Waterman fountain pen
Lewis Waterman’s 1884 feed that let air and ink change places – the fountain pen that stopped blotting.
Fountain pens existed before Waterman, but they leaked or dried out. In 1884 Lewis Waterman patented a feed with fine channels that let in air as ink flowed out, giving an even flow.
According to an often told story, he began after a blotting pen spoiled an insurance contract. His company became one of the largest pen makers in the world.
Materials: Ebonite (hard rubber), gold nib
Manufacture: Barrels were turned from ebonite and filled with an eyedropper; the nib was gold with a hard tip.
Black or red-and-black mottled ebonite that fades to brown or olive.
A feed with several fine channels beneath the nib.
No filling mechanism – the pen unscrews and is filled with a dropper.