History of Fountain Pens

History of Fountain Pens

Fountain pens were once the craze of many people and were considered as fine writing instruments. With the coming of computers and emails, fountain pens did not find much favor among the younger generation who were using the internet more for sending their mails and chatting. But writing of journals, cheques and signing important documents required that good fountain pens be used and that‘s why in recent times people have shown a keen interest to switch back to fountain pens. Fountain pens are collector items which last a life time provided we really cared for them. It speaks volumes about a person when he or she pulls out a handcrafted wood fountain pen to sign their name.

The history of fountain pens dates back to times of the cave man when he first started to scribble on the cave walls using sharp edged stones. This is the earliest example of a sharp tip or “nib” being used to make drawing and symbols which eventually emerged into words and sentences and soon the alphabets were born.

It was the Greeks who were the first to begin writing with pen and paper. The Greeks wrote on wax coated tablets using a writing stylus which was usually made of bone, metal or ivory. Much later it was the Chinese who first discovered and perfected what is called the Indian ink from natural dyes which were made from berries, plants and minerals. Next the Roman’s came up with the reed pen fitted with a nib which could be filled with ink for writing. And this was the earliest primitive fountain pen. Quill pens were the most widely used form of fountain pens for a long time in history.

The development of the modern fountain pen gained momentum with the improvement of handwriting using better inks and paper. It was in 1884 that Lewis Waterman who actually patented the first practical fountain pen. Soon others began to turn out better models and we now have quality fountain pens which can be called fine writing instruments made my many including Lanier Pens. The nibs which were used in fountain pens were made from various metals like gold, steel and iridium.

Fountain pens are a great favorite among many people because they enhance the writing experience. The flow of writing is very smooth and this enables people enjoy the process day in and day out. Doctors are now stressing on the importance of writing with fountain pens as they believe that it is indeed a very healthy experience for the heart. Writing with passion using fountain pens not only makes your work elegant but also provides a personal touch and sentiment to what ever you pen down.

Fountain pens have begun to slowly regain their lost popularity among many people all over the world. Ball-point pens and Rollerball pens were quite a craze amongst people for a long time but now more and more people are looking for customized fountain pen manufactured by Lanier Pens.

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Jim Lanier is author of this article on Fine Writing Instruments. Find more information about Wood Fountain Pens here.

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