Came across this lever-filler on eBay, and was struck by the odd nib.
Looks like something Nicholas Hawksmoor would've designed!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...;category=61778
Could someone tell me more about the manufacturer or the nib? All I know is that Speedball is now better known as a dip pen manufacturer (and not a good one at that).
Full Version: What's a "Speedball" lever-filler?
Hi,
That's a Speedball Auto-Feed Pen Holder, shown with a Speedball dip nib installed.
This pen was designed to allow the use (and easy interchange) of dip nibs in a conventional lever-fill sac reservoir pen. The tube at the side of the nib (which Speedball called a "feed tube") is a sort of quasi-Snorkel. To fill the pen - which you do without a nib fitted - you open a valve on the tube, immerse it in ink, and operate the lever. To use the pen, you slide a nib into the section (unsurprisingly, Speedball nibs work best) and open the feed tube valve. Then, as you write, you press the button on the section to release ink to the nib through the feed tube.
The system works pretty well, all things considered. The use of dib nibs with a reservoir pen always seems to entail some design compromises.
I believe the pen is a 1940s/50s design. It's not particularly common, and it's not a well-known product. When they come up, they don't typically command high prices.
The Auto-Feed is a really large pen. I've never restored one, but I've been told that they can be a bit tricky to resac - maybe because of the complication of the ink-release button.
Hope that's helpful!
Cheers,
Jon
That's a Speedball Auto-Feed Pen Holder, shown with a Speedball dip nib installed.
This pen was designed to allow the use (and easy interchange) of dip nibs in a conventional lever-fill sac reservoir pen. The tube at the side of the nib (which Speedball called a "feed tube") is a sort of quasi-Snorkel. To fill the pen - which you do without a nib fitted - you open a valve on the tube, immerse it in ink, and operate the lever. To use the pen, you slide a nib into the section (unsurprisingly, Speedball nibs work best) and open the feed tube valve. Then, as you write, you press the button on the section to release ink to the nib through the feed tube.
The system works pretty well, all things considered. The use of dib nibs with a reservoir pen always seems to entail some design compromises.
I believe the pen is a 1940s/50s design. It's not particularly common, and it's not a well-known product. When they come up, they don't typically command high prices.
The Auto-Feed is a really large pen. I've never restored one, but I've been told that they can be a bit tricky to resac - maybe because of the complication of the ink-release button.
Hope that's helpful!
Cheers,
Jon
Thanks! Most informative. Sounds more like Rube Goldberg designed it 
That nib is actually a very ordinary (and ordinary-looking too) steel dip nib, but it has a soft brass piece arched over the top, allowing it to hold more ink near the nib slit. (The ink sticks in there by surface tension.) You can see there are perforations near the shank of the nib - that's how the brass piece is attached.
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