (EiBotBoard), plotting is paused. You can then make adjustments including changing drawing speeds and pen up or down positions. After making any adjustments, you can resume the plot by clicking the "Apply" button on this tab. Note that you can even exit Inkscape. The Eggbot Control extension will automatically store plotting information in your drawing file. So, if you save the drawing file before exiting Inkscape, you can later resume your plot by relaunching Inkscape and re-opening your drawing.

<ol start="19">
<li>Check the "Cancel and return home only" box if you wish to cancel the plot after pressing the PRG button on the EBB board.</li>
</ol>

== Layers ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-07.png

By default, the Eggbot Control extension will plot your entire drawing. However, if you divide your drawing into separate Inkscape layers, you can then plot each layer or groups of layers in distinct plotting runs. This makes it easy to plot drawings with multiple colors by separating each color into its own layer. Load the pen for the first color, then plot that layer. When that layer is finished, change the pen to the next color and plot that layer. The only requirement to using this feature is that you begin each layer name with an integer in the range 0 through 100. For example, if you have three layers with the names,

:1 - Red swirls
:1 - Red zig zags
:2 - Blue circles

Then you can plot the two red layers with a red pen by specifying "1" in the "Plot only layers beginning with" field. You can then change the pen to blue and plot the blue layer by specifying "2" in that field. Click the "Apply" button each time to begin plotting of the selected layers.

<ol start="20">
<li>Plot only the layers whose name begins with the indicated number. Any integer in the range 1 through 100, inclusive, is allowed.</li>
</ol>

== * ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-08.png

This final tab is the Eggbot Control's "About" page and shows the version of the extension which you currently have installed. Also, it lists any known requirements, limitations or problems with the extension.

== Notes ==

1. When using the "Start with pen centered" option, v2.0 and earlier of the Eggbot Control extension assumed that at the start of a plot the pen was resting along the line y=500. This was a historical assumption based upon a drawing page with dimensions 3200 by 1000 pixels.

----

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

Eggbot Quality Troubleshooting

2017-11-20T06:57:12Z

ShelM: /* Dry pen */

{{EggBotDocs}}

If you are having quality issues with your prints that might be due to a misalignment of some sort, we hope that this guide will help you to find the source of the problem. This guide contains some helpful pictures that show how configuring the EggBot in different ways can produce different outcomes.

== "Hardware" issues ==

=== Our test file ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1A.jpg

This is the test file that we'll be using for most of the examples. Note that the print quality is fine and consistent. The "O's" have closed shapes, the vertical parts are vertical, the horizontal parts are horizontal, the slants of the "W's" have consistent width, and so forth. (Some of the examples that we'll show later ''do not'' have these properties!) Additionally, one should be able to print an example like this ''several times over itself'' without seeing any variation except that the lines appear darker after each successive pass.

You can download the example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/demo2.zip here].

This was printed with the [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/tinykitlist/171-egg-bot Deluxe EggBot] on a chicken egg with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie.
The egg was oriented with its "fat" side (the side pointing down in the photo above) pointing towards the egg motor (headstock).

The print settings were as follows:
* Timing tab:
** Speed when pen is down: 300 steps/s
** Speed when pen is up: 400 steps/s
** Pen raising speed: 50 %/s
** Delay after raising pen: 200 ms
** Pen lowering speed: 20 %/s
** Delay after lowering pen: 400 ms
* Options tab:
** Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen): checked
** Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg): checked
** Egg (x) axis wraps around: checked
** Start with pen centered: checked
** Return home when done: checked
** Enable engraver, if attached: unchecked
** Curve smoothing (lower for more): 0.2

----

=== Dry pen ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/3A.jpg

A common problem that can happen when using old pens, or pens that have been left uncapped is that the pen does not start drawing immediately when you expect it to. It is ''usually'' easy to fix this problem by taking a scratch piece of paper and, right before you start your EggBot, "bleeding" your pen a little on the paper to get the ink flowing again, as shown below. Sharpie pens last approximately forever if treated well; if it doesn't start drawing immediately, you might consider leaving it capped for a few days and trying again, rather than throwing it out. You might also consider wetting the tip with solvent to reconnect the tip to the ink reservoir in the pen. For example, with a Sharpie you would make a small puddle of Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on a piece of paper. Then you would dip the dried-out tip in the puddle, and then try scribbling on the paper to see if ink flow begins.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1F-2.jpg

----

=== Alignment of the egg in the egg cups ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/15A.jpg

This skewed image is the result of misaligning the egg within the couplers, like so (exaggerated for clarity):

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/15B.jpg

In order to avoid this you should place the egg between the couplers with the egg as flush as you can get it against each coupler. To align the egg in place, turn the egg (or the egg coupler) and watch the egg as you turn it. (You may want to use the "Raise pen, turn off motors" option in EggBot Control to make this easy.) Adjust its position until there is as little wobbling as possible; that is, until it doesn't seem to "change shape" as you rotate it.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1E.jpg

This egg is properly aligned.

----

=== Loose Eggs & Screws ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/17A.jpg

If your plots look like this, with circles that don't close and differing widths of your letter parts, it likely means that something is loose. It can be either the egg itself-- slipping in the coupler -- or a loose screw somewhere on the EggBot. Make sure that the egg has a secure connection to the motor through its coupler, and can't wiggle independently of the motor. And, make sure that the screws on the EggBot are tight and secure (you can also check our troubleshooting guide [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#precision here]).

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/17B.jpg

If the hex screw below the pen arm's hinge is loose, the pen arm will move left and right as the pen is dragged across the egg. Try to gently wiggle the pen arm left to right. With the exception of the normal flexing of the hinge, it should not move at all.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/18A.jpg

In this case, the screw that mounts the distal pen arm assembly to the proximal pen arm (shown below) was loose, with the kind of poor results that you might expect.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/18B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/19A.jpg

The plot above-- where the pen is wandering "all over the place" was caused by trying to draw when the screw that holds the pen was loose (about to drop the pen).

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/19B.jpg

To check if the pen is securely fastened, gently try to pull it out.

----

===Pen arm bumps against frame===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/20A.jpg

Here is the "diamond" test pattern, shown without any major quality issues (for reference). (You can download the example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/SimpleDiamonds.svg here].)

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/21B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/21A.jpg

Here is the same pattern, but drawn with the EggBot misaligned such that the starting position of the pen arm was poor and the pen arm bumped into the tailstock of the EggBot while drawing. When the pen arm reaches the end of its range, it may bend and try to continue plotting there, or the motor may skip a step ("cog") and lose alignment.

If you are having trouble with hitting the sides, check before plotting -- using the manual ("walk motor") commands if necessary -- to make sure that the pen arm has free travel over the entire range that you intend to use. For more information about positioning the pen arm, see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering here].

If the pen moves but seems to just "fall over" without any resistance, you may still need to [[Making_your_first_plot#Drawing_on_your_Egg|adjust your motor current]].

----

=== Vertical position of the pen motor ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1C-3.jpg

The pen motor can be moved vertically to adjust the pen arm for drawing on spherical or ellipsoidal surfaces. For drawing on chicken eggs, we normally position the pen motor about in the middle of the slots as shown here. For a sphere, position the motor at the very top of its slots. For a more elongated egg (maybe a turkey egg?) you may need to go lower yet in the slots.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/11A.1.jpg

If the pen motor is positioned too high in the vertical slots (here, at the top of its slots while printing on a chicken egg), the pen will not make contact over the full surface. To correct this, lower the motor in the slots.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/12B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/12A.1.jpg

Conversely, if the pen motor is too low in its slots, the pen may not make contact at the edges of the plot region.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/11B.jpg

----

=== Headstock / Tailstock position ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1D-3.jpg

When the headstock is correctly positioned, the shaft of the pen motor points ''directly toward the thickest part'' of the egg (or sphere), as shown above.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/13B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/14A.1.jpg

When the headstock and tailstock are misplaced such that the pen motor is positioned too far to one side, you will find that (1) the pen cannot reach the surface everywhere that you would expect it to and (2) there will be some distortion of the print due to the misalignment. For more on positioning the motor see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering here].

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/14B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/13A.1.jpg

A similar condition, in the opposite direction.

----

=== Horizontal position of the pen arm===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1G.jpg

This photo shows the correct orientation for the distal pen arm and pen. Note that when the tip of the pen contacts the egg, the distal pen arm extends out straight and flat, down towards the center of the egg.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/16B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/16A.jpg

If, on the other hand, the pen arm is not horizontal when in the down position, it will cause the drawing to be skewed. (You will see similar types of issues when the pen arm backer is in the wrong position.)

----

=== Pen arm backer position ===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1B.jpg

When the distal pen arm is correctly positioned-- dead flat when it the pen tip is contacting the egg -- then the tip of the pen should point ''directly down'' and towards the ''thickest part of the egg''. If it does not, that may indicate that the pen arm backer is in the wrong position and that you need to move the whole pen arm closer to, or further from, the pen motor.

This pen arm backer shown above is in the correct position, since the pen tip points directly down and towards the thickest part of the egg, when the distal pen arm extends straight out and flat. For more on positioning the pen, see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering our notes on framing].

