Summary
Overview
In this episode of The Rest is Science, Hannah Fry shares her passion for fountain pens with Michael Stevens, exploring the physics and history behind these elegant writing instruments. The discussion covers everything from capillary action and hydrodynamics to vintage designs and the mechanics of how fountain pens actually work. They also answer listener questions about aerodynamics, linguistics, and historical events.
The Physics of Fountain Pens
Hannah introduces Michael to her fountain pen collection, explaining the fundamental physics that makes them work. Unlike ballpoint pens, fountain pens rely on capillary action where the paper essentially drinks the ink from the nib. The design requires a delicate balance between surface tension, gravity, and flow rate, with the feed mechanism preventing flooding while ensuring smooth ink delivery.
- Fountain pens require writing slowly and deliberately, creating a more full-body writing experience that engages different parts of your brain than typing
- The nib has a split down the middle that creates a capillary channel, allowing ink to flow from the chamber to the page through capillary action
- The hole drilled at the top of the nib split serves as a structural fix to prevent the crack from spreading further, similar to techniques used in aircraft
- The feed mechanism with its fins prevents ink from flooding onto the page by providing channels where excess ink can collect
" When you're typing on a computer and you hit the letter A, it's the same action every single time. The A comes out exactly the same. But when you're handwriting something, no two A's are ever going to be identical. "
" The information that you're writing, it's just a more holistic, full body experience than it is when you're just like plugging your brain into it. "
Historical Innovations in Fountain Pen Design
Hannah walks through her collection of vintage pens, explaining how different mechanisms solved the challenge of filling pens with ink. From Lewis Waterman's 1880s innovation of the feed mechanism to prevent splotching, to Parker's button-fill system and Montblanc's removable piston design, each advancement represented a new solution to the hydrodynamic challenges of fountain pens.
- Lewis Waterman invented the feed mechanism in the 1880s after ink destroyed an important contract, cutting a special shape underneath the nib to control ink flow
- The 1920s Waterman uses a lever system to compress a rubber bag inside, creating a vacuum that sucks ink up when the pen is dipped in an inkwell
- Parker's Duofold was designed to be famous rather than technically superior, using bright orange color and stunts like dropping pens from airplanes
- Pen designers create ink specifically balanced with their nib designs - you can't just use any ink in any pen without affecting performance
" This is where the unbelievably delicate balance of these pens comes into play. And it's where you get the complete difference between a pen that costs 20 quid and a pen like this one, which is more like a grand. "
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