Fine Antique Collector

Seventh, and final part. To finish this important method of writing, and make it as beneficial as possible, , I’ve adopted, for the use of public offices, the law, and most static situations, such a method of supply for every person employed so they can write for any period of time with minimal charge of the reservoir without stopping. I expect, on some occasions, when a lot of people whose job is to write in permanent situations, when the method will apply to supply a number of desks with ink from one main source, and placed on a shelf, or any elevated place,high enough to ensure the ink flows easily, down to each desk, just like water flows for domestic uses; the main tank is inserted a small cock, where the writer can fill the fountain or handle of the pen with ease when empty of ink, as previously instructed. Also sometimes, to connect these cocks by a small flexible tube, (leather) by a screw, same as that hose pipes on fire-engines; these tubes will be long enough to easily reach any desk. The lower end of the flexible tube, is joined to the upper part, or top of the hollow handle by a screw, as the brass nozzle of fire-engines, this will ensure the pen will always fill.When the cock is closed, the ink should then not escape out of the capillary into the mouth of the pen unless forced.
To ensure a smooth flow compress between the fingers part of the small flexible tube mentioned, between that is the stop cock and the pen’s top; this pressure will make the mouth of the pen be charged as required, and ensure a ample constant supply of ink in the main tank, this should ensure continuity of writing.
As mentioned the small tubes need to be flexible, but not so soft that they easily collapse. Otherwise the ink will be to readily discharged down into the pen, so in order to resist this pressure, take a long slip of thin leather, cut parallel, of a required width to wrap round a small wire, about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and as much overplus leather so that both the edges are thinned in cutting, to over-reach each other when placed round the mandrill to make a splice. Then, on the mandrill, join the splice, the leather, with effective gum, so to form the tube; then take and wrap the outer part of the tube with wire. This should ensure they are diametrically strong enough to resist the atmospheric pressure as required, but yet flexible enough to so the extra pressure of the fingers used for filling the pen.

Dated February 21, 1809.

Sixth. To give any pens the property the same benefits as previously described, the fountain and perpetual writing ability, I take any pen made of a quality quill, that has a air-tight barrel, if the quill is too hard to be easily compressed by the fingers, then just simply scrape or shave off the part that the thumb rests on the pen, make it thin enough so that the thumb will by enough to force by holding the pen, to be changed from a cylindrical shape to an oval shape, or other. Take a small cork, or part of a round stick, that can act as a stopper, then force into the open end of the pen above the mouth, leaving such a projection into the mouth to admit the stopper so it can be withdrawn easily.
Then with a sharp knife, or otherwise, with the back of the pen above the slit, make a small groove, not bigger in size than a small pin hole, longitudinally along the surface of the stopper, this will cause the smallest channel possible to carry the ink down to the mouth when the barrel of the quill is compressed. When complete the pen the is ready for action
From a small bottle, or similar, fill with ink the whole barrel of the quill, leaving room just enough to prevent the stopper from getting in contact with the ink when pushed into place. The pen is now ready to write ; so by pressing the quill, as above instructed, makes as much ink to flow through the small channel as will fill the pen; so easy and convenience the pen filling has become that it only takes half the time needed for passing the pen from the end of the line completed to start another, and that makes the pen even more convenient.
I can fill either the smallest possible amount of ink, or completely fill the pen without leakage or ink getting onto the external side of the pen’s point. As always happens when the pens are dipped into a stand, so that the fingers of the writer are for ever being covered in ink.

