Dip pen

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Dip pen with holder
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Various models of dip pens

A dip pen is a writing instrument used to apply ink to paper. It usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and plastic; some pens are made entirely of glass.

Contents

Generally dip pens have no ink reservoir, so the user must refill the ink from an ink bowl or bottle to continue drawing or writing. Sometimes a simple tubular reservoir can be clipped to the top of the pen, allowing for several minutes of uninterrupted use. Refilling can be done by dipping into an inkwell, but it is also possible to charge the pen with an eyedropper, a syringe, or a brush, which gives more control over the amount of ink applied. Thus, "dip pens" are not necessarily dipped; many illustrators call them nib pens.

Dip pens emerged in the early 19th century, when they replaced quill pens and, [1] in some parts of the world, reed pens. Dip pens were generally used before the development of fountain pens in the later 19th century, [2] and are now mainly used in illustration, calligraphy, and comics.

While a fountain pen offers the convenience of less frequent refills, the dip pen has certain advantages over a fountain pen. It can use waterproof, pigmented, iron gall ink, particle-and-binder-based inks, such as India ink, drawing ink, and acrylic inks with ease; while fountain pens generally must use water based inks, require thorough and frequent cleaning to prevent clogging when used with pigmented or waterproof inks and may corrode when used with iron gall ink. Dip pen nibs may also corrode when used with iron gall ink but this is not as likely nor as problematic as the nib of a dip pen is often cleaned after each use, and is easily replaced. Dip pens are also more sensitive to variations of pressure and speed, producing a line that naturally varies in thickness.

There is a wide range of exchangeable nibs for dip pens, so different types of lines and effects can be created. The nibs and handles are far cheaper than most fountain pens, and allow color changes much more easily. [3]

History

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra at Gillott's Victoria Works, 1874 Thinktank Birmingham - Gillott(1).jpg
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alexandra at Gillott's Victoria Works, 1874

The earliest known split-nib metal dip pen is a surviving copper-alloy pen found in Roman Britain (AD 43 to 410). [4] Several other surviving all-metal and removable-nib pens from the Middle Ages and Renaissance have been found, suggesting they were used alongside quill pens. [5] [6] [7] [8]

1890 advertisement by Perry & Co. Perryco 1890ad.jpg
1890 advertisement by Perry & Co.
Stands for dip pens and inkwells in the desks of student bench in the historic Chemical Auditorium of Gdansk University of Technology, 1904 Fume hood and table of elements, early XX century Gdansk University of Technology.jpg
Stands for dip pens and inkwells in the desks of student bench in the historic Chemical Auditorium of Gdańsk University of Technology, 1904

The steel pen is first attested in Daniel Defoe's book A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain – 1724–26. In Letter VII Defoe wrote: "the plaster of the ceilings and walls in some rooms is so fine, so firm, so entire, that they break it off in large flakes, and it will bear writing on it with a pencil or steel pen." In Newhall Street, John Mitchell pioneered mass production of steel pens in 1822; prior to that the quill pen had been the most common form of writing instrument. His brother William Mitchell later set up his own pen making business in St Paul's square. The Mitchell family is credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, which greatly sped up the process.

The Jewellery Quarter and surrounding area of Birmingham, England was home to many of the first dip pen manufacturers, which some companies establishing there to produce pens. Some of those companies were Joseph Gillott's (established in 1827), Sir Josiah Mason (1827), Hink Wells & Co. (1836), Baker and Finnemore (1850), C. Brandauer & Co. (1850), D. Leonardt & Co. (1856). [9]

Baker and Finnemore operated in James Street, near St Paul's Square. C Brandauer & Co Ltd., founded as Ash & Petit, traded at 70 Navigation Street. Joseph Gillott & Sons Ltd. made pen nibs in Bread Street, now Cornwall Street. Hinks Wells & Co. traded in Buckingham Street, Geo W Hughes traded in St Paul's Square, D. Leonardt & Co./Leonardt & Catwinkle traded in George Street and Charlotte Street, and M Myers & Son. were based at 8 Newhall Street. By 1830 John and William Mitchell, Joseph Gillott and Josiah Mason were the major manufacturers in Birmingham.

