Fountain Pens

It is back to school time, so my thoughts turn to writing instruments.

Writing used to be important. We learned writing cursive on special lined paper with a #2 pencil raising our hand for the teacher to allow us to leave our desk for the crank pencil sharpener on the wall.

Other than Crayons, the pencil was our writing (and drawing) tool.

Then came along the Sheaffer writing pen.

Now remember the pencil was the tool to reproduce words… except for adults. They used pens. Fountain pens that had to be dipped into a fountain and scratched across the paper until it went dry and then double dipped. It was a process like filling a pipe or opening a bottle of wine.

Suddenly kids could write in ink without a dipping. The little cartridge slide down the plastic tube then screwed on the point that would puncture the cartridge and with a few shakes would scribble permanent lines on paper.

You could always tell those who put their Sheaffer pens in there pocket by the leakage staining their shirt as a passage of ink.

Then the BIC pen came out.

A simple plastic tube with a replaceable snap-off cap and a large ballpoint that would spread the ink quickly at a cheap price was all the rage.

I must admit pens have always been presented to me as a social badge. Every Christmas one of my presents was a Cross pen. They were purchased in a jewelry store in a cushioned box. Then silver tubes with a twist to show the replaceable and quickly emptied ink cartridge. The next Christmas, I might get the gold version or the special set of pen and mechanical pencil.

With my fascination in this industry I followed the trail to Rapidograph technical pens, Magic Markers and even Sharpies.

Not sure if kids even know how to write anymore without a keyboard?