Fifthly. I now come to describe what I conceive to be as important a part of this invention as any of the foregoing, and on which its utility and public benefits will superiorly depend ; namely, a property which enables me to use those pens without the assistance of an inkstand, or any other vessel to contain ink in the usnal way, and by which not only the time lost in dipping the pea, a waste of ink by the improper dispersion of it, will be avoided, but the ink will in all seasons, by being excluded from any contact with the outward air, be preserved in its most perfect and pure state, notwithr standing it may be ever so long kept in either hot or cold climates ; and as the ink by this contrivance is.always equally portable with the pen, it will ,afford uncommon convenience and utility to all those,professions and avocations where pens’and ink are necessary to be carried for the purpose of’immediate use. This property I produce as follows; that is to say, instead of using the common stick, or other methods of handling those .pens, as above described, J take a hollow tube, of silver, or any other metal or materials proper for the purpose, and these tubes being made taper at the lower end, and closed in a round or domical form, will effect the office of the stick, as aforesaid. I then fix the pen, (by means of a socket made to’fit as before,) of whatever class it may be formed, according to the rules already described. I then make a small perforation in any part of the tube, or hollow stick, a little distance from the point, so that when it is turned towards the centre of the pen the ink may be let down into the mouth. I then take this hollow handle, which is the substitute for the stick, as aforesaid, and its upper end being open and unstopped, I pour it full of ink, taking care to stop with the finger the capillary opening at the lower end, as above described, ‘and when full I stop, and make airtight, wiUi a cork, cap, or otherwise, the upper end, a.nd thus I have this tube, of whatever length and dimensions it may be, completely filled with ink ; but which, ink, on account of the air-tight state of the tube or vessel, as above, ‘will not, on being turned with its email end downwards, in’ a position to write, discharge Vei,. XVIII.—Second Series, I.
farce force down the ink to the pen by the hand or screw, &c. &c. It is necessary for me to observe here, at after a portion of the ink contained in the hollow handle, as aforesaid, has been exhausted by writing with on the compressing principle, and not having any influx of air to supply the space generated by the loss of ink, the pressure for disgorging it will become of necessity in-, creased; but to remedy this defect, when necessary, nothing more is required than to turn the pen with its handle downwards, and by which means as much air will be instantly drawn into the ink cavity, at the capillary aperture, as will restore the balance of the medium that had been destroyed by the exuding of the ink, as above stated. These I denominate compound fountain pens.

