Feel Like a King: Write with a Fountain Pen
by Matthew
Rigby
If you love writing then you must love fountain pens. I have
tried them all: ballpoint pens, felt pens, and the rest, but
nothing can compete with the silky glide over the page that is only
experienced with a good fountain pen.
History of the Fountain Pen. According to my
research Lewis Waterman is reported to have patented the first
practical fountain pen in 1884. Although writing instruments that
carried their own supply of ink had existed in principle for over
one hundred years before with instrument such as the quill.
Heck my first experience in learning to write in ink was with a pen
that just had a handle and nib and required constant dipping if the
pen in an inkwell (plus lots of blotting paper on hand).
From memory it was about grade 6 before we were allowed to use
our own fountain pen. Mine was green colored lever
filler. This style uses an external lever to depress the
flexible ink sac. The lever fitted flush with the barrel of the
pen. Originally patented in 1908, the lever filling fountain pen
became winning design for the next forty years, the button filler
coming in second. Its was 1969 when I got my first one so they kept
on strong for many years after that.
Earlier versions were the button filler which used an external
button connected to the internal pressure plate that flattened the
ink sac when pressed. This style was patented in 1905, however I
cant recalled ever having used such a pen.
Another style of fountain pen was the click filler: two
protruding tabs on the outside of the pen hen pressed deflated the
ink sac ready to suck up the ink. Again I have never
used such a pen but can recall having a derivative once the
required you to screw the our casing off the nib and squeeze
together two metal shaft to deflate the ink sac. Since then I have
also used fountain pens with a glass cartridge that had mounted on
top a screw plunger.
The ink cartridge was introduced around 1950 as a disposable,
pre-filled plastic or glass cartridges designed for clean and easy
insertion. They were an immediate success. The introduction of
ballpoint pens, however, overshadowed the invention of the
cartridge and dried up business for the fountain pen as a
mainstream industry. People have started to rediscover the
joy of using a fountain pen, and you will find today many retail
outlets dedicated to this magical writing implement.
Fountain Pen Nibs. There are nine standard
nib-sizes, with three different nib-tip cuts: straight, oblique and
italic. The early inks caused steel nibs to quickly corrode and
gold nibs held up to the corrosion. Iridium used on the very tip of
the nib replaced gold because gold was too soft. There is nothing
more luxurious than the feel of a quality fountain pen with a
glistening gold nib.
Fountain pens sell today as a classic writing instrument and the
original pens have become very hot collectibles. I love them.
If you haven't used a fountain pen before - treat yourself.
If you have used a fountain pen before but not in a while, go grab
one and rediscover the joy of handwriting.
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