Dip pen
Encyclopedia
A dip pen or nib
pen usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels
like those of fountain pen
nibs, mounted on a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone
, metal
and plastic
, while some pens are made entirely of glass
. Generally speaking, dip pens have no ink
reservoir; therefore the user has to recharge the ink from an ink bowl or bottle in order to continue drawing
or writing
. (However, there are simple, tiny tubular reservoirs that illustrators sometimes clip onto dip pens; these allow drawing for several minutes without recharging the nib.) Recharging can be done by dipping into an inkwell
; however, some illustrators and cartoonists (who are the main current users of such pens) are more likely to charge the pen with an eyedropper or a syringe, which gives them more control over the amount of ink applied. Thus, "dip pens" are not necessarily dipped. Many illustrators call them "nib pens."
The dip pen has certain advantages over a fountain pen
. It can use waterproof pigmented (particle-and-binder-based) inks, such as so-called "India ink
", drawing ink, or acrylic inks, which would destroy a fountain pen by clogging it up, as well as the traditional iron gall ink, which can cause corrosion
in fountain pens.
There is also a wide range of readily exchangeable nibs available so different types of lines and effects can be created. The nibs and handles are far cheaper than most fountain pens, and allow color changes much more easily.
Dip pens were generally used prior to the development of fountain pens, and are now mainly used in illustration
, calligraphy
, and comics
.
and surrounding area of Birmingham
, England was home to many of the first dip pen manufacturers.
The first steel pen is said to have been made in 1803 (but in Daniel Defoe's book "A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain - 1724-26" Letter VII he wrote: 'the plaster of the ceilings and walls in some rooms is so fine, so firm, so entire, that they break it off in large flakes, and it will bear writing on it with a pencil or steel pen). In Newhall Street, John Mitchell pioneered mass production of steel pens in 1822; prior to that the quill
pen had been the most common form of writing instrument. His brother William Mitchell later set up his own pen making business in St Paul's square. The Mitchell family is credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, which greatly sped up the process.
Baker and Finnemore operated in James Street, near St Paul's Square
. C Brandauer & Co Ltd., founded as Ash & Petit, traded at 70 Navigation Street. Joseph Gillott & Sons Ltd.
made pen nibs in Bread Street, now Cornwall Street. Hinks Wells & Co. traded in Buckingham Street, Geo W Hughes traded in St Paul's Square, Leonardt & Catwinkle
traded in George Street and Charlotte Street, and M Myers & Son. were based at 8 Newhall Street
. By 1830 John and William Mitchell, Joseph Gillott, and Josiah Mason were the major manufacturers in Birmingham.
In Germany the industrial production of dip pens started in 1842 at the factory of Heintze & Blanckertz
in Berlin
.
By the 1850s, Birmingham existed as a world centre for steel pen and steel nib
manufacture. More than half the steel nib pens manufactured in the world were Birmingham-made. Thousands of skilled craft
smen and women were employed in the industry. Many new manufacturing techniques were perfected in Birmingham, enabling the city's factories
to mass produce their pens cheaply and efficiently. These were sold worldwide to many who previously could not afford to write, and encouraged the development of education and literacy. By 1860 there were about 100 companies making steel nibs in Birmingham, but 12 large firms dominated the trade. In 1870 Mason, Sommerville, Wiley, and Perry, merged to form Perry & Co. Ltd.
which later became one of the largest manufacturers in the world.
Richard Esterbrook
manufactured quill pens in Cornwall. In the 19th century, he saw a gap in the American market for steel nib pens. Esterbrook approached five craftsmen who worked for John Mitchell in Navigation Street with a view to setting up business in Camden
, New Jersey
, USA. Esterbrook later went on to become one of the largest steel pen manufacturers in the world before eventually going out of business.
One improved version of the dip pen, known as the original "ball point
", was the addition of a curved point (instead of a sharp point) which allows the user to have slightly more control on upward and sideways strokes. This feature, however, produces a thicker line rather than the razor-sharp line produced by a sharp point.
The oblique dip pen was designed for writing the pointed pen styles of the mid 19th to the early 20th century such as Spencerian Script
, although oblique pen holders can be used for earlier styles of pointed penmanship such as the copperplate script
s of the 18th and 19th centuries. As the name suggests the nib holder holds the nib at an oblique angle of around 55° pointing to the right hand side of the penman. This feature helps greatly in achieving the steep angle of the writing but more importantly prevents the right hand nib tine from dragging on the paper as can be experienced when using a straight nib holder with a straight nib for this purpose.
Although most of the factories ceased manufacturing dip pens , some companies are still active, such as Speedball
, Brause, C. Leonardt, Joseph Gillott
and William Mitchell.
