Inks With The Traveling Pen

[ScienceChick]

I played around this weekend and started figuring out how to rotate the pen as I'm writing to get line variation. I'm neither good nor consistent but here's my "best" effort.

 

 

[amberleadavis]

I am impressed.

[Luma]

Awesome!

[tmenyc]

wow, that is impressive.

 

Tim

[AAAndrew]

First time looking at the thread. I've got a large lettering pen that works in a similar way. There are two folded brass sheets that meet at a straight line at the bottom. You dip it in ink and can write large letters. I got it with a bunch of folded brass lettering pens from a friend whose grandfather had been a sign painter. The nib looks something like this with the handle on top and looking through the empty space on the sides where the two sheets meet. From the front it's square or rectangular in shape.

 

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I found a picture of the same kind of pens that I have. I don't have quite this many sizes thought.

 

http://penmandirect.com/products/automatic.jpg

 

I have a couple of the ruling pens, and they work in the same way but were made to work with a straight edge. I've never seen anything like this pen, though. I can't imagine it would hold a lot of ink in between the two flanges.

 

I'd be curious to try when the current list of people interested in trying it has run out.

[Luma]

ScienceChick

ChewyTulip

Luma

AAAndrew

 

If I remember correctly, I think ScienceChick has already sent it to ChewyTulip. I will notify you when I receive it to get your address

[AAAndrew]

Cool! Thanks!

[tringle]

First time looking at the thread. I've got a large lettering pen that works in a similar way. There are two folded brass sheets that meet at a straight line at the bottom. You dip it in ink and can write large letters. I got it with a bunch of folded brass lettering pens from a friend whose grandfather had been a sign painter. The nib looks something like this with the handle on top and looking through the empty space on the sides where the two sheets meet. From the front it's square or rectangular in shape.

 

| |

/ \

/ \

\ /

\ /

\/

 

I found a picture of the same kind of pens that I have. I don't have quite this many sizes thought.

 

http://penmandirect.com/products/automatic.jpg

 

I have a couple of the ruling pens, and they work in the same way but were made to work with a straight edge. I've never seen anything like this pen, though. I can't imagine it would hold a lot of ink in between the two flanges.

 

I'd be curious to try when the current list of people interested in trying it has run out.

Looks like AAAndrew found the closest relative to the "mystery" pen. A border pen!!

[tringle]

I played around this weekend and started figuring out how to rotate the pen as I'm writing to get line variation. I'm neither good nor consistent but here's my "best" effort.

 

 

WP_20150720_16_43_14_Pro (2).jpg

Impressive, and I like the color of the ink.

[AAAndrew]

Looks like AAAndrew found the closest relative to the "mystery" pen. A border pen!!

 

Actually, the image is confusing. The Border pens are the ones at the bottom that make two or more lines to form a border around text. The others are actually lettering pens to write italic or other broad nibbed calligraphy. I like the Music Nib that draws the staff for musical notes.

[tringle]

 

Actually, the image is confusing. The Border pens are the ones at the bottom that make two or more lines to form a border around text. The others are actually lettering pens to write italic or other broad nibbed calligraphy. I like the Music Nib that draws the staff for musical notes.

Ohhh I see I just looked at the heading. Either way the border pens are cool, and the lettering pens are more closely related to the "mystery" pen.

[ScienceChick]

Impressive, and I like the color of the ink.

 

Iro Aji-sai

[musicman123]

This pen really is starting to remind me of the Pilot Parallel, given the two pieces of metal.

[SNAK]

Wow your Jack the Ripper pen is travelling well, Tim! I am amazed to see everyone's efforts. When I first saw it I thought there is no way it is a pen, but it certainly looks like it is.

 

If it is Chinese in origin, maybe it will work best with the thicker sumi ink, or maybe fountain pen inks with gum arabic added to them like you use for calligraphy? Has anyone tried it with gloppy ink?

 

I would like to participate by I don't trust Australian customs to let it pass through to me. Anything knife/weapon like is not easily allowed in, from my experiences with trying to import unusual looking kitchen knives. I don't want to risk confiscation with someone else's belonging. But I will watch this thread with bated breath!

[tmenyc]

S, I guess youll just have to come to the States to use it...but no one know which state it will be in!

Tim

Edited July 22, 2015 by tmenyc

[AAAndrew]

Ok. So I did a little research and these kinds of pens were often called Automatic shading pens and were mainly used for signs and show cards and other things. There were various styles but they all had two thin sheets of metal coming together at an edge. There was a company actually called Automatic Pen Co. but there were others which made variations on this as well. There is also a true folded brass pen, where the edge is where the fold is located rather than where two sheets of metal come together. I have examples of both and they are seen below.

 

The automatic shading pen seen below, which is closest to the traveling pen in design, is actually a Faust Pen. Charles A. Faust was an author and artist who wrote several books on decorative writing around the turn of the century. He also filed a patent for a "fountain" to be added to an automatic pen. He was granted the patent in 1909. I can't find much more about him, but I'm going to keep digging.

 

So, here is an automatic pen and a folded brass pen. These are smaller versions (the Faust pen is 4mm at the tip, and the folded brass Ridgeport Pen is 6 mm, I do have a 4mm folded brass but it's packed away). The largest I have is a folded brass pen that's almost 20mm.

 

Both the folded brass pen and the automatic pen have little slits cut into the edges. For the folded brass, that's the slit allowing ink to flow out. For the automatic, I suspect that it's purpose is to allow a little ink to flow out thus initiating capillary action to continue to draw ink out from between the sheets of brass.

 

 

And the pens from the side. You can see the folded brass pen has corrugations in between the plates to better hold a ton of ink. Which is good because these things use a LOT of ink. The Faust pen also holds a surprising amount of ink. You really can only use thicker inks with these. Thinner fountain pen inks just flow right out and often blob.

 

 

 

And now you can see what the writing looks like. The Faust pen, with it's very sharp edge, is more difficult to control and impossible to move in a forward motion. The folded brass pen, on the other hand, lays down a huge amount of ink, is smooth and easy to control even if the thin lines are not quite as thin as the Faust. I suspect the traveling pen will be similar to the Faust pen and tricky to maneuver.

 

It's interesting that it was used in China. I'll see what I can do to write Chinese with it. (my Mandarin is very rusty, but I did study back in the day)

 

The paper is a Black 'n Red A5 notebook.

 

[amberleadavis]

WOW, I'm impressed. Thank you Andrew.

[ScienceChick]

The traveling pen is en route to chewytulip. I'm looking forward to seeing what someone with calligraphy skill can do with it. Thanks, Amber - that was fun!

[amberleadavis]

Thanks to Tim, this was his idea. Tringle is the one who sent it to me. I'm just the advertiser / enabler.

[tringle]

Tim is the supplier, I am the pusher, and Amber is the distributor. You think RICO is watching our thread?