Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-12-14
MAKING steel. PENS.
The Process of Manufacturing steel Pens
--Oppn>ition to the Goose.

The steel pen is Il modern invention,
not fifty Years having elapsed since IL
was introduced, and. like many other
| Innovations. it met with much upp"Si-
| tiun and had number OF rivals. OF
these the quill pen was the most f"rmid-
able. and to this day the pulls oi geese
are used lv some old Staycrs. Pens Of
silver and of gold, the latter especially.
| have been great favoritcs with those
who admire much tiexibility in Il pen,
and the handy scli-fccdcrs, rs the stylo-
| graphic. have plenty OF users. But :.
after all, the steel pen is the most g"ncr-
/ ally used, and, unlike most inventions.
the method uf its manufacture has not
been essentially changed or improved.
The steel from which pens are made
i the finest crucible east steel rolled
| into sheets Il 600 OF an inch thick.
| From this the blanks are cut by means
"i Il punch and die in presses worked by
hand or foot, the operators being girls.
The side Sits in the pen, the central oval
or semi-circular hole, the corrugations
or euibossings, the curved or seni-cir-
cular form to the originally fiat blank
and the stamp oi the pen or tn"
maker, are all formed and produced by
similar mcans-the screw hand press
or the lever foot prcss-bv the use OF
punches and dies, each pen being han
died separately.
| These corrugations and Sits and cen
trail cuts are not merely fanciiul orna-
mcnts. but are intended to adapt the
pen To the user. Some want Il resisting
pen, very stiff and allowing consider
able pressure without opening the nibs
wide enough to make Il heavy mark
others Il yielding pen that requires but
Il touch to open the nibs. Then there
are many degrees OF these qualities re-
quired, as well as differences in sizes
so that single establishment makes ne
less than forty-six styles OF steel pens.
, OF course, cast steel OF such extreme
tenuity becomes hardened by these
successive DRESSINGS and punchings. and
must he annealed This is done by
placing the blanks or unfinished pens
in Il cast-iron box, which is then covered
by larger box, leaving 4 space al
around of half an inch or more, which
is flleo with ashes or fire charcoal
The whole is then subjected to Il glow
ing red heat for about two hours, and
allowed to cool. When annealed these
blanks may he rolled up by the fingers
just like so many bits OF tea lead. which
they much resemble in softness.
In heating for hardening the same
method is used-packing in double
boxes six or eight inches square-and
when the pens are red hot, they are
poured into tank of animal oil. Wher
taken out from this bath they must ht
handled carefully, rs they are not only
stiff and brittle, but crumbly; they car
be squeezed to minute fragments be-
tween thumb and finger. They are ther
placed within Il cone-shaped sheet-iroI
receptacle open at the large end and
mounted on Il spindle, and are rotated
over glowing fire until thew turn to ;
full or GLOW" blue. They are ther
chilled in oil, and when cool are rattlec
in saw-dust until they are quite cleal
and bright. The next process is tn,
grinding of the nibs on minute wheels
of fine emery and of corundum, an,
, lastly comes the essential process tina
completes the pen and makes it Il pei
the Sitting of the nihs. This is don,
by pair of shears acting the same a
the presses and punches. This split
; without removing a particle of material
The pens are then lacquered, straw Oh
!. brown, blued or BACKED, or left bright
as the style demands, and packed TO
the market.