Cyberpenz
Websites for the Truly Curious Collector

By Sam Fiorella

There you sit, reading this article and more likely than not you have several fountain pens nearby. Go ahead - pick one up! Nice pen, isn't it? Attractive plastic barrel, elegant trim, great nib, but wait a minute! Is it really plastic? What is plastic anyway? And that nib, what do all those markings mean? The trim sure looks like it is gold, but is it? Take a short tour through these totally non-pen related websites and find some answers to satisfy your curiosity.

• In 1909, Dr. Leo Bakeland developed bakelite, the "material of a thousand uses", and one of those uses was for pens. Read about it at http://www.deco-echoes.com/bakelite.html.
  
  

• Celluloid was a fairly common material used in the manufacture of fountain pens. A gent by the name of John Hyatt was trying to win a contest prize of $10,000 for an invention to replace the ivory in billiard balls. He didn't win the prize, but he did discover celluloid. You can register for access to the site at http://www.funkandwagnalls.com, then 'Article Search' for celluloid.
  
  

• There are a great many other plastics besides bakelite and celluloid that have been used in the manufacture of pens over the years. This website http://www.sdplastics.com/plastics.html offers a good overview of many types of plastics from bakelite and cellulose to modern day acrylics.
  
  

• The Gold Institute maintains a very informative FAQ at their website, http://www.goldinstitute.com. Unravel the mysteries of the meanings of gold filled and rolled gold plate. This FAQ even explains all those markings on your nib and you'll find out what 14KT gold is really made of.

That's the end of our tour, hope you didn't take too many side roads along the way! In case you're truly curious, this article was drafted with one of my favorite writers, a 1920s Swan fountain pen made of black chased hard rubber with nickel plated trim and a wonderfully flexible 14CT gold nib.