Nib (pen)
A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen or fountain pen which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material they are made from.-Quill:...
pen usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels
Capillary action
Capillary action, or capilarity, is the ability of a liquid to flow against gravity where liquid spontanously rise in a narrow space such as between the hair of a paint-brush, in a thin tube, or in porous material such as paper or in some non-porous material such as liquified carbon fiber, or in a...
like those of fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
nibs, mounted on a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
and plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, while some pens are made entirely of glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. Generally speaking, dip pens have no ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
reservoir; therefore the user has to recharge the ink from an ink bowl or bottle in order to continue drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
or writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
. (However, there are simple, tiny tubular reservoirs that illustrators sometimes clip onto dip pens; these allow drawing for several minutes without recharging the nib.) Recharging can be done by dipping into an inkwell
Inkwell
An inkwell is a small jar or container, often made of glass, porcelain, silver, brass, or pewter, used for holding ink in a place convenient for the person who is writing...
; however, some illustrators and cartoonists (who are the main current users of such pens) are more likely to charge the pen with an eyedropper or a syringe, which gives them more control over the amount of ink applied. Thus, "dip pens" are not necessarily dipped. Many illustrators call them "nib pens."
The dip pen has certain advantages over a fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
. It can use waterproof pigmented (particle-and-binder-based) inks, such as so-called "India ink
India ink
India ink is a simple black ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing, especially when inking comic books and comic strips.-Composition:...
", drawing ink, or acrylic inks, which would destroy a fountain pen by clogging it up, as well as the traditional iron gall ink, which can cause corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
in fountain pens.
There is also a wide range of readily exchangeable nibs available so different types of lines and effects can be created. The nibs and handles are far cheaper than most fountain pens, and allow color changes much more easily.
Dip pens were generally used prior to the development of fountain pens, and are now mainly used in illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
, calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
, and comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
.
History
The Jewellery QuarterJewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
and surrounding area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England was home to many of the first dip pen manufacturers.
The first steel pen is said to have been made in 1803 (but in Daniel Defoe's book "A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain - 1724-26" Letter VII he wrote: 'the plaster of the ceilings and walls in some rooms is so fine, so firm, so entire, that they break it off in large flakes, and it will bear writing on it with a pencil or steel pen). In Newhall Street, John Mitchell pioneered mass production of steel pens in 1822; prior to that the quill
Quill
A quill pen is a writing implement made from a flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, metal-nibbed pens, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen...
pen had been the most common form of writing instrument. His brother William Mitchell later set up his own pen making business in St Paul's square. The Mitchell family is credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, which greatly sped up the process.
Baker and Finnemore operated in James Street, near St Paul's Square
St Paul's Square, Birmingham
St Paul’s Square, is a Georgian square in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England, named after the church in its centre. It is the last remaining Georgian Square in the city....
. C Brandauer & Co Ltd., founded as Ash & Petit, traded at 70 Navigation Street. Joseph Gillott & Sons Ltd.
Joseph Gillott's (pens)
Joseph Gillott's is a company based in Birmingham, West Midlands which has been manufacturing high-quality dip pens since 1827.-Beginning and development:...
made pen nibs in Bread Street, now Cornwall Street. Hinks Wells & Co. traded in Buckingham Street, Geo W Hughes traded in St Paul's Square, Leonardt & Catwinkle
D. Leonardt & Co.
D. Leonardt & Co. is an English manufacturer of metal corners and other accessories for stationery products. The company also manufactures and distributes the A.E...
traded in George Street and Charlotte Street, and M Myers & Son. were based at 8 Newhall Street
Newhall Street
Newhall Street is a street located in Birmingham, England.Newhall Street stretches from Colmore Row in the city centre by St Phillip's Cathedral in a north-westerly direction towards the Jewellery Quarter. Originally the road was the driveway to New Hall occupied by the Colmore family...
. By 1830 John and William Mitchell, Joseph Gillott, and Josiah Mason were the major manufacturers in Birmingham.
In Germany the industrial production of dip pens started in 1842 at the factory of Heintze & Blanckertz
Heintze & Blanckertz
Heintze & Blanckertz was the first German manufacturer of dip pens. It was founded in 1842 in Oranienburg near Berlin. Today the company is located in Wehrheim near Frankfurt.- History :...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
By the 1850s, Birmingham existed as a world centre for steel pen and steel nib
Nib (pen)
A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen or fountain pen which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material they are made from.-Quill:...
manufacture. More than half the steel nib pens manufactured in the world were Birmingham-made. Thousands of skilled craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
smen and women were employed in the industry. Many new manufacturing techniques were perfected in Birmingham, enabling the city's factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
to mass produce their pens cheaply and efficiently. These were sold worldwide to many who previously could not afford to write, and encouraged the development of education and literacy. By 1860 there were about 100 companies making steel nibs in Birmingham, but 12 large firms dominated the trade. In 1870 Mason, Sommerville, Wiley, and Perry, merged to form Perry & Co. Ltd.
Perry & Co.
Perry & Co., Ltd was the largest English pen-maker company, which manufactured dip pens of a huge range of models. The company also manufactured bicycle chains and accessories .-The beginning:...
which later became one of the largest manufacturers in the world.
