Old Drafting Instruments
July 24, 2010
The skill of the technical illustrator, the draughtsman, the draughtswoman, the cartographer, the engineer or the architect, or for the drawing up of electronic circuitry diagrams.
From the earliest mental concept of any inventive idea formed for the purpose of building and further developing, for the making of such as an engineered prototype model, or for the industrial factory mass production of a functional product built to fulfil whatever is required.
Taken from the initially pencilled on paper sketches drawn to portray the visualised image of the object to be built, detailed preliminary plan layout drawings have to be formed at an appropriate scale size by the draughtsperson.
During the booming years throughout the revolutionary period of industrial productivity the apprentice trained skilled draughtsman was at the peak of his profession, regarded as being a person of professional status.
The employment opportunities within this field of occupation were then enormous, as also was the stress factor of the job, there was always a ‘deadline’ for the drawings to be finished, which usually was the day before the draughtsman had been given the job, needed by yesterday.
It appears that today the drawing work that would have taken a draughtsperson a full week to complete, can be done on a computer in a matter of minutes, with multiple copies printed out by a laser printing machine or plotter.
The prime era of that highly skilled field of profession has long ago ceased to be. Only a minority of struggling small size companies may employ a skeletal staff for such drawing work, freehand drawing work, if needed, is generally undertaken by an independent self employed draughtsman.
The once expensive and cared for extensive range of high quality drafting instruments used in the hey-day of the draughtsman’s profession have become another of today’s collectibles.
Collectible Drafting Instruments:
By far the most sought after pen within the diverse range and scope of the draughtsman’s
instruments is a line ruling architectural pen made by Montblanc which dates to the late 1920s or early 1930s. It was the first Montblanc model designed to incorporate a piston ink filling system of much the same type later used in the company’s fountain pens, the design was patented by the firms managing director Ernst Rosler in 1923, this pre dates by some years Montblanc’s first piston filling model fountain pens launched in 1934. Only a very few of these Montblanc line ruling drawing pens were made, until recent years none had surfaced. The few that were sourced had been bought from a Copenhagen dealer who’s interest was broadly within the scope of pens in general, they had been found in Sweden and in Denmark.
This has indicated the likelihood that they were made in Hamburg for exporting to Scandinavian countries.
Sold from the collection of the United Kingdom resident, Duke von Stenheim in 2004 this pen changed ownership for £2000.00.
A few inventors had taken an interest in attempting to produce a workable drafting pen which had
an inbuilt ink holding reservoir based on the principal of the fountain pen.
In America1892, Edmund Dickey patented a ruling pen with a hollow barrel section which could be unscrewed from the pens metal converging blades and filled with plan drawing ink, this invention did not prove to be a commercial success.
In the early 1920s interest in the prospects of developing a fountain ink reservoir style blade ruling pen was rekindled.
Albert Gran patented his version which was launched in Chicago USA, under the the brand name
Designo, this coincided with the German instrument company Riefler, the Riefler’s fountain reservoir draughtsman’s ruling pen, these pens were then exported to America.
1875, the first stylographic ink pen was invented in and introduced in America by Duncan Mackinnon. However, it is thought that perhaps Thomas De La Rue launched a stylograph pen many years earlier in the 1860s.
Likelihood is that due to the inconsistencies and inaccuracies of the limited available information recorded, the true facts relating to the advent of the stylograph ink pencil or pen remain unknown.
A matter of no consequence!.
1928, the Tiku GmbH company (a name derived from the words Tinton-Kuli, kuli being taken
from the Chinese,denoting a cheap worker, one who works with ink) based in Hamburg produced the Stylograph ink pencil. The Tiku company opened their new factory in Hamburg in about 1933 with a second factory built in 1935 having changed the company name to The Rotring Werke Riepe K.G, again it was renamed Rotring in 1963.
The Rufford Ink Pencil, manufactured by the De La Rue company, circa 1930 was well advertised in the UK.
These ink pencil stylograph type models were not specifically designed to be used as a draughtsman’s drawing instrument, but they were the forerunner of a transitional period leading to the development of the pens produced in America by such companies as; The Eugene Dietzen Company, of Chicago and by the Keuffel and Esser Company of Hoboken, New Jersey, who gave the name ‘Paragon’ their range of highest quality drafting instruments, these were specifically high quality draughtsman’s line ruling pens of different sizes of adjustable line drawing widths, these the best instruments usually had hard tungsten metal points.
