How do fountain pens work

During the Renaissance, artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci is believed to have designed and constructed a working fountain pen.

His journals contain drawings with cross-sections of what appears to be a reservoir pen. Careful study of his surviving journals shows his handwriting is consistent throughout, rather than the typical fading pattern of a quill pen from the time. While no physical example survives today — some historians challenge whether he actually completed his task — several working models were reconstructed in by artist Amerigo Bombara that have since been put on display in museums dedicated to Leonardo.

Other early records of fountain pens also exist. For example, 17 th century German inventor Daniel Schwenter invented a pen made from two quills. In , Samuel Pepys, English naval administrator, mentioned in his writings a metal pen "to carry ink. The earliest version of the pen described by Bion is traced to With all the many advances in pen technology that have taken place over the years, there are many aspects of how the modern fountain pen operates that are still a mystery to both the casual user and the aficionado alike.

Today, we are fortunate to have beautiful, high-quality fountain pens that provide a luxurious, elegant writing experience. The ink flows safely and smoothly from inside the pen to the paper, allowing us to capture our most important thoughts and ideas. But how does this seemingly magical device actually work? The nib is the metal writing point that presses onto the page, creating a delicate flow of handwritten ink. As you let the pen gently curve across the page, the fountain pen leaves a smooth, fine edge of ink on the paper.

As the fountain pen is pointed downward to the paper, gravity gently pulls the ink toward the page. The other force at work is capillary action. Early versions of the fountain pen employed techniques such as an eyedropper or syringe to refill the reservoir. Novelty Erasers. Retractable Erasers. Pencil Cases. Double Pen. Extra Long. Roll Up. Single Pen. Bag Organizers. Laptop Sleeves.

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Top 10 Gel Pens. Top 10 Highlighters. Top 10 Markers. Most music nibs have two ink slits and three tines to allow for more ink flow, and the feed is specifically designed to fit the nib. Gold nibs are more pliable than steel, and they increase wettability, which is the process in which a liquid adheres to a solid.

Softer gold nibs decrease surface tensions between the tip and the page, increasing the thickness of the lines by allowing ink to flow more freely. Sturdier metal alloys, such as tungsten, iridium, or osmium, strengthen the tip of the nib, but microscopic imperfections in these coated tips cause scratchiness or skipping. Pressing down on the nib during writing can damage or break the nib. Semi-flexible nibs allow the writer to use pressure to create thicker lines.

Vintage fountain pens, formerly used in classroom handwriting lessons, had more flexible nibs, but modern fountain pens have stiffer nibs with little line variation. The feed also allows air back inside the ink reservoir to prevent leakage. Fins, the grooves inside the grip, catch excess ink from traveling to the nib, reducing ink blotting.

Many modern designs house the feed inside of the grip, hiding it from the naked eye. Ink reservoirs vary in design, but they fall into two main categories that are refillable through cartridges or bottled ink. Disposable ink cartridges come pre-filled with ink, but they can be recharged with bottled ink when cleaned properly.

Converters use a twisting or a pressure mechanism to pull ink from the bottle into the reservoir. Some cartridges and converters are proprietary for a specific type of pen. Photograph courtesy of the author. Fountain pens with an ink bladder, or an ink sac, fill with bottled ink when pressure is applied and released. Some ink reservoirs are built-in to the design of the pen, which have mechanisms that use low pressure to refill the ink reservoir.

Fountain pens without a cartridge, converter, or a sac store ink in the barrel of the pen, sealed with an o-ring or silicone grease to avoid leaking. Using bottled ink is more cost-effective and better for the environment. A fountain pen ink bottle refills an ink reservoir many times, making the cost per milliliter much less than purchasing disposable ink cartridges.

Only use bottled ink specifically designed for fountain pens when refilling the ink reservoir. These dye-based, non-corrosive, and particle-free inks move more freely through the feed to the nib.

Other pigmented or carbon inks have binding agents that clog the nib and feed. Many fountain pen owners mix bottled inks to create unique colors. Some inks have chemical reactions to each other, changing the pH level and altering the intended color. Do not mix an alcohol-based ink with a non-alcohol based ink; they are insoluble, and the ink mixture will coagulate and clog the feed.

The parts of a fountain pen all work together through capillary action to maintain a constant flow of ink without leakage. Fountain pens require maintenance, which will help your fountain pen last for years.