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Facts About Fountain Pens
Before computers, before typewriters, even before the notorious ballpoint pen, the Fountain pen was writing books and letters across the world. Born from humble beginnings as a simple water reed dipped into ink, the fountain pen eventually expanded to include a reservoir of ink so liquid colour could flow, through precious metal nibs, onto paper. Now, these writing instruments are seen as status symbols with the most powerful figures on the planet signing contracts with them. So join me as we explore 5 fantastic facts about Fountain pens.
Fact 1: Unlike a ballpoint pen or a rollerball pen, a Fountain pen doesn’t have a ball bearing to roll over the paper to deposit ink. Instead, a fountain pen’s tip is simply covered in ink. The ink acts as a lubricant to help the pen glide across the paper before being pulled onto the paper via capillary action. More on this later.
Fact 2: The metal end of a Fountain pen is called nibs. These can be plain or decorative and they come in many sizes and materials.
Fact 3: Fountain pen nibs come in a number of different materials including steel, Palladium, 14 carat gold, 18 carat gold, sometimes, but rarely, 22 carat gold, and titanium.
Fact 4: The very tip of a Fountain pen’s nib is often covered in a hard material called iridium. Pen makers started doing this because pure gold tips wear relatively quickly with use eventually making the pen useless.
Fact 5: The predecessor to the fountain pen was called a dip pen. To look at, they seem very similar. For example, both have a nib and a body to hold. However the difference between a dip pen and a Fountain pen is that a dip pen does not have a reservoir of ink. You must keep dipping, hence the name, the pen in an ink bottle every couple of sentences to refill it
and as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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