The terms you will come across in our descriptions, explained simply. Have a question about a term that isn’t listed here? Call Eric Le Cour on +33 6 08 90 41 64.
The fountain penThe nibFilling systemsMaterialsInkwellsPeriods and stylesCondition
The fountain pen
- Barrel
- The part you hold in your hand; it contains the ink reservoir.
- Cap
- It protects the nib when you are not writing. You “post” the cap when you fit it on the end of the barrel to write.
- Clip
- The small clip on the cap, used to attach the pen to a pocket.
- Section
- The part of the pen body just above the nib, where your fingers rest.
- Feed
- The part beneath the nib that carries ink from the reservoir to the tip.
- Dip pen holder
- A handle with no ink reservoir, into which you fit a nib that is dipped into the inkwell.
- Mechanical pencil
- An instrument holding a pencil lead that is advanced gradually as it is used.
- Safety pen
- A vintage pen whose nib retracts completely into the barrel, which prevents ink leaks once the cap is screwed on.
The nib
- Gold nib
- A nib made of gold, usually 14 or 18 carat; the fineness is generally engraved on the nib (for example 585 for 14 carat, 750 for 18 carat).
- Tipping
- The small ball of very hard alloy welded to the end of the nib, which glides across the paper. Out of habit, it is often called “iridium”.
- Nib width
- Indicated by letters: EF (extra fine), F (fine), M (medium), B (broad), BB (double broad). An oblique nib (O) is ground at a slant.
- Flexible nib
- A nib whose tines spread under pressure: the line widens as you press down, as with a calligraphy pen.
Filling systems
- Cartridge
- A small disposable ink reservoir that slides into the barrel of the pen.
- Converter
- A small pump that replaces the cartridge and lets you fill the pen from an inkwell.
- Sac
- On many vintage pens, the ink reservoir is a rubber sac inside the barrel. It hardens over time and is replaced during restoration.
- Lever filler
- A lever on the side of the barrel compresses the sac; releasing it with the nib immersed in ink fills the sac.
- Piston filler
- You turn a knob at the end of the barrel to draw up a piston that sucks in the ink.
- Aerometric filler
- The filling system of the Parker 51 from 1948 onwards: you press several times on a metal bar that protects the sac.
Materials
- Hard rubber (ebonite)
- Hardened rubber, the material of the earliest fountain pens, often black or marbled.
- Celluloid
- An early plastic, widely used from the 1920s to the 1950s, often marbled or pearlescent.
- Solid silver
- Silver throughout its entire thickness, guaranteed by a hallmark (in France, the Minerva head for silver since 1838).
- Gold-plated, silver-plated
- A thin layer of precious metal applied over a base metal.
- Vermeil (silver gilt)
- Solid silver coated with gold.
- Hallmark
- A small mark struck into the metal, indicating the fineness (purity) of a precious metal or the name of the goldsmith or silversmith.
- Pâte de verre
- Crushed glass, coloured and fired in a mould; the material is often matt and marbled. Daum made it one of its specialities.
Inkwells
- Liner
- The small container, often made of glass or porcelain, that holds the ink inside the inkwell.
- Travel inkwell
- An inkwell that closes tightly, so that you can carry ink with you.
- Ship’s inkwell (captain’s inkwell)
- An inkwell with a wide, heavy base, so that it does not tip over.
- Pump inkwell
- An inkwell in which the ink is raised into a small reservoir by operating a piston.
- Vienna bronze
- Small bronzes painted in several colours, often animals, made in Vienna (Austria) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. “Vienna bronze type” describes a piece in this taste, without attribution to Vienna.
- Patina
- The surface colour of a bronze, given by the founder or by time.
- Polychrome
- In several colours.
- Rocker blotter
- A rounded desk object fitted with blotting paper, which you roll over your writing to dry the ink.
- Writing set
- A case or box containing everything needed for writing: pen, inkwell, and sometimes paper and a seal.
Periods and styles
- Charles X
- The style of the reign of Charles X (1824–1830).
- Napoleon III
- The Second Empire style (1852–1870).
- Art Nouveau
- A style inspired by natural forms, c. 1890–1910.
- Art Deco
- A style with geometric lines, c. 1920–1940.
- Signed
- The piece bears the signature of the artist or the maker.
Condition
- New old stock (NOS)
- An old piece that has never been used and has remained in a dealer’s stock.
- Limited edition
- A series produced in limited numbers, often numbered.
- Restoration
- The work carried out to return a piece to good condition, for example replacing a pen’s sac.