,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,steel ,,pens ,,with ,a ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,manufacturing ,,process ,,by ,,which ,,they ,,are ,,produced ,,by ,,henry ,,bore ,,london #ahij ,in these days of ,public ,schools and extended facilities for popular education it would be difficult to find many people unaccustomed to the use of steel pens1 but although the manufacture of this article by presses and tools must have been introduced during the first quarter of the present century1 the inquirer after knowledge would scarcely find a dozen persons who could give any definite information as to when1 where1 and by whom this invention was made4 ,less than two decades ago there were three men living who could have answered this question1 but two of them passed away without making any sign1 and the third--,sir ,josiah ,mason--has left on record that his friend and patron--,mr4 ,samuel ,harrison--about the year #aghj1 made a steel pen for ,dr4 ,priestley4 ,this interesting fact does not contribute anything toward solving the question1 ,who was the first manufacturer of steel pens by mechanical appliances8 ,in the absence of any definite information1 the balance of testimony tends to prove that steel pens were first made by tools1 worked by a screw press1 about the beginning of the third decade of the present century1 and the names associated with their manufacture were ,john ,mitchell1 ,joseph ,gillott1 and ,josiah ,mason1 each1 in his own way1 doing something toward perfecting the manufacture by mechanical means4 ,the earliest references to pens are probably those in the ,bible1 and are to be found in ,judges v4 #ad1 #ast ,kings xxi4 #h1 ,job xix4 #bd1 ,psalm xlv4 #a41 ,isaiah viii4 #a1 ,jeremiah viii4 #h and xvii4 #a4 ,but these chiefly refer to the iron stylus1 though the first in ,jeremiah--taken in reference to the mention of a penknife1 xxxvi4 #bc--would seem to imply that a reed was in use at that period4 ,there is a reference to pen and ink in the #c;d ,epistle of ,john xiii4 #e1 which was written about ,a4,d4 #he1 and as pens made in brass and silver were used in the ,greek and ,roman ,empires at that time1 it is probable that a metallic pen or reed was alluded to4 ,pens and reeds made in the precious metals and bronze appear to have been in use at the commencement of the present era4 ,the following are a few notable instances3 ,the ,queen of ,hungary1 in the year #aedj1 had a silver pen bestowed upon her1 which had this inscription upon it3 ',publii ,ovidii ,calamus1' found under the ruins of some monument in that country1 as ,mr4 ,sands1 in the ,life of ,ovid 7prefixed to his ,metamorphosis7 relates4 --,humane ,industry2 or1 a ,history of ,mechanical ,arts1 by ,thos4 ,powell1 ,d4,d43 ,london1 #affa1 page #fa4 ,this was probably a silver reed1 and1 from the locality in which it was found1 was once the property of the poet ,ovid4 ,publius ,ovidius ,naso was born in the year #dc ,b4,c41 and died #ah ,a4,d4 ,he was exiled at the age of #cj to ,tomi1 a town south of the delta of the ,danube4 ,this at present is in modern ,bulgaria1 but at the period mentioned was in the ancient kingdom of ,hungary4 ,from ,notes and ,queries1 in ,birmingham ,weekly ,post1 we take the following3 ,,early ,,metallic ,,pens4---,metallic pens are generally supposed to have been unknown before the early part of the last century1 when gold and silver pens are occasionally referred to as novel luxuries4 ,i have1 however1 recently found a description and an engraving of one found in excavating ,pompeii1 and which is now preserved in the ,museum at ,naples4 ,it is described in the quarto volume ',les ,monuments du ,musee ,national de ,naples1 graves sur cuivre par les meillures artistes ,italienes4 ,texte par ,domenico ,monaco1 ,conservateur du meme ,musee1 ,naples1 #ahhb1' and is in the ,catalogue3 ' ,plate ,i#bf 7v7 ,plume en bronze1 taillee parfaitement a la facon de nos plumes #j4ac cent4 ' ,plate ,i#bf 7y7 ,plume en roseau reed trouvee pres d'un papyrus a ,herculaneum4' ,the former 7v7 is engraved to look like an ordinary reed pen1 as now used universally in the ,east2 and the other 7y7 has a spear shape1 or almond shape 7like many modern metallic pens71 but with a sort of fillet or ring on the stem1 which indicates that the 'y' example is not a reed1 but a metallic stylus1 or pen1 while the 'v' example is shown clearly as a 'reed4' ,the two are1 however1 certainly older than ,a4,d4 #gi1 when ,pompeii and ,herculaneum were buried by the eruption of ,vesuvius4 ,according to ,father ,montfaucon1 the patriarchs of ,constantinople1 under the ,greek ,empire1 were accustomed to sign their allocutions with tubular pens of silver1 similar in shape to the reed pens which are still used by ,oriental nations4 ,the following are translated from the ,french ,notes and ,queries -- ,l',intermediare3 ,a ,,metallic ,,pen ,,in ,,the ,,fourteenth ,,century4--,m4 ,reni de ,bellwal1 in a very learned volume which he has published recently1 on the first campaign of ,edward ,,iii4 in ,france1 says 7p4 #ie7 with respect to the fictitious pieces 7documents7 fabricated by ,robert d',artois1 that a clerk of ,jeanne wrote the deeds1 and made use of a bronze pen to enable him the better to disguise his writing4 ,this plainly refers to a pen1 and not to a stylus4 ,is there any record of the use of metallic pens at any period anterior to the fourteenth century8 ,it is very satisfactory1 however1 to establish 7as the ,french used to say7 'les preuves de #acjj4'--,l',intermediare4 ,in the ,vieux-,neuf of ,m4 ,ed4 ,fournier 7vol4 ii41 p4 #bb1 note7 there is mentioned--according to the documents used in the prosecution of ,robert d',artois1 which are in the ,archives--'the bronze pen' with which the forgers in the pay of the count wrote the false papers which he required4 ,m4 ,fournier also quotes from ',montfaucon' 'the silver reeds' with which the ,constantinople patriarchs used to write their letters4--,,cuthbert1 ,l',intermediare1 #ast ,june1 #ahfd4 ,,metallic ,,pens 7,,xv41 #fh74-,writing was done in the ,middle ,ages sometimes with a metal stylus1 or perhaps with a metal pen2 with the former on wax1 and with the pen on parchment or vellum4 ',at ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge1 is a manuscript illustration of ,eadwine1 a monk of ,canterbury1 and at the end the writer is represented with a metal pen in his hand4' 7,see ,bibliomania in the ,middle ,ages1 p4 #ajc74 ,i have in my possession a metal pen of ,dutch manufacture1 dating certainly from the year #agag1 mounted on the same pencilholder1 with a piece of solid plumbago1 in a memorandum book of the same year4--,,sam3 ,,timmins4 ,mr4 ,le ,chauvine ,gal1 ,prior of the collegiate of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,bars at ,aosta1 had in his collection of ,roman antiquities a bronze pen1 slit1 found in a tomb1 among a number of lamps and lachrymatory vases4 ,m4 ,aubert has given a drawing and description of it in a work on ,aosta4 ,it was subsequently stolen from him by a collector4--- ,,chambery1 ,un ,savoyard1 ,l',intermediare1 #beth ,may1 #ahfh4 ,,metallic ,,pens1--,in a precious volume 7an account of the books of the ,decretalia7 preserved in the library of ,saint ,antoine1 of ,padua1 the following notice is to be found at the bottom of the last page3 ',this work is fashioned and by diligence finished for the service of ,god1 not with ink of quill nor with brazen reed1 but with a certain invention of printing or reproducing by ,john ,fust1 citizen of ,mayence1 and ,peter ,schoeiffer1 of ,gernsheim1 ,dec4 #agth1 #adfe1 ,a4,d4' ,here1 then1 we have a document proving the existence of metallic pens in the ,middle ,ages4 ,but has any such pen come down to us8 ,if so1 could a detailed description of it be obtained8 ,on the other hand1 ,i am curious to know if it is possible that platinum was used in the eighteenth century in the manufacture of pens1 or whether it is necessary to attribute a peculiar meaning to the 'platinum pen' in the following passage of the system of shorthand by ,bertin 7edit4 of the year iv41 p4 #ic7 7#agic74 ',those of steel and platinum are most convenient2 these latter have the advantage of all others1 in that they hold the ink a long time1 and run over the paper easily1 and are not liable to corrosion by any simple acid4' ,i am ignorant of what the same author means when he mentions the endless pen1 which would certainly be the best4 '--,j4 ,,camus1 ,l',intermediare4 ,metallic pens were used before the fifteenth century2 they were in use at the court of ,augustus4 ,see ,l',intermed4 7,i4 #fi1 #id1 #ada2 ,,ii4 #cai47 ,consult also ,le ,vieux-,neuf ,ed4 ,fournier4--,a4,d4 ,the following extracts show there have been several claimants1 on the ,continent1 who profess to have invented metallic pens1 made from steel1 in the early part of the eighteenth century2 but the reader had better suspend his judgment until he has read the notes that follow them3 ,a manuscript1 entitled ',historical ,chronicle of ,aix-la-,chapelle1 second book1 #agdh1' places on record the claims of ,johann ,janssen1 a magistrate of that place1 as the inventor of steel pens4 ',just at the meeting of the congress after the ,austrian war ,i may without boasting1 claim the honour of having invented a new pen4 ,it is1 perhaps1 not an accident that ,god should have inspired me at the present time with the idea of making steel pens1 for all the envoys here assembled have bought the first that have been made2 therewith1 as may be hoped1 to sign a treaty of peace1 which1 with ,god's blessing1 shall be as permanent as the hard steel with which it is written4 ,of these pens1 as ,i have invented them1 no man hath before seen or heard4 ,if kept clean and free from rust and ink1 they will continue fit for use for many years4 ,indeed1 a man may write twenty reams of paper with one1 and the last line would be written as well as the first4 ,they are now sent into every corner of the world as a rare thing--to ,spain1 ,france1 ,england and ,holland4 ,others will no doubt make imitations of my pens1 but ,i am the man who first invented and made them4 ,i have sold a great number of them at home and abroad at #as4 each1 and ,i dispose of them as quickly as ,i can make them4' ,in an article on ,writing ,instruments1 which appeared in the ,berlin ,paper ,zeitung1 on the #aith of ,may1 #ahhg1 the author says3 ,a school teacher of ,koningberg1 named ,burger1 in the year #ahjh1 made pens from metal1 but he got poor by his trials4 ,after this time1 and probably imitating the pens of ,burger1 the ,english began to take in hand the manufacture of pens2 especially ,perry1 he having perfected the pens1 as he did not restrict himself to the simple straight slit1 but he made cuts in the sides of different kinds4 ,in a pamphlet upon the manufacture of steel pens1 published in ,paris1 in #ahhd1 the writer says3 ,the invention of the metallic pen is due to a ,french mechanic-- ,arnoux--who lived in the eighteenth century1 who made as far back as #agej a number of metallic pens as a curiosity4 ,this invention did not have any immediate result in ,france but spread to ,england1 and became in ,birmingham1 about #ahcj1 a very prosperous industry4 ,a very curious fact about this trade is that1 in ,england1 it does not exist out of ,birmingham1 where there are about ten manufactories4 ,in ,france it has become localized in ,boulogne4 ,there is also the nameless ,sheffield ,artisan1 who so frequently figures in newspaper paragraphs as the inventor of steel pens2 and ,william ,gadsby1 a mathematical instrument maker1 who for his own use constructed a clumsy article from the mainspring of a watch2 but it is not till the beginning of the eighteenth century that we get anything authentic respecting the making of