The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-08-31
ORIGIN OF GOLD PENS
THE FIRST ONES WERE MADE IN ENG.
LAND AND WERE FAILURES.

The FIRST ONES WE'RE MADE IN ENG
LAND AND WERE FAILURES.
Then an American Citizen Discovered
That Iridium Could BE 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 it has come to be, for
without the gold pen point, which can
not corrode, the fountain pen would be
useless.
The manufacture of gold pens was
commenced in the United States in 1885
by matchmaker of Detroit. Attempts
mad been made in England to make
gold pens prior to that time, but they
met with little success. Alloyed gold
is too soft to make durable point, and
this circumstance made it necessary
to protect the pen points with dia-
monds or rubies until John Isaac Haw-
kins, citizen Of the United States, but
residing in England while the expert
ments in the manufacturing of gold
pens were in progress there, accidental
~ discovered that the native alloy Of
iridium and osmium ore, one of the
hardest and most refractory of all me-
tallic alloys, could be used for protect
Ing the points to much better advan-
tage and more cheaply. !.
Hawkins rights were purchased by a
clergyman of Detroit, who induced the
matchmaker above mentioned to manu-
facture gold pens. The first pens made
by him were poor substitutes for the
quill then in use. In 1910 his plant
was taken to New York, where the
business was enlarged.
Quite an improvement was added to
the plant by the machines for the max
ing and tempering Of the pens, invent
ed by John Rendell, one Of the en-
ployees Of the establishment This es-
adjustment soon produced gold pen
so perfect that it combined the elas-
ITCHY Of the quill with the permanency
Of the metal. About 1850 it was dis
covered that by Embedding the iridium
points in the gold instead Of soldering
them on the corrosive influence of the
ink on the two metals, the solder and
the gold, was avoided and a firmer
hold in 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
dustry from it's inception has been
characterized by the use of American
methods. For the production of the
gold pen high degree Of skill is neces-
sary, and only experts are employed
in the different plants.
The gold used in the making of the
pens is obtained from the United
States assay Office. It is then melted
and alloyed about sixteen carats fine
and rolled into long, narrow ribbon,
from which pen blanks or fiat plates
in the shape of a pen, but considerably
thicker than the finished pen, are cut
by means of lever press or die and
punch. The blunt nib Of the blank is
notched or recessed at the end to re-
ceive the iridium that forms the ex-
ceedingly hard point which all good
pens possess.
The iridium is coated with a cream
Of borax ground in water and laid in
the notch formed in the end Of the
blank. It is then secured by a process
Of sweating, which is nothing more or
less than melting the gold of which the
pen Is formed so that it unites solidly
with the iridium. The blank is then
passed between rollers of peculiar
form to give a gradually diminishing
thickness from the point backward.
The rolls have small cavity in which
the extreme end Of the iridium pointed
nib is placed to prevent injury to the
iridium. After rolling the nib of every
pen is stiffened and rendered spongy
by hammering
This is the most important process
In the manufacture of the pen, as the
elasticity of the pen depends entirely
upon this operation. The pen is then
trimmed by press similar to that
which is used for cutting out the
blanks or by automatic machinery
When the blank has been trimmed the
name Of the manufacturer and the
number of the pen are stamped on it
by means Of a screw press.
The pen is given it's convex surface
also by means Of screw press, the
blank being pressed between a concave
die beneath and a convex one above
Quite a little force is necessary to
bring the pen to the required convex
ity, and when this operation is COM
pleted two Jaws approach the blank
and press it up on opposite edges, thus
giving the pen it's final shape.
The next step is to cut the iridium
into two points by holding it on the
edge Of thin copper disk which is
charged with fine emery and oil and
revolves at high speed. The nib is
then slit by machine and the slit
cleared by means of a fine circular
saw. After Sitting, the nibs are
brought together by hammering, and
the pen is FURNISHED on the inside by a
concave form and on the outside by a
convex form. This is necessary to give
the pen a uniform surface and greater
o1o 81;