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/9B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/9A-1.jpg

If the pen arm backer is too close to the pen motor, then you may see this kind of distortion-- curvature of the letters with respect to the pen motor position.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/10B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/10A-1.jpg

And similarly, when the pen arm backer is too far from the pen motor.

----

===Map Projection===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/24A.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/22A.jpg

These two plots show an example file -- a circle inside of a square -- that are plotted on a (roughly) spherical ornament and on an egg. And yet, they don't really look like that-- and this isn't really an "error." While some of the distortion that you see is due to minor misalignments within the EggBot, a more major factor to consider is the change in geometry that comes from projecting our rectangular drawing file onto a non-flat surface. In geometry, this is called a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_projection map projection], and the EggBot uses [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equirectangular_projection equirectangular projection], where distances are mapped directly to angles.

On the sphere, the circle appears (more or less) spherical. The square's top and bottom are straight (when photographed from this particular angle), but the other two sides (longitude lines) do not appear straight (when photographed form this angle). On the egg, the distortions are more severe because the curvature is so different in the two axes. We usually compensate for this (when drawing on eggs) by stretching the design horizontally by about 150%.
(See also [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#ellipses this note] from our troubleshooting guide.)

(You can download the circle and square example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/CircleSquare.svg here].)

== "Software" issues ==

=== Motor reversal issues ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/5A.jpg

Doh! This occurred when the "Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen)" was left unchecked when the egg was positioned so that its "fat" end was on the headstock. This can also happen when the "Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen)" is checked, but the eggs "fat" end is in the tailstock.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/6A.jpg

This [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#mirrored mirrored image] of "Hello World" is the result of "Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg)" being left unchecked while the "fat" end of the egg is in the headstock, and vice versa. If you leave both "reverse motion" setting unchecked, then you will get an [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#upsidedown upside down image].

----

=== Timing issues ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/4A.jpg

This is the result of moving too fast. The "Speed when pen is down" setting was set to 700 steps/s, which is usually too fast to create a neat drawing. The speed of the motor caused the pen to shake when drawing.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/2A.jpg

With the "Speed when the pen is down" setting set to 500 steps/s, while it is an improvement, the pen is still shaking.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/7A.jpg

This can happen when the "Delay after lowering pen" setting is set too low. The EggBot will start to commence the drawing before the pen has actually made contact with the egg, leaving gaps in your drawings.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/8A.jpg

This is when the "Delay after raising pen" setting is set too low. The EggBot will start to move to the next destination before the pen is lifted off of the egg, leaving stray marks.

== Additional resources ==

For more about improving the results that you're getting with the EggBot, please see these additional pages on our wiki:

* [[Framing_and_Pen_Centering|Framing and Pen Centering]]
* [[The_Eggbot_coordinate_system|The EggBot Coordinate System]]
* [[Improving_precision|Improving precision]]

Eggbot Quality Troubleshooting

2017-11-20T06:53:14Z

ShelM: /* Dry pen */ Suggests another possible means of restoring a dried-out pen tip.

{{EggBotDocs}}

If you are having quality issues with your prints that might be due to a misalignment of some sort, we hope that this guide will help you to find the source of the problem. This guide contains some helpful pictures that show how configuring the EggBot in different ways can produce different outcomes.

== "Hardware" issues ==

=== Our test file ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1A.jpg

This is the test file that we'll be using for most of the examples. Note that the print quality is fine and consistent. The "O's" have closed shapes, the vertical parts are vertical, the horizontal parts are horizontal, the slants of the "W's" have consistent width, and so forth. (Some of the examples that we'll show later ''do not'' have these properties!) Additionally, one should be able to print an example like this ''several times over itself'' without seeing any variation except that the lines appear darker after each successive pass.

You can download the example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/demo2.zip here].

This was printed with the [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/tinykitlist/171-egg-bot Deluxe EggBot] on a chicken egg with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie.
The egg was oriented with its "fat" side (the side pointing down in the photo above) pointing towards the egg motor (headstock).

The print settings were as follows:
* Timing tab:
** Speed when pen is down: 300 steps/s
** Speed when pen is up: 400 steps/s
** Pen raising speed: 50 %/s
** Delay after raising pen: 200 ms
** Pen lowering speed: 20 %/s
** Delay after lowering pen: 400 ms
* Options tab:
** Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen): checked
** Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg): checked
** Egg (x) axis wraps around: checked
** Start with pen centered: checked
** Return home when done: checked
** Enable engraver, if attached: unchecked
** Curve smoothing (lower for more): 0.2

----

=== Dry pen ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/3A.jpg

A common problem that can happen when using old pens, or pens that have been left uncapped is that the pen does not start drawing immediately when you expect it to. It is ''usually'' easy to fix this problem by taking a scratch piece of paper and, right before you start your EggBot, "bleeding" your pen a little on the paper to get the ink flowing again, as shown below. Sharpie pens last approximately forever if treated well; if it doesn't start drawing immediately, you might consider leaving it capped for a few days and trying again, rather than throwing it out. You might also consider wetting the tip with solvent to reconnect the tip to the ink reservoir in the pen. For example, with a Sharpie you would make a small puddle of Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on a piece of paper. Then you would dip the dried-out tip in the puddle, and then try scribbling on scrap paper to see if ink flow begins.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1F-2.jpg

----

=== Alignment of the egg in the egg cups ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/15A.jpg

This skewed image is the result of misaligning the egg within the couplers, like so (exaggerated for clarity):

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/15B.jpg

In order to avoid this you should place the egg between the couplers with the egg as flush as you can get it against each coupler. To align the egg in place, turn the egg (or the egg coupler) and watch the egg as you turn it. (You may want to use the "Raise pen, turn off motors" option in EggBot Control to make this easy.) Adjust its position until there is as little wobbling as possible; that is, until it doesn't seem to "change shape" as you rotate it.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1E.jpg

This egg is properly aligned.

----

=== Loose Eggs & Screws ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/17A.jpg

If your plots look like this, with circles that don't close and differing widths of your letter parts, it likely means that something is loose. It can be either the egg itself-- slipping in the coupler -- or a loose screw somewhere on the EggBot. Make sure that the egg has a secure connection to the motor through its coupler, and can't wiggle independently of the motor. And, make sure that the screws on the EggBot are tight and secure (you can also check our troubleshooting guide [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#precision here]).

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/17B.jpg

If the hex screw below the pen arm's hinge is loose, the pen arm will move left and right as the pen is dragged across the egg. Try to gently wiggle the pen arm left to right. With the exception of the normal flexing of the hinge, it should not move at all.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/18A.jpg

In this case, the screw that mounts the distal pen arm assembly to the proximal pen arm (shown below) was loose, with the kind of poor results that you might expect.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/18B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/19A.jpg

The plot above-- where the pen is wandering "all over the place" was caused by trying to draw when the screw that holds the pen was loose (about to drop the pen).

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/19B.jpg

To check if the pen is securely fastened, gently try to pull it out.

----

===Pen arm bumps against frame===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/20A.jpg

Here is the "diamond" test pattern, shown without any major quality issues (for reference). (You can download the example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/SimpleDiamonds.svg here].)

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/21B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/21A.jpg

Here is the same pattern, but drawn with the EggBot misaligned such that the starting position of the pen arm was poor and the pen arm bumped into the tailstock of the EggBot while drawing. When the pen arm reaches the end of its range, it may bend and try to continue plotting there, or the motor may skip a step ("cog") and lose alignment.

If you are having trouble with hitting the sides, check before plotting -- using the manual ("walk motor") commands if necessary -- to make sure that the pen arm has free travel over the entire range that you intend to use. For more information about positioning the pen arm, see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering here].

If the pen moves but seems to just "fall over" without any resistance, you may still need to [[Making_your_first_plot#Drawing_on_your_Egg|adjust your motor current]].

----

=== Vertical position of the pen motor ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1C-3.jpg

The pen motor can be moved vertically to adjust the pen arm for drawing on spherical or ellipsoidal surfaces. For drawing on chicken eggs, we normally position the pen motor about in the middle of the slots as shown here. For a sphere, position the motor at the very top of its slots. For a more elongated egg (maybe a turkey egg?) you may need to go lower yet in the slots.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/11A.1.jpg

If the pen motor is positioned too high in the vertical slots (here, at the top of its slots while printing on a chicken egg), the pen will not make contact over the full surface. To correct this, lower the motor in the slots.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/12B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/12A.1.jpg

Conversely, if the pen motor is too low in its slots, the pen may not make contact at the edges of the plot region.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/11B.jpg

----

=== Headstock / Tailstock position ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1D-3.jpg

When the headstock is correctly positioned, the shaft of the pen motor points ''directly toward the thickest part'' of the egg (or sphere), as shown above.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/13B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/14A.1.jpg

When the headstock and tailstock are misplaced such that the pen motor is positioned too far to one side, you will find that (1) the pen cannot reach the surface everywhere that you would expect it to and (2) there will be some distortion of the print due to the misalignment. For more on positioning the motor see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering here].

