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M. Turnor & Co 1881 Nib Introduction In England


tmenyc

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My day job is in a graduate school that focuses on the study of the decorative arts and material culture. I was in a colleague's office looking at her screen, and found myself reading a photocopy on her desk from The British Mail, September 1 1881. The article she was using was about the production of a form of majolica earthenware, her research work.

What I couldn't help noticing was the small article on the page entitled "Messrs. M. Turnor & Co.'s New Patent Steel Pen". It describes "the enlargement of the extreme points of the nib, so that they form a small disc-like point...similar to the button of a fencing foil...writes easily, and is well adapted for rapid work, or work on rough, common, or thin paper. It does not spurt, or splutter, or catch, and will stand a very considerable amount of rough usage without injury, all qualities which will make it a favourite of those with whom rapid writing is a constant necessity."

Although 19th Century writing history is generally not in my interest, I got a kick out of this and thought I'd pass it on...the photo below is the whole article.

Enjoy!

 

 

31225251548_cc5d5ee82c_z.jpg

 

 

Tim

Tim

 timsvintagepens.com and @timsvintagepens

 

 

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I checked and it's there...want me to PM it?

Tim

 timsvintagepens.com and @timsvintagepens

 

 

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Very interesting. The 1880's were a hotbed of innovation for steel pens. I'll see if I can find something else about M. Turnor, though my research is more focused on US pen makers. The tip sounds an awful lot like what we know today as the Hunt Speedball Series B pens. (which came out of an earlier series of pens made by Esterbrook)

 

fpn_1539351698__hunt_b_series.jpg

 

If you're interested in finding out more about this early steel dip pen stuff, check out my site for more than you might want to read on the subject. https://thesteelpen.com/

 

“When the historians of education do equal and exact justice to all who have contributed toward educational progress, they will devote several pages to those revolutionists who invented steel pens and blackboards.” V.T. Thayer, 1928

Check out my Steel Pen Blog

"No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly."

-Montaigne

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