Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-09-10
The Making Of Steel Pens.


The steel pen is a modern invention.
not fifty years having elapsed since it
was introduced. and like many other
innovations it met with much opposition
and had number of rivals. OF these
the quill pen was the most formidable.
and to this day the quilts of geese are
used by some old stagcrs. Pens of sill
yer and of gold, the latter especially,
have been great favorites with those who
admire much hcxibility in pen. and
the handy self-feedcrs, a. the stylo-
graphic. have plenty of users. But,
after all, the steel pen is the most gem
orally used, and unlike most inventions,
the method of its manufacture has been
essentially changed or improved.
The steel from which pens are made
is the finest crucible cast steel rolled
into sheets 1900 of an inch thick.
From this the blanks are cut by means
of punch and die in presses worked 10y
hand or foot, the operators being girls.
The side Sits i'm the pen, the central
oval or scmicircular hole, the corrug;l-
tons or embossings, the curved or semi
circular form to the originally flat blank,
and the stamp of the pen or the maker,
are all formed and produced by similar
means--tho screw hand press or the
lever foot prcss--by the use of punches
and dies, each pen being handled sepa-
ratcly.
These corrugations and Sits and CEN
trail cuts are not merely fanciful orna-
ments, but are intended to adapt the
pen to the user. Some want resisting
pen, very stiff and allowing considerable
x,,ith ino ho he n
enough to make heavy mark: others a
yielding pen that requires but n touch
to open the nibs. Then there are many
degrees of these qualities required, as
well as differences I'm sizes; so that q
single establishment make no less than
forty-siN styles of steel pens.
Of course, cast steel of such extreme
tenuity becomes hardened by these sue
cessive DRESSINGS and punchings. and
must be annealcd. This is done by
placing the blanks, or unfinished pens,
in q cast iron box, which is then covered
with larger box leaving space all
around of half an inch, or more, which
is filled with ashes or fine charcoal.
The whole is then subjected to glow
ing heat for about two hours, and al
lowed to cool. When anncalcd, these
blanks may be rolled up by the fin
gers 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 OF eight inches squarc--and when
she pens are red hot, they arc poured in
to tank of animal oil. When taken
out from this bath they must be handled
carefully, rs they are not only stiff and
brittle, but crumbly; they can be
squeezed to minute fragments between
thumb and finger They are then placed
within conc-shaped sheet iron reccpta-
Gle open at the large end and mounted
on a spindle, and rotated over n glowing
fire until they turn to n full OF low
blue. They are then chilled in oil. and
when cool are ratified i'm sawdust until
they are quite clean and bright. The
next process is the grinding of the nibs
on the minute wheels of fine emery and
of corundun, and lastly comes the cs-
scntial process that completes the pen
and makes il n pcn--thc Sitting of tho
nibs. This is done by pair Of shears
acting the same as the presses and
punches. This splits the steel from point
to central hole without removing n par
ticle of material. The pens are then
lacquercd, straw or brown, blucd or
BACKED. OF left bright, rs the style de-
mands. and packed for the Market
Scientific american.