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/14B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/13A.1.jpg

A similar condition, in the opposite direction.

----

=== Horizontal position of the pen arm===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1G.jpg

This photo shows the correct orientation for the distal pen arm and pen. Note that when the tip of the pen contacts the egg, the distal pen arm extends out straight and flat, down towards the center of the egg.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/16B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/16A.jpg

If, on the other hand, the pen arm is not horizontal when in the down position, it will cause the drawing to be skewed. (You will see similar types of issues when the pen arm backer is in the wrong position.)

----

=== Pen arm backer position ===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/1B.jpg

When the distal pen arm is correctly positioned-- dead flat when it the pen tip is contacting the egg -- then the tip of the pen should point ''directly down'' and towards the ''thickest part of the egg''. If it does not, that may indicate that the pen arm backer is in the wrong position and that you need to move the whole pen arm closer to, or further from, the pen motor.

This pen arm backer shown above is in the correct position, since the pen tip points directly down and towards the thickest part of the egg, when the distal pen arm extends straight out and flat. For more on positioning the pen, see [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Framing_and_Pen_Centering our notes on framing].

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/9B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/9A-1.jpg

If the pen arm backer is too close to the pen motor, then you may see this kind of distortion-- curvature of the letters with respect to the pen motor position.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/10B.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/10A-1.jpg

And similarly, when the pen arm backer is too far from the pen motor.

----

===Map Projection===

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/24A.jpg

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/22A.jpg

These two plots show an example file -- a circle inside of a square -- that are plotted on a (roughly) spherical ornament and on an egg. And yet, they don't really look like that-- and this isn't really an "error." While some of the distortion that you see is due to minor misalignments within the EggBot, a more major factor to consider is the change in geometry that comes from projecting our rectangular drawing file onto a non-flat surface. In geometry, this is called a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_projection map projection], and the EggBot uses [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equirectangular_projection equirectangular projection], where distances are mapped directly to angles.

On the sphere, the circle appears (more or less) spherical. The square's top and bottom are straight (when photographed from this particular angle), but the other two sides (longitude lines) do not appear straight (when photographed form this angle). On the egg, the distortions are more severe because the curvature is so different in the two axes. We usually compensate for this (when drawing on eggs) by stretching the design horizontally by about 150%.
(See also [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#ellipses this note] from our troubleshooting guide.)

(You can download the circle and square example file [http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/calexamples/CircleSquare.svg here].)

== "Software" issues ==

=== Motor reversal issues ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/5A.jpg

Doh! This occurred when the "Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen)" was left unchecked when the egg was positioned so that its "fat" end was on the headstock. This can also happen when the "Reverse motion of Motor 1 (pen)" is checked, but the eggs "fat" end is in the tailstock.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/6A.jpg

This [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#mirrored mirrored image] of "Hello World" is the result of "Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg)" being left unchecked while the "fat" end of the egg is in the headstock, and vice versa. If you leave both "reverse motion" setting unchecked, then you will get an [http://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/Eggbot_Troubleshooting#upsidedown upside down image].

----

=== Timing issues ===
http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/4A.jpg

This is the result of moving too fast. The "Speed when pen is down" setting was set to 700 steps/s, which is usually too fast to create a neat drawing. The speed of the motor caused the pen to shake when drawing.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/2A.jpg

With the "Speed when the pen is down" setting set to 500 steps/s, while it is an improvement, the pen is still shaking.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/7A.jpg

This can happen when the "Delay after lowering pen" setting is set too low. The EggBot will start to commence the drawing before the pen has actually made contact with the egg, leaving gaps in your drawings.

http://shop.emscdn.com/wiki/eggbot/quality/8A.jpg

This is when the "Delay after raising pen" setting is set too low. The EggBot will start to move to the next destination before the pen is lifted off of the egg, leaving stray marks.

== Additional resources ==

For more about improving the results that you're getting with the EggBot, please see these additional pages on our wiki:

* [[Framing_and_Pen_Centering|Framing and Pen Centering]]
* [[The_Eggbot_coordinate_system|The EggBot Coordinate System]]
* [[Improving_precision|Improving precision]]

Pen choices

2017-11-16T05:10:14Z

ShelM: /* Less-than-ideal markers and pens */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

* Copic Multiliner SP series make permanent markings on eggs, but on *uncoated* glass surfaces such as some Christmas tree ornaments the ink never bonds to the surface. Even 24 hours after application, the ink smudges off with just the touch of a finger.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2017-11-16T05:09:13Z

ShelM: /* Less-than-ideal markers and pens */ Clarified that it is only *uncoated* glass surfaces which will not accept Copic ink.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

* Copic Multiliner SP series make permanent markings on eggs, but on *uncoated* glass surfaces such as Christmas tree ornaments the ink never bonds to the surface. Even 24 hours after application, the ink smudges off with just the touch of a finger.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2017-11-16T02:39:42Z

ShelM: Add caveat for Copic Multiliner SP pens.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

* Copic Multiliner SP series make permanent markings on eggs, but on glass surfaces such as Christmas tree ornaments the ink never bonds to the surface. Even 24 hours after application, the ink smudges off with just the touch of a finger.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2017-11-16T02:32:41Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Note, however, a limitation regarding drawing surface [see the section below on "Less-than-ideal" pens].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Eggbot Control

2016-11-06T09:49:01Z

ShelM: /* Timing */ Terminated paragraph markup to improve formatting and hide exposed-to-view markup elements.

{{EggBotDocs210}}

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

----

== Introduction ==

The Eggbot Control extension is the main Eggbot extension. This is the tool to use when you are ready to "print" your drawing on your Eggbot. It is your plotting "control panel". In addition to plotting, you will also use it to adjust settings for your Eggbot. For example, to control how high to raise or lower the drawing pen.

The Eggbot Control extension presently has eight tabs, each of which is described in its own section below. When opening the Eggbot Control extension the first time after launching Inkscape, the selected tab will always be the "Plot" tab. However, during a working session, Inkscape remembers which tab you last selected and will automatically select that tab upon re-opening the extension.

Values which you specify in the various tabs and set with the "Apply" button will be saved by Inkscape along with your other Inkscape preference settings. You do not need to set these values each and every time you run Inkscape.

== Plot ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-01.png

The function of this tab is straightforward: send your Inkscape drawing to your Eggbot. Simply click the "Apply" button, and plotting will begin (assuming, of course, that your Eggbot is powered up and connected via USB to your computer). If you wish to close the extension, click the "Close" button. To select another tab, just click on the desired tab.

Once you've adjusted the Eggbot control values with the other tabs, you will mostly use this tab and the "Setup" tab in order to load and unload eggs and then draw your plots.

If you wish to plot only a portion of your drawing, consider using the "Layers" tab. To resume a paused plot, use the "Resume" tab.

== Setup ==

http://wiki.evilmadscience.com/s3/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-02.png

The "Setup" tab is used for two stages of setup. First, for setting up the proper pen up and down stops for the objects you will be drawing on. Then, as you set each object up in the Eggbot frame and subsequently unload it, you will again want to use this tab to raise the pen and disengage the motors. (Having the motors disengaged makes it easier to align the object for precise drawing.) Often, you can leave the pen stops unchanged until you switch to a new object whose size or shape is significantly different from what you were drawing on previously

To draw on an object, the Eggbot places the pen in a down position (down stop) and then rotates the egg or moves the pen or a combination of the two. When a section of the drawing is finished and the pen needs to be repositioned without actually drawing, the pen is raised into an up position (up stop). The act of raising the pen is a "pen up" operation; the act of lowering the pen is a "pen down" operation. The physical raising and lowering of the pen is accomplished with the pen lift motor -- a servo -- whose arm (horn) lifts or lowers the distal pen arm. This servo arm has about 180 degrees of travel with 0 degrees corresponding to pointing down vertically and 180 degrees pointing up vertically. The Eggbot Control sets the pen up and pen down positions as a percentage of this range of travel. So, assuming that the servo arm is attached such that it is horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees, then a pen position of 0% corresponds to vertical down (0 degrees), 50% to horizontal (90 degrees), and 100% to vertical up (180 degrees). Odds are, however, that when you attached your servo arm (horn) to the servo motor, it did not end up that such that it is dead on horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees. In that case, the relationship between percentages will be offset by some constant angle. For instance, 50% may correspond to 10 degrees below horizontal. Thus, you may find yourself using percentages that don't fit the description of 50% equals horizontal. That's fine. Or, if you want, you can reposition the servo's arm to give better agreement with 50% being horizontal.

<ol start="1">
<li>The pen's up position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen up position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen up position to be a value larger than the pen down position.</li>
<li>The pen's down position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen down position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen down position to be a value smaller than the pen up position.</li>
<li>Use this item to select whether to toggle the pen's position or raise the pen & disengage the motors when the "Apply" button is clicked.</li>
</ol>

After you have set the desired values, click the "Apply" button. To cancel your changes, click the "Close" button.

