IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PENS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacques Rives, of 13, Rue de Nemours, Paris, in
the Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PENS."
Sealed the 17th March 1868, and dated the 21st September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacques Rives at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st September 1867.
I, JACQUES RIVES, of 13, Rue de Nemours, Paris, in the Empire of
France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PENS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention bas for its object the bardening of the points
of metallic pens to render them more durable. For this purpose after the
pens have been tempered and split in the ordinary manner I place around
each of their points a small bead or collar of copper (or other metal that is a
good conductor of heat); I then beat the point in a spirit flame or by a blow
pipe, and plunge it either into water or oil; by this means the points of the
pens may be so hardened that they will even cut glass. The object of the
bead or collar is, first, to hold the two points of the pen together and not allow
them to separate when exposed to heat; and, secondly, to concentrate the
heat at the extreme point of the pen, and retain the heat sufficiently long to
allow of their being tempered, as if the point of a metallic pen were heated in

page_text: a flame when not thus surrounded it would become cool immediately on its
being taken away from the flame.
In order that several pens may be tempered at one operation plates of
copper may be employed, through which are formed numerous slits, into each
of which the point of a pen to be tempered may be thrust. These slits should
be so formed as both to surround the points of the pens and also to hold the
points together whilst they are being heated. The plate may be heated by
plunging it into melted lead brought to a red heat, and the points of the pens
are then tempered by plunging the whole in water.
Another part of the Invention consists in bending the extreme points of
metallic pens in such manner that when the pen is being used for writing the
extreme points of the pen may be at right angles to the plane of the paper,
whilst the body of the pen is inclined to the paper as is usual. To clean steel
pens in the slit between the two nibs I employ a thin blade of steel suitably
mounted in a small handle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jacques Rives in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACQUES
RIVES, of 13, Rue de Nemours, Paris, in the Empire of France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Jacques Rives, Her special licence that I, the said Jacques
Rives, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Jacques Rives, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC PENS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Jacques Rives, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in

page_text: .
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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the. said Jacques Rives, 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:-
The first part of this Invention has for its object the hardening of the
points of metallic pens to render them more durable. For this purpose after
the pens have been tempered and split in the ordinary manner I place around
the points of each pen a small bead or collar of copper (or other metal that is
a good conductor of heat); I then heat the point in a flame or by a blow.
pipe and plunge it either into water or oil, or otherwise cool it rapidly; by
this means the points of the pens may be so hardened that they will even cut
glass. The object of the bead or collar is, first, to hold the two points of the
pen together and not allow them to separate when exposed to heat; and,
secondly, to concentrate the heat at the extreme point of the pen, and retain
the heat sufficiently long to allow of their being tempered, as if the point of a
metallic pen were heated in a flame when not thus surrounded it would
become cool immediately on its being taken away from the flame.
Figures shows a side view and Figure 2 a back view of a steel pen
having a bead of copper marked a applied to its point for the purpose of
heating and afterwards hardening the point, as above described. The hole in
the bead should be of a flattened oval form, so that when the bead is placed
over the point of a pen all the sides of the point may be in close contact with
the bead. The size of the bead employed is comparatively small, as is shown
by the Drawings.
In order that several pens may be tempered at one operation plates of
copper (such as are shown in plan and edge view at Figures 3 and 4) may
be employed, through which are formed numerous slits, into each of which
the point of a pen to be tempered may be thrust. These slits should be so
formed as both to surround the points of the pens, and also to hold the points
together whilst they are being heated. The plate may be heated by plunging
it into melted lead brought to a red heat, and the points of the pens are then
tempered by rapidly cooling the whole, either by plunging in water or
otherwise.
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the plate of copper with the numerous
slits formed in it, and Figure 4 shows an edge view of such a plate holding
the points of several pens.

page_text: Another part of the Invention, 'consists in bending the extreme points of
metallic penis in such manner that when the pen is being used for writing the
extreme points of the pen may be at. 'right angles to the plane of the paper,
whilst the body of the pen is inclined to the paper, as is usual. A pen so
formed is shown at Figures 5 of the Drawings annexed. To thus bend the
points of metallic pens I prefer to use an apparatus such as is shown at
Figure 7. In this Figure P, P¹, is a plate made of tempered steel, on which
plate is a holé a; this hole must be made so as to exactly fit either in width
or in height the part of the pen that it is intended to bend. On the plate
P, P¹, is another piece R which can be set nearer to or further from the hole a,
and can be fixed. at any position by a screw S which passes through a slot in
the piece R. The amount which, the points of the pens are to be bent by the
apparatus can thus be adjusted; the point of a pen previously annealed by
heat is thrust into the hole a, and the pen is bent down till it meets the
stop. R; after the point has thus been bent pens are tempered as above
described.
To clean steel pens in the slit between the two nibs a small tool, such as is
.shown at Figures 6, may be employed. This tool is composed of a thin blade
.of steel suitably mounted in a small handle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacques Rives,. have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JACQUES RIVES.
(L.S.)