2003 July | Scribe Farm

Reservoir Pens

The Continued Use Of The Fountain Pen

For many people of a certain age, the memories of ink-stained fingers, blobby, ink-covered homework and school shirt pockets with a creeping blue stain in the corner are still clear ones. For those of a later generation, the words ‘fountain pen’ are alien in their world filled with Bic Biros, gel pens and pens where the ink smells of strawberries and the casings have fuzzy toy trolls attached to the top. But where did these traditional ink pens come from and why are they still popular?

The history of the fountain pen is the history of writing. The earliest historical record of a pen with a reservoir to hold ink dates back to the 10th Century. In 953 Ma’ad al-Mu’izz, then head of state of Egypt, demanded a pen that would not stain his hands or clothes. The resulting pen (the first, official ‘fountain pen’ design) held ink in a reservoir and delivered it to the nib using the combined forces of gravity and capillary action. After that initial leap forward, further development in the design remained practically unchanged for hundreds of years until the industrial age of the 19th Century. The first fountain pen with a replaceable ink cartridge appeared in 1827, designed by Romanian inventor Petrache Poenaru. Others took up the baton and during the 1850s there was a rash of patents submitted for various designs.

The key success lay in the development of three essential components ? the iridium-tipped gold nib, hard rubber and free-flowing ink. The first two ensured smooth ink delivery with no scratching and a method of producing seals and components that were not susceptible to heat, cold or the corrosive effects of the ink. The crucial development of free-flowing ink put an end to clogged nibs that suddenly spurted ink all over your pristine piece of paper or just stopped working completely. By reducing the amount of maintenance the pens had, their popularity increased and they became the staple writing instrument until the launch of the all-conquering Bic in 1950.

In today’s consumer, demand for low-maintenance, throwaway society, the fountain pen is seen as an archaic design. Still, thousands are sold every year. Why do people continue to use such a seemingly outdated pen when there are far better (and completely maintenance-free) gel pens or biros available? They still use a fountain pen because it’s seen as not an outdated design, but a design classic. It speaks of authority, of business acumen, and ultimately, of power. When was the last time you saw an international agreement between two countries being signed by the heads of state using a Bic? At every history-making event, be they peace accords, international trade agreements or the cessation of hostilities between two countries, the fountain pen has played its role.

Today’s fountain pens are a technological world away from the Egyptian reservoir pens of the 10th Century, but the basic idea of using gravity and capillary action is still the same. Cutting edge design incorporates the latest materials into the nib and casing and pens range from the cheap and cheerful 99p Back to School specials to a diamond-encrusted, Caran d’Ache pen created in 1999 and sold in Harrods of London for a mind-boggling $265,000. Calligraphers rely on the design of the fountain pen to continue their art (despite the advent of computer graphics packages) and cheques, documents and letters the world over are still finished with a flourished signature delivered deftly from a fountain pen. They’re still an absolute nightmare to use if you’re left-handed, though.
About the Author

Writing implements are more important to some people than others. While some make do with a scruffy biro others can’t work without a High Quality fountain pen.
Different pens and other office stationary are covered in the regular consumer reviews by Mark Bartley.