The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-08-13
ORIGIN OF GOLD PENS
The FIRST ONES WERE MADE IN ENG
LAND AND WERE FAILURES.

Then an American Citizen Discovered
That Iridium oaeld Ee Used For
Protecting the Points. and the Per-
feet Pen Resulted.
To an American is due the credit
for having made the fountain pen the
useful article il has come 10 be. FOR
without the gold lten point. which can.
not corrode. the fountain pea would be-
useless
The manufacture of gold pens was
commenced IN the United States IN 1895
by a matchmaker Of Detroit Attempts
had been made in England 10 make
gold pens prior To that time, but they
met with little success Alloyed gold
IS too soft to make a durable point and
this circumstance made il necessary
10 protect the pen points with dia-
inonds or rubies until john Isaac Haw
kins. citizen Of tie United States, but
residing in England while the expert
ments in the manufacturing of gold
pens were in progress there. accidental
ly discovered that the native alloy OF
iridium and osmium ore. one OF the
hardest ANA most refractory of all me
tallic alloys, could be used for protect
Ing The points to much better adyan-
tage and more cheaply.
Hawkins rights We're purchased by
clergyman Of Detroit. who induced ihe
matchmaker above mentioned to manu-
faetufe gold pens. The hrst pens matte
by hlln Mere poor substitutes for The
quill then in use. In 1910 his plant
was taken to New York, where the
business was enlarged.
Quite I'm improvement was added TO
The plant by the machines fo, tho max
/ Ing ana temper.ng Of the pens. invent
ed by John Reaiell. one of the en-
/ plogees Of the establishment This Is
I Enlistment soon produced gold pen
so perfect that il combined the csas-
ticity Of the quill with the permane1ey
Of the metal. About 1850 it was dis
I covered that hs lmbelding the iridium
points III the gold instead Of soldering
I them Oh the corrosive influence of the
I ink on the two metals, the solder and
/ the gold, was avoided and a frme..
/ iold LII the pen was given to the points
The gold pen has been brought to It's
/ present degree of perfection by the
/ American manufacturer, and the in
/ dustFy fro4l Its inception has been
characterized by the use of American
4 methods. For the production of the
/ gold pen a high degree of skin Is neees-
sary, and onis experts are employed
III the different plants.
The gold used in tho making OF tie
pens IL obtained from the United
States assay office II Is then melted
and alleged about sixteen carats tine
Gnd rolled into Ii long narrow ribbon.
from which zen blanks or fat plates
in the shape Of pen. but considerably
thicker than the finished Pen, are chi
by means OF lever press or die and
punch The blunt nib Of the blank h
! notchea or recessed at the end to re
! ceive the iridium that forms the ex
, ceedinglg hard point which all good
} pens possess.
The iridium is coated with cream
Of bJrax ground In water and laid ii
. the E9teh formed In the end of ths
, blank Ii Ii then secured hy process
| or sweating, which IL nothing more o.
less than melting the gold Of which TIL
! pen Is formed 50 that it unItes solhIl.
/ with the iridium. The blank Is thei
] passed between rollers Of peculia
, form to give a gradually diminishing
thickness from the point backward
, The rolls have a small cavity In yhicl
f, the extreme end Of the iridium pointel
nib Is placed to prevent injury to Tia
!, Iridium. After rolling the NIB of ever
! pen Is stiTened and rendered spong
! by hammering
, This IL the most important process
{ In the manufacture of the pen, as th
. elasticity of the pen depends entirel
\ upon this operation The pen Is the
4 trimmed by press simllar to tha
7 which Is used for cutting out til
, blanks or by automatic machlner.
When the blank has been trimmed I'll
!, name OF the manufacturer and Il
, number Of the pen are stamped on
+, by means of screw press.
i The pen Is given It's convex surfat
q also by means of a screw press, Il
blank being pressed between u conca,
die beneath and convex one abov
- Quite little force Is necessary
bring the pen to the required conye
~ ity. and when tits operation liz col
10 pleted two jaws approach the blai
p md press II up on opposite edges, tn
~ giving the pen its final shape.
The next step is to cut the irldiu
te into two points by holding Y on I
no edge Of 4 thin copper disk which
lt charged with fine emery and oil a.
ne revolyes at high speed. The nib
81 then slit by machine and the =
we cleared by means Of fine circul
IN. saw. After Sitting, the nibs .
to brought together by hnmmerlng, q
81 ihc pen Is FURNISHED on the inside By
be. concave form and on the outside by
Ter convex form. This IL necessary - q
'as the pen 4 uniform surface and grea
mp elasticity
Ing These nlbs are then set Nv the ing
old nlore. after which operation the pen
Hi ground by lathe with a thin st
disk and copper cylinder, both cllsi