A Guide to Valuing:
Valuing these antique and collectible drafting ( or draughtsman’s) pens and the associated plan drawing accessories is a rather complex subject.
Ruling pens and basic drafting sets, especially those of student quality, can still be bought inexpensively at general collectors fairs and flea-market stalls. But the earliest examples, early boxed sets and those with interesting features and adaptable further attachments and with hinged joint adjustments have become rather costly.
A top quality and ornate ruling pen from the eighteenth or nineteenth century might be valued in terms of hundreds of United States dollars.
Mike Breslin
Pen as a modest investment
January 1, 2009
The Humble Fountain Pen
There’s definitely something appealing about the classic and old fountain pens although one is not quite sure what. It may be that they seem to capture something of the charm and elegance of a bygone era.
Within the general scope of ‘rare and scarce collectables’ pens may be thought of as having an advantages in as much as they are not solely just another type of collectable item, not just for looking at or keeping in a display cabinet, they are ‘usable’ distinctive and a pleasure to own and use.
When our Fountain Pen Emporium website was launched, on the home page we comprised a brief introductory write-up in which we make reference to the fountain pen when looked at as an affordable form of modest investment.
In the light of today’s total collapse of financial institutions, how true this has proven to be.
Indeed, by comparison with investment in the stock exchange market, where somebody else takes control of your modest investment.
The humble old fountain pen has long proven to be a safer self managed type of financial investment than stocks and shares are ever likely to be.
A particularly favoured model for investment is the early Japanese Dunhill Namiki pens primarily the maki-e pens. The earlier the models, the more desirable.
Another favoured model of investment are the limited edition pens.
Firstly, they are lovely to own and as an added bonus, they will appreciate in value.
Little Dorrit by the renowned novelist Charles Dickens (B.1812 - D.1870)
Mr Merdle - The crooked banker
A recently televised production of Dickens story Little Dorrit equates well with recent events, history repeats itself.
The tale revolves around money and greed which parallels today’s credit crunch remarkably well.
An unscrupulous banker, equivalent of the modern day corporate fraudster is portrayed by Mr. Merdle, who’s greed and speculative fretful investment gambling finally squandered his clients money.
One of the main characters in the drama is Arthur Clennam, one of several former investors who after entrusting his fortune fell victim and faced financial ruin as a result of the banker’s greed for easy money.
In those early Victorian times the punishment for failing to pay creditors was severe;
Arthur was arrested and jailed in the Marshalsea debtor’s prison after being sentenced to remain imprisoned until such time as his debts may be cleared.
Arthur was eventually saved from total despair and financial ruin by Amy Dorrit, the loyal woman who stayed with him despite his ill fortune and Daniel Doyce his former friend and business partner.
Singapore, WW2 and a Fountain Pen
May 28, 2008
Last Battle of Singapore
What might the subject of a fountain pen have to do with the battle fought at Pasir Panjang Ridge Singapore in 1942! … well nothing really except perhaps for a rather remarkable coincidence which brought me to the allied forces cemetery at Kranji, a short walk from the MRT station near Woodlands district.
As I walked up to the main entrance I became more increasingly aware of the imposing ambient quietness and serene atmosphere, as though telling me that this is a most special place.
The commemorative cemetery at Kranji is immaculately kept, a virtual forest of neatly spaced headstones with lawn pathways between rows, my thoughts were “how did I get myself into this and how am I going to find the resting place of a certain English second lieutenant who was assigned to the Malay Regiment”.
I had never heard of this last ditch battle where a Malay Brigade together with a second loyal British regiment stood firm although undermanned against a fanatical onslaught of 13,000 attacking Japanese in the Last Battle of Singapore.
That is until an elderly member of the New Zealand World War Two Veterans living in Christchurch N.Z. sent me his gold plated Conway Stewart pen.The outcome of this resulted in a series of on-going exchange email correspondence and a telephone conversation with the veteran soldier in New Zealand, which coincided with one of my many visits to Singapore to spend some time with my Singaporean relatives in law.
I had been uniquely privileged by his former soldier friend who survived and made his home in New Zealand to find this headstone and lay a note of remembrance with flowers in his name on his behalf.
Sure enough after some searching I eventually found this English soldiers grave headstone.