264 THE GOLD PEN — ITS HISTORY AND MANUFACTURE. 



could not be easily freed from ink, and there was a sad want of elasticity 

 in writing with them. Other contrivances equally failed ; some in one way, 

 some another. -All these appeared to be difficulties which were not to be 

 overcome. The next essay was with diamond-powder, coarse and fine, 

 cemented inside the points of quill-pens ; but the particles were dragged 

 out by degrees, and a sensation of roughness caused thereby. The quill 

 also became warped, and the whole was thus rendered useless. 



In 1833, after a multitude of such experiments, the persevering in- 

 ventor became aware that the celebrated philosopher Dr Wollaston had 

 sent to a ruby-pen manufacturer in London sundry specimens of rhodium 

 and the native alloy of iridium and osmium — minerals found in combina- 

 tion with platinum — with the request that a pen might be formed from 

 each. Accordingly a few were made, but from the rhodium alone — the 

 iridium being returned to Dr W. by the manufacturer, with the remark 

 that it was too hard to be wrought into figure. Here, then, was exactly the 

 thing for Mr Hawkins; the very object for which he had expended so many 

 years' time, capital, and labour. Justly considering that if the hardness of 

 the new mineral were really so great as represented, it was eminently 

 calculated to meet the want which he had experienced, he was led to com- 

 mence his experiments anew. Entering upon the investigation with 

 renewed care and deliberation, he prosecuted it until he obtained that 

 result for which the writing portion of the civilised world are now so much 

 indebted to him. The details of Mr Hawkins's final operations at this 

 period are full of interest ; we regret that we have no room for more than 

 an outline of his principal experiments. A great point was to be gained in 

 determining the relative degrees of hardness of the mineral he had em- 

 ployed, as compared with the newly-discovered one. To ascertain this, 

 Mr H. contrived a lathe capable of giving to the mandril 10,000 revolutions 

 per minute, upon which was placed a lap of two inches diameter, running 

 5,000 feet per minute, or 833 feet every second. Diamond-dust being then 

 placed upon this lap, the minerals were severely tested. A bit of the 

 iridium held against it was slightly abraded in five minutes ; a ruby was 

 cut away to the same extent in about one-third of the time. This experi- 

 ment was decisive, and abundantly satisfied Mi- H. that the grand object of 

 his endeavours had at last been reached. From this time, the manufacture 

 of " durable " pens went on rapidly with iridium alone. Of coirrse, many 

 difficulties were encountered ; but the inventor finally succeeded, to his own 

 entire satisfaction, in so soldering the iridium and gold together, that he 

 obtained a perfect pen — convenient and indestructible. " I was now satis- 

 fied," says Mr Hawkins, " that with fair usage I had a pen for my lifetime." 

 Thus begins the actual history of the gold pen as such. 



The progress of the manufacture has since been constant and raj»id, both 

 in England and America. We believe the first right sold in Great Britain 

 was to Mr F. Mordan, who is yet one of the largest dealers in the article 

 in London. Mr Levi Brown is generally acknowledged to have been the 

 pioneer in the United States ; and other manufacturers have followed him 



