It was in the 19th century that virtually every writing technology that we enjoy today came to fruition. The mechanical pencil, steel nibs, tipped gold nibs, and the fountain pen were all first brought to marketable form in the 1800s.

Intense innovation and competition left behind a bewildering variety of designs from dozens of makers. While most who made the jump to fountain pens remain well known today, the contributions of the other pioneers of mechanical pencils and gold nibbed dip pens have largely been forgotten. 

This workshop will focus on those pioneers, and on the collecting and appreciation of their products. We will begin by providing an historical overview of the era’s primary design innovations, followed by a closer examination of typical and unusual examples from our personal collections. Patents and patent research will also be discussed, along with the basics of repair and restoration. Participants may bring in items for examination and discussion.