Pen No 1163 by George W. Hughes, one of the most notable English pen manufacturers. Geo. W. Hughes -- No.  1163 LONFLO DSC 9827.jpg
Pen Nº 1163 by George W. Hughes, one of the most notable English pen manufacturers.

In Germany the industrial production of dip pens started in 1842 at the factory of Heintze & Blanckertz in Berlin.

By the 1850s, Birmingham was a world centre for steel pen and steel nib manufacture. More than half the steel nib pens manufactured in the world were made in Birmingham. Thousands of skilled craftsmen and women were employed in the industry. Many new manufacturing techniques were perfected in Birmingham, enabling the city's factories to mass produce their pens cheaply and efficiently. These were sold worldwide to many who previously could not afford to write, which encouraged the development of education and literacy. By 1860 there were about 100 companies making steel nibs in Birmingham, but 12 large firms dominated the trade. In 1870 Mason, Sommerville, Wiley, and Perry, merged to form Perry & Co. Ltd. which later became one of the largest manufacturers in the world, with near 2,000 employees. [10]

Advertising for pen nibs by Hungarian Jozsef Schuler, 1910 Stainless steel pen nib by Joseph Schuler, Budapest, Hungary 1910.jpg
Advertising for pen nibs by Hungarian József Schuler, 1910

Richard Esterbrook manufactured quill pens in Cornwall. In the 19th century, he saw a gap in the American market for steel nib pens. Esterbrook approached five craftsmen who worked for John Mitchell in Navigation Street with a view to setting up business in Camden, New Jersey, US. Esterbrook founded his company in 1858, and it grew to become one of the largest steel pen manufacturers in the world. In 1971 it went out of business.

The oblique dip pen was designed for writing the pointed pen styles of the mid 19th to the early 20th century such as Spencerian Script, although oblique pen holders can be used for earlier styles of pointed penmanship such as the copperplate scripts of the 18th and 19th centuries. As the name suggests, the nib holder holds the nib at an oblique angle of around 55° pointing to the right hand side of the penman. This feature helps greatly in achieving the steep angle required for writing certain scripts, but more importantly, it prevents the right hand nib tine from dragging on the paper as can be experienced when using a straight nib holder with a straight nib for this purpose.

The decreasing production of dip pens and the subsequent demise of the industry in Birmingham is often[ citation needed ] blamed on the invention of the ballpoint pen in 1938 by the Hungarian Laszlo Biro. [11] [12]

One improved version of the dip pen, known as the original "ballpoint", was the addition of a curved point (instead of a sharp point) which allows the user to have slightly more control on upward and sideways strokes. This feature, however, produces a thicker line rather than the sharp line produced by a sharp point.

Pen makers

The following is a list of some of the most prominent dip pen manufacturers (in past and present times): [9]

CountryManufacturers (Brands)
AustriaCarl Kuhn & Co., Hiro [13] [14]
CzechoslovakiaMathias Salcher & Söhne ("Massag") [15]
EnglandBaker & Finnemore, C. Brandauer & Co., J. Cooke & Sons, Hinks Wells & Co., Joseph Gillott's, Geo W. Hughes, D. Leonardt & Co., Josiah Mason, John Mitchell, William Mitchell, M. Myers & Son, Ormiston & Glass, Perry & Co., A. Sommerville & Co. [16]
FranceBaignol et Farjon, Blanzy-Poure, Cie. Francaise, Herbin, J.B. Mallat, Plumes Parisiennes [17]
GermanyBrause, Heintze & Blanckertz, Kaweco, Herm Müller, E.W. Leo, F. Soennecken [18] [19] [20]
JapanNikko, Tachikawa, Zebra
SpainBoira, Cervantinas, Campoamor, Daimar, A. Fabre, Goya, Imsa, Jaer, Verabil
Scotland Macniven & Cameron
United States Eagle Pencil Co., Esterbrook, C. Howard Hunt (Speedball), Turner & Harrison [21]

Uses

Pens used for nib painting Dip pens Redis Feder Salcher 400 Wien.JPG
Pens used for nib painting

