PENS BY THE TON.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10598, 29 October 1910, Page 2 (Supplement)

PENS BY THE TON.

The first type of ink pen that tl liv world ever knew was a fine hair brush and to-day, in America hundreds „[ these same pens a re''in daily use. n lO Chinese laimdrynian in the I'mted States marks his' packages and keeps his books with a camel's hair pen dipped in ink. It was good enough for ' „„. fuscius; it is good enough for him. But while the. Chinese have dun,, closely to the first type the <u olution of the pen has continued from (|, O brush to the reed, from the reed t„ (] k , quill, and now it is nearly hah a een. tury since the quill gave place alniii,i entirely to the pen oi metal. Tn-d.-o pens are made by the ton, and an-ord-ing to W. S. Birge iri_ the the industry is increasing all the time! Following the introduction of pup,.,' the quill came into use, the mve-Mtv for a finer instrument than i!m rer-'l being at once apparent. Th ■ iv,.,j grew in the marshes of some ,-f (i,,, countries of the East, was Jiolloiv .m'.j was cut into short lengths and ~!u r. pened, but never yielded a !ii:c p o i m like the quill. Not long after the discovery of 'h,, good qualities of the quill a-, a pen the raising of geose and son,. lU ||,,,. fowls got a decided impetus m ni; ;!lv countries. England for a time hannri. Ed 30,000,00(1 quills, every year. v;.'|„,.| at £25,000. Many different kinds wer.-< impm'led. There were the swan nuill from lee. land, English goose quills, hi i; yo.i.-e quills, Hudson Bays goose qnilh, duel; nuills, British crow quills, and others. Poland. Holland, Germany, ami Knssi.i were all big exporters of the inuihnt. In making the goose qu.ll. v.hicli. by the way, comes within the meiimn of very many. How living, th" mrlk were sorted as soon as piri.e I ami th.. outside skin was re:ri ( ovmi l>y .■> ]><>[ sand hath and subsequent . ■';m: , i:; 1 The barrels of the quills were ili.n !,„-. dened by dipping them info a .dim," of- alum or nitric acid and hiia;: up in <lry. When the 'quill.-, had ; ■•iiiii. 1 1 the necessary brittlehess the .'hi ,\;i-; ' made either "'with a pocket knife „;■ ;. ; small machine for tli-e' purpi. ••. The metal pen came into me nri>i;i( 1 the year 1300. but it was nearly a .p.;,,'- '. ter of a century later when 'lie U:<h>1 try began in earnest. The maki:i» ef 1 steel pens was first 'undertaken in V.v,^

; land. In the early days they wer- m:i.|>' with the linear and pen in <>n • }wr.\ ' hut this, of course, when the \»-.\ «ur,. '■ out, necessitated the throwine. nway u> • the holder also, and so economy I:imii;:Ii; ■ about the separate pen and holder. Another objection- to the early ;U':l jkii was that it was too' stiff. Tins \ws remedied by the side slits :■■■ ■en in pen:,-to-day. Tin.' price of a f.l--i-l w.\ i>: the pioneer dnys of the indr.sjry ;:., vmpared with to-dfijfc is also inie:-i-:i:i::. The early day steel pens cost :i-. .'ni«ii ■ as Is to 2s each. Tlie metal for. pens is steel <;!' :i !';,:<■ quality. It is received at ihc I'urt'iiv in sheets. The first opera I i';. is :<> ni; these sheets into strip.') by :i i!a;i shearing machine, after which -.hi'v me annealed and put'into a pickle •if dilute sulphuric acid. They :i;v tins ready to be' rolled to the ;t;md;inl gauge. Tlie thickness desired for tlai pen to be made governs the mimber of limes the strip is run through Iho mils. When the strips have been rolled to tlu> thickness fleshed for -tlie dilft'irat styles of pens they are stored in y.-nwli'ii boxes until called for by the riittin;: !'■ pnrtmenfc. The cutting of the blanks for pom from \hc strips is done by nrre-.v \m*H« which can be operated so rapidly dim one person can cut forty-live llimisand blanks in a day. The Mnp:' •■ given to the blanks, of coin".'. l>y ,ii.' dies in the presses, and there ■■■;■<■ vev; many different shaped dies IW-;!ie di!lorent tvpes of pens to he nue'- 1 . The blanks then go to the id--i'<-i'!.'- 'l''; partment,'whore they are piern-d him the r.ide slits before refenv ] pi life made, these operations also lv:ii'. d'-n" by means of presses, and r< ■=; 11i ;■ 15 ivany different tools for the piei-eiii'.' el the different sines and kinds <d |im - 'ln order that the blanks ni.iy '"■ ."«•- pre.sr.ionnble for the lwsl ' l !-'i"- ,l ' l; ' which is the one of- marking. tliey ; ' |v

