Writing Instuments and Paraphernalia Make Handwriting Interesting and Fun

Writing instruments and paraphernalia have intrigued me for years. The first time at school when I was given a new pencil that was just for me to use I was so happy. It was my very own pencil. The pencil was extremely large, hard to hold, and had no eraser. These pencils were designed so that the correct manuscript writing style could be developed along with muscular development. I loved that pencil. Later in school the pencils became smaller in diameter and had erasers. Then in the third grade we were given pens. The pens were made by the Zaner Bloser Company and resembled a stylus with and attached nib. Of course the pens were plastic, the narrow part where your fingers gripped the pen were rough, and the nib was a ball point pen. I was fascinated with that pen and loved learning to write correct cursive script with the Zanner Bloser pen.

Over the years I did encounter mechanical pencils which had to be filled with small, fragile lead pieces as well as changing the small erasers on the end of the pencil. Many of these mechanical pencils had a storage area inside of the pencil body under the eraser that could keep a supply of lead on hand. The small boxes of lead were a favorite of mine also. The little box had a wooden tray that slid out to expose the fragile, thin lead pieces to fill the pencil.

In junior high I became fond of fountain pens. At first the pens had to be manually filled with ink from an ink bottle. The pens were messy but I enjoyed using them just the same. It was fun to fill the pen, to clean the nib of the pen so that the ink would flow evenly and to dip the pen into the ink bottle and fill it with ink. Some of the fountain pens had small metal lined bladders that were filled when you depressed the sides as you dipped the nib into the ink and then released the bladder allowing the ink to be forced into the bladder. Another type of fountain pen had a little piece of metal that was recessed into the body of the pen and this type was much easier and neater to fill. The small piece of metal was pulled out at an angle while the nib of the pen was in ink and you continued to pump the little piece of metal until no more ink was drawn into the pen. Later fountain pens were produced with disposable plastic tubes filled with ink that were simply pushed onto the part of the pen which held the writing nib.

The writing instruments in the picture with this article are earlier writing instruments. They are all from a writing box from the late 1800's. Of particular interest to me is the glass stylus in the foreground. This simple stylus would be dipped into ink and used as a pen. The stylus would only hold enough ink to form a few letters or words at a time. The stylus is beautiful and most likely would last a very long time.

There are several wooden stylus bodies in the photograph. One wooden stylus has a removable metal tip to use when attaching the nib. Although it was most likely supposed to make attaching the nib easier it appears as if it may have been easily damaged or that parts could have been lost.

The wooden stylus on the purple writing surface is the most common type. This type of stylus allowed for easy removal and attachment of writing nibs. The nib simply slips into place. The nib is dipped into the ink and also only allows several letters or words to be written before more ink is needed.

The writing nibs are fascinating to me also. The nibs are made of many different types of metal. Some are silver or gold plated. The nibs are thick, thin or a wide range of widths in between. The nibs may be extremely small and allow very fine lines to be produced. Some of the nibs are very large and sturdy. Some nibs have flat points to allow broad lines to be made. All of the nibs are subject to damage from too much pressure when being used. Some of the nibs have delicate designs engraved on them.

There is so much more information available on this subject. I have enjoyed sharing some of my writing instrument experiences with you as well as describing some of the instruments pictured. I enjoy exploring the writing paraphernalia at local bookstores and other shops. I have been happy to see a resurgence of interest in writing instruments and paraphernalia. I love the many colors of ink, pens, stylus, blotters, embossing powders, stamps, wax and other items to consider. Then there is the paper and stationery to consider. The fascination continues.