Fountain pen
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Fountain pens are based on the national standards of the Republic of China (CNS 6630). Pens are welded at the tip of the pen. A pen tip (hereinafter referred to as a pen tip) and a pen with a structure that automatically transfers ink stored in the pen barrel to the pen tip.
The types of fountain pens are divided into 1. suction type and 2. cartridge type according to the structure of replenishing ink.
A modern fountain pen is a writing instrument that contains water-based ink in the pen barrel and continuously supplies ink to the pen tip through gravity and capillary action. The ink of most fountain pens can be refilled. Common methods of refilling ink include replacing cartridge ink tubes, piston filling, ink absorbers, bladder filling, lever filling or more rare inking methods such as submarine filling. wait. Some users also use syringes to inject ink into cartridge-type ink tubes for reuse.
History
It is generally said that the modern fountain pen was invented by Lewis E. WAterman. Waterman was originally an insurance salesman. Once, he was involved in an important contract. When signing the contract, the pen he used leaked and damaged the contract documents, causing the deal to fail. This inspired Waterman to make a useful pen. However, regarding this legend, according to the blog Pennote notes:
Construction and Principle of Mathematical Instrument written by Nicola Bion in France in 1715 AD already mentioned the use of pen caps to prevent the ink from drying out.
The earliest ink storage pen that uses a pen holder to supply ink was made in 969 AD for Caliph Mu’izz of the Fatmid dynasty of Egypt.
Metal pen nibs were recorded around the 15th century, and steel nibs became a commonly used tool in the 19th century. Around 1830-40, pen nibs using iridium began to appear.
The design of using an ink tube to deliver ink to the pen tip also existed in the early 19th century. Between 1880 and 1883 there were still dozens of patent applications for pen feeds.
In summary, none of the important components of the fountain pen were created or pioneered by Waterman. Therefore, it would be biased to attribute the invention of the fountain pen entirely to Waterman, but designing an effective and simple pen It is an indisputable fact that the pen feed can provide a stable supply of ink, and an important fountain pen factory will be founded in the future.
In fact, the predecessor of the fountain pen can be traced back to the ancient European quill pen and even the earlier Egyptian reed pen. The history of the Egyptian reed pen can be traced back to the First Dynasty in 3000 BC. The flexible surface on the outside of the pen barrel is used to cut a nib suitable for writing. When writing, the nib and the front end of the pen are immersed in ink, and an appropriate amount of ink is taken to write on papyrus, parchment or paper.
Whether it is a reed rod or a bird's quill, its toughness and durability are always limited. Therefore, when metal technology developed, some people tried to make a pen tip from metal, and installed it on the pen holder to become a modern dip pen tip. Water pen.
In addition to the pen tip, another issue worth improving is the ink supply. After all, constantly getting ink during the writing process is not only troublesome, but it is also very cumbersome to have another bottle of ink. So some people use a hollow pen barrel to store ink, and through a small ink supply channel, the ink required for writing with the pen tip is continuously supplied from the rear of the pen tip. The earliest historical records of water-filled fountain pens date back to the 10th century, and this earliest water-filled fountain pen was used until the 18th century. However, it is possible to write with only two elements: 1. Tough (metal) pen tip 2. Ink storage mechanism, but this is not enough. 3. Smooth ink control (supply) mechanism is needed to ensure stable ink supply.
The first fountain pen using the above three key inventions was manufactured around the 1850s. But it wasn't until the 1880s that mass production began. Waterman and Wirt in the United States were the main producers at that time, with factories in New York, Bloomingdale and Philadelphia. Waterman later left Wirt. Become a large company specializing in fountain pens. It gradually declined until the 1920s.
In the early 20th century, special pens from the United States were gradually imported into China and distributed in coastal cities.
Subsequently, fountain pens of various brands such as "Conkling", "Eversharp", "Pelikan", "Sheaffer" and "Parker" emerged one after another. enter.
The structure of a fountain pen
A fountain pen usually consists of a pen cover, a grip assembly, a pen barrel, and a water filling/ink storage mechanism. The grip assembly usually includes the pen tip and pen feed
Pen cover The pen cover is also often called the pen cap or pen cap. Its main function is to protect the fragile pen tip from external impact, prevent ink from evaporating and drying out, and also prevents water from getting wet. Damage to clothing and other items. Fountain pens must also be covered with pen covers when not in use. Compared with ballpoint pens, pencils, etc., this is a very important difference in use.
In order to facilitate portability, the pen cover is usually equipped with a pen clip to fix it in the pocket. The design of the pen clip is also often the designer's ingenuity. For example, the pen clip of some pens is designed to have an adjustable tightness. Some pen clips are equipped with rollers at the end for easy extraction, not to mention the arrow-shaped pen clip of Parker pens is almost synonymous with Parker pens.
In order to enhance air tightness and reduce ink evaporation, many modern fountain pens will use a more elastic material to make an inner cover on the inner layer of the pen cover. In addition, many pens will drill a small hole in the pen cover to balance the pressure difference in order to prevent the pen from leaking ink due to the negative pressure generated by the piston when the pen is pulled out of the cap.
When the pen is put into a pen cover, the pen cover and the pen are usually fixed in the following ways
1. Screw locking
2. Elastic reed clamping
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3. Tenon-claw
4. Magnetic auxiliary
Pen tip
The internal structure of the pen (LAMY safari) is generally used in spoken Chinese The meaning of the so-called nib is very ambiguous. Depending on the situation, it can be the tip (Tip) at the front of the pen that is in contact with the paper when writing, or it can include the entire nib piece (Nib), or even the entire nib assembly including the feed stroke. The names and functions of each part on the pen nib are as follows:
Iridium dot - the nib of a modern water fountain pen is welded with a small piece of platinum-iridium alloy where it contacts the paper, usually called an iridium dot. A pen with an iridium dot welded on it is In China, it is called an iridium gold pen, while the nib of a dip pen has no basis. The iridium point can be said to be the most critical part of pen writing. The size of the iridium point polishing determines the thickness of the pen, from thin to thick, and there are various changes. Generally, the most common pen tip sizes are "B, M, F and EF" mainly, from thick to fine, B > M > F > EF. Some pen manufacturers also have BB, which is thicker than B, and XF, which is thinner than EF. The above pen tip sizes are only for relative comparison, and there are no consistent quantitative regulations in the industry. Therefore, it is possible that the F tip of factory A is thicker than the M tip of factory B. Japanese pen styles are marked with the Chinese characters Tai (thick), medium, and thin. Generally, the nibs of Japanese fountain pens are thinner than those of European and American fountain pens of the same specification.
Slip - The iridium point is connected to the rear slip (Slip), which is cut with a thin saw after the iridium point is welded to the pen tip piece. Its function is to use the capillary action of the gap to provide stability. of ink supply.
The end of the ventilation hole-slit is usually connected to a round hole
According to normal writing habits, Westerners mostly use M nibs when using fountain pens, and use B when signing. nib. Due to the complicated strokes in Chinese writing, you can generally use European and American specifications of M, F or finer EF nibs, or Japanese specifications of Chinese characters (M), fine characters (F) or extremely fine characters (EF).