5 Parts of a Fountain Pen

Get more familiar with your pen and learn its anatomy! There are 5 parts to the common fountain pen that each serve an important purpose. In order they are:

• Cap
• Nib
• Feed
• Section
• Barrel
• Filling System

Starting at the top of the pen (the writing end) we find the cap. The cap has the role of keeping the nib of the pen wet. This is important so that your pen is ready to write when you need it to. Preventing the pen from drying out is the primary function of the cap. Some caps also have secondary functions. The most common are the addition of clips, which can stop a pen from rolling, or allow it to be attached to a garment, notebook cover, or another object. Some pens are designed to be written with the cap on the end of the pen (this position is called posted). This is helpful for pocket pens. Most pocket pens are designed to be small with capped, but longer when posted for more comfortable writing sessions.

The nib is the most important part of the pen. This is the part of the pen that makes contact with the paper and creates the lines. Nibs can be made of many different materials including steel, palladium, and gold. Different materials give nibs different feelings on the page. The tip of the nib is made up of two tines that use capillary action to draw ink from the feed onto the page.

The feed can be found on the underside of the nib and into the section. The feed is responsible for ink flow in a pen. It regulates the flow of ink from the ink reservoir to the nib of the pen. The feed can also hold small amounts of ink for temporary storage in the many ink channels. This allows a pen to write for a few paragraphs without drawing ink from the reservoir.

The section is the grip of the pen. The main purpose of this is to allow the user a comfortable place to hold the pen during writing sessions. This is also a common place for the cap to attach to the rest of the pen. The section acts as a visual transition from the nib to the barrel.

The main part of the pen that we all think of is called the barrel. Along with aesthetic design, the barrel can be designed to hold ink. This, however is not always the case. The barrel also provides stability during writing sessions and can come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles.

The final part of a pen is the filling system. This is located typically inside a pen and is responsible for drawing ink into the pen. The most common is a cartridge converter system. This is a removable filling system from a pen and can be universal or proprietary depending on the brand. The second most common filling system are piston filling systems or similar. Vacuum systems and lever systems can also be found. Rarer systems also exist and appeal to many collectors.

These parts of the pen all play important roles in how a pen functions. The design of each element affects the outcome of the pens design and functionality. Designers must use these components to create what the end user is looking for.