Dip pens continued in use in schools into the 1950s and 1960s, mainly on grounds of cost, since fountain pens were expensive to buy. Even when ballpoint pens became cheaply available, some schools banned their use, perhaps because writing with a dip pen had to be done with greater care. School desks were made with a socket for a small ceramic inkwell which had to be refilled on a daily basis, a task often delegated to one of the pupils. [22] [23]

Dip pens are rarely used now for regular writing, most commonly having been replaced by fountain pens, rollerball pens, or ballpoint pens. However, dip pens are still appreciated by artists, as they can make great differences between thick and thin lines, and generally write more smoothly than other types of pens. Dip pens are also preferred by calligraphers for fine writing. Dip pens are still in use for nib paintings, mostly round tip ones with a slit in the centre.

Although most of the factories ceased manufacturing dip pens, [9] some companies are still active, such as Speedball, Brause (currently owned by French company Exacompta Clairefontaine), [24] [25] William Mitchell and Joseph Gillott's.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quill</span> Writing instrument made from a feather

A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain pen</span> Writing implement with nib and internal ink reservoir

A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib to apply water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeatedly dip the pen in an inkwell during use. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits the ink on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action. Filling the reservoir with ink may be achieved manually, via the use of an eyedropper or syringe, or via an internal filling mechanism that creates suction or a vacuum to transfer ink directly through the nib into the reservoir. Some pens employ removable reservoirs in the form of pre-filled ink cartridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen</span> Writing and drawing implement using liquid or paste ink

A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity that had to be periodically recharged by dipping the tip of the pen into an inkwell. Today, such pens find only a small number of specialized uses, such as in illustration and calligraphy. Reed pens, quill pens and dip pens, which were used for writing, have been replaced by ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, fountain pens and felt or ceramic tip pens. Ruling pens, which were used for technical drawing and cartography, have been replaced by technical pens such as the Rapidograph. All of these modern pens contain internal ink reservoirs, such that they do not need to be dipped in ink while writing.

An inkstand is a stand or tray used to house writing instruments, with a tightly-capped inkwell and a sand shaker for rapid drying. A penwiper would often be included, and from the mid-nineteenth century, a compartment for steel nibs, which replaced quill pens. Inkstands with tightly closing lids, often finely made, were part and parcel of a traveling kit, until the widespread use of the fountain pen. Inkstands were going out of use before the development of ballpoint pen, which finished them as a primary source of ink.

A writing implement or writing instrument is an object used to produce writing. Writing consists of different figures, lines, and or forms. Most of these items can be also used for other functions such as painting, drawing and technical drawing, but writing instruments generally have the ordinary requirement to create a smooth, controllable line.

The Birmingham pen trade evolved in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter and its surrounding area in the 19th century; for many years, the city was the centre of the world's pen trade, with most dip pens being produced there. At the height of the Jewellery Quarter's operations, there were about 100 pen factories, which employed around 8,000 skilled craftspeople.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotring</span> Technical writing and drawing instruments company

Rotring is a manufacturer of technical drawing tools and writing implements. Established in Germany in 1928 as a fountain pen manufacturer, Rotring went on to be acquired by Newell Brands in 1998. The name "Rotring" directly translates to "red ring" which is still placed around the barrel of their pens today. The company's name was changed to Rotring in the early 1970s to match the trademark.

Lamy is a German pen manufacturing company. Josef Lamy, who was a sales representative for Parker Pen in Germany, founded the business in 1930 by purchasing the Orthos pen manufacturer. Lamy was a pioneer in the use of moulded synthetic plastics to make their products.

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Zebra Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of writing instruments, established in 1914 by Tokumatsu Ishikawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nib (pen)</span> Writing point of a pen

A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen, fountain pen, ball point or stylus which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material from which they are made.

A Flex nib is a type of fountain pen nib that can create different line widths. Due to its non-rigid structure, a flex nib allows a writer to control line width by adjusting the pressure of the pen on paper. Increased pressure will cause the two tines of the nib to separate slightly, allowing more ink to flow onto the page. A lighter grip will allow the tines to remain close together and produce a thinner line. Range of line widths from a fountain pen is limited; however, the most flexible nibs can produce a width about six times greater than that of a regular nib. The most flexible nibs are sometimes known among collectors as "wet noodles".

