A Gentleman's Accessory: The Fountain Pen
Handling a high-quality pen, such as a fountain pen, is unquestionably distinctive. The weight and velvety nib of a fountain pen offer a richness that is difficult to explain in words or photos. Although the art of writing is no longer valued as highly as it once was, and the pen is no longer utilised as frequently as it once was, a beautiful pen still has a place - both for fast notes and signatures. The most magnificent pen for this purpose is a fountain pen with a pure gold nib.
Fountain pens have long been prized treasures in all of their forms. Collectors of fountain pens are more common in countries such as Italy, but these wonderful pens are also collected in Sweden.
A FOUNTAIN PEN'S ANATOMY
Unlike a ballpoint pen, a fountain pen is an ink pen with an ink reservoir integrated into the body. Ink is delivered to the nib through a feed by a mixture of gravity and capillary action.
The ballpoint pen has a reservoir with viscous, quick-drying ink that is conveyed to the paper through a rolling ball while writing. Although today's fountain pens come from the late 1800s and early 1900s, the ancestor of today's fountain pen has a long history.
The nib of the pen may have a big influence on the writing experience. Nibs are available in steel, silver, gold, and even glass.
Fountain pens come with a number of ink systems that may be used to fill them. Nowadays, it's mostly used to fill ink cartridges, but converters and pistons are also typical filling equipment. Sac-fillers, which employed a rubber ink sac that was compressed and then released to generate low pressure inside the sac, enabling ink to flow in via the feed, were once the most common filling procedure for vintage pens.
FOUNTAIN PENS FOR COLLECTORS
Some fountain pens are more popular than others, while some have a more classic design. Antique and vintage fountain pen styles are available from only a few companies on the market. This is one of the advantages of having a fountain pen as a collecting item. Among these are Waterman, Parker, Aurora, Conklin, Sheaffer, Cross, and Montblanc.
Collectors aren't the only ones who like fountain pens. This pen has been utilised as a writing utensil by some of our most well-known authors. Mark Twain's favourite fountain pen was the Conklin Crescent Filler.
THE FIRST FOUNTAIN PEN.
With his Crescent Filler invention, Roy Conklin became the first person to build a true functional self-filling mechanism for fountain pens. Conklin's Crescent Filler received a patent in 1903, and the pen became a commercial success.
Depressing a crescent-shaped metal protrusion from the side of the pen engaged an internal pressure bar, allowing incoming ink to fill a built-in rubber sac in the pen body. To prevent the rubber sac from being mistakenly crushed, a rubber locking ring was employed. Mark Twain was the official spokesman of the Conklin Pen Company, and he was frequently used to promote the brand. Twain's honest words were often used in 1903 when it came to advertising.
“I prefer it to ten other fountain pens, because it carries its filler in its own stomach and I cannot mislay even by art or intention. Also, I prefer it because it is a profanity saver; it cannot roll off the desk.
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Unlike many others, Mark regarded the protruding crescent as a plus since it kept the pen from slipping off the surface when it was put away.
THE WATERMAN BRAND IS WELL-KNOWN IN THE UNITED STATES.
Waterman, an American brand created in 1884, is likewise well-known among collectors. The patent above is from creator Lewis E. Waterman, and it details how to refill a fountain pen using a pipette directly into the pen body, which was the most common and easiest way prior to Conklin's invention.
PARKER PEN COMPANY – AMONG THE BIGGEST ON THE MARKET
Parker is a well-known brand and it is available in many book stores around the country. In the above advertisement, Parker’s variant of a self-filling pen, a so-called Buttonfiller, is presented in the newspaper St. Nicholas in 1915.
In 1888, George Safford Parker created the Parker Pen Company in the United States. The firm was formed in Janesville, Wisconsin, and it was by far the largest in the world in its sector throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Advertisement from the Saturday Evening Post's December 17th, 1910 edition. The commercial features inventor George Safford Parker as well as several of the Duofold series' forerunners, including the Black Giant, which debuted in 1905. In 1889, George Safford Parker received his first patent for a fountain pen. The Duofold series (introduced in 1921), Parker 51 (introduced in 1941), Jotter (1954), and Parker Vector are just a few of Parker's well-known pens (1986). Quink, the company's ink, is also well-known.
Parker's Centennial edition fountain pen and a fountain pen from the Duofold series. The aforementioned Duofold pen is a legend among fountain pens. This pen was used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write several of the later Sherlock Holmes stories, among other things.
Graham Greene, the English author, was a fan of Parker's Duofold fountain pen.
MONTBLANC - HIGH END FOUNTAIN PENS
Montblanc has had a lot of success in recent years when it comes to selling its high-end items. Montblanc is a German corporation known for its pens and is a well-known brand on the market. Their premium watches and jewels are likewise quite popular.
August Eberstein, a German engineer, began producing fountain pens in Berlin in 1906 and marketed them to merchants in Hamburg and Berlin. The name "Montblanc" was registered in 1910, and these pens began to bear the Montblanc sign in 1913. Montblanc's emblem is a white six-pointed star with rounded edges, which represents Mont Blanc's snow-covered top.
Mont Blanc introduced the Meisterstück fountain pen in 1924, and it is still a popular seller today.
Since 1992, Mont Blanc has published a special edition called Writers Edition, in which the company pays homage to the greatest literary figures. The signature of F. Scott Fitzgerald has been added to the above Art Deco style pen, which pays homage to the glamorous days of the 1920s. The pen was first introduced in 2002. Despite the fact that he is writing with a fountain pen in the above photo, it is unclear if the author utilised Montblanc pens.
Sir Winston Churchill, on the other hand, is known to have used Montblanc pens.
Montegrappa – Italian Superiority
Montegrappa, an Italian premium pen manufacturer, has produced a series honouring Ernest Hemingway.
During World War I, Hemingway was stationed near the Montegrappa facility in Bassano del Grappa, where the pens were made. As a result, Hemingway used a variety of Montegrappa pens over his career.
Montegrappa was founded in 1912 and has a product portfolio that includes various premium accessories.
