Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-16
PENS And PENCILS
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Few OF the minor industries OF the
United States possess more interesting
features than that Of supplying the ma
-tion with its pens and pencils. It Is
estimated that 1t takes nearly 10Wo
gross Of pencils and as many more pens
to supply the demands Of American
writer's. Even the constantly growing
popularity Of the typewriter has not
seriously checked the demand for pens.
A modern pen factory is in reality a
number Of factories in one. There must
be shop for making the delicate and
accurate machinery, as there are too
few pen factories to justify the manu-
facture Of the machines as an independ-
ent business. The pen shop itself Is
filed with machinery and girls. most OF
the operations being performed by the
latter
Only the best metal is used in the
making Of the modern steel pen. 1t Ia
cut into strips as wide as the length OF
the operations being performed by the
two pens. After being carefully an
nealed 1t Is put through cold steel
roller, where it is rolled down to a
thickness which must not vary the thou
sandth part Of an inch, for even that
much variation would make a difference
in the nexibility Of the pens. The aver
age manufacturer seeks to have his Gus
toners continue the use of given klnd
of pen throughout many years, and
therefore aims to have every pen turned
out exactly al Ike in fiexioility and writing
qualities to the ones previously sold.
:. x
After each strip has been properly roll
chine oper-
Fingers of Girls ated by a
Mechanically Protected. the blanks
are cut out from which the pens are to be
made. These blanks are next stamped with
the desired inscriptions by 4 heavy-hit-
ting stamper. also operated by girl.
Formerly there was danger Of fingers
being mashed by these stampers, but
the machine makers have now equipped
them with finger pusher," which
pushes the girls hand away as the
stamping hammer descends.
The next process is that Of cutting the
little eyes which hold the ink. Then each
pen is examined, softened by another an.
healing process, pressed into shape by
specially constructed machines, hardened
and then tempered. They are next placed
into q hollow cylinder with sand and
rapidly revolved, thus being secured to
the necessary brightness. The next pro-
cess is to grind the points. after which
the pens are passed through shearine
machine which cuts the slit from the
central slot to the point. Great accuracy
is required in this operation, as 1t Is abso-
lutely necessary that the slit should be
in the exact middle of the point. The
points are then carefully rounded. and
the pens are passed to expert girls, who
place them on white stone to see that
they are Of the exact proportions as the
models,
Before the pens are finally turned into
the stockroom samples are taken at ran
dom and placed
Machine for Testing in specially con-
c.~n1. p.~. struc t ed ma
APA~ SNS' chimes, which
automatically test their elasticity and
non-scratching qualities. Lest there should
at any time be change in the qualities
Of the pens complete stock Of stand
ards is maintained, and each pen turned
out must possess identically the same
qualities as these standards It requires
some twenty operations to manufacture q
steel pen from q strip Of metal. The
principal factories OF the world are To-
Gated In England. although the industry
is growing rapidly Ia the United States
and Germany.
In the manufacture Of gold pens, bars
Of the finest gold are used with iridium,
the hardest of metals. Iridium comes In
heavy glass ounce bottles and is worth
81 500 a pound, being produced mainly in
the Ural mountain region. The gold bars
are first rolled into strips and put into
the punching machine. The blanks from
which the pens are made are given a
little recess at the end OF the point. The
operator takes tiny speck Of iridium
from his bottle. places 1t on a fine brush
which he's been dipped in liquid borax.
and puts 1t on tho point OF the pen. He
must use a jewelers. magnifying glass
to enable him to place the iridium exact
ly right. He next holds the pen to a
blow-pipe fire and melts the gold Of the
point sufficiently to weld the iridium into
1t, just as a jeweler might set a diamond
in a gold mounting. This operation is a
very delicate one, since the slightest ex-
cess OF exposure to the heat would ruin
the whole pen. The pen Is next sent to q
copper lathe and polished, after which it
Is put through the rolls which give 1t
shape. After this 1t goes to an expert
with an anvil. who hammers the nib in
order to produce in 1t the desired elias
ITCHY. 1t is said that the average loss In
pen-making by grinding and other proc
esses Is Is per cent Of the gold, ABOUT
half Of which Is recovered In sweepings.