AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Thomas Lutwyche, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Alfred Lutwyche, of Birming-
ham aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche
and Alfred Lutwyche at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 18th March 1863.
We, CHARLES THOMAS LUTWYCHE, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, Manufacturer, and ALFRED LUTWYCHE, of Birmingham aforesaid,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in making metallic pens from the alloy called
aluminium bronze, which said alloy is composed of copper and aluminium in
the proportion of about ninety-two and a half parts, by weight, of copper to
about seven and a half parts, by weight, of aluminium.
Metallic pens may be manufactured from the said alloy by the machinery
commonly employed for the manufacture of steel pens. Peus made of alu-
minium bronze may either have iridium-osmium points, such as are ordinarily
used for gold pens, or the points may be of the same material as the body of
the pen. Pens made of aluminium bronze have the appearance of gold pens,
and are not corroded by writing ink; they have an elasticity equal to that of
steel pens and are much more durable.
Although we prefer the use of an alloy composed of copper and aluminium,
yet we do not confine ourselves thereto, as other metals may be alloyed in

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche and Alfred Lutwyche in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
THOMAS LUTWYCHE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufac-
turer, and ALFRED LUTWYCHE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Charles Thomas Lutwyche and Alfred Lutwyche, Her special licence that
we, the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche and Alfred Lutwyche, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Thomas
Lutwyche and Alfred Lutwyche, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS," upon
the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche and Alfred Lutwyche,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche, on behalf
of myself and the said Alfred Lutwyche, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in making metallic pens from the alloy called
aluminium bronze, which said alloy is composed of copper and aluminium in

page_text: the proportion of about ninety-two and a half parts, by weight, of copper to
about seven and a half parts, by weight, of aluminium.
Metallic pens may be manufactured from the said alloy by the machinery
commonly employed for the manufacture of steel pens. Pens made of alu-
minium bronze may either have iridium-osmium points, such as are ordinarily
used for gold pens, or the points may be of the same material as the body of
Pens made of aluminium bronze have the appearance of gold pens,
and are not corroded by writing ink; they have an elasticity equal to that of
steel pens and are much more durable.
the pen.
.
Although we prefer the use of an alloy composed of copper and aluminium
in the proportions described, yet we do not confine ourselves thereto, as other
metals may be alloyed in small quantities with the said aluminium bronze
without materially affecting its properties so far as the manufacture of metallic
pens is concerned.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
In maufacturing metallic pens according to our Invention we take an ingot
of the alloy of copper and aluminium, called aluminium bronze, and roll the
said ingot into sheets or plates having about the thickness known to metal
rollers as number 20, town gauge plate, that is, a thickness of about ths of
an inch. After the alloy has been rolled into sheets or plates of this thickness
we anneal the said sheets or plates. After annealing we cleanse the annealed
plates from any oxide or scale formed during the annealing process, and then
roll them, without further annealing, to the thickness required for the manu-
facture of metallic pens therefrom, that is, to a thickness equal, or about
equal, to that of the sheets used in the manufacture of steel pens. We then
cut up the sheets or plates into strips, from which strips we cut out blanks,
which blanks we raise, pierce, and slit in the way and by the use of the
machinery commonly employed in the manufacture of steel pens. The pens
may either be polished after they have been cut from the sheets or plates, or
the sheets or plates may be polished before the blanks are cut therefrom.
Instead of making pens according to our Invention by the processes and
machinery by which steel pens are made, the processes and machinery by
which gold pens are made may be employed. The pens may either have
iridium-osmium points, such as are ordinarily used for gold pens, or the points
may be of the same material as the body of the pen. When iridium-osmium
points are used they are attached to the aluminium bronze bodies of the pens
by the process commonly employed for attaching iridium-osmium points to
gold pens.
We roll the aluminium bronze into sheets or plates by the rolling

page_text: machinery commonly employed for rolling ingots of metal into sheets or plates
for various purposes. As the construction and mode of using the said rolling
machinery as well as the pen-making machinery are well understood, and
constitute no part of our Invention, we do not think it necessary to describe
the same.
Although we prefer to employ an alloy composed of ninety-two and a half
parts, by weight, of copper and seven and a half parts, by weight, of alu-
minium, yet we do not limit ourselves thereto, as the proportions of the copper
and aluminium may be varied, and small portions of other metals may be
added to the copper and aluminium without materially affecting the properties
of the resulting alloy; we therefore wish it to be understood that by aluminium
bronze we mean any alloy composed mainly of copper and aluminium in which
the copper is so far in excess of the aluminium that the alloy has a yellow or
gold colour and is hard and elastic. Pens made of aluminium bronze have an
elasticity nearly approaching that of quill pens, and have an appearance équal
to that of gold pens; they are not corroded by writing ink and have little
tendency to tarnish. In order to prevent the slight tarnishing which will take
place when the pens are kept long in stock, they may be gilded with a thin
coating of gold by the electro-gilding or other gilding process. The thin
coating of gold prevents the pens from tarnishing, however long they may be
kept in stock, and does not interfere with the elasticity of the pens.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we claim
as our Invention the improvement or improvements in metallic pens herein-
before described, that is to say, making pens from the alloy of copper and
aluminium, called aluminium bronze, or from an alloy of copper and aluminium
having substantially the composition of aluminium bronze.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thomas Lutwyche, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
CHARLES THOMAS LUTWYCHE. (L.S.)
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.