== Timing ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-03.png

The "Timing" tab controls how fast the Eggbot's motors and pen arm servo operate. Getting these speeds set to reasonable values will enhance the quality of your plots. Here reasonable means that they are not so fast that slippage or pen skipping occurs, but not so slow that plotting takes too long to be fun to watch. And, you do not want to drop the pen too fast; otherwise, it may damage the pen tip, make the start of a line slightly wider, or cause the pen to bounce and miss part of the drawing (see item 9).

As regards plot quality, pay particular attention to items 4, 8, and 9 below. Item 5 is also significant but not as important as 4, 8, and 9.

<ol start="4">
<li>The "Speed when pen is down" setting controls the maximum number of motor steps per second which may be taken by either or both stepper motors. (Recall that the egg's circumfrence has 3,200 steps and the pole-to-pole distance is 1,000 steps.) The default value of 300 steps per second is a fairly good choice. If you want to get a quick sketch out as a "draft", go ahead and use a faster value. Also, to get a feel for the effect of different speeds, try comparing a plot at 250 or 200 steps per second with one at 300 or 400. Peck plotting and engraving require much slower speeds than those used for drawing with an ink pen.</li>
<li>The "Speed when pen is up" value controls the maximum speed at which either or both stepper motors can operate while moving the raised pen between locations over the drawing surface. You can use much larger values than the pen down speed without compromising the quality of your plots. However, allowing the speed to be too high may introduce slippage as the egg is rotated.</li>
<li>To control how fast the pen is raised, change the "Pen raising speed" value. This value controls how many percentage points the pen is raised per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to raise it will be (U - D) / R where R is the pen up rate as percentage units per second. A reasonable target is to have the pen raised in well under half a second. (And yes, it would make more sense for this field to be "how many tenths of seconds to take to raise the pen" and let the computer do the math for you.)</li>
<li>As the pen is raised, the Eggbot will pause before initiating another operation such as rotating the egg. The time to wait is specified in units of milliseconds (ms). There are one thousand milliseconds in a second (e.g., 200 ms is 0.2 s).
 Technical note: The delay starts at the beginning of the pen's upward movement, not at the ending, so you may wish to compute the time that it takes the pen to move up. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen raising speed R of 50, and want a 200 ms delay after the pen gets all the way up. Referring to item 6, we see we have (U - D) / R = (68-62)/50 = 6/50 = 0.12 seconds = 120 ms before the pen gets up. Adding the 200 ms pause we want, means we must actually set this value to 320.</li>
<li>With the "Pen lowering speed" timing, the rate at which the pen is lowered towards your egg is controlled. It is important to not drop the pen (i.e., lower it too fast). Also, keep in mind that the Eggbot does not sense when the pen has made contact with your drawing surface: the Eggbot simply lowers the pen until the up/down servo has reached the proper setting (item 2 of the "Setup" tab). Like the "Pen raising speed", the "Pen lowering speed" is expressed as the number of percentage points to move the servo arm per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to lower the pen will be (U - D) / r where r is the pen down rate in percentage units per second. Lowering the pen in half a second or a bit longer is reasonable.</li>
<li>After the pen has been lowered, it is important to wait a fraction of a second before starting to draw again. This gives the pen arm a chance to settle in and recover from any minor bouncing. If you start to draw too soon after lowering the pen, there can be some skipping of the pen tip. To control the length of this pause, the "Delay after lowering pen" value is used. This value has units of milliseconds (ms) where 1 second is 1000 milliseconds. This delay should probably be no less than a quarter second (250 ms) and values as large as half a second (500 ms) are not unreasonable.

 Technical note: As with raising the pen, the delay starts at the beginning, not at the ending, of the pen's downward movement. You may wish to compute the time that it takes the pen to move down. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen lowering speed r of 20, and want a 250 ms delay after the pen gets all the way down. Referring to item 8, we see we have (U - D) / r = (68-62)/20 = 6/20 = 0.3 seconds = 300 ms before the pen gets down. Adding the 250 ms pause we want for settling, means we should actually set this value to 550. </li>
</ol>

== Options ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-04.png

A number of plotting related options are set with the "Options" tab. Most of these options need only be set once and then forgotten. They do not vary as you change your drawing media. Remember that any changes you make will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button.

One important option for owners of the 2009 clear acrylic "Classic" Eggbot is that described in item 11 below. Later versions of the EBB firmware reversed the direction of the egg motor to support the relocation of the pen arm in the 2010 Eggbot kits. Consequently, Eggbot "Classic" owners should check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg)" check box.

<ol start="10">
<li>Normally, the top of your Inkscape drawing will be drawn towards the headstock end of your Eggbot. By checking this box, the motion of the pen arm is reversed, causing the top of your Inkscape drawing to be drawn towards the tailstock end of your Eggbot.</li>
<li>Normally, a line moving horizontally from left to right in your Inkscape drawing will be plotted on your egg by rotating the egg counterclockwise when viewed from the tailstock end of the Eggbot. This action causes the line to progress from left to right across your egg. To reverse this action, check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2" check box. 
''Owners of "Classic" Eggbots -- clear acrylic Eggbot "beta" units from 2009 -- should check this box.''</li>
<li>Had difficulty drawing within the lines when you were a child? Still do? Not a problem! By checking this box, the Eggbot will "wrap" long lines by just continuing to rotate the egg in the appropriate direction. This is especially helpful for drawing patterns on your eggs which look similar to tessellations. The "Eggmazing" extension assumes that you have checked this box.</li>
<li>When checked, the "Start with pen centered" option tells the Eggbot that when you start your plot, the pen is resting at the center of your Inkscape drawing page. For example, if your Inkscape drawing page has a width of 3200 pixels and a height of 800 pixels, then the pen is assumed to be resting at the (x, y) point (1600, 400). The extension will automatically compute the center based upon your drawing's page dimensions. Note that this is a change in behavior from v2.0 of the Eggbot Control extension [1].</li>
<li>After finishing a plot, the Eggbot will position the pen back to the plot's starting position if the "Return to home when done" checkbox is checked.</li>
<li>If you have purchased or built an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] for use with your Eggbot, then use this option to enable the engraver while plotting. Note that when this option is selected, the engraver will be turned on and left running throughout the plot and only turned off when the plot is finished. The engraver is not turned off each time the pen arm is lifted. Use of this option requires version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension. [[Which version do I have|Click here]] if you need help determining which version you have installed.</li>
<li>Fundamentally, the Eggbot only draws straight line segments. When presented with a circle, arc, or cubic spline to draw, the Eggbot approximates the smooth curve with many short line segments that follow the path of the curve. This approximation can be made to appear smoother by drawing even more, shorter line segments. Or, it can be made rougher be drawing fewer, longer line segments. The degree of smoothness is controlled with this option. The smaller the value specified, the smoother the approximation will appear and the longer it will take to draw. The default value of 0.2 is generally an acceptable value.</li>
</ol>

== Manual ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-05.png

The "Manual" tab is so named as it allows you to manually send select, basic commands to the Eggbot. With the exception of the "Check EBB Version" command, these commands are intended to aid in fine tuning your Eggbot's setup for an egg or other object you are about to draw on. To some extent this tuning function of this tab has been supplanted by the "Setup" tab, but not entirely.

In general, you will want to select the operation to perform with the "Command" drop-down list, and then click the "Apply" button. For the two motor walking commands, you can also specify the number of steps to turn the motor forward (+) or backwards (-).

<ol start="17">
<li>Use the pull-down selection menu to the right to choose the command to send when the "Apply" button is clicked. The possible commands are:
<table border="0">
<tr><td>Raise the Pen</td>
<td>Lift the pen to the pen up position. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Lower the Pen</td>
<td>Lower the pen to the pen down position.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 2 (egg)</td>
<td>Rotate the egg forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of rotation from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a circumferential line will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. Note that the motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 1 (pen)</td>
<td>Move the pen arm longitudinally forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of motion from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a segment of a line of longitude will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. The motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Enable Motors</td><td>Engage the Eggbot's motors.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Disable Motors</td><td>Disengage the Eggbot's motors. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver On</td><td>Turn the engraver motor on. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver Off</td><td>Turn the engraver motor off. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Check EBB Version</td><td>Inquire of the Eggbot its firmware version. Use this command before and after upgrading the Eggbot's firmware.</td></tr>
</table>
</li>
<li>When walking either motor, you can specify the number of steps to rotate the motor by. Use a positive integer value to rotate the motor forward, while a negative integer value will rotate it backwards. Remember that for the egg motor, motor 2, there are 3,200 steps in a full rotation. For the pen motor, motor 1, there are also 3,200 steps in a full rotation-- or rather, ''there would be'' if it could travel in a full circle. The travel of the pen arm is, however, constrained by the Eggbot chassis and the typical travel range is 800-1000 steps between the two polar regions. The actual range depends on the exact configuration of the Eggbot and what it's plotting on. Object size, pen type, and chassis configuration will all affect pen-arm travel. </li>
</ol>

== Resume ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-06.png

The Eggbot has a useful feature which allows you to pause and resume your plots. By pressing the PRG button on the Eggbot's EBB (EiBotBoard), plotting is paused. You can then make adjustments including changing drawing speeds and pen up or down positions. After making any adjustments, you can resume the plot by clicking the "Apply" button on this tab. Note that you can even exit Inkscape. The Eggbot Control extension will automatically store plotting information in your drawing file. So, if you save the drawing file before exiting Inkscape, you can later resume your plot by relaunching Inkscape and re-opening your drawing.

