Pen Glossary: I

Glossary: Fountain Pen Bits, Pieces, and Other Stuff

Like any other specialized item, the fountain pen has amassed a lexicon of terms that are unique. And like other jargon languages, fountain pen jargon can be cryptic or confusing. This glossary presents brief definitions for many of the most common pen terms. It is not complete (an impossible goal); but it is a work in progress, and I welcome suggestions for terms to add. (Revised May 5, 2008)

The glossary is organized alphabetically. For numbers, look under the spelled-out form; e.g., for 14K, look under fourteen.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I
Ideal	1 The distinguishing identifier in the WATERMAN’S IDEAL FOUNTAIN PEN imprint on the L. E Waterman Company’s pens; also used in the company”s “Globe“ logo (shown to the right) on clips, levers, and barrel-end medallions. See photo at *CLIP-CAP. 2 A name widely used by Italian makers of safety pens such the “Ideal” Continental shown below. See also Continental,* safety.
Imperial	1 A series of pen models produced by Sheaffer c. 1961 to c. 1968 and resurrected 1995-1998 as the Triumph Imperial. The basic Imperial styling mirrors that of the PFM, featuring Sheaffer’s excellent Inlaid Nib™ (on most models) and offering, depending on the model, a choice of cartridge or Touchdown filling. Illustrated below (upper) is a Lifetime Imperial, c. 1964. See also Inlaid Nib™, PFM. 2 The Parker Vacumatic Imperial (illustrated below, lower), a slender metal-capped pen with the cap threads at the proximal end of the section to allow for a more streamlined profile. The model was introduced in 1939 to compete with Sheaffer’s Crest and remained in production for only about two years. See also Crest, Vacumatic.

imprint	1 The manufacturer’s mark on a pen, usually on the barrel (as illustrated here) but sometimes on the cap. Some early pens, including Conklin’s and Waterman’s, have two imprints. 2 The manufacturer’s mark on a nib. See illustration at nib.
India ink	Also artists’ ink, drawing ink) A water-based fluid containing finely ground pigment in suspension, with gum arabic as a binder to ensure permanence. This stuff is death to fountain pens; it will clog them. Use it only with dip pens or technical (stylographic) pens, and flush technical pens completely at least once a week. See also ink, stylographic pen.
indicia	(also cartouche) An area reserved in the chased or guilloché surface design on a writing instrument for the application of the owner’s name or initials. The indicia of the Sheaffer’s Masterpiece Tuckaway shown here, a rectangular area on the barrel, is engraved with the owner’s name, Zenobia; the image has been altered to emphasize the indicia. See also autograph, chased, engraved, guilloché.
Ingersoll	A pen manufacturing company (full name: the Charles H. Ingersoll Dollar Pen Company) located in Newark, New Jersey, and (later) East Orange, New Jersey. Ingersoll made its mark producing sturdy pens, priced at $1.00, that featured nibs of remarkable quality for the price. Early Ingersoll pens are metal; later, roughly coincident with the company’s 1928 move to East Orange, Bakelite became the material of choice. Shown below is a metal Ingersoll Dollar Pen. See also Bakelite.

ink	Writing fluid; the stuff that is actually deposited on the paper to leave marks. Fountain-pen ink is a water solution containing aniline dye for color, a fungicide to inhibit mold growth, and a small amount of surfactant (wetting agent) for better flow. Artists' inks, such as India ink, are usually pigmented suspensions rather than solutions, and they will clog fountain pens. See also aniline dye, fungicide, India ink, surfactant.
ink feed	See feed.
Inkograph	(also Ink-O-Graph) A pen manufacturer that flourished in the first half of the 20th century; known for its stylographic pens. Shown here is a mottled hard rubber Inkograph pen from the 1920s. See also stylographic pen.

ink-pellet pen	See Camel and trench pen.
ink pencil	See stylographic pen.
ink shutoff	See shutoff.
inkstand	A frequently ornate decorative desk accessory (illustrated below) that was common before the ascendancy of fountain pens but still used for a time thereafter; includes spaces for inkwells (usually two), a depression for a rocker blotter (often with provision for spare blotter paper), and a tray with one or more grooves to hold pens when they are not being used. Often used in conjunction with a desk blotter. See also blotter, desk blotter, inkwell, rocker blotter.

ink tablet	(also ink pellet) See trench pen.
Ink-Vue	1 A type of filling system. View a description and filling instructions here. 2 Waterman’s collective name for its 1930s pen models that used the Ink-Vue filling system. These pens were generally distinctive in their coloring; illustrated below is a Silver Ray Ink-Vue, c. 1936. This pen shows only moderate ambering of the transparent barrel segments that gave the Ink-Vue model range its name.

