Fountain Pen Filling Systems: Where Pen Waltzes With Ink

The writing instrument that dominated for thefor their famous Duofold line of pens.
longest period in history was the quill pen. Quill pens,2. Lever Filler: Walter Sheaffer patented the lever
made from the wing feathers of geese, lasted forfiller in 1908. The W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company of
only a week before they needed to be replaced.Fort Madison, Iowa introduced it in 1912. An external
When handwriting developed into an art form,lever depressed the flexible ink sac. The lever fitted
inventors began improving the writing instrument withflush with the barrel of the pen when it was not in
newer technologies.use.
Fountain Pen innovators created filling systems that3. Crescent Filler: Roy Conklin of Toledo commercially
gave optimum performance in their reservoir designs.produced the first one later called the click filler.
The earliest fountain pens were filled through the useWhen two protruding tabs on the outside of the pen
of an eyedropper. An eyedropper was used towere pressed, the tabs would make a clicking sound
transfer ink from the bottle to the pen. However,when the sac was full.
this process was messy and inconvenient. There are4. Coin Filler: Matchstick type filler using a coin was
three main components in a fountain pen - thedeveloped by Lewis Edson Waterman in an attempt
reservoir, the feed mechanism and the nib. Theto compete with the winning lever filler patent
reservoir holds the ink, the feed mechanism channelsbelonging to Sheaffer. A slot in the barrel of the pen
the ink from the reservoir to the nib and the nibenabled a coin to deflate the internal pressure plate,
(usually made of gold or steel) does the actuala similar idea to the matchstick filler.
writing.5. Matchstick Filler: Estimated introduction was around
There are two key methods for filling a pen: by1910 by the Weidlich Company. A hole in the side of
cartridge or self-filling. Although the use of a cartridgethe barrel pushed the pressure bar with a matchstick.
is extremely convenient and less messy, the self-filling6. The Piston Filler: Launched to stardom in 1930,
procedure holds a higher esteem over cartridges.when the German firm Pelikan licensed the
There are two techniques that allowed fountain penstechnology and used it in its first self-filling pen, the
to be self-sufficient: The lever filler and the buttonPelikan 100.
filler. All of the fillers had some success but brought aFine penmanship was essential for anyone involved in
few concerns in the area of regular maintenance. Selfthe correspondence business (clerical, bookkeepers,
filling pen designs included lever fillers, button fillers,stenographers, musicians, etc.). The advancement of
twist fillers, blow fillers, pump fillers, vacumatic fillers,fountain pen manufacturing came with many
sleeve fillers and piston-filling techniques. Severalsuccesses and failures to perfect self-filling
different patents were issued for the self-fillingmechanisms and deter interruption of service.
fountain pen designs. Here are six historical inventionsInnovation created secure usage and helped to
of self filling designs that shaped the future ofprevent messy leaks. Effective and reliable filling
fountain pen's global longevity:systems were refined and installed in fountain pens
1. The Button Filler: Patented in 1905 and first offeredcreating an enjoyable experience through function
by the Parker Pen Co. in 1913. This was an alternativeand style.
to the eyedropper method that was used by Parker