Fourth. In order to facilitate the fabrication of these pens, and to give them such a degree of truth and regular goodness in their formation as is unattainable by the use of pen-kuives, or any other kind of instrument heretofore adopted as a substitute for cutting them by hand, I take two pieces of steel, of a scantling size, of about three-eighths of an inch by two-eighths, and of about one inch or inch and a half in length, as I think it necessary. These I fix in a frame by the side of each other, having between them, on the two of their broadest’ sides, a thin piece of steel, of the same size in its width, and about the thickness, of a fine watch-spring, and in its length considerably above the length of the two before mentioned pieces between which it is fixed, this I call the lancet, or that part of the intended apparatus or machine which cuts the slit, and lets down the ink in the mouth of every pen, and the point, or cutting extremity, is made of a shape I find best to answer in practice, and is sharpened with an edge both as thin and regular in the middle of the flat substance as possible, because on this regularity and thinness depends both the fineness of the slit and its centrical adjustment in the pen!s point. When these component parts are properly and accurately fitted to each other, by filing, grinding, &c. on those sides in contact, and also fitted into a frame, in which they are fastened by a screw, so calculated as to either fasten, or occasionally release then, they are then ready to receive their prwper form on those ends or extremities meant to act, and form the pen’s mouth; to effect which, these ends of the scantling pieces are filed upon the bevel, or diverging from each other on the inside, so as to form an open mouth, to the extent in length up the pieces to any distance which may be found necessary for the intended purpose; so that when these pieces are again brought into contact
OR
on the fitting sides as before, the mouth formed will be of a triangular shape, which, when sloped or sharpened eft” on the backside, will exactly represent what is called a parting tool for carving and engraving of wood. These pieces of steel are then hardened, and properly tempered, so as to be capable of receiving and retaining » sharp cutting edge, and when that is done they are fit for use. The other thin piece of steel ab’ove described, and termed the lancet, is also sharpened in a proper form, like a chissel, or otherwise, as will best answer, and then put into its place between the Scantling pi«*ro, 9s before described^ having the extremity of its blunted cud above the top ends of the side pieces between •which the said lancet is confined, so that when the whole is fixed, as before stated, in the frame, and fastened with the screw, the lancet can be’ tapped down with a hammer at pleasure, and rendered capable of a nice and accurate adjustment when applied’to use. This method of fixing the lancet between those pieces, which cuts the chaps and forms the mouth of the pen on each side of the slit, is of great consequence, and it must always cause both the chaps of the pen’s point to be exactly equal in width from the slit. This frame and pieces, as above, being thus mounted and equipped, the whole is fixed or connected to the slider or ram of a small fly-press, such as is used for cutting and stamping in the common way of other manufactures, and which I need not therefore describe. This being done, I place under the lower or cutting point of the instrument a piece of very hard wood or metal, which is made on its upper surface, facing the cutting tool, of a shape either concave or convex, like a reed or a flute, to receive the half or a segment of the quill, either with the
concave
concave or convex side uppermost, as I may find it best iu practice. This I call the bed or anvil on which the quill is laid when in the act of being cut and shaped into a pen, and which bed or anvil is cut, or receives its counter shape, so as to exactly correspond and fit the dotting part, as above, by a blow or cutting stroke made by the instrument itself, so that there cannot be the smallest error in their contact when in use, and which properly will cause a clear and not a ragged cut always to be made upon the quill. This bed or anvil is also fixed and held in its place by being driven tight into a horizontal groove in the bed of’a cutting press ; so that when the contact with the cutting tool shall slacken •and become blunt with use, a small blow made”by a hammer, or being forced towards the cutter a little by a regulating screw, ‘the next blow or cut made by the press will renew’the contact, and make good this defect ; and by this means, added to the ready manner in ‘which the pieces of steel which form the mouth and the lancet also may be sharpened when taken out of the frame; the engfae can be continually kept in a state . of perfection with a little trouble. When the apparatus is thus equipped for action, and the rnm or slider of the cutting press lias been limited td its motions, by a proper stop, the lancet may be so adjusted by the tapping of a small hammer as to just cut through the thickness of the substance of the quill, and no farther; and it must be bore observed, that the ends of the pieces which cut and’ form the shape of the pen must be as nruch’shaptd upon the bevel as to cause the operation of the cut to finish at the point of the pen, and not at tiic. •bxn»dcrs of the point, because in the latter case the point of the lancet would have of necessity to pass as far beyond the thickness of the quill as the extra motion for finishing the mouth would require, and by which the two chaps of the pen would be distended by the thickness of the lancet’s taper form, and consequently receive such a false cut as to leave the chaps with a hair point each, lu making- pens by this instrument I do not mean in general to nib or cut the point square and clean by ‘ the operation of cutting the mouth and producing the capillary slit, but I intend rather, when the parts of divided quills, as above described, are cut into lengths, they shall be cut both square and clean enough to answer for the point; and in which case it must be obvious, that by forcing the quill when in the operation of forming the pen a little more or less near the junction of the triangular mouth of the cutters, the width of the pen’s point will consequently be increased or diminished in its dimensions, so that by a nice adjustment in this respect I $ball be able to cut the point broader or narrower at pleasure; and by so doing I can cut pens, calculated for every kind of hand, with strict accuracy; and also by canting the bed or anvil on which the quiil rests, either to the right or left from a right angle with the centre of the cutter, I can form pens with points a little out of the square, either way, for such as are used for ingrossing, and other particular purposes.

Third. In order to make a farther saving, not only in the article of quills but also in facilitating business, I take and divide quills longitudinally, as before, not only into halves, but in some cases, and according to the size of the quill, into three, and even four parts; and when thb is done, I again divide these parts into lengths, and cut them transversely into two, three, four, and some into five lengths, according to the ultimate dimensions or lengths of the different sized quills. I then make, as before, a pen at each extremity of these lengths, some for large and others for small hand, at discretion; and by this means I am able to produce out of the smallest sized quills eight pens, out of others twelve, and from that to thirty (and from swan quills even more) complete pens, for small hand, drawing, and other purposes, equal in both goodness and durability to those produced out of whole quills. These pens last described I call fragment pens; and I mean to mourtt them on handles for common use in the manner described in section the second. But when they are mounted so as to be carried in the pocket, I mean to handle them variously, either with brass or otherwise; and as they may be mounted or handleu almost an infinite variety of ways, without either advantage or the contrary, I rest no. merit, or propose any claim, on whatever method I may in this branch of the manufacture think it proper to adopt.