The Esterbrook Pen Company is a former American manufacturing company founded by English immigrant Richard Esterbrook and based in Camden, New Jersey. It was the largest pen manufacturer in the United States, having reached a record of producing 216,000,000 pens a year. The company produced dip pens, then concentrating on fountain pens until it was acquired by Venus Pencils in 1967, ceasing activities in 1971.

Perry & Co., Ltd was a dip pens manufacturer of England. The company was the largest in its country of origin, producing a huge range of models. Perry & Co. also manufactured bicycle chains and accessories.

Speedball is a US manufacturing company of stationery and art products, based in Statesville, North Carolina. The company was originally established as the "C. Howard Hunt Pen Company" in 1899, to manufacture dip pens.

The Sheaffer Prelude fountain pens, rollerball pens and ballpoints are a line of writing instruments made by the Sheaffer Pen Company.

Leonardt Ltd. is an English manufacturing company that specializes in finishing of metal components, manufacturing products such as corners for stationery such as leathergoods, photograph albums, menu covers, pattern and carpet books, binders and portfolios.

Joseph Gillott's was an English manufacturing company based in Birmingham founded by Joseph Gillott in 1827 that produced high-quality dip pens. In 1961, Joseph Gillott's was taken over by British Pens Ltd., becoming a brand of it. Pen lines with the Gillott's name were manufactured in the British Pens factory of West Midlands, and currently commercialised by William Mitchell Ltd, one of the brands of the corporation.

Sheaffer Pen Corporation is an American manufacturing company of writing instruments, particularly luxury fountain pens. The company was founded by Walter A. Sheaffer in Fort Madison, Iowa, and incorporated in 1913 to exploit his invention of a lever-filling fountain pen. The brand was sold by French company Bic to A. T. Cross Company in August, 2014. In August, 2022 the brand was sold to and is currently owned by William Penn Private Limited, a multi-brand retailer and distributor of writing instruments and accessories.

References

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  2. More about the pen trade on Birmingham Jewellery Quarter
  3. The Best Nib and Nib Holder Combinations by Miriam on Jet Pens, March 12, 2019
  4. "Pen, split nib – Romano-British period". British Museum. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  5. "Pen". Museum of London. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  6. "Pen". Museum of London. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  7. Adam Daubney (1600). "Record ID: LIN-CDD296 – POST MEDIEVAL pen". The Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  8. Veliki Preslav (2012-09-29). "Bulgarian archaeologists find unique set of pen nibs used in the Golden Age". FOCUS Information Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2016-12-04. We found an incredibly interesting and one of its kind set of 11 bronze pen nibs, which used to be put on the pens during the Golden Age of Simeon I of Bulgaria{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. 1 2 3 "More about the pen trade". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  10. "Perry and Co". gracesguide.co.uk.
  11. "Pen makers: William Mitchell and Joseph Gillott", Birmingham Mail, 3 Nov 2014
  12. "A Brief History of Writing Instruments, Part 3: The Battle of the Ballpoint Pens" by Mary Bellis on About.com
  13. Box dip pen nibs, Carl Kuhn & Co.
  14. Antique Hiro Rond Austria on The Fanatic Calligrapher
  15. Pointed nibs on Kallipos.de
  16. More about the pen trade - The manufacturing process on Birmingham Jewellery Quarter
  17. Pen & Ink on Maiwa
  18. Herm Muller Leipzig 0720ef
  19. HEINTZE & BLANCKERTZ DIP PEN VINTAGE,GERMANY
  20. Kaweco dip pen on Kaweco, 6 Dec 2019
  21. "Fairchild Dip Pen with Esterbrook 794 Nib".
  22. Webb, Simon (2013). The Best Days of Our Lives: School Life in Post-War Britain. Stroud (UK): The History Press. ISBN   978-0-7524-8936-0.
  23. "Dip Pens and their Accessories". www.throughouthistory.com. 19 December 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  24. "Brause brand". exaclair.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  25. "Brause". cultpens.com.