<ol start="19">
<li>Check the "Cancel and return home only" box if you wish to cancel the plot after pressing the PRG button on the EBB board.</li>
</ol>

== Layers ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-07.png

By default, the Eggbot Control extension will plot your entire drawing. However, if you divide your drawing into separate Inkscape layers, you can then plot each layer or groups of layers in distinct plotting runs. This makes it easy to plot drawings with multiple colors by separating each color into its own layer. Load the pen for the first color, then plot that layer. When that layer is finished, change the pen to the next color and plot that layer. The only requirement to using this feature is that you begin each layer name with an integer in the range 0 through 100. For example, if you have three layers with the names,

:1 - Red swirls
:1 - Red zig zags
:2 - Blue circles

Then you can plot the two red layers with a red pen by specifying "1" in the "Plot only layers beginning with" field. You can then change the pen to blue and plot the blue layer by specifying "2" in that field. Click the "Apply" button each time to begin plotting of the selected layers.

<ol start="20">
<li>Plot only the layers whose name begins with the indicated number. Any integer in the range 1 through 100, inclusive, is allowed.</li>
</ol>

== * ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-08.png

This final tab is the Eggbot Control's "About" page and shows the version of the extension which you currently have installed. Also, it lists any known requirements, limitations or problems with the extension.

== Notes ==

1. When using the "Start with pen centered" option, v2.0 and earlier of the Eggbot Control extension assumed that at the start of a plot the pen was resting along the line y=500. This was a historical assumption based upon a drawing page with dimensions 3200 by 1000 pixels.

----

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

Pen choices

2016-11-05T05:49:36Z

ShelM: Moved Stabilo pens down into the "Less-than-ideal" section

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat. However, since this is a water-based ink, it is not recommended for plots where multiple colors touch each other.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Eggbot Control

2016-10-31T04:46:52Z

ShelM: /* Timing */ Clarify that the user-specified delay after raising or lowering pen actually commences at the start of pen up or down motion, and is not merely appended at the completion of motion.

{{EggBotDocs210}}

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

----

== Introduction ==

The Eggbot Control extension is the main Eggbot extension. This is the tool to use when you are ready to "print" your drawing on your Eggbot. It is your plotting "control panel". In addition to plotting, you will also use it to adjust settings for your Eggbot. For example, to control how high to raise or lower the drawing pen.

The Eggbot Control extension presently has eight tabs, each of which is described in its own section below. When opening the Eggbot Control extension the first time after launching Inkscape, the selected tab will always be the "Plot" tab. However, during a working session, Inkscape remembers which tab you last selected and will automatically select that tab upon re-opening the extension.

Values which you specify in the various tabs and set with the "Apply" button will be saved by Inkscape along with your other Inkscape preference settings. You do not need to set these values each and every time you run Inkscape.

== Plot ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-01.png

The function of this tab is straightforward: send your Inkscape drawing to your Eggbot. Simply click the "Apply" button, and plotting will begin (assuming, of course, that your Eggbot is powered up and connected via USB to your computer). If you wish to close the extension, click the "Close" button. To select another tab, just click on the desired tab.

Once you've adjusted the Eggbot control values with the other tabs, you will mostly use this tab and the "Setup" tab in order to load and unload eggs and then draw your plots.

If you wish to plot only a portion of your drawing, consider using the "Layers" tab. To resume a paused plot, use the "Resume" tab.

== Setup ==

http://wiki.evilmadscience.com/s3/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-02.png

The "Setup" tab is used for two stages of setup. First, for setting up the proper pen up and down stops for the objects you will be drawing on. Then, as you set each object up in the Eggbot frame and subsequently unload it, you will again want to use this tab to raise the pen and disengage the motors. (Having the motors disengaged makes it easier to align the object for precise drawing.) Often, you can leave the pen stops unchanged until you switch to a new object whose size or shape is significantly different from what you were drawing on previously

To draw on an object, the Eggbot places the pen in a down position (down stop) and then rotates the egg or moves the pen or a combination of the two. When a section of the drawing is finished and the pen needs to be repositioned without actually drawing, the pen is raised into an up position (up stop). The act of raising the pen is a "pen up" operation; the act of lowering the pen is a "pen down" operation. The physical raising and lowering of the pen is accomplished with the pen lift motor -- a servo -- whose arm (horn) lifts or lowers the distal pen arm. This servo arm has about 180 degrees of travel with 0 degrees corresponding to pointing down vertically and 180 degrees pointing up vertically. The Eggbot Control sets the pen up and pen down positions as a percentage of this range of travel. So, assuming that the servo arm is attached such that it is horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees, then a pen position of 0% corresponds to vertical down (0 degrees), 50% to horizontal (90 degrees), and 100% to vertical up (180 degrees). Odds are, however, that when you attached your servo arm (horn) to the servo motor, it did not end up that such that it is dead on horizontal when the servo is driven to 90 degrees. In that case, the relationship between percentages will be offset by some constant angle. For instance, 50% may correspond to 10 degrees below horizontal. Thus, you may find yourself using percentages that don't fit the description of 50% equals horizontal. That's fine. Or, if you want, you can reposition the servo's arm to give better agreement with 50% being horizontal.

<ol start="1">
<li>The pen's up position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen up position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen up position to be a value larger than the pen down position.</li>
<li>The pen's down position as a percentage of the servo's full range of travel (about 180 degrees), is set in the "Pen down position" field. You can manually enter the desired value in the input box or click on the up or down controls to increment or decrement the value. If you change this value, your change will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button. You will want to set the pen down position to be a value smaller than the pen up position.</li>
<li>Use this item to select whether to toggle the pen's position or raise the pen & disengage the motors when the "Apply" button is clicked.</li>
</ol>

After you have set the desired values, click the "Apply" button. To cancel your changes, click the "Close" button.

== Timing ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-03.png

The "Timing" tab controls how fast the Eggbot's motors and pen arm servo operate. Getting these speeds set to reasonable values will enhance the quality of your plots. Here reasonable means that they are not so fast that slippage or pen skipping occurs, but not so slow that plotting takes too long to be fun to watch. And, you do not want to drop the pen too fast; otherwise, it may damage the pen tip, make the start of a line slightly wider, or cause the pen to bounce and miss part of the drawing (see item 9).

As regards plot quality, pay particular attention to items 4, 8, and 9 below. Item 5 is also significant but not as important as 4, 8, and 9.

<ol start="4">
<li>The "Speed when pen is down" setting controls the maximum number of motor steps per second which may be taken by either or both stepper motors. (Recall that the egg's circumfrence has 3,200 steps and the pole-to-pole distance is 1,000 steps.) The default value of 300 steps per second is a fairly good choice. If you want to get a quick sketch out as a "draft", go ahead and use a faster value. Also, to get a feel for the effect of different speeds, try comparing a plot at 250 or 200 steps per second with one at 300 or 400. Peck plotting and engraving require much slower speeds than those used for drawing with an ink pen.</li>
<li>The "Speed when pen is up" value controls the maximum speed at which either or both stepper motors can operate while moving the raised pen between locations over the drawing surface. You can use much larger values than the pen down speed without compromising the quality of your plots. However, allowing the speed to be too high may introduce slippage as the egg is rotated.</li>
<li>To control how fast the pen is raised, change the "Pen raising speed" value. This value controls how many percentage points the pen is raised per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to raise it will be (U - D) / R where R is the pen up rate as percentage units per second. A reasonable target is to have the pen raised in well under half a second. (And yes, it would make more sense for this field to be "how many tenths of seconds to take to raise the pen" and let the computer do the math for you.)</li>
<li>After the pen is raised, the Eggbot will pause before initiating another operation such as rotating the egg. The time to wait is specified in units of milliseconds (ms). There are one thousand milliseconds in a second (e.g., 200 ms is 0.2 s).
 You might think that you would just put in 200 if you wanted a 200 ms delay. This is not the case.The delay starts at the beginning of the pen's upward movement, not at the ending, so we must figure out how long it takes the pen to move up. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen raising speed R of 50, and want a 200 ms delay after the pen gets all the way up. Referring to item 6, we see we have (U - D) / R = (68-62)/50 = 6/50 = 0.12 seconds = 120 ms before the pen gets up. Adding the 200 ms pause we want, means we must actually set this value to 320. (And yes, it would make more sense for this field to be "Delay after finish raising pen" instead the way it actually is, which is "Delay after start raising pen" and let the computer do the math for you.)</li>
<li>With the "Pen lowering speed" timing, the rate at which the pen is lowered towards your egg is controlled. It is important to not drop the pen (i.e., lower it too fast). Also, keep in mind that the Eggbot does not sense when the pen has made contact with your drawing surface: the Eggbot simply lowers the pen until the up/down servo has reached the proper setting (item 2 of the "Setup" tab). Like the "Pen raising speed", the "Pen lowering speed" is expressed as the number of percentage points to move the servo arm per second. If the pen's down position is D percent and its up position is U percent, then the time it takes to lower the pen will be (U - D) / r where r is the pen down rate in percentage units per second. Lowering the pen in half a second or a bit longer is reasonable.</li>
<li>After the pen has been lowered, it is important to wait a fraction of a second before starting to draw again. This gives the pen arm a chance to settle in and recover from any minor bouncing. If you start to draw too soon after lowering the pen, there can be some skipping of the pen tip. To control the length of this pause, the "Delay after lowering pen" value is used. This value has units of milliseconds (ms) where 1 second is 1000 milliseconds. This delay should probably be no less than a quarter second (250 ms) and values as large as half a second (500 ms) are not unreasonable.
 You might think that you would just put in 250 or 500 ms for a value. This is not the case. The delay starts at the beginning of the pen's downward movement, not at the ending, so we must figure out how long it takes the pen to move down. For example, let's say we have a pen up position U of 68, a pen down position D of 62, a pen lowering speed r of 20, and want a 250 ms delay after the pen gets all the way down. Referring to item 8, we see we have (U - D) / r = (68-62)/20 = 6/20 = 0.3 seconds = 300 ms before the pen gets down. Adding the 250 ms pause we want for settling, means we must actually set this value to 550. (And yes, it would make more sense for this field to be "Delay after finish lowering pen" instead the way it actually is, which is "Delay after start lowering pen" and let the computer do the math for you.)</li>
</ol>

