Cross Pens

The evolution of the pen starts with the invention of papyrus paper by skilled Egyptian craftsmen. This breakthrough generated a significant change, as papyrus paper needed ink in order to leave legible marks and lines. Early Egyptian scribes learned how to make red and black ink by mixing soot and oxidized iron with glue water. In order to write with this ink, the scribe would dip in the point of a reed, which, by capillary action, was able to absorb a quantity of ink. This was enough ink to allow several characters to be written. The reed was then dipped enough times for the scribe to complete his work, a task which followed writing through history until the end of the nineteenth century.

The evolution of the pen was a direct result of the development of the accessories of writing: from utilizing papyrus to parchment, and finally to the paper that we are familiar with today. The first writing instrument with a point similar to a fountain pen nib, made from a papyrus stem, was created during the antique Greek civilization. This pen with a nib was constructed by first drying a papyrus stem and then cutting it on one side in such a way that the point split in two from one opening. This meant the pen worked better than the reed used by the Egyptians, even though it’s correct usage meant much practice with the instrument.

With the introduction of parchment paper, the goose feather pen surpassed that of the reed, given it’s strength and flexibility. From the 16th century, this kind of writing instrument was commonly used thanks also to the introduction of paper. The feather that became individualized as the most suitable for writing was the most external one of the right wing of the bird, that is then naturally turned to embrace the hand of who holds it.

The process of making the goose feather pen that was introduced by the Dutch was composed of two phases: during the first phase, the feather was buried for a short time under a layer of fine and very warm sand in order to dry it’s inner and external membrane; and then, it was immersed in a boiling solution of alum or nitric acid to strengthen the feather for future use.