Hello,

Sometimes I like to spend hours on surfing here and there. Few weeks ago I
checked out the Library of Congress and found few old articles which I hope
might be of interest for those of You who love early pens.
Here is an article from 1892 about "How a Fountain Pen is Made" on the
example of Crown pen. (source: Manufacturer and builder / Volume 24, Issue
4, April 1892).

Have fun,

MM

Here are some pointers for those you are interested in this "sport".

By goggling "Scientific American online" you can find that the 1842-1869 issues of Scientific American are online here. Other issues are available elsewhere.

By using google/books for "Crown Pen Co." which is shown on the nib in the page shown above by coffee_cup, you get about a dozen references for Crown Pen Co.

For example the first one is "Lockwood's Directory of the Paper and Allied Trades" from 1905. So the company still existed in 1905. The page shows its address as 78 Page Street, Chicago, Illinois. From there you have two paths. Google book shows the other editions of this directory. For example in the 1913 version of his DIrectory there is no listing for Crown Pen Co. Maybe it closed.

Going doing the list of online google books we find. a link to the Wisconsin Journal of Education, 1890, with this advertisement:



The same add appears in the 1889 version of the The School of Mines Quarterly of the Columbia University School of Chemistry

Another ad is found in page 764 of the The Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names of Chicago and Suburban Towns (1890)



or in the March of 1889 issue of "The Railway Agent and Station Agent":



An even more interesting two page ad of the pen is found in Standard Infantry Tactics of 1887




and on and on it goes...

Antoniosz, you are incredible. Thank you very much, esp. for showing me where to do a 'little research':)

My best regards and may New Year bring you happiness and healty,

Marta

For a little more on Crown Pen, see my article in Pen World International (about four years ago). Rudolph Hefti moved the company from San Francisco in order to be (for a while) the official fountain pen of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1892 and 1893. He continued his business here for another 25 years or so.

Good hunting,
Fultz

"How a fountain pan is made"....

Interesting.

Must this be greased with ink before I can start frying anything in it?

Actually this is pretty interesting

Mr. Fultz,

It is quite a pleasure/honor to see you in this corner of the pendom

AZ

OK - I'll edit the title, since it will make searching challenging in the future if I don't (not that I'm particularly fussy about titles being typo free...)

Regards,

Gerry

I'm not so sure about these- I think these are cover ups for the real way: a strange woman living in a lake will hand out the best ones to various people. None of these are scratchy.

Thank you! Whoever 'fix' the type in subject from 'pan' to 'pen' :-)

You're welcome Coffee-cup.

Regards,

Gerry