A History of Making Metal Pen Nibs
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Before the introduction of modern metals, reed, bamboo, and large bird feathers were the staple materials of writing pens. These pens were cheap to make, but it took skill and ust who invented the metal pen nib is lost to history. American, practice to cut and shape them English, French, and German mechanics each claim to have invented the metal dip pen nib. They seem to be claiming second place, though. In February, 1933, the Paper-Zeitung of Vienna wrote: “There are grounds for into serviceable dip pens. They also the belief that the first fountain pen was in existence about 4000 B. C. During the course of excavatings in Egypt in 1929, a hollow stem in the form and size of a lead pencil was found. didn’t last very long, so it is At the lower end, a piece of copper was fastened, similar to a modern steel pen nib.” understandable that both writers By L. Michael Fultz With help from John Foley, Henry Bore, and others The history of the making of steel dip pen nibs is cloudy too. In 1890 Henry Bore pub- and inventors sought better pens lished The Story of the Invention of Steel Pens (Ref. 1), in which he wrote: “In Paris, France, in 1884, a pamphlet was published on the subject of the steel pen and the writer says: ‘The by experimenting with better invention of the metallic pen is due to a French Mechanic — Arnoux — who lived in the eighteenth century, who made as far back as 1750 a number of metallic pens as a curiosity. This invention did not have any immediate result in France but spread to England, and materials. became, in Birmingham, about 1830, a very prosperous industry.’” John Foley wrote in his self published book, An Interesting History, Gold Pens: Who Invented Them, When, and Where (Ref. 2): “In the year 1805, Mr. Wise, an Englishman, made the first steel pen.” About the American invention of metal nibs, Mr. Bore writes: “There appeared in the Boston Mechanic, August, 1835, the following notice: ‘The inventor of steel pens, says 4 WINTER 2005 THE PENNANT A History of Making Metal Pen Nibs J 1880. odd & Bard nibs, T Mabie, WINTER 2005 5 THE PENNANT 6 WINTER 2005 THE PENNANT the Journal of Commerce, was an They softened the quills and reeds; American and a well-known resident worse, they rusted or ate away the steel of our city (New York), Mr. Peregrine John Foley, in his combination in nibs made from that material at an Williamson. In the year 1800, Mr. W., History of Pen Making and Catalog, alarming rate so that the life of a steel then a working jeweler, at Baltimore, published in New York in 1875, nib might be measured in days or even gives us a step by step account of while attending an evening school, hours. Gold is practically immune to his process of making a gold nib: finding some difficulty in making attack by acids. The making of a nib- a quill pen to suit him, made one of 1 Fine gold is mixed with small amounts of silver and shaped piece of gold is simple: just cut copper to form an appropriate alloy, then melted in a steel. It would not write well, however, it out from a sheet of the metal with furnace, and cast into a bar about 0.5 inches thick, for want of flexibility. After a while he 1.5 inches wide, and 20.0 inches long. a jeweler’s saw. Even a slit to improve made an additional slit on each side ink flow and retention can be cut with 2 that bar is rolled between steel rollers until its length of the main one, and the pens were is increased to a ribbon perhaps 10 times the origi- such a saw. The problem is that gold, so much improved that Mr. W. was nal and the thickness of the ribbon is only about even alloyed to fairly low karat, is called to make them in such num- 1/32nd of an inch. very, very soft, and writing materials bers as to eventually occupy his whole 3 using a press and dies, nib blanks are stamped from like paper are very abrasive. Untipped Tthe gHold riEbbon .PROCESS time, and that of a journeyman…. gold nibs wore away quickly, and lines The English borrowed the invention 4 a burring machine grinds a recess in the end of the nib written with them rapidly grew wider. blank to receive the iridium pellet. and some who first engaged in the Early mechanics realized that the solu- iridium pellets are hand selected, picked up with a business realized immense fortunes.’” 5 tion was to tip the gold nib with some small brush dipped in borax solution, and placed on the Whatever the merits of his claims, recess in the nib blank. very hard substance. Peregrine Williamson of Baltimore, 6 the iridium pellet is sweated (soldered) to the gold using In England, experiments were made Maryland, received a United States a gas burner and flame. in tipping gold nibs with minute dia- Patent on November 22, 1809, for a 7 the gold blank is rolled to stretch it to its final length, monds and rubies set in tiny gold set- metallic writing pen. great care being taken not to run the iridium through tings. These nibs were said to write well Bore, however, gives most of the the rollers, the machinery being designed with a recess at first, but the settings quickly wore to protect the point. credit for the invention of the metal- down and the stones fell out. A hard the nib blank is now hammered on a small, curved anvil lic pen to the English inventors, John 8 metal seemed the obvious solution for so as to increase its hardness and flexibility. Mitchell, Joseph Gillott, and Josiah tipping the gold nibs, but what metal and 9 the outline of the hammered blank is trimmed to final Mason. He credits them not so much size and shape in dies with a press. how to attach it to the points? for their invention of the steel pen but John Isaac Hawkins is generally 0 a screw stamping press is used to emboss the name rather for their invention and devel- and other lettering into the gold nib blank. given credit, at least in English speak- opment of the machinery to make ¡ in a screw press, the nib is rounded or curved length- ing countries, with the idea of using such steel pens quickly and cheaply. wise from its earlier flat form. iridium and other very hard platinum Bore writes: “the balance of testimony Ô the iridium point is now slit with a copper disk coated family metals to tip nibs. Hawkins was tends to prove that steel pens were with powdered diamond. an American living in England. He first made by tools, worked by a screw £ the rest of the nib is slit in a special slitting lathe with a began his process of attempting to press, about the beginning of the steel saw. tip gold nibs with metal by interview- third decade (of the 19th century).” ¢ the nib is burnished, that is, the tines are hammered to ing several of the leading chemists in bring them close together and close the gap left by the In 1858, Richard Esterbrook founded the country. Professor Wollaston, a slitting saw. the United States Steel Pen Works in noted expert at Oxford University, ˆ the two tips of the point are now set even with each Camden, New Jersey, but he did not other. suggested using platinum family met- claim priority, only to make a superior § the nibs are ground so that the slit is even, the points als. Hawkins eventually obtained a product at a good price. are smooth and the nib is made fit for writing. small sample of native iridium pellets The saga of the invention of the ¶ the top of nib is polished, made bright, but the under- which had been mined in the Ural gold dip pen nib is as cloudy as the side of the nib is slightly roughed with a scotch stone Mountains of Russia. It was expen- invention of the steel nib. Why gold? so that the ink will cling to it. sive, but proved very effective after Just to have a shiny tip to one’s writing Finally, the nibs are inspected, graded, tested, and he learned the tricks of soldering it in stick? Well, no. Early inks (and some offered for sale. place then slitting the ball of iridium current ones) are extremely acidic. and the gold nib together. WINTER 2005 7 THE PENNANT 8 WINTER 2005 THE PENNANT In 1834 Hawkins made and sold several nibs. However, manufacture to gold nibs. Randell’s system proved effec- he soon found that the supply of iridium was unreliable tive and profitable. With modifications and technical and, even when available, expensive. He continued to improvements, it remains in use today. make nibs as the market and materials were available but The making of fountain pen nibs continued in the found the business less than rewarding. In 1835 Hawkins same vein. Early fountain pen nibs, such as those used sold his process, list of customers, suppliers, and the few by Newell Prince and Paul Wirt, lack breather holes special tools to Aaron Porter Cleveland who was financed and are identical to dip pen nibs. Later, when Lewis by New Yorker Simeon Hyde. Charles Cleveland, an Waterman perfected the underfeed, a breather hole was American minister, arranged the sale.