metallic pens4 ,este1 writing in ,local ,notes and ,queries 7,birmingham ,weekly ,post7 mentions a remarkable little volume supplied to the members of the ,states ,general of ,holland1 in the possession of ,mr4 ,w4 ,bragge1 of ,sheffield1 dated #agag4 ,it contained a silver pencil case1 in two parts1 one holding a piece of plumbago1 mounted like a crayon1 and the other a metallic pen4 ,we have seen this unique book 7now the property of ,mr4 ,sam3 ,timmins74 ,the pen is of the barrel shape1 apparently silver1 and it must be regarded as the earliest authentic metallic pen4 ,of the date there can be no doubt1 as the pen is made to pass through loops in the cover of the volume to keep it closed1 after the manner of pocket books1 and the book bears the date1 printed on the title page1 #agag4 ,pope1 about the same time1 received from ,lady ,frances ,shirley a present of a standish1 containing a ,,steel and a gold pen4 ,in acknowledging the receipt of this present1 the poet wrote an ode1 in which the following lines occur3 ,take at this hand celestial arms2 ,secure the radiant weapons wield2 ,this golden lance shall guard desert1 ,and1 if a vice dares keep the field1 ,this steel shall stab it to the heart4 ,awed1 on my bended knees ,i fell1 ,received the weapons of the sky1 ,and dipped them in the sable well-- ,the fount of fame or infamy4 ,what well8 ,what weapon8 ,flavia cries1 ,a standish1 steel and golden pen6 ,it came from ,bertrand's199 not the skies1 ,i gave it you to write again4 99,bertrand kept a fancy shop in ,bath4 ,he died in #agee4 ,his wife is mentioned by ,horace ,walpole1 in his letter to ,george ,montague1 ,may #ahth1 #agdi1 which letter is printed in his ,correspondence4 ,in ,no4 #ejc of the ,spectator1 bearing the date of ,october #g1 #agab1 ,steele1 mentioning the conspicuous manner in which a certain lady conducted herself in church1 says3 ,for she fixed her eyes upon the preacher1 and as he said anything she approved1 with one of ,charles ,mather's fine tablets1 she set down the sentence1 at once showing her fine hand1 the gold pen1 her readiness in writing1 and her judgments in choosing what to write4 ,edmund ,waller1 about the middle of the seventeenth century1 acknowledged the receipt of a silver pen from a lady1 in the following verses3 ,madam6 intending to have try'd1 ,the silver favour which you gave1 ,in ink the shining point ,i dy'd1 ,and drench'd it in the sable wave ,when1 grieved to be so foully stained1 ,on you it thus to me complained4 ,so ,i1 the wronged pen to please1 ,made it my humble thanks express ,unto your ,ladyship1 in these1 ,and now 'tis forced to confess ,that your great self did ne'er indite ,nor that to me more noble write4 ,mr4 ,g4 ,a4 ,lomas1 writing to the ,scientific ,american1 ,november #bc1 #ahgh1 says3 ,i write to inquire if you can give me information concerning the manufacture of metal pens in this country4 ,i may be vain in the supposition1 but ,i am persuaded that my people--the ,shakers--were the originators of metal pens4 ,i write this to you with a silver pen1 one slit1 that was made in the vear #ahai1 at this village1 by the ,shakers4 ,two or three years previously to the use of silver pens1 our people used brass plates for their manufacture1 but soon found silver preferable4 ,some people sold these pens in the year #ahai1 at this village1 for twenty-five cents1 and disposed of all that could be made4 ,the writer further says the metal was made from silver coins4 ,this communication called forth the following from another correspondent3 ,the letter in the ,scientific ,american1 ,november #bc1 #ahgh1 with regard to the early manufacture of steel pens1 reminds me of the following note which appeared in the ,boston ,mechanic1 for ,august1 #ahce4 ',the inventor of steel pens1' says the ,journal of ,commerce1 was an ,american and a well-known resident of our city 7,new ,york71 ,mr4 ,peregrine ,williamson4 ,in the year #ahjj1 ,mr4,w41 then a working jeweler1 at ,baltimore1 while attending an evening school1 finding some difficulty in making a quill pen to suit him1 made one of steel4 ,it would not write well1 however1 for want of flexibility4 ,after a while he made an additional slit on each side of the main one1 and the pens were so much improved that ,mr4 ,w4 was called to make them in such numbers as to eventually occupy his whole time1 and that of a journeyman4 ,at first the business was very profitable and enabled ,mr4 ,w4 to realize for the labor of himself and journeyman a clear profit of six hundred dollars per month4 ,the ,english soon borrowed the invention1 and some who first engaged in the business realized immense fortunes4' ,we do not know how much reliance may be placed upon this statement1 but1 if the last assertion that those who first engaged in the business realized immense fortunes may be taken as a test1 the whole must be received with a grain of salt4 ,the letter appeared in the ,boston ,mechanic1 in #ahce1 and at that date there were penmakers who had made a modest competence1 but in no case were they possessed of immense fortunes4 ,in ,london ,notes and ,queries1 the following appears respecting early steel pens3 ,,the ,,first ,,steel ,,pen4--7#eth ,s41 iii41 #cie47 ,ten years before ,dr4 ,priestley was born steel pens were in use4 ,there are references to them in the ,diary of ,john ,byrom1 who required them when writing short-hand4 ,in a letter to his sister ,phoebe1 dated ,august1 #agbc1 he mentions them as follows3 ',alas6 alas6 ,i cannot meet with a steel pen1 no manner of where ,i believe ,i have asked at #cge places1 but that which ,i have is at your service1 as the owner himself always is4' 7,remains1 ,vol4 i41 #ci47 ,mr4 ,ralph ,n4 ,james1 writing to ,notes and ,queries1 gives the following extract from the very amusing journey to ,paris1 by ,dr4 ,martin ,lister1 #afih3 ,there was one thing very curious1 and that was a ,writing lnstrument of thick and strong silver wire1 bound up like a hollow button or screw1 with both ends pointing one way1 and at a distance1 so that a man might easily put his forefinger betwixt the two points1 and the point divided in two1 just like our steel pens4--,london ,notes and ,queries1 vol4 iii41 page #cdf4 ,this note caused another writer1 ,mr4 ,c4,a4 ,ward1 to send the following3 ,,steel ,,pens4--,the extract given from ,dr4 ,m4 ,lister's1 by ,mr4 ,ralph ,n4 ,james1 is very interesting4 ,the doctor there speaks of 'our steel pens1' as if they were not at all uncommon4 ,when the poet ,churchill's effects were sold up1 after his death1 ,nov4 #aj1 #agfd1 they fetched extravagant prices2 'a common steel pen' brought ,l4#e4 --,london ,notes and ,queries1 vol iii41 page #dgd4 ,the following extract from ,london ,notes and ,queries gives very plausible reasons against placing confidence in the preceding and other notices of ancient steel pens3 ,,steel ,,pens4 7#eth ,s41 vol4 iii41 pp4 #cdf1 #dgd47 ,may ,i ask whether1 in giving the interesting references to the use of steel pens before the time of ,priestley 7one reference even going so far back as the seventeenth century7 your correspondents have carefully considered what is meant by the terms4 ,for my own part 7of course ,i maybe quite wrong7 ,i should naturally have anticipated steel pens in these references to mean not the modern steel nib for ordinary penmanship1 but the ancient steel pen for drawing lines or ruling circles1 such as is contained in every box of mathematical instruments4 ,this would explain 7to some extent7 the great price fetched for a good one of ,churchill's2 a mere old steel nib would scarcely enter into a sale at all4 ,it would explain1 too1 why a special process of hardening should be applied to a quill1 in order to make it do duty for the steel instrument4 ,one would scarcely think of hardening a quill in order to enable it to compete with a steel nib in some of the least desirable qualities1 though one often wishes one could accomplish the reverse process1 and soften or supple a steel 'stick frog1' so as to give it the elasticity of the grey goose quill4 --,v4 ,h4 ,i4 ,l4 ,l4 ,c4 ,,iv4 7iv41 #cg1 #eth ,s41 ,london ,notes and ,queries47 ,mr4 ,r4 ,prosser1 author of ,birmingham ,inventors and ,inventions1 in writing to the compiler of this work1 says3 ,it has often occurred to me that some of the very early references to metallic pens may perhaps mean the draughtsman's 'ruling pen1' and not an instrument made after the fashion of a quill pen with a slit in it4 ,that it is possible to write with such an instrument this paragraph will show1 but ,i must admit that it is not equal to one of ,perry's ,j's4 ,from an entry in ,pepys' ,diary1 ,october #bd1 #affj1 drawing pens appear to have been in use in ,london1 at the time of the ,restoration3 ,to ,mr4 ,lilly's1 where1 not finding ,mr4 ,spong1 ,i went to ,mr4 ,greatorex1 where ,i met him1 and where ,i bought a drawing pen4 ,in ,london ,notes and ,queries 7#dth ,s41 xi41 #ddj71 the ,rev4 ,e4 ,smedley1 editor of the ,encyclopoedia ,metropolitana1 writing to his friend1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,hawkins1 ,april #aj1 #ahcc1 says3 ,the process of nibbing and shaving is one which ,i always abominated1 and for years past ,i have taken refuge under the ,perryian pens4 ,the one with which ,i now write has been in use daily1 and all day long1 for more than a fortnight1 and ,i consider that it still owes me quite as much worth as it has already furnished4 ,every packet contains nine pens1 and on an average two out of that number fail to suit my hand1 but the remaining seven are faithful servants1 and their price is #bs4 ,in ,london ,notes and ,queries 7#dth ,s41 xii41 #eg7 a writer says3 ,i bought my first steel pen from ,bramah1 ,piccadilly1 in #ahbe4 ,the price was #as4 #f;d4 ,it was very thick and hard1 with very little elasticity4 ,in #ahbi ,i read advertised in the ,times1 steel pens1 with holder1 #cs4 per dozen1 at ,kendal's1 in ,holborn4 ,they were hand made1 and much easier to write with than ,bramah's4 ,soon after the price fell1 and steel pens became common4 ,in ,london ,notes and ,queries 7#dth ,s41 x41 #cji71 ,october #ai1 #ahgb1 ,mr4 ,william ,bates1 speaking of a visit he paid to an old lady1 at ,studley 7,worcestershire7 about #ahbe1 says that he saw an exquisitely-finished inkstand of pure gold1 the gift of one of the ,earls of ,plymouth to her father1 #ajj years before4 ,the inkstand was provided with a jointed gold penholder1 terminating in a barrel 7one slit7 pen1 resembling the metallic pen of the present day1 except that he found that it would not write4 ,in ,local ,notes and ,queries1 published in the ,birmingham ,journal and ,weekly ,post1 there have appeared a number of contributions relating to the early manufacture of steel pens4 ,we reproduce them here4 ,a correspondent writing on ,june #bb1 #ahfi1 says3 ,daniel ,fellows1 of ,sedgley1 made steel pens about #ahjj4 ,another writer1 on the same date1 says1 ,the first makers of steel pens were ,john ,edwards1 ,hill ,street1 and ,francis ,heeley1 ,mount ,street1 ,birmingham4 ,respecting1 the former of these1 in ,wrightson's ,birmingham ,directory1 #ahbc1 the following advertisement appears3 ,john ,edwards1 manufacturer of improved gold1 silver1 and elastic sleel pens1 mounted in all kinds of cases1 and desk handles1 ,no4 #dj ,hill ,street4 ,n4,b4--,the pens are warranted to write exceedingly fine and free4 ,this advertisement contained engravings of a barrel and nibbed or slip pen4 ,j4 ,sargent1 writing from ,tettenhall1 ,june #bh1 #ahfi1 says3 ,a journeyman blacksmith1 named ,fellows1 of ,sedgley1 was the first originator of steel pens4 ,i resided at ,sedgley in #ahbb1 when ,sheldon1 ,fellows's apprentice1 made some of these pens4 ,he made two for me4 ,i wrote very well with them4 ,sheldon himself told me that ,mr4 ,gillott commenced