== Options ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-04.png

A number of plotting related options are set with the "Options" tab. Most of these options need only be set once and then forgotten. They do not vary as you change your drawing media. Remember that any changes you make will not take effect until you click the "Apply" button.

One important option for owners of the 2009 clear acrylic "Classic" Eggbot is that described in item 11 below. Later versions of the EBB firmware reversed the direction of the egg motor to support the relocation of the pen arm in the 2010 Eggbot kits. Consequently, Eggbot "Classic" owners should check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2 (egg)" check box.

<ol start="10">
<li>Normally, the top of your Inkscape drawing will be drawn towards the headstock end of your Eggbot. By checking this box, the motion of the pen arm is reversed, causing the top of your Inkscape drawing to be drawn towards the tailstock end of your Eggbot.</li>
<li>Normally, a line moving horizontally from left to right in your Inkscape drawing will be plotted on your egg by rotating the egg counterclockwise when viewed from the tailstock end of the Eggbot. This action causes the line to progress from left to right across your egg. To reverse this action, check the "Reverse motion of Motor 2" check box. 
''Owners of "Classic" Eggbots -- clear acrylic Eggbot "beta" units from 2009 -- should check this box.''</li>
<li>Had difficulty drawing within the lines when you were a child? Still do? Not a problem! By checking this box, the Eggbot will "wrap" long lines by just continuing to rotate the egg in the appropriate direction. This is especially helpful for drawing patterns on your eggs which look similar to tessellations. The "Eggmazing" extension assumes that you have checked this box.</li>
<li>When checked, the "Start with pen centered" option tells the Eggbot that when you start your plot, the pen is resting at the center of your Inkscape drawing page. For example, if your Inkscape drawing page has a width of 3200 pixels and a height of 800 pixels, then the pen is assumed to be resting at the (x, y) point (1600, 400). The extension will automatically compute the center based upon your drawing's page dimensions. Note that this is a change in behavior from v2.0 of the Eggbot Control extension [1].</li>
<li>After finishing a plot, the Eggbot will position the pen back to the plot's starting position if the "Return to home when done" checkbox is checked.</li>
<li>If you have purchased or built an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] for use with your Eggbot, then use this option to enable the engraver while plotting. Note that when this option is selected, the engraver will be turned on and left running throughout the plot and only turned off when the plot is finished. The engraver is not turned off each time the pen arm is lifted. Use of this option requires version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension. [[Which version do I have|Click here]] if you need help determining which version you have installed.</li>
<li>Fundamentally, the Eggbot only draws straight line segments. When presented with a circle, arc, or cubic spline to draw, the Eggbot approximates the smooth curve with many short line segments that follow the path of the curve. This approximation can be made to appear smoother by drawing even more, shorter line segments. Or, it can be made rougher be drawing fewer, longer line segments. The degree of smoothness is controlled with this option. The smaller the value specified, the smoother the approximation will appear and the longer it will take to draw. The default value of 0.2 is generally an acceptable value.</li>
</ol>

== Manual ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-05.png

The "Manual" tab is so named as it allows you to manually send select, basic commands to the Eggbot. With the exception of the "Check EBB Version" command, these commands are intended to aid in fine tuning your Eggbot's setup for an egg or other object you are about to draw on. To some extent this tuning function of this tab has been supplanted by the "Setup" tab, but not entirely.

In general, you will want to select the operation to perform with the "Command" drop-down list, and then click the "Apply" button. For the two motor walking commands, you can also specify the number of steps to turn the motor forward (+) or backwards (-).

<ol start="17">
<li>Use the pull-down selection menu to the right to choose the command to send when the "Apply" button is clicked. The possible commands are:
<table border="0">
<tr><td>Raise the Pen</td>
<td>Lift the pen to the pen up position. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Lower the Pen</td>
<td>Lower the pen to the pen down position.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 2 (egg)</td>
<td>Rotate the egg forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of rotation from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a circumferential line will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. Note that the motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Walk Motor 1 (pen)</td>
<td>Move the pen arm longitudinally forward or backwards the number of steps specified in the "Walk distance" field. Positive and negative distances are allowed. A negative value gives the opposite direction of motion from that of a positive value. If the pen is down when this operation is performed, then a segment of a line of longitude will be drawn. You may wish to use this command when attempting to precisely register the pen tip's position on the drawing surface. The motor will automatically be engaged if necessary.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Enable Motors</td><td>Engage the Eggbot's motors.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Disable Motors</td><td>Disengage the Eggbot's motors. This is useful when loading or unloading an egg.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver On</td><td>Turn the engraver motor on. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Engraver Off</td><td>Turn the engraver motor off. Requires an [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/partsmenu/297 engraving attachment] as well as version 2.2.0 or later of the Eggbot Control extension.</td></tr>
<tr><td>Check EBB Version</td><td>Inquire of the Eggbot its firmware version. Use this command before and after upgrading the Eggbot's firmware.</td></tr>
</table>
</li>
<li>When walking either motor, you can specify the number of steps to rotate the motor by. Use a positive integer value to rotate the motor forward, while a negative integer value will rotate it backwards. Remember that for the egg motor, motor 2, there are 3,200 steps in a full rotation. For the pen motor, motor 1, there are also 3,200 steps in a full rotation-- or rather, ''there would be'' if it could travel in a full circle. The travel of the pen arm is, however, constrained by the Eggbot chassis and the typical travel range is 800-1000 steps between the two polar regions. The actual range depends on the exact configuration of the Eggbot and what it's plotting on. Object size, pen type, and chassis configuration will all affect pen-arm travel. </li>
</ol>

== Resume ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-06.png

The Eggbot has a useful feature which allows you to pause and resume your plots. By pressing the PRG button on the Eggbot's EBB (EiBotBoard), plotting is paused. You can then make adjustments including changing drawing speeds and pen up or down positions. After making any adjustments, you can resume the plot by clicking the "Apply" button on this tab. Note that you can even exit Inkscape. The Eggbot Control extension will automatically store plotting information in your drawing file. So, if you save the drawing file before exiting Inkscape, you can later resume your plot by relaunching Inkscape and re-opening your drawing.

<ol start="19">
<li>Check the "Cancel and return home only" box if you wish to cancel the plot after pressing the PRG button on the EBB board.</li>
</ol>

== Layers ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-07.png

By default, the Eggbot Control extension will plot your entire drawing. However, if you divide your drawing into separate Inkscape layers, you can then plot each layer or groups of layers in distinct plotting runs. This makes it easy to plot drawings with multiple colors by separating each color into its own layer. Load the pen for the first color, then plot that layer. When that layer is finished, change the pen to the next color and plot that layer. The only requirement to using this feature is that you begin each layer name with an integer in the range 0 through 100. For example, if you have three layers with the names,

:1 - Red swirls
:1 - Red zig zags
:2 - Blue circles

Then you can plot the two red layers with a red pen by specifying "1" in the "Plot only layers beginning with" field. You can then change the pen to blue and plot the blue layer by specifying "2" in that field. Click the "Apply" button each time to begin plotting of the selected layers.

<ol start="20">
<li>Plot only the layers whose name begins with the indicated number. Any integer in the range 1 through 100, inclusive, is allowed.</li>
</ol>

== * ==

http://evilmadscience.s3.amazonaws.com/wiki/eggbot/extensiontut/extensions-control-08.png

This final tab is the Eggbot Control's "About" page and shows the version of the extension which you currently have installed. Also, it lists any known requirements, limitations or problems with the extension.

== Notes ==

1. When using the "Start with pen centered" option, v2.0 and earlier of the Eggbot Control extension assumed that at the start of a plot the pen was resting along the line y=500. This was a historical assumption based upon a drawing page with dimensions 3200 by 1000 pixels.

