1. General information for any pen.

2. What are the mechanics of a fountain pen?

3. What is a rollerball and a ball-point pen?

4. How to fill a fountain pen?

5. How to store, clean and maintain a fountain pen?

6. Why is it so expensive?

7. What does my warranty cover?

1. General information for any pen.

1. If storing for a long duration, put it in its box or a pen pouch and then store it.
2. Do not leave it in sunlight as it may fade over a long period of time.
3. Fountain pens need to be stored vertically with the nib facing upwards when not in use.
4. The ball point needs to be stored with the tip facing downwards when not in use.
5. Please ensure that you retain the warranty card for future requirement of service (if any).
6. If the fountain pen is not used for a long time (more than 1 month) then clean the nib with water and store it.
7. For optimal performance from your fountain pen, fill the ink the traditional way.
8. Find your nearest William Penn store here for any other queries you might have or to have a look at the latest pens.

2. What are the mechanics of a fountain pen?

The mechanics of a fountain pen may be broken down into three general categories:

• The reservoir,
• The feed system
• The nib.

THE RESERVOIR

• The reservoir or ink storage mechanism of most modern fountain pens stores ink three ways. One way to fill a fountain pen is to simply plug in the appropriate cartridge. The advantage to using cartridges is convenience.
• The other way to fill a fountain pen is to plug in a piston converter (The converter is a closed container with a threaded rod running down the center and a plunger at the end. With the plunger in the downward position, closest to the nib section of the pen, twisting a knob on the top of the converter siphons the ink into the container when the nib section is immersed in a bottle of ink). The advantage to filling the pen via converter is access to fresh bottled inks.
• Finally, the third way of filling a fountain pen is via a piston (plunger). The piston is inbuilt into the pen's barrel and the nib is immersed into the ink bottle . This system is found in most traditional expensive pens. Though this is a little messy ( it is always advisable to keep a tissue close by to absorb the extra ink close by). The biggest advantage of this type of filling is that the reservoir hold three times the ink than the modern converter. Most large sized pen have this type of filling. Another advantage is that the ink flow is consistent till the last drop.

THE FEED

The feed system regulates the flow of ink to the nib by means of a series of canals and grooves.. Mold injected synthetic resins, and in finer pens ebonite make up the materials of feeds (these materials resist the corrosive agents present in inks).

THE NIB - The soul of the fountain pen

The fountain pen nib not only carries a unique look to itself but it does something no other writing instrument does, feeds information to the writer during the process of writing. In ball-point pens and rollerballs the contact point on the paper is symmetrical, thereby always creating a line of unvarying width regardless of changes in angle. A fountain pen creates lines of varying thickness relative to changes in the writer's hand pressure, angle of the pen to the paper, and rotations on the nibs axis. Precious metals play an important role relative to the nibs performance and longevity. The least expensive fountain pens tend to have stainless steel or gold plated stainless steel nibs.
The absence of precious metals in significant quantities or at all make a fountain pen easily affordable. Stainless steel is a rigid material. Gold maintains a position of dominance as the metal of choice for several reasons. For one, gold resists the effect of corrosion due to contact with inks. Gold's malleability perfectly suits the function of providing the nib with flexibility. Most commonly used are 14 karat and 18 karat.

The very tip of the nib, the point, cannot be gold because it would wear down in a matter of weeks. For this area nib crafters solder a hard substance for the point of contact, most commonly iridium or rhodium. This provides the writer with a lifetime of writing. In time the nib wears just enough to the way the writer holds the pen relative to the paper to create a custom point unique to the individual owner.

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3. What is a rollerball and a ball-point pen?

Rollerballs and ball-points vastly differ from fountain pens .