making the pen from seeing some of his 7,sheldon's7 make4 ,some one writing under the nom de plume of ,un ,qui ,sait1 says3 ,i distinctly recollect1 about the year #ahjf1 being at ,fellows's home in ,sedgley1 and there seeing ,thomas ,sheldon1 his apprentice1 making steel pens4 ,he knew of an entry in his books of pens bought from ,fellows in #ahjg4 ,he paid ,sheldon ,l4#ajj in #ahbb4 ,he believed ,fellows made pens in #agic4 ,beilby and ,knott 7,birmingham stationers7 sold these pens in considerable quantities from #ahah to #ahbh4 ,sheldon continued the trade until it was destroyed through inability to compete with the machine-made pens of ,mitchell and ,gillott4 ,another writer1 ,t4 ,s41 says3 ,in #ahae1 an uncle of mine used to purchase these pens from ,sheldon1 of ,sedgley4 ,the price was eighteen shillings per dozen1 ten per cent4 for cash4 ,they were barrel shape4 ,b4 ,smith and ,co4 had in their pattern book of engravings of steel toys a drawing of one of these pens1 which were sold at thirty shillings per dozen2 also one in a bone handle1 the top of which screwed off1 for carrying in the pocket1 at thirty-six shillings per dozen4 ,another correspondent1 writing on ,july #bd1 #ahfi1 mentions 7on authority of the late ,mr4 ,alderman ,yates7 that an old man named ,spittle made steel pens before any of the present makers4 ,in note #cai this man ,spittle is mentioned by another writer1 who says3 ,a man named ,spittle1 one of the earliest makers of steel pens1 lived in ,chequers' ,walk1 ,bath ,row1 ,birmingham4 ,he made steel pens for sale1 and charged one shilling each for them4 ,they were made with a tube to fit on a quill4 ,i bought one from him forty-five years ago 7#ahbd74 ,e4,w41 writing in #ahfi1 says3 ,in #ahba there was a ,b4 ,smith1 steel toy maker1 ,st4 ,paul's ,mary's ,square1 ,birmingham4 ,he had a book of engravings of steel toys1 among which were steel pens1 made to screw on and off4 ,this pattern book might have been one hundred years old4 ,i sold his pens in #ahbc4 ,the ,editor of ,notes and ,queries says ,smith's pattern book was probably fifty years old1 and further remarks that steel pens must have been a regular article of manufacture before they appeared in a steel toy maker's pattern book4 ,c4,j41 in note #cgb1 says3 ,the pattern book of ,john ,barnes1 ,eagle ,works1 ,wolverhampton1 contains engravings of early steel pens4 ,mr4 ,robert ,griffin says3 ,in #ahbd ,i wrote very much with a steel pen made under the direction of ,james ,perry--a pen that lasted about eight or nine weeks1 writing eight hours a day4 ,in note #cdd1 ,anon says he remembered his father 7who had premises in ,water ,street1 ,birmingham71 in the summer of #ahbc1 bringing a tall1 quiet1 respectable man to the manufactory4 ,he had a piece of iron1 or steel1 which he required to be cut up into strips of about two inches wide4 ,the man said he was going to get the strips rolled to make into steel pens4 ,he gave the writer of the note sixpence and a barrel pen for his trouble4 ,in answer to inquiries the writer put to his father1 the latter stated he did not know the man's name nor where he lived1 but that he met with him in a smoke room1 where he 7the father7 sometimes spent his evenings4 ,the writer further remarks3 ,where the man had got his ideas from which induced him to try his hand at making steel pens ,i do not know1 but ,i have an impression that there were several experimenters in existence at that time2 and very soon afterward ,mr4 ,william 7,joseph7 ,gillott1 with whom my father was on terms of intimacy1 came into notice as a maker of steel pens4 ,this is a very important statement1 as it fixes a date respecting pens being made from sheet steel4 ,one of the oldest toolmakers in the trade has informed us that1 about the year #ahbc or #ahbd1 he was frequently taken by his father to visit an uncle named ,clulee1 who rented power at the ,water ,street mill4 ,on these occasions his father and uncle would talk about the visits of ,gillott to the latter1 and the hopeful manner in which he spoke of the experiments he was then making4 ,gillott rented power at the ,water ,street mill1 and was engaged in grinding and finishing penknife blades1 which were inserted in one end of a silver pencil case1 which his relative--,mitchell--was then making4 ,now1 who was this tall1 quiet1 respectable man8 ,it could not have been ,gillott1 as he was not tall and the father of ,anon knew him2 and ,mitchell was also a short man4 ,we have failed to trace him1 and his identity is lost among the sowers who failed to reap the harvest of their inventions4 ,mr4 ,george ,wallis1 speaking of steel pens1 remarks3 ,i wrote with one when a boy 7#ahbb to #ahbf71 having found several in a stock of old steel waste in the warehouse of a relative1 a retired ornamental steel worker1 at ,wolverhampton4 ,these pens were made 7so ,i was told7 for the ,london market1 late in the last or early in the present century4 ,certainly they were made fifteen or1 perhaps1 twenty years1 when ,i found them1 as the manufactory in which they had been produced had been closed the former number of years4 ,they consisted of a holder of steel1 with flutings and facets4 ,one was solid and tapered to lighten it2 the other had a barrel with an internal screw4 ,the pen had two screws2 one was used to screw the pen into the barrel for use1 and the other to secure it when turned inwards as a protection when not in use1 or to carry in the pocket4 ,the following letter from ,mr4 ,alderman ,manton to ,mr4 ,sam3 ,timmins makes us acquainted with another manufacturer of steel pens3 ,,the ,,metal ,,pens ,,of #ahbc4--;,in a badly-constructed and unsanitary manufactory 7,mr4 ,james ,collins's71 at the back of #aai ,suffolk ,street1 7,birm471 ,i witnessed the process of making silver and steel pens4 ,as both metals were manufactured in the same manner1 one description will serve4 ,it will be remembered by a few that at that time there was a patent silver pencil case somewhat extensively manufactured1 which in addition to the pencil1 had a penknife1 pen and toothpick provided4 ,the penknife was supplied by two brothers--,joseph and ,william ,gillott--who at that time rented a small shop in a corner of the yard belonging to the rolling mill of ,george and ,p4,f4 ,muntz1 ,water ,street1 and from whose engine they obtained the small amount of steam power needed4 ,the process of making the pens was as follows3 ,two narrow strips were cut from a sheet of silver or steel2 they were then1 by the help of the hammer and a lead cake1 or piece of hard wood1 curved4 ,afterwards the two strips were placed opposite to each other on a well-polished steel wire1 and drawn through a draw-plate1 the wire and plate being supplied by ,wm4 ,billings1 a celebrated tool manufacturer1 occupying premises near the top of ,snow ,hill 7,birm474 ,by the aid of a press1 a small hole was made at a distance of half an inch or five-eighths from the end1 the slit was then made by a fine saw made of watch springs4 ,a bent pair of shears was used for cutting the end of strip into the shape of a pen2 and a half-round file or smooth was used for finishing the pen4 ,the pen was then sawn off the strip by the same saw which was used for slitting the pen4 ,the only hardening process was the friction of the draw-plate and steel wire4 ,i not only witnessed the process1 but was a manipulator4 ,the cost of making at that time1 by a journeyman1 was #b;d4 each2 by an apprentice1 about one-third of that amount4 ,within less than thirty years of that time1 in a manufactory adjoining my own1 pens were made and sold 7wholesale7 at #b;d4 per gross1 and a box containing them into the bargain4 7,signed7 ,henry ,manton1 ,september #ae1 #ahhf4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,vary writes that ,james ,perry began making steel pens in ,manchester1 and quotes the ,saturday ,magazine to show that metallic pens were given by him as rewards of merit in schools as far back as #ahai4 ,mr4 ,james ,cocker1 writing in the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph1 in #ahfi1 says3 ,that he rolled steel wire for ,james ,perry for penmaking in #ahbi4 ,the death of ,mr4 ,gillott seems to have revived the discussion of the origin of steel pens1 and a correspondent in the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph1 in the issue of ,january #aa1 #ahgb1 in the following letter1 puts forth a claim on behalf of a ,sheffield man3 ,the well-written and well-merited memoir of the late ,mr4 ,gillott1 the ,birmingham steel pen maker1 which has just appeared in the newspapers1 affords a curious and instructive illustration of the success which not seldom attends the combined action of ingenuity1 industry1 shrewdness1 and integrity among our labouring classes4 ,born in the humblest rank of our local workmen1 a steady scholar in our ,boys' ,lancasterian ,school1 and apprenticed to a scissors grinder1 the deceased worked his way upwards into a position of influence and opulence as a manufacturer1 which entitled him to take social rank with the merchant princes of the land4 ,and if his name has long since ceased to be familiar among his once contemporary workmen in ,sheffield1 and is not even mentioned in the ,directory1 it has for several years past been recognized and respected by the visitors at the annual exhibitions of our ,school of ,art1 in connection with the many rare and valuable pictures lent by him on those occasions4 ,the printed fac-simile of the autograph appeared in the 'advertising columns' of almost every newspaper in the world1 and perhaps1 as an expert might have said1 was characteristic4 ,in the admirable account of his life above referred to stress is laid upon one prominent and praiseworthy feature of his character1 viz41 his readiness to acknowledge the obscurity of his origin and the steps of his industrial success4 ,in those details no mention is made of his ,sheffield master and predecessor in the ingenious art of steel pen making4 ,and as the notice alluded to is without dates1 it is difficult to furnish information on the material point of priority1 though the fact of supremacy in the trade is clear enough4 ,in one of the columns of ,lardner's ,cyclopedia1 published in #ahcc1 the names of ,perry1 ,heeley1 and ,skinner are mentioned as steel pen makers4 ,with the latter1 who if he did not make wealth1 certainly earned a wide reputation for the low price and excellent temper of his 'steel nibs1' ,mr4 ,gillett was a workman1 in ,nursery ,street1 ,sheffield1 having gone with his master from the scissors grinding stone to the making of polished steel ornaments for ladies' work1 then fashionable4 ,how much1 in what way1 or whether at all1 he was indebted to his experience in ,mr4 ,skinner's establishment may be questionable1 but that he learnt and first saw practised in ,sheffield the art that ultimately enriched him in ,birmingham1 he would probably be the last to deny4 ,it is well remembered by a worthy dealer in almost every useful article1 from a mouse-trap to a railroad wagon1 that ,gillott1 soon after his establishment in ,birmingham1 came into our townsman's shop1 and seeing on the counter a model steam engine of half-horse power1 at once purchased and carried it off to give motion to some part of his pen machinery4 ,brass pens were made in ,sheffield before the close of the last century4 ,they mostly accompanied an 'inkpot1' called from its users an 'exciseman4' ,the writer of this paragraph himself made hundreds of dozens of them1 which1 however1 be never used1 nor steel ones either1 as long as he could get a 'goose quill1' good1 bad or indifferent4 ,the matter of slitting the nib was kept secret by ,skinner1 and the double slit of ,gillott more than doubled the value of his old master's invention2 but a 'four-slit' pen1 i4e41 