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History Of Pens
Written by Pri Vag   
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 11:14
Humans have been writing and making marks as far back as the caveman. It was the ancient Egyptians who were the first people to write on paper. In around 3000 BC the scribes from ancient Egypt used reed brushes to write on papyrus scrolls. The reed pen was used up until the Middle Ages, although the quill pen had begun to replace it as early as the 7th century.
by PriVag


Humans have been writing and making marks as far back as the caveman. It was the ancient Egyptians who were the first people to write on paper. In around 3000 BC the scribes from ancient Egypt used reed brushes to write on papyrus scrolls. The reed pen was used up until the Middle Ages, although the quill pen had begun to replace it as early as the 7th century.

The quill pen is made from a trimmed goose feather whose shaft has been cut into a good writing point. Trimming the quill was a real skill, and a talented scribe could create some very nice calligraphic effects.

The quill pen was first used in Qumran, Judea to write some of the dead see scrolls, and was introduced into Europe in 700AD. It was also used to write and sign the constitution of the United Stated of America in 1787.

The quill pen was replaced by the metal dip pen in the early 19th century. The metal dip pen had a steel nib with various holes to hold the ink. The nib was attached to a wooden handle, and could be manufactured quite cheaply. John Mitchell of Birmingham started to mass produce the metal dip pen in 1822, and by 1850 they came into generalised use.

The dip pen had to be constantly dipped in ink, and it wasnt long before the people demanded a pen which contained a reservoir of ink (a fountain pen). Inventors came up with various forms of the reservoir pen, dating back to the first half of the 19th century. The first few attempts at a reservoir pen were pretty unsuccessful because the ink flow was very inconsistent.

The problem with the early fountain pens was the feed system, which regulated the flow of ink to the nib.

Information:

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