Ball Point : A ball-point pen functions by directing ink towards gravity's pull (to the paper when held point down), and rolling the viscous ink onto the paper via the ball contained in the point end of the tube reservoir of ink, much in the same way a paint roller rolls paint onto a wall. This ink dries immediately.
No other writing instrument can match the universality of the ball-point pen (except perhaps, the wooden pencil and the crayon). The ball-point pen remains functionally flexible by being well suited to carbon copies, photocopy and fax originals. A quality ball-point creates a consistent line neither skipping nor blotting on the paper.

Rollerball - The roller ball is a wonderful halfway point between the fountain pen and the ball point,. The roller ball creates a similar line to the fountain pen with respect to the intensity of colour. This mode of writing instrument has the same convenience as the ball-point. The refill is simple to change and the pen can be used on carbon copy forms. The ink in a roller ball shares the same affinity for paper types as the fountain pen with even greater adaptability.

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4. How to fill a fountain pen?

a. Using a cartridge , then

• Unscrew the barrel from the section block (grip section)
• Place the narrow end of the ink cartridge into the back of the grip section (opposite the nib) applying enough pressure to seat the cartridge snugly into the section (a pin inside the back of the grip section will puncture the cartridge allowing ink to flow freely).
• Screw the barrel on over the cartridge and into the grip section.

The initial ink flow is slow to appear, take a blotting paper and let the tip touch the paper. Wait for a second to let enough ink flow through

b. Using a converter or closed system siphon pens, then :

• A piston converter is inserted into a pen the same way a cartridge.
• Twist the knob that moves the piston head so the head is in the position closest to the grip section.
• Insert the nib into the bottle of ink so that the ink level covers the lower portion of the grip section.
• Twist the knob so that the piston draws ink into the reservoir until the knob stops turning.
• Remove the nib from the ink bottle (straight up) and into the bottle return three drops of ink by slowly turning the knob (you will see the drops build on the end of the nib and fall into the bottle)
• Invert the pen so the nib points to the ceiling and turn the knob so that the pen draws in air to replace the three drops.
• Replace it into the barrel and tighten.
• With a lint free soft cloth or tissue paper carefully and gently wipe away any excess ink on the nib or grip section. The smallest fiber or particle can interrupt the flow of ink to the paper; try not to ever directly contact the slit with anything.

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5. How to store, clean and maintain a fountain pen?

a. STORAGE

• Pens containing ink should be stored in an upright position when not being used.
• If a pen will be out of use for two weeks or more, then drain any ink in the pen, rinse thoroughly and cap tightly.

b. CLEANING

• Remove any cartridge or piston converter. Rinse with cold water through the grip section in the same direction ink would flow (WARNING: Never use hot or warm water to rinse, soak, or clean a fountain pen nib as the temperature will warp the precious metals in the nib enough to interrupt the flow of ink permanently or damage the nib's ability to control ink flow!)
• For more serious clogs or flow problems soak the pen overnight or for a few days
• Dry the nib with a clean, soft, lint free cloth.

c. MAINTENANCE

• Clean a fountain pen each time a fresh supply of ink is needed, regardless whether or not colour is changed .
• Always suggest use of fresh ink, ink that has been opened for more than a year is not suitable.
• Cap and uncap the pen by holding the nib so that it points toward the ceiling and carefully placing or removing the cap so as not to contact the nib.

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6. Why is it so expensive?

Premium pens are crafted like pieces of Jewelry. It often involves as much time, if not more to make/create a fine writing instrument.

• A lot of time is consumed to make just one pen. The nib is always hand crafted and most high end pens (price range from 5000/- upwards) are all 18kt gold nibs.
• All premium writing instruments are made from expensive, sometimes exotic materials. Often precious metals such as gold, silver and palladium are used in pens.
• A rigorous quality control process is undertaken to ensure pens are defect free and are of the finest quality.

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7. What does my warranty cover?

Please read the warranty card that comes enclosed with your pen for complete details. The basic areas covered under the warranty are as follows:

Ball point pens: The twisting mechanism does not rotate smoothly.
Roller ball pens: Only when the cap of the pen does not fit snugly into the barrel.
Fountain pens: When the nib leaks without reason.