----

[[The Eggbot Extensions|<<< The Eggbot Extensions]] || Eggbot Control || [[Preset hatch for fills|Preset hatch for fills >>>]]

Pen choices

2016-10-02T06:15:33Z

ShelM: change wording of plea for submissions to pen storage category

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].
* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat.

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please share what method works well for you as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-10-02T06:09:58Z

ShelM: added a stub "Storing your pens" heading inviting user submissions to the topic.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].
* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat.

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Storing your pens =

* [This paragraph is just a stub...please let us all know what you have found works well as a way to store multiple pens in an accessible manner.]

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-10-02T04:56:37Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */ Added description of Stabilo "point 88" markers, including links to image of pen width test, and to a purchasing page at amazon. Added link to pen width test image to Sharpie and Copic.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.) See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here].
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].
* Stabilo "point 88" series have a very fine tip, measuring 0.3 mm diameter as printed on an egg. See a width test comparing Sharpie ultra fine, Copic Multiliner, and Stabilo point 88 [http://i.imgur.com/lbQXwk3.jpg here]. Stabilo has similar line quality to the Copic Multiliner SP 0.2, i.e. the line is not as uniform nor as opaque as Sharpies. If you are looking for an inexpensive (30 pens for about $16) pen with a very narrow line width, the [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATBRJRC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stabilo "point 88"] is hard to beat.

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-09-16T06:29:44Z

ShelM: /* Less-than-ideal markers and pens */ Added to the "120 Markers" paragraph info about how well - or not - they work on some tree ornaments.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs. On matte-finish silver tree ornaments, this ink gives very washed-out results. Could be useful if you want a kind of pastel appearance, but definitely not vivid in the way that Sharpies are.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Blowing Eggs

2016-09-13T23:34:56Z

ShelM: /* Tips and Tricks */

{{EggBotDocs}}

A brief collection of instructions for blowing eggs (getting hollow, empty, egg-shells), that might be useful to some Eggbot users. Please feel free to add to this page if you have useful information to contribute.

= Links =

Here are several sets of instructions from various sources, on how they blow eggs:

* [http://lujs.tripod.com/emptyeggs.html A collection of methods] including the awesome aquarium-pump-and-silicone-tubing method
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyjqwZJxRaU&feature=player_embedded single hole syringe method video] by yorisimo on Youtube

Here are several egg-shell-related Instructables. For use with Eggbot, be careful not to make either of the holes in the egg too large!

* [http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-gorgeous-Dragons-Egg/ Dragon's egg Instructable]
* [http://www.instructables.com/id/Spooky-Halloween-Eggs/step2/Hollowing-Out-Egg/ Halloween egg Instructable]
* [http://www.instructables.com/id/Faberlicious-Spidey-Egg-Poor-Mans-Faberge/ Faberge egg Instructable]

Dedicated tools for blowing eggs:

* [http://www.bestpysanky.com/4-Pieces-Set-Egg-Blower-p/blwr-3.htm One hole egg blower tool, works really well]
* [http://www.allthingsukrainian.com/Supplies/Blowers.htm Two hole egg blower tool]

= When to blow eggs =

Original Eggbot inventor Bruce Shapiro advocates plotting on whole, raw eggs. Eggs, with the shell intact, are surprisingly strong and easy to mount in the Eggbot. If you end up with a plot worth keeping, remove the contents afterwards, and you don't have to worry too much about the size of the hole. (And, If you end up with a poor plot, you can just crack the egg and use the contents normally.)

= Tips and Tricks =

Be very certain to clean all of the egg guts off of your egg if you are ever going to plot on it after you blow it out. If you don't, and you plot over the dried egg, it may (will) ruin your pen tip and you'll have to throw it out. This is especially frustrating with the really expensive pens.

If you can blow really hard, or if you have something to make pressure with (like a solder sucker bulb or a syringe) you can make pretty darn small holes and still get the egg guts out.

A truly hot setup for making a single hole in an egg is to use a Dremel-type tool with a cone-shaped 1/8" bit to start the hole, followed by a ball-shaped 1/8" bit. Both bits preferably diamond grit to minimimize vibration (can be had inexpensively at [http://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html harbor freight]). The 1/8" size, though small, works fine with the one-hole egg blower referenced above.

A good way to break up the yolk in a single-hole egg is to use something with more substance than a paper clip. A piece of 14 gauge copper wire, such as found in standard household Romex electric cable, works a treat. First cut a straight piece a few inches long. Now bend a small (maybe 1/4") offset in it part way down, and then the part below the offset bend to become parallel again with the top straight piece. To scramble the yolk, slip the wire into the egg, and twirl between your thumb and finger while moving the wire gently up and down.

If you are purchasing already-blown eggs, you may be offered the choice between soap-washed and acid-washed eggs. [http://www.metzerfarms.com/Eggs.cfm?EggType=Blown One site] states that eggs for Pysanky (wax overlay and dye) should be purchased as soap washed - because acid wash prevents the dyes adhering well to the shell. In contrast, the site owner further states that for Sharpie markers, either of the two wash types works equally well.

Pen choices

2016-08-22T01:16:30Z

ShelM: /* Less-than-ideal markers and pens */ added experience with Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

* Uni-ball Signo Angelic UM-120AC Gel Ink Pen 0.7mm might look worth a try, but in fact they skip terribly on eggs (though they are terrific on paper).

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-16T07:43:39Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are far from instant drying. Available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-16T07:41:18Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */ Added uni-ball signo white pen

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].
* Uni-Ball Signo Broad Point Gel Impact Pen White Ink. These are ball-point, and have a claimed 1.0 mm tip. They work surprisingly well at least on eggs, so perhaps on other textured surfaces. They need to be primed just immediately before use, a fingertip is even better than a piece of paper. Once they get going they work pretty well, putting down a viscous, opaque, not-too-wide, not-very-many-skips line. They are available at [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6X7CW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-16T07:26:43Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-16T07:25:43Z

ShelM: /* Popular Pen Choices */ cited Martha Stewart pens seem to no longer be available]

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens. [As of 16 aug 2016 the pens are no longer available. A broader (1.2 mm) tip set of 36 Martha Stewart markers is at [https://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Marker-Pieces/dp/B002FW5A4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471332114&sr=8-1&keywords=martha+stewart+pens amazon]
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-16T07:16:18Z

ShelM: Note that Tul pens no longer available at officemax/officedepot

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price. [As of 16 aug 2016 no longer available at officemax/officedepot]
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Spherical media

2016-08-15T08:41:25Z

ShelM: /* Types of objects */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Many types of objects can be put in the Eggbot and plotted on. In choosing an object, a number of questions come into play:
* Size - How does it fit and what adjustments do you need to make to the Eggbot to draw on it?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's?

= Types of objects =

* Chicken eggs - the default standard. Inexpensive, absorbs ink well. Also fragile. Tips on [[Blowing Eggs]].
* Duck eggs - bigger than chicken eggs, and narrower proportionally.
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/ornaments Christmas ornaments]
* Ping pong balls
* "Ball pen" balls
* Golf balls
* Lacrosse balls
* [[Plastic eggs]]
* [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/pumpkinbot pumpkins]
* Wooden balls/eggs
* [http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=151886 ceramic eggs] from Hobby Lobby
* Acrylic Spheres[http://www.corseceng.com/planet-kits] from CorSec Engineering[http://www.corseceng.com][dead link] - marketed as planet kits but fit in an Egg-bot and comes with a stand
* Decorative glass balls, for example the 4" spheres [http://www.cb2.com/table-top-decor/accessories/bubble-balls/f4820 from CB2]
* Wine glasses - some wine glasses (generally with relatively short stems) can fit with the tailstock all the way back. You can use a disc or jar lid to hold the open end of the wine glass. Tape it to the wine glass or use a rubber gasket to hold it in place. The stemless Reidel "O" tumblers are likely a good choice as well.

Pen choices

2016-08-15T07:45:30Z

ShelM: /* Less-than-ideal markers and pens */

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [http://i.imgur.com/0mHUd1h.png image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-11T04:25:37Z

ShelM: Added link to dropbox image comparing results from two pen types.

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline. Here is an [https://www.dropbox.com/s/2fp2ouz05ib1snp/P1180587%20500x_.png?dl=0 image] comparing 120 Markers and Sharpie ultra fine markers on eggs.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-09T04:56:27Z

ShelM:

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They could nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-08T05:10:07Z

ShelM:

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They may nonetheless be useful as fill colors, since diffusion from the edges may be masked by an outline.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.

Pen choices

2016-08-08T04:54:05Z

ShelM: Created a category for, and described, a less-than-ideal pen choice

{{EggBotDocs}}

= Introduction =

Just about any drawing tool (pen, pencil, marker, engraver...) that is not too big
or heavy, can be attached to the pen-arm and used for plotting on eggs and spheres. In choosing a pen, a number of questions come into play:
* Precision - How thin a line do you want? How much detail is needed, vs. bold lines?
* Permanence - "Forever" or erasable?
* Surface - What are you plotting on? Eggs, glass, ping-pong balls, etc. all have very different surface textures and ink absorption.
* Expense - Are you doing ultra-fine, archiveable work or rapid-fire demo's? Pen price and longevity vary tremendously.

