What's a "Speedball" lever-filler?

[Readymade]

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).

[Univer]

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

[Readymade]

Thanks! Most informative. Sounds more like Rube Goldberg designed it

[*david*]

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.

[Tomiro]

And what do you think, wich one copperplate nib works best whit this holder?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thanks! Most informative. Sounds more like Rube Goldberg designed it <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

 

 

Some collage engineering students...more than likely under the supervision of a Head of department because of the length of time it took to check the decades..a life time of work....checked every Rube Goldberg device, which came out every Sunday funny paper....and all of them worked.

 

It is not true that Rube worked for Audi....

 

It is my understanding that Speedball gizmo worked better than any other, for calligraphic non-dip work.

It's down on my list to buy...in a few years.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[Chthulhu]

And what do you think, wich one copperplate nib works best whit this holder?

 

Unfortunately, the pens don't work well at all with anything except the Speedball A, B, C, and LC series lettering nibs with the brass reservoirs on top. When the button on the pen is pressed, the feed tube of the pen delivers ink right to that reservoir and nowhere else, so it won't put ink to the underside of conventional dip nibs:

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2010 by Chthulhu

[jbb]

How do you resac this pen? Is it pressure fit?

[KBeezie]

How do you resac this pen? Is it pressure fit?

 

 

... I wonder what the chances are of getting a response from 2007

 

Also I think this earlier post explains it. Basically typical sac/lever fill (just requires removing nib and uncapping the tubing).

 

 

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

[Freddy]

Absolutely Fascinating......

 

......Oh..here's a picture of said pen..from

Ravens March Fountain Pens...and I haven't

a clue on how to sac......

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=3141

 

 

Fred

 

Redactin' Almost forgot...Wonder no more......Dude......

Edited March 29, 2014 by Freddy