Pen

a well known instrument used for writing with ink. The point is known as the nib. The earliest implement used for writing was probably the stylus, a mere pointed needle of metal, bone, or ivory. A pen made from a joint of the hollow stalk of the calamus or reed was the implement in use by the ancient writers. It is considered the ancestor of the modern pen. Hollow joints of a small bamboo were used for the purpose also. The use of the quill or feather of the swan, goose, crow, etc., was known, it is believed, at an early date. The first mention of the quill in literature, however, dates from the seventh century. About 1809 an English inventor hit upon the idea of cutting up quills into nibs. He also invented a machine for the purpose. This rendered the mending of quill points unnecessary. The public took to the idea kindly, and thus became accustomed to the notion of a nib and a holder in two separate articles. Various patents were granted for gold and steel pens. About this time also a steel nib was placed on the British market at a retail price of a dollar and a quarter each. The making of steel pens developed into an industry first at Birmingham between 1830 and 1840. That city is still the center of the British pen trade. Joseph Gillott, whose name is associated with the perfection of the steel pen and who made a fortune in its manufacture, was originally a knife grinder of Birmingham. The making of gold pens has kept pace with the use of steel. They are tipped usually with iridium, as gold wears too rapidly to be serviceable.

The making of steel pens, like that of needles and pins, is accomplished almost wholly by machinery. Steel of the finest quality is first rolled into sheets and cut into ribbons. After it has been properly annealed, cleaned, and reduced to uniform thickness, the pens are cut out by a die. They are now called blanks. The central perforation and the shoulder slits, if any, are now made by another machine. The flat blanks are then passed into a press and stamped with the manufacturer's name and other points desired. After this they are curled by means of rollers into a semicylindrical form. They are then tempered, plunged in oil, roasted over a fire until they obtain a dull blue color, and scoured and polished in large cylinders in which they are tumbled about with sand. The points are ground on a small emery wheel, first lengthwise, then across the nib. The slitting of the nib is about the last operation, after which the pens are polished, roasted, and sometimes varnished with a solution of shellac. Birmingham pens rank high. French pens have an excellent reputation. According to 1905 statistics the annual value of gold pens manufactured in the United States is $692,029; the value of steel pens, $473,847. In addition, fountain and stylographic pens were reported to the value of $2,082,005. The latter item is increasing rapidly.

See Quill