with five points1 if possible to make1 would be useless4 ,the earliest experimenter in form and material was ,perry1 flexibility being the great desideratum2 but it is curious to see how world-wide a currency ,gillott's name and trade have given to the simplest shape2 and still more curious to note how the makers of writing ink and paper have conformed these articles to the requirements of the uses of the steel pen4 ,it is always gratifying1 and not unprofitable1 to contrast the small and feeble beginnings of any manufacturing enterprise with a large and well-merited success4 ,this communication appears to have caused a ,mr4 ,william ,levesley to call upon the writer of the preceding epistle1 and the following which appeared in the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph1 ,january #cj1 #ahgb1 was written3 ,i have to thank you for the insertion of my queries as to the early connection of ,sheffield with steel pen making4 ,in consequence of the appearance of my letter in the ,telegraph1 a cutlery manufacturer of the name of ,william ,levesley1 called upon me1 and informed me that he was not only an early associate with the late ,mr4 ,gillott1 of ,birmingham1 but the first person who made a steel pen out of ,london4 ,stress has been laid upon ,gillott's ability 'to forge and grind a knifeblade4' ,it is not likely he ever used the hammer on hot steel1 but he was when young1 and working with father1 accounted an excellent penknife grinder2 ,skinner being a scissors grinder1 and ,levesley a workboard hand for the same master4 ,a man of the name of ,mitchell having married ,gillott's mother1 went to ,birmingham1 and began the cutlery business1 the latter removing thither to grind for his father- in-law4 ,his brother had also gone thither1 and commenced making an article that had some run1 and may be said to have united the ingenious handicrafts of ,birmingham1 viz41 the insertion of a penknife blade at the end of a silver pencil case4 ,meanwhile1 about the year #ahbe1 ,levesley saw a steel pen1 made by ,perry1 of ,london1 in ,ridge's shop window1 in ,high ,street4 ,he bought it for one shilling1 and immediately set about making tools to imitate and improve upon it4 ,he spent1 he said1 ,l4#cj in not unsuccessful1 though unremunerative1 experiments4 ,the flypress was at least as well known in ,sheffield as in ,birmingham1 and its power was at once brought into requisition to work the tools for shaping1 bending1 and slitting the pens which were made out of sheet steel1 ,perry's being made out of thick wire1 rolled flat1 by ,cocker1 in ,nursery ,street4 ,in #ahbi1 ,levesley was making pens for sale1 and that year is said to be the earliest date of actual sales in ,skinner's ledger4 ,in #ahca he was doing a considerable business in ,sheffield1 and making experiments upon the article1 as appears from specimens before me bearing his name4 ,stress has been laid upon the improvement of the double slit1 introduced by ,gillott1 but if ,levesley's statement is to be taken literally1 he was the inventor of a specialty upon which1 even more than on excellence of material1 the merit of a steel pen is found to depend1 viz41 the grinding of a small hollow at the back of the nib1 and about the eighth of an inch from the point4 ,my informant described not only the beneficial action of this thinning of the metal1 as well in yielding the gradual flow of the ink as in flexibility of writing1 but the pleasure with which he took a specimen to ,birmingham to show ,gillott1 and the surprise of the latter at so great and so beneficial an effect1 provided by so small a cause4 ,he at once adopted an improvement of which every pen made by him bears evidence2 and when his friend visited him he told him he had fifty women employed in grinding pen points4 ,it is pleasant to add that ,gillott never visited ,sheffield without calling to see his old friend ,levesley1 while the latter spoke of his early and later life with respect and commendation1 especially in his domestic relations4 ,it is pleasing to review a life of such humble beginnings1 culminating in opulence and usefulness like that of the late ,joseph ,gillott1 of ,birmingham2 nor is it less to name in connection therewith1 as an early experimenter in steel pen making1 our worthy townsman1 ,william ,levesley1 to whose ingenious improvement every writer is so much indebted1 and of whose verbal communication to me the foregoing is an imperfect sketch4 ,now1 in this statement1 there are some dales given1 but others are omitted1 and that is a very unfortunate circumstance4 ,levesley told the writer of the article in the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph that he made use of the fly press for working tools for shaping1 bending1 and slitting pens4 ,if the writer had only given the date of this it would have been a valuable contribution toward a history of the invention4 ,the claim of ,levesley to having invented the process of grinding pens and teaching ,gillott seems1 to say the least1 curious1 because the latter was a ,sheffield grinder1 and the idea would certainly be quite as likely to occur to ,gillott as ,levesley4 ,besides1 why did ,levesley communicate the idea to ,gillott in preference to ,skinner1 with whom he had business relations8 ,the statement that ,gillott had fifty girls employed when ,levesley99 called upon him on his next visit to ,birmingham looks like a mistake4 ,fifty girls would grind on an average seven thousand gross of pens in a week1 and as this correspondence appears to refer to the early part of ,gillott's career1 it is scarcely possible that such a number of pens were produced weekly at that period4 ,besides1 as a matter of fact1 boys were1 in the first instance1 employed to grind pens4 99 ,mr4 ,sam3 ,timmins says1 that ,levesley told him that ,gillott started in ,birmingham as a jobbing cutler2 that ,mitchell had the secret of pen making2 that ,mitchell sent for ,gillott to come to ,birmingham1 and that he 7,j4,g47 first lived at the top of ,water ,street2 that ,gillott began to make pens in ,bread ,street2 that ,perry made pens from flattened steel wire1 the breadth of the pen 7the steel was #cs4 #f;d4 per lb41 and drawn at ,old ,ford72 that he had seen cross grinding 7at ,gillott's7 in ,newhall ,street1 and fifty women at work2 and that pens had double slits and cut holes4 ,levesley certainly knew all the ,gillott family1 personally1 in ,sheffield1 and he 7,s4 ,t47 had a long interview with him shortly before his death1 when he mentioned all the facts given here4 ,herr ,ignaz ,nagel1 in his ,report on ,writing1 ,drawing1 and ,painters' ,requisites1 at the ,vienna ,exhibition1 #ahgc1 says3 ,from careful inquiries that we made in ,birmingham1 we learned that a knife cutler1 of ,sheffield1 was the first man who had the idea of making pens of steel1 and that a tinman of the name of ,skipper ,skinner1 of ,sheffield1 afterwards manufactured the pens in great quantities4 ,his son developed the idea still further4 ,this1 according to our informant1 was fifty years ago4 ,a steel pen artisan1 working in ,birmingham1 remembers perfectly well reading the announcement in a window of the ,high ,street1 in ,sheffield1 #ahaf3 ',steel pens are repaired here at sixpence apiece4' ,there was a man named ,spittle1 in ,birmingham1 who used to make steel pens by hand4 ,he was succeeded by the brothers ,john and ,william ,mitchell1 who were manufacturers of steel pens1 wholesale and by machinery1 about forty- five years ago4 ,perry came afterwards1 and took out a patent for the first steel pens1 and after him ,gillott1 who had learnt the business with the ,mitchells4 ,a writer in ,herbert's ,encyclopoedia published in #ahcg1 says ,the first decided attempt to introduce metallic pens to general use was made by ,mr4 ,wise1 whose perpetual pens will doubtless be remembered by many of our readers4 ,the name of ,wise was rendered conspicuous in most of our stationers' shops some twenty-five or thirty years since1 as the original inventor and general manufacturer of the steel pens4 ,we stated at the beginning of this article that of three men-- ,mitchell1 ,gillott1 and ,mason--who might have done something toward fixing the date of the invention of manufacturing pens by the adaptation of tools worked by the screw press1 only one--,mason--made a statement3 ,the first making of steel pens that ,i know of was about the year #aghj1 by my late friend ,mr4 ,harrison1 for ,dr4 ,priestley4 ,he took sheet steel1 made a tube of it1 and the part joined formed the slit of the pen4 ,he then filed away the barrel and formed the pen4 ,i found some of the identical pens amongst other articles and used them for a long time4 ,the second mode of making pens was by punching a rough blank out of thin sheet steel4 ,this blank formed the well-known barrel pen4 ,it was brought into the barrel shape by rounding1 but before rounding it had to be filed into a better form about the nib1 and when rounded in the soft state1 a sharp chisel was used to mark the inside of the pen which became the slit1 after hardening4 ,before tempering1 this mark was 'tabbered' with a small hammer1 and it would crack where the inside mark was made4 ,then it was tempered and underwent grinding1 and shaping the nib until a point suitable for fine or broad1 as required4 ,i made barrel pens in #ahbh1 and 'slip' pens for ,perry in #ahbi1 and the first lot of #ajj at one time was sent ,november #bj1 #ahcj4 ,frequently1 lots of #bj or #cj gross were sent between #ahbi and #ahcj1 and in #ahca ,i sent pens to ,perry amounting to ,l4#adba1 #as4 #c;d4 ,perry certainly never made a pen as they are now made1 viz41 the slit cut with press tools2 all he made were cracked slit4 ,i made steel barrel pens some time before ,i made 'slip' pens for ,perry4 ,it is doubtful when metal pens were made4 ,the first ,i know of were made by ,mr4 ,harrison1 for ,dr4 ,priestley4 ,perry was certainly not the first maker of steel pens1 but ,i have no doubt that he was the first steel slip pen maker1 and no doubt the first to use a goose quill for a pen holder1 hence the slip pen4 ,the first stick pen holders ,i made for ,perry in #ahcb1 and for ,gillott in #ahce1 and sold sticks to ,gillott in #ahdj--,l4#bic #ahs4 #g;d4 ,mason claimed to have made barrel pens for ,perry1 of ,london1 in #ahbh1 and slip or nibbed pens in #ahbi2 but he does not appear to have made any claim to priority of invention over ,mitchell and ,gillott4 ,now1 although ,mitchell made no claim himself1 on the death of ,mr4 ,gillott the following letter appeared in the ,daily ,post3 ,the remarks which have appeared in a local paper upon the death of ,mr4 ,j4 ,gillott1 that the steel pen owes its existence to him1 and that the adaptation of machinery to the manufacture of metallic pens was his invention1 lead the public to wrong conclusions4 ,it is due to the memory of my late father--,john ,mitchell--that ,i should state that he not only made steel pens1 but used machinery in their production1 for some time before ,mr4 ,gillott commenced in that branch of business4 --,,henry ,,mitchell1 ,january #ab1 #ahgb4 ,in ,october1 #ahgf1 ,mr4 ,henry ,mitchell writes to ,aris's ,gazette1 and says3 ,you review1 in your impression of the #bc;d inst41 a work entitled ',british ,manufacturing ,industries--the ,birmingham ,trades1' in which the history of steel pens forms a prominent chapter4 ,i beg to point out that my late father's name--,john ,mitchell--is certainly mentioned in a list of the manufacturers of the article1 and1 to my great surprise1 simply so4 ,in a part of the work the author states that ',the early history of steel pens is involved in obscurity4' ,my object in writing to you is to remove that obscurity1 as ,i am satisfied you will be equally desirous of giving honor to whom honor is due4 ,i claim that