= Pen size =

The basic Eggbot pen-arm comes with a 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter hole. Without requiring custom modification, a pen must fit in this hole, whose size was chosen to mate with ultra-fine point Sharpie brand pens. You can also get different [http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/51-accessories/205-distalarm distal pen arms], with a larger hole sized to fit wider "fine point" Sharpie markers, as well as blank ones, where you can drill your own hole.

To use a much wider pen that will absolutely not fit in the hole, you can also use [http://bkleber.livejournal.com/199732.html this hack] with a binder clip.

= Popular Pen Choices =

Commercially available permanent "Sharpie-compatible" markers that fit into the standard pen holder:

* [http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Pages/ultra-fine-point-marker.aspx Sharpie Ultra Fine point] Ubiquitous and inexpensive (~$1), this is a great pen to start with. It comes in a wide variety of colors, is permanent, and has a relatively fine tip. The larger "Fine Point" size Sharpie markers will not fit in the standard pen holder, but do fit in the "wide" pen holder. (The pen holder on the EggBot Pro does fit both Fine and Ultra Fine point Sharpie markers.)
* Sharpie Micro Same as above, but half as long. More expensive (~$1.40), not as much ink per pen (and fewer color choices), but the smaller pen will not bounce around as much as its bigger brother. (You may need to order these online.)
* [http://www.officemax.com/brands/tul/tul-markers/product-prod3801746?R=23100564&ssp=true Tul ultra-fine point] Similar to Sharpie in quality, tip size, color availability and price.
* [http://copicmarker.com/products/pens/multiliner-sp/ Copic Multiliner SP series] Significantly more expensive (~$8), but offers a choice of much finer tips (nibs), plus both the nibs and the ink cartridges are replaceable. These are harder to find, though you may find them at local art supply stores like Dick Blick. They can be ordered online from Blick, Amazon, and others. There is also a cheaper, disposable ("non-SP") Multiliner series that is not Sharpie-compatible in terms of size, but ''will'' fit in the pen holder of the Egg-Bot 2.0 kit.
* [http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Pen-Archival Pigma Micron series] Like the Copic Multiliner SP, this is a nice, technical fiber tip pen, and offers a variety of nib sizes, though not as tiny as Copic. It is Sharpie-compatible, but not as "nicely" as the Copic. It mates to the pen-arm higher up on the pen, and requires more force. Easier to find than Copic, it is disposable and ~$3.
* [http://marthastewartcrafts.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Pen+1Mm.aspx Martha Stewart Crafts .1mm Writing Pen] These markers come in only a few colors. The marker body is pretty close to the Ultra-Fine Sharpies, so they work well for detail work in conjunction with those. These markers are very light and need a little extra weight to make them work right – it helps to put the cap on the butt of the marker. $8 for 4 pens.
* Rapidograph by Koh-I-Noor. Recommended to purchase a cleaning kit with the pen and clean it after use.
* Staedtler Pigment Liner. Indelible, waterproof and lightfast.
* Staedtler Mars Professional. I have used Staedtler for years for technical and pen&ink drawings and they are my favorites. Staedtler makes the Mars Matic line as well with points down to .1 mm which is as good as it gets (AFAIK). There is a 4 pen set, comprising of a 0.25,0.3,0.5,and .07. It is a very nice set though relatively expensive ($24 approx). Comes with a closable plastic case, and the pens are excellent. If you are happy with the Sharpie Ultra-fine, then this would be a good step up. Works well on Ping Pong balls, wood spheres and glass. May come off on glossy plastic, but that turns out to be a good thing when you are experimenting.
* Pilot Gold/Silver Markers. They are the type that you have to occasionally have to shake. If you break the design up into many layers you can use these pens, it is just a matter of making sure you don't move the pen arm when taking the pen out and shaking it and putting it back in. The smaller the amount you have to fill in the better the results. The extra fine point is between a fine point and medium in the sharpie. They dry relatively fast as well, not quite as fast the Identipen, but pretty close. Available at [http://amzn.com/B0058NNA74 Amazon].

= Food safe markers and pens =

There is an article comparing several different food safe markers at [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleink Evil Mad Scientist] along with an article on modifying them for additional precision [http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/ediblepenmod here].

* [http://www.amazon.com/Ateco-Marker-Style-Food-Color/dp/B0000VLETA/ AmeriColor Gourmet Writer] Food Color Markers by Ateco. Felt tip marker with a long slender conical tip. Fits in standard pen holder. $17 for set of 10 markers on Amazon. Also available in 2-packs of black.
* [http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB Wilton FoodWriter Fine Tip] Edible Color Markers a.k.a. [http://www.foodoodler.com/8packfoodoodler.aspx Foodoodler] Food Coloring Markers by PLP Inc. Felt tip marker with a short fat conical tip. Can fit in the standard pen holder at the closest point to the nib. Indexes nicely into the "wide" pen holder. $8.50 for five markers. Often available in "seasonal" color pairs at grocery stores in the US.
* [http://www.amazon.com/Kopykake-Coloring-Pens-Set-10/dp/B003ZTR5FQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1353021070&sr=8-4&keywords=kopykake Kopykake] Edible Ink Pens. Double ended marker with fine and bold tips. Bold tip end is tapered and can be slid to various heights in the standard pen holder, which may make registration between color changes difficult. Fine tip end is stepped rather than tapered, and is a little narrower than is ideal for the standard pen holder, but would index at the same height from one color to the next. $10 for ten markers.

=Less-than-ideal markers and pens =
* [https://www.amazon.com/Color-Markers-Set-Completely-Washable/dp/B01G7JPHIM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470630101&sr=8-1&keywords=120+markers 120 Markers] on first look appears quite desirable. The set has a myriad of color choices, and is extremely inexpensive. However, the colors have been found to diffuse into egg shells over a period of hours, softening or smearing the inked lines. The diffusion appears to be color selective, such that initially-black lines may even end up appearing blue. The inks are water-based, and take rather a longish time to dry. They may nonetheless be useful as fill colors.

=Other writing implements =

* Gel and rollerball pens. These types of pens do not work on all surfaces, but the ink does flow quickly, which may be beneficial for fast plotting. A review of seven different pens is posted on [http://jenslabs.com/2014/06/15/the-circlon-machine-and-the-pen-test/ jenslab.com].
* Pencils. Must be sharpened and will wear down during the plot, possibly varying line width.
* Mechanical pencils. Attention must be paid to the tip as it wears down throughout the plot.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/blightdesign/5399147343/in/pool-1503628@N24/ Chalk] (e.g. on egg painted with chalkboard surface). Must be sharpened, and wears down quickly.
* Mechanical erasers (e.g. on graphite covered egg).
* Brush pens. The [http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Platinum-Souhitsu-Fude-Pen-CFS-250.html Platinum Souhitsu Fude Brush Pen CFS-250] apparently works well in the Eggbot.

= Alternative tool heads =

Many things that are not traditionally writing implements can potentially be used as well. For example,
* A simple needle, for drag-etching a soft surface
* Kistkas, for traditional pysanky. Evil Mad Scientist now produces an [[Kistka|Electro-Kistka]] for the Eggbot.
* A mechanically vibrated diamond point, for engraving hard surfaces like glass. (An official [[Engraver|diamond point accessory]] is offered by Evil Mad Scientist).
* An air-operated (lightweight) high-speed engraving tool for engraving many materials.

----

'''Notes''':

''Barrels:'' Not all pens are Sharpie-compatible (in terms of barrel size). Non-Sharpie compatible pens are indicated above along with any required pen arm modifications.

''Pigments:'' Not all pens are permanent. Type of ink should be indicated above.

''Nibs:'' Manufacturers' stated nib sizes are far from straightforward to understand. Terms like "ultra-fine" are subjective. But numerical specs should be regarded with some skepticism as well. Micron's size descriptors are not in mm ("005" = .2mm). And Copic's smallest nib is ".03mm" -- a quick check with a calculator reveals this is ~1/1000 of an inch. Which is finer than a human hair. It's tiny, but not anywhere near that small! Of course, these numbers refer to the width of lines the pen can make, not the nib width. This value depends greatly on pen pressure, surface texture, and feedrate (speed of drawing).

''Extremely fine color plots:'' Replacement ink cartridges for Copic's Multiliner SP series come in two types (A and B). These are related to different pigment carrier formulation for different nib sizes (A for the smallest, B for larger). Unfortunately, they do not make "type A" color cartridges (the smallest nib is .3mm for color). However, tests mating color cartridges with .03mm nibs show good results with some, but not all colors. The "A" formulation inks require longer drying times: handle your eggs carefully when using the "A" formulation so as to prevent smudging.

''Variable pen heights between Sharpie-compatibles:'' Different brands of pen will be held by the pen-arm at differing heights above the egg. Doing multicolor plots with tight color registration is far easier with all pens being the same brand.