Do you have any old Fountain Pens or Propelling Pencils that you no longer use, or that have stopped working? We buy any type of pen, in any condition, some brands being better known than others. We will buy for cash your unwanted Fountain Pens.
The Fountain Pen got its name from the newly invented reservoir that was built into the pen itself. The pen evolved from the early Quill Pens that had to be dipped frequently into an inkwell or pot of ink. They could be shaped and sharpened until they became too blunt, and were discarded for another quill. Whether the Fountain Pen has a metal nib and a refillable ink reservoir, or just a Ballpoint Pen with its own reservoir, but discardable once used up, they worked on the same principle. Some Fountain Pens used pre-filled ink cartridges that eliminated the need to manually fill them, a messy process at times.
Early examples of such pens were recorded in ancient scripts, for example a Caliph in ancient Egypt ordered craftsmen to make that had an ink reservoir built in, thereby keeping his hands clean. During the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci invented and used a Fountain Pen with a reservoir. The pen worked by gravity, when it was held upside down ink flowed into the nib, as well as by capillary action. There are no actual items surviving, however an artist, Amerigo Bambara, reconstructed this prototype from Leonardo’s drawings, and they are on display in museums displaying da Vinci’s works.
In Europe in the 17th century a German inventor made reference to a pen made from two Quills. One had a reservoir for ink, inside the first Quill, sealed inside by cork. To get the ink flowing in order to write, the ink was squeezed through a small hole. In 1663 Samuel Pepys made reference to a metal pen that contained ink. During the reign of Charles II in England, a reference to Fountain Pens made from silver was documented. By the 18th century these pens were already known as Fountain Pens.
There was not much progress in the development of a Fountain Pen until the mid-19th century, as there were fault and problems arising from the original design. Inks were corrosive, and contained a sediment which blocked the flow, and air pressure in the operation was not fully understood as yet. The first patent for a fully operational Fountain Pen was issued in England to a German maker in 1809. In 1819 a patent was issued to John Sheffer, and another designer John Jacob Parker, was rewarded a patent in 1832 for his self-filling Fountain Pen. Steel nibs were widely manufactured in England and a new machine was invented in 1830 that could mass-produce steel nibs and pens.
Various improved techniques were introduced from 1850 onwards. Three patent holders produced a popular pen the Gold Nib Pen tipped with Iridium, the Hard Rubber and freer flowing ink pen. There were several improved American producers during this period, notably Waterman who led the market until the 1920’s.
There had been some leakage problems with earlier inventions, and one of the solutions was a pen with a retractable safety part that corked the ink reservoir. In the 1890’s George Parker released his Parker Jointless Pen, that had a single section barrel with no leaking joints. Waterman marketed their own safety pens in 1908. Pens with non-retractable nibs were sealed with screw caps that effectively sealed the nib.
There were various further inventions in Europe, in Germany with the first screw piston-filling Fountain Pen. In Croatia the solid ink Fountain Pen was factory-manufactured and the Hungarians also introduced a modern piston filling pen by 1925. Following these inventions there have been many technical improvements, celluloid replacing hard rubber, and new and improved filling systems, mainly from Parker and Scheaffer. The Fountain Pen was used widely in the 1940’s and 1950’s as opposed to early ballpoint pens, which still had leakage problems. Biro had a patent to produce ballpoint pens that were called Ballpoint Fountain Pens. New productions of note were the Parker 51, the Aurora 85, the Scheaffer Snorkel, and the Eversharp, as well as the Esterbrook lever fill types with steel nibs that could be interchanged.
Gradual improvements in ballpoint pen production ensured that these became more popular than the Fountain Pen. Cartridge filled Fountain Pens are still in use around the world, and there are several makes such as Conway Stewart, Faber-Castell and Visconti that are collectible items or a symbol of wealth. Fountain Pens, however, have made a significant return from around 2010, some makers regarding them as smooth-writing, superior models to the Ballpoint Pen. Nibs have also improved, with gold plating leading the way. The surface of such nibs better allows ink to spread.
Gold and steel nibs, as well as Titanium nibs are generally tipped with an alloy such as Osmium, tungsten and others that make the nib more hard wearing and resistant to corrosion. Minute pellets are welded on to the nib tip prior to cutting the slit and grinding the nib tip to shape. Paper abrasion can cause an untipped nib to wear down more rapidly. Different sized nibs are also available, whether broader, italic or even a 360 degree nib as examples. Good quality nibs ensure that some vintage pens are usable today. Jewel inlays were manufactured for special items, and some Japanese items were decorated with lacquer. Over the last decade the use of Fountain Pens has beenincreasing, as more people are collecting them.
Some famous or better known pen brands bear the names of makers such as Conway Stewart, Caran d’Ache, Faber-Castell, Dupont, Pelikan, Montblanc, Sigma, Italix, Rotring. Other examples are Acura, Bexley, Esterbrook, Retro 51, Tombow and others.
In addition to the above listed makes, as examples, we buy Parker, Swan, Onoto, Dunhill, in fact any Fountain Pens, Propelling Pencils and even Ink Wells.
If you own any Fountain Pens, whether in working condition or otherwise, we will exchange these for cash at top prices. Please contact us by telephone, email, or using one of our Sellers’ envelopes, and we will be pleased to answer any questions and assess your property, promptly.