honor for my late father--,john ,mitchell--who was the first to introduce the making of steel pens by means of tools1 which were purely his own invention1 and ,i will leave it to an enlightened public to judge if it is not one of the greatest benefits conferred on any civilized community4 ,whatever others may have done does not remove the fact that the inventor ,i have named was my father2 and it is only due to him that posterity should know who originated the means whereby millions of human beings of the present time1 and generations yet unborn are1 and will be1 enabled to communicate their thoughts to each other with a facility they otherwise would not have had4 ,for1 unless the steel pen had been manufactured by tools and machinery1 that useful article would virtually be at a prohibitory price4 ,the date of the invention ,i believe to be #ahbb or thereabouts4 ,this is very emphatic2 but how far may it be taken as an unprejudiced statement of facts8 ,well1 it has never been contradicted2 and ,gillott never made a claim on his own behalf1 as having made pens before ,mitchell4 ,mason gave the year #ahbh as the date when he commenced making pens1 so that the evidence is in favor of ,mitchell4 ,we have heard this statement of ,henry ,mitchell confirmed by a man who worked for ,mitchell1 as a boy1 and who remembered pens being made for ,sheldon by ,mitchell4 ,it is probable at this early period the pens were made for a few dealers1 and the general public was unacquainted with the names of the manufacturers4 ,this circumstance has no doubt contributed to involve in obscurity the early operations of ,mitchell and ,gillott4 ,in a notice in ,lardner's ,cyclopoedia 7written by ,mr4 ,john ,holland1 of ,sheffield71 published in #ahcc1 the names of three penmakers only are given--,perry1 ,heeley1 and ,skinner4 ,from this it might be supposed that there were no other penmakers at this date2 but ,gillott had taken out a patent in #ahca1 and the names of both ,mitchell and ,gillott appeared as penmakers in ,wrightson's ,birmingham ,directory for #ahcj4 ,it cannot be supposed that ,mr4 ,holland wilfully omitted to mention the names of ,mitchell and ,gillott1 for this writer was an impartial and painstaking collector of facts1 but it is probable the notice was written some time before it was published2 and1 like many little masters1 ,mitchell and ,gillot were only known as penmakers to the wholesale dealers in ,birmingham1 upon whom they depended for orders1 consequently ,mr4 ,holland would be ignorant of their existence4 ,in speaking of the demand for steel pens1 the writer in ,lardner's says3 ,the rage originated chiefly1 if not altogether1 in the successful speculations of ,mr4 ,james ,perry1 of ,london1 whose pens1 however short their merits may fall of the praise of the inventor1 are certainly superior to most others composed of a like material4 ,perry began to make steel pens1 in ,manchester1 in #ahai1 and in ,london in #ahbd4 ,the press and tools with which these pens were made are still in the possession of ,perry and ,co41 at their warehouse in the ,holburn ,viaduct4 ,this fact tends to confirm the statement that ,mr4 ,james ,perry was one of the earliest experimenters in the manufacture of the article4 ,levesley says he bought one of ,perry's pens1 which he saw in a shop window in ,sheffield1 in #ahbe1 and he took it to his workshop and improved upon it4 ,this is somewhat similar to the account given by ,mason of his first experiment in pen making4 ,mason saw a pen of ,perry's in the window of a bookseller named ,peart1 in ,bull ,street1 ,birmingham1 in #ahbh1 which he purchased and took home4 ,finding he could produce a better article1 which could be sold at a cheaper rate1 he made some and sent them to ,mr4 ,james ,perry1 in1 ,london1 and that gentleman shortly after waited upon ,josiah ,mason1 at his place of business in ,lancaster ,street1 and the interview resulted in ,mason beginning to make pens for ,perry4 ,it will be remembered that the writer in the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph stated that the earliest experimenter in form and material was ,perry4 ,leaving the honor of having originated the application of labor-saving machinery for the manufacture of steel pens to ,mitchell1 it would appear that the merit of having popularized the article is due to ,perry4 ,in #ahcj1 ,mr4 ,james ,perry issued a circular containing a series of engravings of metallic pens1 showing the improvements he had patented in their manufacture4 ,in this circular it is stated3 ,till about six months ago the public had heard little of metallic pens4 ,at present1 it would seem that comparatively few of any other kind are in the hands of any class of the community4 ,this sudden transition may clearly be traced to the announcement of the ,patent ,perryian ,pens in various periodicals1 about six months ago1 and to the general demand which ensued for that pen in every part of the empire1 ,although this might be regarded as an ex-parte statement1 it is confirmed by independent testimony that ,perry popularized the article4 ,the ,saturday ,magazine1 #ahch1 says3 ,about twelve years ago 7#ahbe71 the celebrated ,perryian pens first appeared4 ,mr4 ,perry may be regarded in the light of a great improver2 many of his pens are ingenious and original in construction4 ,he arranges his pens into genera and species4 ,mr4 ,perry first overcame the rigidity complained of in steel pens by introducing apertures between the shoulder and point of the pen1 thus transferring the elasticity of the pen to a position below instead of above the shoulder4 ,this was the subject of his patent in #ahcj4 ,mr4 ,sam3 ,timmins1 in #ahff1 writes3 ,no skill in manufacture1 however1 could conquer the prejudice against any metallic pen1 and to ,mr4 ,james ,perry the world is much indebted for persevering advocacy of the steel pen1 and for one of the most important improvements in its form4 ,mr4 ,perry1 with his characteristic energy1 almost forced the steel pen into use1 and was supplied with pens of a first-class quality by ,mr4 ,josiah ,mason1 of this town4 ,furthermore1 it is certain that about this time1 steel pens began rapidly to supersede the use of quills199 and the trade was recognized as a rising industry4 ,it is true that it still retained the secretive character with which its operations were conducted in its earlier days1 which indeed in some respects distinguish it at the present time4 ,its activity or dullness seldom troubles the writers of the ,trade ,reports in the local press1 although they sometimes inform their readers about good orders having been placed for mousetraps1 stove screws1 snuffer trays1 candle extinguishers1 and sad irons4 99,in a humorous article1 ,the ,web-footed ,interests1 which appeared in ,tait's ,edinburgh ,magazine1 vol4 iii41 page #bhj 7#ahcc71 there is a petition to the ,house of ,commons1 from ,ganders1 ,geese ,goslings1 setting forth the evils likely to ensue from the use of metallic pens4 ,it prognosticates depression in agriculture and manufactures consequent upon a diminution in the amount of grain consumed1 and a falling off in the demand for penknives2 and draws an alarming picture of the possible failure of the supply of iron ware1 and the total extinction of literature1 likely to ensue through a stoppage in the supply of steel pens1--the web-footed interest being supposed to have ceased to exist4 ,the petition concludes with a prayer that the manufacture of metallic pens be prohibited4 ,to the writers of the present generation1 who can purchase fairly-good pens at one shilling or one shilling and sixpence per gross1 it seems hard to realize that people once gave one shilling each for substitutes for quills4 ,it is true that quills could then be bought for a halfpenny and penny each1 but how difficult it was to acquire the art of successfully manipulating the same into a pen the following anecdote from ,edwards' ,life of ,rowland ,hill will testify3 ,mrs4 ,sinkinson1 of ,jamaica ,row1 ,birmingham1 tells me she went to a school in ,hurst ,street1 and that she remembered that old ,mr4 ,hill came one day a week to teach arithmetic1 and ,rowland ,sir ,rowland ,hill on another to teach writing4 ,in those days there were no steel pens1 and ,rowland couldn't mend a pen1 so that whenever he came he was accompanied by his brother1 ,matthew ,davenport1 whose office it was to mend the pens used by the pupils the preceding week4 ,sir ,josiah ,mason used to relate a similar circumstance in his own life1 when at ,kidderminster1 that he accompanied his brother ,richard1 who was a ,sunday-school teacher1 to mend the pens4 ,comparing the crude specimens of early steel pens with the finished productions of the present day1 we may be inclined to think that some praise was due to the people who persevered in the use of them2 but that the purchasers of these early productions did appreciate them we have the testimony of ,mr4 ,robert ,griffin1 who says that he wrote for eight weeks1 eight hours a day1 with a pen made by ,perry1 in #ahbd4 ,now1 the old scribes1 as the law stationers' writers were called1 were generally allowed one quill a day1 and as the work of the day usually wore out the longest quill1 a considerable amount of time must have been occupied in the renovation of the article499 ,this would be a serious inconvenience to those who could manufacture a quill into a pen1 but as this was by no means an universal accomplishment1 we can form an idea how even these clumsy substitutes found purchasers at such high prices4 99,the writer recollects the tedious waiting for the patient usher1 who from desk to desk with his penknife1 mending pens1 and paying very little attention to anything else2 also the wonder felt and expressed at the first sight of steel nibs1 and how they dug into the paper4 ,tom ,hood1 in his ,whims and ,oddities1 gives some idea of the pre-steel-pen era3 ,in times begone1 when each man cut his quill1 ,with little ,perryian skill2 ,what horrid1 awkward1 bungling tools of trade ,appeared the writing instruments1 home made6 ,what pens were sliced1 hewed1 hacked1 and haggled out1 ,slit or unslit1 with many a various snout1 ,aquiline1 ,roman1 crooked1 square1 and snubby1 ,humpy and stubby2 ,some capable of ladye-billets neat1 ,some only fit for ledger-keeping clerk1 ,and some to grub down1 ,peter ,stubbs1 his mark1 ,or smudge through some illegible receipt1 ,others in florid caligraphic plans1 ,equal to ships1 and wiggy heads1 and swans6 ,to try in any common inkstands then1 ,with all their miscellaneous stocks1 ,to find a decent pen1 ,was like a dip into a lucky-box2 ,you drew1 and got one very curly1 ,and split like endive in some hurly-burly2 ,the next unslit1 a square at end1 a spade2 ,the third1 incipient pop-gun1 not yet made2 ,the fourth a broom2 the fifth of no avail1 ,turned upwards1 like a rabbit's tail2 ,and last1 not least1 by way of a relief1 ,a stump that ,master ,richard1 ,james1 or ,john ,had tried his candle cookery upon1 ,making 'roast beef6' ,these early pens were at first made from a piece of steel formed into a tube1 and filed into the shape of a pen by hand1 the joint of the two edges forming the slit4 ,afterward a blank was roughly punched out1 filed into shape1 and the slit marked out with a chisel while the blank was in a soft state4 ,it was then shaped1 hardened1 tempered1 ground1 and the slit cracked through by means of a hammer and tool at the place where the mark had been made4 ,the engravings of the pens by ,edwards1 which appeared in ,wrightson's ,directory1 #ahbc1 seem to indicate that the piercing1 side cutting and slitting were executed by mechanical appliances4 ,possibly1 ,edwards was not a manufacturer himself1 but had his pens made for him by ,mitchell4 ,in the pre-steel-pen era there were many attempts