Richard Esterbrook
Esterbrook
Richard Esterbrook was the largest pen manufacturer in United States, having reached a record of producing 216,000,000 pens a year. -The beginning:...
manufactured quill pens in Cornwall. In the 19th century, he saw a gap in the American market for steel nib pens. Esterbrook approached five craftsmen who worked for John Mitchell in Navigation Street with a view to setting up business in Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA. Esterbrook later went on to become one of the largest steel pen manufacturers in the world before eventually going out of business.
One improved version of the dip pen, known as the original "ball point
Ballpoint pen
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument with an internal ink reservoir and a sphere for a point. The internal chamber is filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at its tip during use by the rolling action of a small sphere...
", was the addition of a curved point (instead of a sharp point) which allows the user to have slightly more control on upward and sideways strokes. This feature, however, produces a thicker line rather than the razor-sharp line produced by a sharp point.
The oblique dip pen was designed for writing the pointed pen styles of the mid 19th to the early 20th century such as Spencerian Script
Spencerian Script
Spencerian Script is a script style that flourished in the United States from 1850 to 1925.Platt Rogers Spencer, whose name the style bears, was impressed with the idea that America needed a penmanship style that could be written quickly, legibly, and elegantly to aid in matters of business...
, although oblique pen holders can be used for earlier styles of pointed penmanship such as the copperplate script
Copperplate script
Copperplate, or English round hand, is a style of calligraphic writing, using a sharp pointed nib instead of the flat nib used in most calligraphic writing. Its name comes from the fact that the copybooks from which students learned it were printed from etched copper plates...
s of the 18th and 19th centuries. As the name suggests the nib holder holds the nib at an oblique angle of around 55° pointing to the right hand side of the penman. This feature helps greatly in achieving the steep angle of the writing but more importantly prevents the right hand nib tine from dragging on the paper as can be experienced when using a straight nib holder with a straight nib for this purpose.
Pen makers
Some of the more prominent pens manufacturers (in past and present time) are :| Country | Manufacturers (Brands) |
|---|---|
| Austria | Carl Kuhl, Salcher, Hiro |
| Czechoslovakia | Massag |
| England | C. Brandauer & Co., Joseph Gillott's Joseph Gillott's (pens) Joseph Gillott's is a company based in Birmingham, West Midlands which has been manufacturing high-quality dip pens since 1827.-Beginning and development:... , Baker & Finnemore, Perry & Co. Perry & Co. Perry & Co., Ltd was the largest English pen-maker company, which manufactured dip pens of a huge range of models. The company also manufactured bicycle chains and accessories .-The beginning:... , Josiah Mason, Hinks Wells & Co., Geo W. Hughes, John Mitchell, William Mitchell, J. B. Mallat, J. Cooke & Sons, M. Myers & Son, D. Leonardt & Co. D. Leonardt & Co. D. Leonardt & Co. is an English manufacturer of metal corners and other accessories for stationery products. The company also manufactures and distributes the A.E... |
| France | Baignol et Farjon, Blanzy-Poure, Cie. Francaise, Plumes Parisiennes |
| Germany | Brause, F. Soennecken, Heintze & Blanckertz, Herm. Müller, Leo’s, Pelikan Pelikan Pelikan is a German manufacturer of fountain pens and other writing, office and art equipment, credited with the invention of the differential-piston filling method.... |
| Japan | Nikko, Tachikawa, Zebra |
| Spain | A. Fabre, Boira, Cervantinas, Campoamor, Daimar, Goya, Imsa, Jaer, Verabil |
| Scotland | MacNiven & Cameron |
| United States | Richard Esterbrook Esterbrook Richard Esterbrook was the largest pen manufacturer in United States, having reached a record of producing 216,000,000 pens a year. -The beginning:... , Speedball Speedball (art products) Speedball is an American company that manufactures art materials and other stationery items. The company, first famous by its dip pens, has expanded its range of products to other art areas such us painting, sculpture and printing press. -History:... , C. Howard Hunt C. Howard Hunt C. Howard Hunt was an American company that manufactured Dip pens, now commercialized under the brand Speedball.-The beginning:In 1899 C. Howard Hunt formed his own company and established it in Camden, New Jersey. The C. Howard Hunt Pen Company invented the smooth gliding round pointed pen, which... , Turner & Harrison, Eagle Pencil Co., Bic Co. |
Uses
Dip pens are rarely used now for regular writing, most commonly having been replaced by fountain pens, rollerball pens, or ballpoint pens. However, dip pens are still appreciated by artists, as they can make great differences between thick and thin lines, and generally write more smoothly than other types of pens. Dip pens are also preferred by calligraphers for fine writing.Although most of the factories ceased manufacturing dip pens , some companies are still active, such as Speedball
Speedball (art products)
Speedball is an American company that manufactures art materials and other stationery items. The company, first famous by its dip pens, has expanded its range of products to other art areas such us painting, sculpture and printing press. -History:...
, Brause, C. Leonardt, Joseph Gillott
Joseph Gillott
Joseph Gillott was an English pen-maker and patron of the arts.- Pen manufacturing :For some time he was a working cutler in his home town Sheffield, but in 1821 he moved to Birmingham, where he found employment in the steel toy trade, the technical name for the manufacture of steel buckles,...
and William Mitchell.