PEN STATION
PEN STATION Manuscript
PEN STATION, the only museum of its kind in Japan, houses the valuable Pilot Corporation collection of writing instruments and related materials. Exhibits present the history of writing instruments and technologies related to the production of ballpoint pens and other writing instruments. The museum is a popular destination for many elementary school students who come during summer vacation to do independent research projects for school.
http://www.pilot.co.jp/service/museum/
-
A variety of writing instruments
Letters came into existence thousands of years ago. The first writing was done with reed pens pressed into damp clay to make cuneiform (wedge-shaped) marks. The evolution of writing instruments includes the sharply pointed stylus, the quill pen of the Middle Ages, and metal pens of the modern age. All of these various writing instruments have been used by mankind to record a tremendous amount of knowledge.
-
Pen with an ink reservoir
People got the idea of putting the ink inside the pen. In 1809, the Englishman Frederick Bartholomew Folsch received a patent for inventing a pen with an ink reservoir and a valve that admitted air to press the ink down toward the tip of the pen. The pen left room for improvement, but it is the prototype of today's fountain pens.
-
The principle of the fountain pen
The American Lewis Waterman invented a fountain pen whose mechanism is virtually the same as that of the modern-day fountain pen. Waterman's fountain pen utilized a mechanism that involves capillary action--the flow of liquid in a tube in an upward direction--to exchange ink and air in order to promote a downward flow of ink. It was the practical principle of capillary action that made possible the prototype of today's fountain pens.
-
Fountain pens manufactured in Japan
The founders of Pilot Corporation, Ryosuke Namiki and Masao Wada, met when they were officers on a merchant ship. Namiki later became a professor in a mercantile marine college. Because the technical pens he used during class to draw ship designs did not work well, he began making improvements and eventually acquired a patent on a drafting pen. In 1918, having acquired the patent, he founded Namiki Manufacturing Company Ltd. (now Pilot Corporation) with the financial backing of his partner Masao Wada and began producing fountain pens manufactured in Japan. Wada managed the company and Namiki worked on product development.
-
Use of ebonite to make the pen shaft
Ebonite is natural rubber containing a large amount of sulfur that is vulcanized to make it harder. This resin, characterized by strength and excellent resistance to effects of weather and chemicals, can be machined. The photo shows a rokuro, a type of lathe used in the manufacture ebonite shafts for fountain pens. In the Taisho period (1912-1926), soon after the company was founded, Pilot developed and patented a technique of coating ebonite with lacquer. Called laccanite, this process protects the ebonite shaft of the fountain pen from fading and also produces a beautiful lustrous black surface.
-
The appearance of maki-e fountain pens
Pilot formed Kokko Kai, a group consisting of lacquer artisans commissioned to produce maki-e* decorations for fountain pens manufactured by the company for export overseas. Because more than 100 processes are required to finish a maki-e pen, they are very expensive. The English retailer Dunhill recognized the quality and beauty of Pilot's maki-e pens and sold them under the double brand name Dunhill Namiki. All maki-e fountain pens have been sold under the brand name Namiki since 2000, when the brand name was changed. *Lacquer sprinkled with metal powders to create pictures and designs.
-
First fountain pen sold after WWII ended
Pilot sold its first special fountain pen in 1951 after the end of WWII. It was a metal alloy pen with a celluloid housing and four types of nibs.
-
Capless fountain pens
Pilot pioneered the development of the epoch-making capless fountain pen, which had a protective shutter mechanism that closed over the tip of the pen to prevent the ink from drying. It became a highly popular model. The first model sold in 1963 was equipped with a twist mechanism that required both hands--one to hold the pen and the other to turn the mechanism--to advance or retract the nib. Then in 1964 Pilot introduced a capless pen with a push-button mechanism that could easily be clicked with one hand.
-
Erasable ball pens
In this year Pilot developed Frixion, a gel ink that is erasable. Friction-generated heat turns the ink invisible and doesn't leave eraser crumbs. It's perfect for taking notes because mistakes can be instantly erased and re-written over and over again. The pen, called Frixion Ball, has become a hit product worldwide and has sold one billion in the eight years since it was launched.
-
Kakuno, a new type of fountain pen
In the desire to restore the fountain pen to general use Pilot developed Kakuno, a new type of fountain pen made entirely of plastic except for the nib. This construction enabled Pilot to offer it at a price of only 1,000 yen. Kakuno is a hit product that has sold more than 650,000 in just one year since its launch.