John Dickinson Eyedropper - Looking For Information...

[SomersetSwan]

Hi,

 

I wonder if any of you can help with this John Dickinson eyedropper I recently acquired. It appears in lovely condition with a very clear imprint of "John Dickinson & Co Ltd" on the barrel. It is incredibly light and narrow a pen, with an over and under feed. Also, the cap has two pairs of holes. I haven't seen this before. I expected there to be one on each side?

 

I am looking to understand more about this manufacturer at the time of this pen. I can find lots about Croxley in the 1940's but not about this pen and its era.

 

Also, how do I fill it? I Assume I separate the barrel from the section (not sure if screw or friction).

 

It would be lovely to get it going again.

 

Thank you for any guidance you can give me.

[Cob]

That is an interesting eye-dropper indeed and in very good condition.. I'm afraid though that I have no information about John Dickinson's early fountain pen efforts. It is possible thatt he pen was not made by Dickinson's aand was manufactured by an established maker such as Ormiston & Glass or Pento - or one of many others.

 

The section will of course be threaded. For the first attempt you may have to use dry heat to get it to unscrew - I use a hairdryer - be judicious in use of heat and be patient. To fill the pen you will need an eye-dropper of course or a syringe would do the job. Rinse out the interior first being careful not to get water on the outside of the pen: it is made of Black Hard Rubber (Ebonite, Vulcanite) and would discolour.and fade. A little silicone grease applied to the thread will prevent any leaks, though this might not be essential.

 

The last photo shows the over part of the feed lifted away from the nib. It might work properly; if not the the nib and feed must be removed and the feed adjusted. I do not recommend that you attempt this unless of course you are familiar with such operations. The great thing about BHR is that it has a memory and if warmed, will return to its original shape; the feed may thus be returned to its original.form.

 

 

Cob

Edited February 24, 2018 by Cob

[SomersetSwan]

Thank you Cob,

 

A small foray away from MT that I could not resist. I appreciate the advice and will gently open it up and see how it writes.

 

As to date, I am assuming 1905-10?

[Cob]

Sorry I have no information otherwise.

 

As for the date I would guess that you are not far out in your estimate, although over-under feeds were certainly made by Onoto up to about 1918 I believe. However the style of the pen certainly suggests an earlier date.

 

Cob

[peterg]

I have never seen such an early Dickinson either. I would agree with the dating and Cob's comments about it probably being bought in from one of the many jobbing manufacturers Shand being another one.

 

I have only seen one lever fill 'stick' bhr pen on E-bay, but wasn't able to ascertain whether it was a Dickinson pen or a no name pen with a (replacement) Dickinson nib.

[SomersetSwan]

Many thanks Peterg. My next task will be to get it going. Once done I will post. Hopefully someone else may have some information on this early eyedropper...

[northlodge]

No reason why it could not have been manufactured by Lang, like the later items. Lang was founded in 1899...

 

see "The Queen" in this listing: http://summit.wesonline.org.uk/section13.html

 

seems similar enough.

[SomersetSwan]

Thank you northlodge, I have looked up the the Queen, and very similar.

 

Thank you for the advice Cob, I have successfully opened it up intact, pictures below.

 

However, the feed does not fig snugly into the section, plenty of daylight around it! And the nib will only go so far back into the section to hold it due to the cut away shoulders....

 

How can I get a snug fit for this???

[Cob]

There is possibly something missing - on Swan eyedroppers, there is a piece of twisted silver wire that jams in from the back. Northlodge will probably remember what this is for, I am sure it is for more than "taking up the slack"

 

 

 

I have one of these twisted wires to spare should you need one - that is if you think it is the solution!

 

Rgds

 

Cob

[SomersetSwan]

Thank you Cob, we may be visiting you again!

 

Was this wire normal for other eyedroppers like this. As this is my first of this style I don't know what else may be required?

[Cob]

Thank you Cob, we may be visiting you again!

 

Was this wire normal for other eyedroppers like this. As this is my first of this style I don't know what else may be required?

I have had a few other eyedroppers and still have a miniature Japanese one; this does not have the wire. The more modern Swan "Safety Screw Cap Pens" - do not have it either; they had modern finned feeds. I had an early Orimiston & Glass pen and a Pento, both with over/under feeds, but I simply cannot remember whether or not they had the wire!

 

I expect someone else will be able to help.

 

Cob