The History Of Fountain Pens
The History Of Fountain Pens.
The first fountain pen was created in the 10th century. It was designed at the behest of the ruler of Egypt who demanded a writing instrument that would not cause his hands to be stained with ink, as is a common problem when dipping a quill pen in a bottle of ink. He also stipulated that the pen should be able to be carried without making a mess. His subjects responded with a pen that held a reservoir of ink fed to the tip by capillary action and gravity.
The technology was lost to history, however, and it was not until the 19th century that a reliable fountain pen was created. In the hundreds of years in between, there were undoubtably lots of ink stained hands and spilled ink bottles. The early pens still had problems with dripping and scratching.
As more inventors focused on improving the design, pens began to improve. Three inventions were necessary before the fountain pen became the reliable writing instrument it is today: free flowing ink, iridium tipped, gold nibs, and hard rubber. These three elements first came together in the 1850s. By the 1880s, fountain pens were being mass produced by the American maker Waterman at factories in New York and Pennsylvania.
Waterman remained at the forefront of the industry for 40 years. The pens they made as well as those of the competition were reliable for writing, but there were still problems. The ink was stored in a hollow section in the barrel of the pen. The end of the pen had a cap that unscrewed so the ink could be refilled and the pens tended to leak at this joint in the barrel and into the cap. They were also messy to refill.
Inventors solved the refilling problem with a number of different purpose built refillers that were much less messy than the eyedroppers previously used. At the same time, other inventors worked on the leaking problem. Two different solutions emerged, both called safety pens. One used a retractable point that allowed the reservoir to be sealed and the other was a cap with a second inner cap that fit tightly around the point to prevent leaking.
In modern times, the fountain pen has largely been replaced by the ball point pen, although there are still many who value it for its elegance and ease of use. A quality fountain pen can last several lifetimes while the best ball point pen will always be disposable and replaceable. There are quite a few people who collect fountain pens.
Arthritis sufferer often find that the minimal effort required from the fountain pen causes them much less pain than using a ball point. Other who try the fountain pen enjoy this effortless quality of the writing even if they do not need it. And a quality fountain pen can be an antique that can be used instead of just displayed on a shelf, adding to the appeal.
Much of the appeal today comes from the romance attached to fountain pens, but there are practical reasons for using one as well. Expressive penmanship and calligraphy styles can be done with a fountain pen that are not possible with a ball point. There are also a wider variety of inks available for fountain pens than can found or ball points.