placed iii cast-iron iwts :m:i ; ; . M ii"'- ■ in ii muffle, .the temporal lire is regulated bv most expend" ; I i-:iii'i--The heated blanks are allowed .-■ '"j" 1 gradually and while .vet |»' i:■ 1 ■!<■ d' l ' name is placed upon them b.v ii" :lll ~ of a stamping ninchiiie. Thus far the pen is flai. ■■">■' """' comes the very important. <i|n>f:i• i';! 1 "j raising it to the form of the Hindu". pen. The process- is said i<> '■'■ v, ' r > intricate, for by improper raisim: ••'!' ll; " work in the former departine'd.: eiin ''" rendered useless.

A screw press of special coii-.-ini.-tio'i is used for this work. When • >'■; handle is moved the screw * I ?="-<■_■■•■- T • ;'.''' ; forces the pell down upon •■> ' 1 i'' ••':' ■' minute adjustments must be :,r ' l ' '::' fore the operators can begin %\-: rh. I !;■* puns arc removed, by coniinv.-. ' ■'"'■ K Next they must be hardened. ' ; this point they are heated red jmi = ■"'| then' dropped into oil, after v/hrli tlie.> are thoroughly cleaned and m'/ i'' l ' l, for tempering. This is accompli -b.<-n "> reheating in cylinders wlii'li ''^y:■'' over a steady, fire. This upernlioi 1 gives them the elastic (pialnies in'ci"sary to meet the particular re-pun' ment. In all there are some fifteen preei's.-js through which each pen must g». -\ |u ' r tempering comes scouring. The pens are put in tumbling barrels with scouring substances, where 'they revolve lor several hours. The baths which yw pens undergo in the scouring rouin hnvo much to do in determining the hit" "' the steel.

There are two classes of operators in the next department, those wlm "<> what is known as "straight" gnndinj, and "cross" grinding. Some pens require both operations, other types '>"■ one. The grinding is to give the I' ( ''' s better ink holding properties nn<l U"-ther-elasticity. The work is <!>=>"■ "I"' 1 emery wheels. An expert straight dor can grind about (wenty-h l -'*' ■ minute, a cross grinder twelve pens minute. . „,. The operation of slitting tin- F fiom, the place whore it has »j''' pierced down to the point is in reaii the most difficult of all the operations. The adjustment <> t |l( - machines must be perfect, ho tli;lt . si it will be right through the centre the point. , The process is performed by a pi •■■ operated by hand and equipped » ' knives, which, of course, are not <" "-, very hard but very fine. A W , ; feature is also made of the round £ of the points following the slitting «_ ration. This is done in iron rcv '" ~f cans containing small pebbly » lill V '/ The pens are next put into dry w 1 This rounding process is to P re Y' ;l ' t |„, | pen'from scratching or sticking i» l paper when it is in use. i, In the examining department •• pen is handled by experts, who ». , nisc every feature of the nice.; work that has been done and tlir>« every pen which bears the least «•». Anv" defect can easily be traced t > department in which it lia- «<*"' lls „ which, of course, is an added > ;|fk to each employee to porfoim cm faithfully.

Reporter: What did. y-m <>" ,[ rilll you met your first lion.-" J™". . rnU 'with all my might, and Uk ""' with, all 'his mane;