made to supersede quills4 ,in ,peveril of the ,peak1 ,mistress ,chiffinch speaks of her diamond pen4 ,there was a pen the nibs of which were of ruby1 set in gold1 made by ,doughty4 ,dr4 ,wollaston made gold pens tipped with1 rhodium4 ,during the time the early makers of steel pens were perfecting the article1 several experimenters were offering to the public writing instruments made from various materials4 ,bramah patented quill nibs1 made by splitting quills and cutting the semi-cylinders into sections1 which were shaped into pens1 and adapted to be placed in a holder4 ,hawkins and ,mordan1 in #ahbc1 made use of horn and tortoise- shell1 which was cut into nibs1 softened in water1 and small pieces of ruby and other precious stones were then embedded in by pressure4 ,in this way they insured durability and great elasticity4 ,in order to give stability to the nib thin pieces of gold or other metal were affixed to the tortoise-shell4 ,looking back at the early operations of the trade1 and considering that steel pens were made by hand at the beginning of the present century1 we can scarcely understand why the idea of cheapening the production by the application of labor-saving contrivances did not occur to those inventive geniuses1 the proprietors of ,soho4 ,boulton had expended some time in perfecting the manufacture of steel buttons4 ,that local ,admirable ,crichton1 ,humphrey ,jefferies1 does not appear to have ever directed his attention to the manufacture of this article1 which has now become a prime necessity of civilization4 ,yet we hear of his success in the improvement of buttons1 and button-makers must have used the screw press and tools for cutting out the blank and shaping it into form2 and the process of slitting had been anticipated1 for printers had a brass rule-cutting machine in use1 the cutters of which bore a strong resemblance to those now used for slitting steel pens4 ,like most of the pioneers in the path of invention1 the majority of the early makers of pens were men whose business pursuits gave them no special facilities for entering upon the manufacture of steel pens4 ,the progress of the trade from #ahbi 7with the exception of the period when ,perry and ,gillott first commenced advertising7 had been gradual1 but satisfactory4 ,in one of ,gillott's early advertisements1 he stated that he made #dij1cfa gross in #ahdb1 and #gcj1jca in #ahdc4 ,this was an advance by leaps and bounds which has not since been maintained4 ,although ,mason commenced making pens for ,perry in the year #ahbh1 yet it was not till #ahfa that his name became known in ,england as a steel-pen maker4 ,many merchants in ,birmingham and ,wolverhampton1 who purchased steel rings from him1 had no idea that he was a maker of pens2 yet on the ,continent of ,europe pens bearing his name were eagerly sought after4 ,subsequent to #ahfa he was associated with ,perry1 until1 in #ahgf1 the trade-marks1 patents1 etc41 were purchased by a limited liability company1 who now1 under the name of ,perry ,co41 have become the largest manufacturers of pens in the world4 ,at the present time 7#ahhi7 there are thirteen firms engaged in the trade in ,birmingham1 and they make up about twenty-four tons of steel per week into pens and penholder tips4 ,making due allowance for the material used in the latter article1 this consumption would probably represent a weekly average production of #bjj1jjj grosses of pens4 ,the ,birmingham penmakers employ about #c1ejj women and girls1 and #fej men and boys2 and besides these the number of women and girls working at making paper boxes1 in which the pens are packed1 would probably exceed #cjj4 ,in addition to this there are several mills where steel is rolled for those firms who have not sufficient power on their own premises1 but there is a difficulty in stating the number of hands employed4 ,the wages of the females range from four shillings to fifteen shillings2 those of the boys from five shillings to ten shillings4 ,the unskilled workmen earn from twelve shillings to twenty-four shillings2 and skilled men1 or toolmakers1 command wages varying from twenty-five shillings to three pounds4 ,most of the females work upon the piece-work system1 but the men are paid weekly wages4 ,in #ahce1 upon the authority of a writer in the ,mechanics' ,magazine1 two tons two hundred weight of steel were used weekly in the manufacture of pens4 ,mr4 ,sam3 ,timmins made an approximate estimate that six and a half tons of steel were used per week for steel pens in #ahdi1 and again1 in #ahhf1 he gives the amount of steel as having increased to ten tons4 ,it is at all times difficult to form an accurate estimate of the quantity of material used1 but we believe we are within the mark in putting down the present consumption of steel at twenty-two tons weekly4 ,from this it would appear that the trade has doubled its production during the last twenty years4 ,besides these ,birmingham houses there are some four or five manufactories on the ,continent1 and two in the ,united ,states1 but their productions have not increased in the same ratio as that of their ,english rivals4 ,during the last twenty years a great improvement has taken place in the style of boxes and labels in which the pens are packed4 ,formerly 7with the exception of the goods issued by ,gillott and ,sommerville7 most of the pens were sold in boxes of the plainest description2 now the covers or labels are printed in a number of colors from elaborate designs1 by first-class artists1 and in some cases the boxes are ornamented with well-executed portraits of royal1 political1 literary1 or artistic celebrities4 ,there are many peculiarities connected with the public taste as manifested in the demand for pens4 ,the ,germans use a greater variety of patterns than any other nation4 ,the ,english taste is more restricted1 and is generally confined to articles of the plainer shapes4 ,autocratic ,russia and democratic ,america make use of the fewest patterns4 ,by a regulation of the ,imperial ,government1 pens in boxes1 bearing portraits of the ,russian royal family are prevented from entering the country1 and in ,america public taste does not favor a demand for portrait boxes4 ,by a law which came into operation the #ast of ,january1 #ahhf1 no pens can be imported into ,russia bearing the name of a ,russian firm4 ,the probable purpose of this law was to encourage the establishment of a ,russian manufactory4 ,at present there are no pen works in ,russia4 ,an attempt was made in ,moscow1 in #ahgf-h1 to manufacture steel pens1 but the experiment proved a failure4 ,the ,germans and ,french are the largest buyers of first-class pens1 but the ,italians are content with articles of the commonest character4 ,the chief demand for three-pointed pens comes from ,spain4 ,at present the demand for steel pens is chiefly confined to ,european nations and their descendants4 ,the great ,asiatic nations still write with pens made from reeds1 or camel-hair pencils4 ,a few of the natives of ,india and ,japan1 and some of the subjects of the ,sultan and ,khe'dive are beginning to make use of steel pens adapted to the peculiarities of their writing4 ,from this it would appear that the possibilities of the progress of the trade in the future are very favorable2 but in the meantime its productions are scattered over the globe1 and even in some of the darkest corners of the earth pioneers of civilization are to be found transcribing the results of their experience with the aid of that great factor of nineteenth-century progress--an ,english ,steel ,pen4 ,,the ,,manufacturing ,,processes ,,of ,,steel ,,pens4 ,the steel from which the greater part of the metallic pens are manufactured comes from ,sheffield4 ,notwithstanding the many names given by the venders of steel pens to the material from which they are manufactured there are but two sorts--good and bad--and therefore ,peruvian1 ,damascus1 ,amalgam1 and ,silver ,steel are but fancy names4 ,as a matter of fact1 where a number of prefixes are used to describe the quality of an article it is generally found to have no claim to any of them4 ,the raw material is received from ,sheffield in sheets six feet in length1 one foot five inches in width1 and #bc or #bf ,birmingham wire-gauge in thickness4 ,the first operation is the cutting of these sheets into strips of convenient width4 ,they are then packed in an oblong iron box1 placed with the open top downward in another box of the same material1 and the interstices are filled up with a composition to exclude the air4 ,the boxes are placed in a muffle1 where they remain until they have gradually attained a dull red heat1 and the muffle is allowed to gradually cool1 or else the boxes are placed in a cooling chamber4 ,when the boxes have been reduced to a temperature which will admit of their being handled1 the contents 7technically called a charge7 are emptied out4 ,now1 it will be found that the strips of steel are covered with bits of small scale1 sticking to them like a loose skin1 and if this were not removed before the next process--rolling--the steel1 instead of being perfectly smooth1 would be marked with a number of indentations1 rendering it very unsightly4 ,in order to get rid of this excrescence1 the strips are immersed in a bath of diluted sulphuric acid1 which loosens the scale1 and are then placed in wood barrels to which broken pebbles and water are added4 ,the barrels are kept revolving until the whole of the scaly substance has been removed and the strips have assumed a silver-gray appearance4 ,the steel is now ready for manipulation in the rolling mill1 where it is passed between successive pairs of rolls until it has been reduced to the required gauge1 and this operation has to be performed with such nicety that a variation of one thousand part of an inch in the thickness of the strip would make such an alteration in the flexibility of the pens made from it as to cause considerable dissatisfaction to the purchasers of the article4 ,the steel on leaving the mill is conveyed to the gauging room1 and it will be found to have increased to three times its original length1 and now appears with a bright surface4 ,hitherto the operations have been conducted by men and boys2 but now1 in the course of manufacture1 the pens will enter on a series of processes in which the quick and delicate fingers of women and girls play an important part4 ,the strips of steel are now given out to the cutters4 ,the ,toolmaker1 who1 as a rule1 both makes and sets the tools1 has placed in what is known as a bolster a die1 having a hole perforated through it of the exact shape of the blank to be cut2 and attached to the bottom of the screwed bolt of the press is a punch1 also bearing the exact shape of the blank4 ,the girl with her left hand introduces one of the strips of steel at the back of the press1 and1 pulling the handle toward her with the right hand1 the screw descends1 driving the punch into the bed1 and in so doing has perforated the strip of steel with a scissors-like cut1 making a blank which falls through the opening in the die into a drawer below4 ,now1 with her left hand she pulls the strip toward her until it is stopped by a little projection called a guide2 and again the right hand moves the handle1 the screw descends1 and another blank is cut4 ,the operation is continued until the whole of one side of the strip is perforated2 it is then reversed and the other side treated in a similar way4 ,if you were to hold up the strip thus manipulated--now called scrap--you would find that in some particular part the perforations approach so nearly to each other as to form a slight bar1 which breaks easily between the thumb and finger4 ,this is rendered necessary from the fact that steel scrap is worth only one-fifth of the value of the raw material1 and1 as under the most favorable conditions1 the scrap averages one-third the original weight given out for cutting1 it behooves the manufacturer to reduce the scrap as much as practicable4 ,if these blanks are examined1 a small ,v-shaped indentation1 looking like a defect1 will be found upon the upper edge of that part inserted in the holder4 ,this small mark plays an important part in the succeeding processes4 ,to a casual observer there does not appear much difference between the two sides of the blank2 but1 however well the tools are made1 that side of the blank which is uppermost in cutting out will be rougher than the under side4 ,this mark enables the operator to distinguish at a glance the smooth side1 and by always keeping the rough side upward the burr is polished off in a later process4 ,the blanks are now ready to be passed to the next process--marking4 ,this operation is performed by a female1 with the aid of a stamp4 ,the precise mark required is cut upon a piece of steel1 and1 being placed in the hammer of the stamp1 the girl puts her right foot into a stirrup attached to a rope1 which is passed round a pulley1 and1 pressing downward1 causes the hammer to ascend4 ,taking a handful of blanks with her left hand1 by a dexterous motion she makes a little train of them between the thumb and finger in parallel order1 presenting the first in the most ready position to be passed to the other hand4 ,the right hand is brought toward the left1 and1 taking a blank1 places it with the point toward the worker in a guide upon the bed of the stamp1 then by suddenly letting the hammer descend a blow is struck upon the blank1 which gives an impression of the name cut upon the punch4 ,the quick fingers of the operator pass backward and forward with such rapidity that a skillful girl will mark from two hundred to two hundred and fifty gross per day4 ,if the mark required is unusually large1 the marking process is deferred until after the pen has been pierced1 in order that the blank may be annealed 7or softened71 which takes the impression more readily than the hard steel4 ,now1 in order to make a metallic pen suitable for writing it is necessary to consider some means of producing elasticity1 and also to devise some method by which the smooth steel shall cause the ink to attach itself to the pen4 ,this is brought about by the next process-- piercing4 ,in this operation the tools are of a very delicate character1 and as the center pierce 7the aperture in which the slit terminates7 is frequently of an ornamental design the tools1 being small1 have to be made with great precision4 ,the piercing punch and bed having been fixed in a screw press1 and an ingenious arrangement of guides fastened thereto1 the girl selects a blank from a tray on her left hand1 and1 placing it in its proper position by the aid of the guides1 pushes the fly of the press from her1 the screw descends1 driving the punch into the bed1 and the operation of piercing is completed4 ,the blanks are still moderately hard1 and before they can be made to take the shape of a pen it is necessary that they should be softened1 which is effected by the process called annealing4 ,the blanks having been freed from the dust and garbase that has become attached to them are carefully placed in round iron pots1 which are again inclosed in larger ones and covered over with charcoal dust to prevent the entrance of gases1 and put into the muffle1 heated to a dull red1 and then allowed to cool4 ,the blanks are now soft and pliable1 readily taking the various shapes into which pens are made by the next process1 called raising4 ,this operation is performed by the aid of a punch and die fitted into a screw-press4 ,the punch is fitted into a contrivance called a false nose1 fixed in the bottom of the screw of the press2 and the die or bed is placed in a cylindrical piece of steel 7called a bolster7 with a groove cut for the reception of the die1 the bolster being fastened to the bottom of the press by a screw underneath4 ,the punch and die being fixed so as to exactly fit each other1 the toolmaker places a small piece of tissue paper between them1 takes an impression1 examines it1 and proceeds to rectify any inequality in the pressure1 so as to insure perfection in the shape4 ,this being accomplished1 the toolmaker fixes four pieces of steel 7called guides7 to the bolster in such positions that the operator is enabled to slide the blank into the bed1 where it is held by the guides till the punch descends1 forces the blank into the bed1 and gives the pen its shape4 ,the article is now narrower than it was in its blank form1 and the girl pushes it through the tools with a small stick held in the hand with which she works the press handle1 while with the other hand she places another blank in its position in the bed4 ,the pen is now shaped or raised1 but it is still soft1 and consequently another process is necessitated--hardening4 ,this is effected by placing the pens in thin layers in round pans with lids4 ,they are placed in the muffle for a period varying from twenty to thirty minutes1 during which time they have acquired a bright red heat4 ,the workman then withdraws them and empties the contents into a large bucket immersed in a tank of oil4 ,the bucket is perforated at the bottom1 and being elevated1 the oil drains off4 ,the pens are next placed in a perforated cylinder1 which1 being set in motion1 revolves and drains off the remainder of the oil4 ,the pens are still greasy1 and as brittle as glass2 and in order to free them from the grease they are again placed in perforated buckets and immersed in a tank of boiling soda water4 ,after they are freed from the grease the pens are put into an iron cylinder1 which is kept revolving over a charcoal fire until they are softened or tempered down to the special degree required4 ,in this process the workman is guided by the color1 which indicates the varying temperature of the metal of which the articles are made4 ,brittleness has given place to pliability1 but the pens are black in color and scratch at the point1 and to remedy this defect they are subjected to the next process--scouring4 ,in order to do this the pens are dipped in a bath of diluted sulphuric acid--called pickle--which frees the articles from any extraneous substances they may have acquired in the hardening and tempering processes4 ,this requires to be done with great care1 or the acid would injure the steel4 ,the pens are then placed in iron barrels with a quantity of water and small pebbly-looking material4 ,this latter material is composed of annealing pots broken and ground fine enough to pass readily through a fine riddle4 ,the barrel being set in motion1 the pens are scoured for periods varying from five to eight hours1 and are placed again in barrels with dry pot for about the same period1 after which they are put into other barrels together with a quantity of dry sawdust4 ,on being taken out of these barrels the body of the pen has acquired a bright silver color1 and the point has been rounded4 ,the article has now the shape and appearance of a finished pen1 and yet it possesses none of its characteristics1 and1 if tried1 will be found to have no more action than a lead pencil1 as it is deficient in that important part of a writing instrument--the slit4 ,before being slit the pen is ground between the centre pierce and the point4 ,this process is performed by girls1 with the aid of what is called a bob or glazer4 ,the bob is a circular piece of alder wood about ten and a half inches in diameter and half an inch in width4 ,round this a piece of leather is stretched and dressed with emery4 ,a spindle is driven through the centre1 and the two ends placed in sockets4 ,the bob is set in motion by means of a leather band1 and the girl holding a pen firmly1 with a light touch grinds off a portion of the surface4 ,this operation being completed1 the last and most important mechanical operation has to be performed--slitting4 ,the tools with which this process is effected are two oblong pieces of steel about an inch and a half long1 three-eighths of an inch thick1 and an inch and a quarter wide4 ,these are called the cutters1 and upon the preparation and setting of these the successful issue of the process depends4 ,the edges of these cutters are equal in delicacy to the cutting edge of a razor1 but the shape is more suggestive of a portion cut from the thickest part of a large pair of shears4 ,the cutter being fixed in the press1 a pair of guides are screwed on either side1 and a small tool called a table1 or rest1 being attached to the contrivance called a bolster1 which holds the bottom cutter1 the operator takes a pen1 places it on the table1 pushes the point up toward the guide1 pulls the handle1 the upper cutter descends1 meets the lower one1 and the process of slitting is completed4 ,now1 although this operation completes the mechanical processes of pen making1 the article is by no means finished4 ,if you examine the pen now you will find that the outer edge of each point is smooth1 while the inside edges which have just been made by the slit are sharp and scratch4 ,to remove this defect the operation of barreling has to be again resorted to4 ,the pens are again placed in the iron barrels with pounded pot1 kept revolving from five to six hours1 and finally polished in sawdust4 ,the pens are now of a bright silver-steel color and perfectly smooth1 but as they are required in various tints1 they are colored and afterward varnished to prevent rust4 ,to accomplish the first of these results the articles are placed in a copper or iron cylinder and kept revolving over a coke fire until the requisite tint is obtained1 the color depending upon the temperature of the cylinder4 ,if the pens are intended to be lacquered they are placed in a solution of shellac dissolved in methylated spirits4 ,the spirit is drained off1 and the pens are placed in wire cylinders and kept revolving until the action of the air dries the lacquer4 ,they are then scattered upon iron trays1 inserted in an oven1 and the heat diffuses the lacquer equally over the surface of the pens1 so that when they have cooled down they have a glossy appearance1 which gives to them an air of finish and prevents rust4 ,the pen is now finished as far as manufacturing processes are concerned1 yet before it can be offered to the public it has to undergo a rigid examination called looking over4 ,this is performed by trained girls1 and when the defective ones have been sorted out the good pens are sent to the finished warehouse to be put up into boxes4 ,these boxes are of various descriptions1 adapted to suit the markets for which they are intended4 ,in many instances the labels which form the covers of the boxes are elaborately printed from first-class designs1 and some of them have highly-finished steel engravings of royal personages and celebrities in the scientific1 literary1 musical1 and political world4 ,the quantities contained in these boxes vary with the countries for which they are intended2 for the manufacturers study the wants of their customers1 and do not offer articles counted in dozens to people who reckon by tens4 ,we have now traced the manufacture of this little article from its beginning as a plain piece of steel through all its stages until it has developed into that indispensable requisite of daily life--a pen4 ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,perryian ,,pen ,,works4 ,the firm of ,messrs4 ,perry ,co41 ,london1 was founded in the year #ahbd by ,mr4 ,james ,perry1 who carried on business originally in ,manchester1 then in ,london4 ,mr4 ,james ,perry died in the year #ahdc4 ,mr4 ,stephen ,perry1 who conducted the business afterward in partnership with ,mr4 ,hayes and others1 died in the year #ahgc1 and was succeeded by his sons1 ,messrs4 ,joseph ,john and ,lewis ,henry ,perry4 ,the firm of ,perry ,co4 was known all over ,europe as the house which first introduced to the commercial world steel pens of a superior quality1 and in many countries steel pens are now known under the general denomination of ,perry pens4 ,the first pens were manufactured by ,perry ,co4 in ,london1 principally from flattened or ribbon steel wire1 and in the year #ahbh ,mr4 ,josiah1 afterward ,sir ,josiah1 ,mason1 then a manufacturer of steel split rings1 produced steel pens so much superior to the pens made up to that period that ,messrs4 ,perry ,co4 entered into contracts with him for the sole supply of all the pens they might require2 this connection continued up to the time of the formation of this company4 ,in the meantime1 ,messrs4 ,perry ,co4 had also introduced the sale of elastic bands and pencil cases2 the production of the latter was confided to ,mr4 ,w4,e4 ,wiley1 who1 in the year #ahej1 began the manufacture first of gold pens1 afterward of pencil cases4 ,messrs4 ,perry ,co4 also contracted with ,mr4 ,wiley for the purchase of all the pencil cases they might dispose of1 and thus ,mr4 ,wiley's works assumed gigantic proportions4 ,mr4 ,alfred ,sommerville1 who had been connected with the steel-pen trade since its infancy1 established the firm of ,a4 ,sommerville ,co4 in the year #ahea4 ,although he1 in the year #aheg1 began manufacturing steel pens in connection with a partner1 he likewise contracted with ,mr4 ,josiah ,mason for a superior class of steel pens1 principally intended for the ,continental markets1 and many of which were either his own invention or suggested by him4 ,mr4 ,sommerville desiring to retire from business1 ,sir ,josiah ,mason purchased his trade in the year #ahgj1 but continued to carry it on under the old style of ,a4 ,sommerville ,co4 ,these four businesses being so intimately connected and dependent upon each other1 some gentlemen of eminence in the manufacturing town of ,birmingham decided1 in conjunction with some of the leading proprietors1 to establish a limited company1 for the purpose of uniting and amalgamating inseparably the various establishments1 and thus the company of ,perry ,co41 ,limited1 was formed4 ,on the spot forming the principal entrance to the works1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,harrison1 in the year #aggh1 founded a manufactory in which he carried on his invention of steel split rings2 but ,mr4 ,harrison1 who was an ingenious mechanic1 also manufactured mathematical instruments1 some of which were used by ,dr4 ,priestley in his researches1 and on one occasion he made a steel pen for ,dr4 ,priestley1 probably the first steel pen ever produced4 ,mr4 ,josiah ,mason succeeded to the business of ,mr4 ,harrison in #ahbc1 and in #ahbh began the manufacture of steel pens4 ,for several years he gave his whole attention to improvements in the manufacture of steel pens1 and ,mr4 ,perry took out several most important patents for the improvement of steel pens1 many of which have not been surpassed in ingenuity or in utility1 and the principal among them1 the so-called double patent1 is universally applied by the pen trade to a great number of pens to this very day4 ,in #ahdb ,mr4 ,mason's attention was absorbed by the process of electroplating and gilding1 at that time invented and carried on by ,mr4 ,elkington1 in partnership with whom he founded the great firm of ,elkington1 ,mason ,co4 ,for some years the production of pens flagged1 but in #aheb a nephew of ,sir ,josiah ,mason1 ,mr4 ,isaac ,smith 7deceased in #ahfh71 gave a new stimulus to the manufacture of pens1 and from that time the production gradually increased until it assumed its present proportions4 ,the manufactory now covers nearly two acres2 it occupies a whole square and fronts four streets4 ,in the building fronting ,lancaster ,street 7five stories high7 the offices1 warehouses and storerooms of finished goods are distributed4 ,the underground floor forms a huge machine shop1 in which all the presses1 rolls1 and general iron and machine work employed throughout the manufactory are produced by skillful mechanics4 ,behind the front building there are several courtyards and quadrangles1 in the largest of which are placed in a row five double-flue boilers1 each #bj feet long by #g feet diameter1 working at a pressure of more than #ee lb4 to the square inch1 supplying the steam power both for propelling the steam engines and for heating the manufactory4 ,in the rolling mill1 measuing #fd by #ch feet1 three double-cylinder engines1 working up to #bic indicated horsepower1 give motion to #ah pairs of rolls1 rolling four to six tons of steel per week4 ,the largest workshops are the slitting and grinding rooms1 #fd by #ch feet1 the latter #bd feet high4 ,in the slitting room #ij girls apply the last mechanical process to the manufacture of steel pens1 in slitting them by presses of ingenious construction4 ,in the grinding room more than #afj girls are busily employed cross and straight grinding steel pens on wood cylinders covered with emery4 ,the room in which the finished pens are placed in boxes measures #ed by #cj feet1 and in it alone are employed #ej girls boxing and labeling steel pens1 or fitting penholder tips on handles of various materials1 principally of cedar4 ,in that part of the building having a frontage on ,corporation ,street there is a dining room #hf feet #f inches long by #fh feet wide1 fitted up with tables to accommodate #fjj people4 ,here the employees are served with a warm dinner at prices varying from #b;d4 to #f;d4 ,at one end of the room there is a stage1 where dramatic entertainments and concerts are given in the winter season by the workpeople4 ,at the other end there is a library1 in a glazed partition1 containing about #b1jjj volumes of standard works4 ,these books are issued to the hands employed by the firm free4 ,one of the important features of this manufactory is the employment of muffles heated by gas produced from ,siemens's gas generators4 ,these muffles allow the heat to be regulated to a nicety1 and enable the company to carry on the process of annealing and hardening to very great perfection4 ,the manufacture of steel pens employs in all about #ijj workpeople1 the weekly production is #de1jjj gross1 which quantity will shortly be increased to #ej1jjj gross1 per week4 ,six smaller steam engines are employed independently of those already mentioned in various parts of the works4 ,the manufacture of penholder sticks is carried on in two separate buildings4 ,penholder sticks were produced by ,mr4 ,mason as far back as #ahce1 but their manufacture had lapsed2 it was only resumed eight years ago1 since which time1 by new and ingenious machinery1 principally the inventions of ,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,wiley1 the managing director1 it has assumed proportions of great magnitude4 ,the pencil case and solitaire works carried on by ,mr4 ,wiley1 first alone1 and then in co-partnership with his son in ,graham ,street1 have now been transferred to ,lancaster ,street4 ,pencil cases1 first introduced by ,messrs4 ,mordan ,lund1 in ,london1 have undergone various changes and improvements1 the principal of which was a lead holder passing through the point of the pencil case1 which was slit for that purpose4 ,this invention was patented by ,mr4 ,wiley in the year #aheg1 and created a complete revolution in the pencil-case trade1 as it enabled the manufacturers to use a thicker and longer lead1 which could be propelled and withdrawn at will and would last in daily use more than six months4 ,this patented mechanism was introduced into cases made from hard wood1 bone and ivory1 but since the year #ahfh a composition called aluminium gold1 so resembling gold that it cannot be distinguished from it1 and resisting the effects of oxidation1 consequently free from tarnish1 made a further revolution in the pencil-case trade1 enabling the million to possess an elegant and highly-wrought pencil case at a very moderate price4 ,messrs4 ,perry ,co41 of ,london1 gave to this manufacture publicity in every part of ,europe1 and the quantities produced and sold are incredible4 ,in #ahgd a new patent was added to the many inventions for which this establishment was famous4 ,its purpose was to produce a solitaire stud made in two parts1 so as to enable its ready application without the trouble of passing a button of large diameter through a small buttonhole4 ,a self-acting steel spring is fixed in the upper part of the stud1 and snaps as soon as inserted into the lower part1 where a slight pressure on two projections releases the springs and permits the separation of the two parts4 ,these solitaires are manufactured of gold1 silver1 and a variety of other metals1 the principal of which is gold plate4 ,there are now more than five hundred patterns in existence1 and this useful manufacture grows daily in extension4 ,perry ,co4's paper binders1 an article now universally used for fastening together loose papers1 cloth patterns1 etc41 are produced in infinite styles and sizes1 principally by self-acting machinery4 ,the total number of workpeople employed in the company's manufactories exceeds #a1cjj4 ,the business of ,perry ,co4 was carried on for more than forty years at #cg ,red ,lion ,square1 ,london1 but the increase of business and the reconstruction of ,london required that a more central position should be found for the development of the commercial department of the company4 ,large and handsome warehouses having been constructed on the ,holborn ,viaduct1 the company transferred their ,london depot to a building five stories high on the side fronting the ,holborn ,viaduct and eight stories high at the back4 ,in this immense warehouse are stored not only the produce of the manufactories of this company1 but also special articles for which this firm has been famous for the last thirty years1 principally the elastic or endless bands1 patented by ,mr4 ,daft and ,mr4 ,stephen ,perry1 and originally introduced by ,perry ,co4 in conjunction with ,mc,intosh ,co41 afterward in conjunction with ,warne ,co4 ,perry's ,royal ,aromatic ,bands are now an indispensable article1 and may be procured in every city of the world4 ,every fancy article required by stationers can be found in these vast stores4 ,an illustrated price current which appears monthly1 and which numbers more than #abj pages1 gives fair idea of the variety of articles of which samples and stock can be found ready for daily delivery4 ,the increase of business has been so rapid that the company found it necessary to lease the adjoining premises1 which is stored with some of the two thousand articles forming the staple trade of the ,london depot1 and the principal of which are the following3 ,american ,letter ,files1 ,clips 7now manufactured in ,lancaster ,street71 ,marking and other ,inks1 ,aromatic ,bands1 ,audascript ,pens1 ,bostonite ,goods1 ,cigar ,lighters1 ,copying ,ink and ,copying ,ink ,powder1 ,copying ,ink ,pencils1 ,copying ,presses1 ,corrugated ,imperial ,bands1 ,essence of ,ink1 ,grease ,extractors1 ,india ,rubber for ,erasing1 ,ink and ,pencil ,erasers1 ,ink ,extractors1 ,patent and other ,inkstands in every variety1 ,key ,rings1 ,letter ,clips1 ,letter ,files1 ,metallic ,books1 ,paper ,binders1 ,pencil ,point ,protectors1 ,pencils and ,pencil ,cases1 ,penholders1 ,pen ,knives1 ,pen ,racks1 ,gold ,pens1 ,portfolios1 ,presses1 ,scotch ,tartan ,fancy ,goods1 ,solitaires or ,sleeve ,links1 etc41 etc41 etc4 ,this establishment is under the exclusive management of ,mr4 ,joseph ,j4 ,perry1 managing director4 ,the illustrations in this work are engraved from pen-and-ink sketches executed by ,walter ,langley with a ,perry's ,no4 #be pen4