inkwell	A small container, usually a decorative glass or metal bottle or jar with a hinged cover, intended to hold ink into which a pen can be dipped for writing. Frequently included in pairs with an inkstand. See also inkstand.
Inlaid Nib™	Sheaffer’s trademarked name for its unique, and uniquely timeless, nib that is mounted flush with (inlaid into) the surface of the gripping section, introduced in 1959 on the PFM and illustrated here on a PFM III. The Inlaid Nib has appeared on many Sheaffer models, including the Imperial, Triumph, and Triumph Imperial; the Targa and Slim Targa; the Intrigue; the Legacy series; and the Valor. See also dolphin nib, hooded nib, Imperial (definition 1), nib, open nib, PFM, Triumph nib.
inner cap	A liner inserted into a cap, usually having a flat surface at its open end against which the flat end of the gripping section mates to provide an airtight space in which the nib cannot dry out while the pen is capped. In some pens, the inner cap also secures the clip into the cap. Shown here is the cap from an Esterbrook CH, cut away to show the dark plastic inner cap; note also the location of the breather hole. See also breather hole (definition 2).

Instant Ink	A plastic capsule containing an ink pellet (illustrated to the right), introduced in 1959 and designed to permit refilling the Parker 61 when no liquid ink was available. The user slipped the capsule over the end of the pen’s capillary cell case as illustrated below and then stood the pen in a glass of water. The pen could then fill itself in the normal way, dissolving the pellet in the water to make ink as the pen filled. See also Camel, capillary cell, 61, trench pen.

intarsia	A decorative inlaid pattern resembling cloisonné, created on metal by etching or laser cutting so that raised lines separate the design elements; the design elements are then filled with lacquer. Illustrated below is a Duke Beijing Opera pen with an intarsia design. See also cloisonné, lacquer.

integral nib	A nib that is made as part of a metal gripping section by extending the section and shaping the extension into a writing tip; used on Parker’s titanium T-1 (shown below) and stainless-steel Falcon 50, and on the Pilot Murex. See also nib.

International	(also International Standard or standard) A de-facto standard for the size and shape of cartridges and converters; used by most smaller pen manufacturers. International cartridges come in long and short versions to fit pens of ordinary size and very small pens; many ordinary-size pens can accommodate two short cartridges back to back, so that the second is available as a reserve when the first runs out. See also cartridge, converter.
INX	The Carter Ink Company’s trademarked name for the pens it made during its brief foray into the manufacture of fountain pens and pencils (latter 1920s-early 1930s).
IPG	See IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY.
iridescent	Displaying a lustrous rainbow-like play of colors. Pen manufacturers use iridescent materials such as abalone shell and mother-of-pearl as decoration on pen barrels and caps. For further information and illustrations, see also abalone and mother-of-pearl.
iridium	1 A brittle silver-gray metal of the platinum group, used as a nib tipping material because of its hardness. See also tipping material. Modern tipping alloys contain little or no iridium. 2 A colloquial misnomer for tipping material in general.
IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY	An imprint indicating a steel nib that is tipped with a hard tipping alloy, usually Osmiridium or Plathenium. This imprint appears frequently on Chinese-made steel nibs that are of very poor quality. Its use, although clearly deceptive, is not technically unlawful because it does not state MADE IN GERMANY. Many of these Chinese nibs have a five-petaled flower design as part of the imprint (illustrated at right). ¶ Collectors frequently refer, usually somewhat disparagingly, to nibs bearing the IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY imprint as “IPG” nibs; but some caution must be used in dismissing all such nibs because nibs bearing this imprint are actually also made in Germany by reputable manufacturers such as Schmidt and JoWo, and these nibs are well made and properly tipped. See also Osmiridium, Plathenium, tipping material.
iron gall ink	(also ferrogallic ink or gallotannate ink) A permanent ink whose primary ingredients are oak galls (a source of gallotannic acid, C₇₆H₅₂O₄₆) and green copperas (hydrated ferrous sulfate, FeSO₄·7H₂O, also known as green vitriol). More technically known as iron gallotannate ink, it is very pale — almost clear — in its liquid form. As the ink dries, the ferrous sulfate is converted to ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃), which is intensely black. The addition of indigo imparts a blue color that makes the ink easier to use while it is liquid; on drying, the ink assumes a blue-black color that gradually loses its blue aspect as the indigo dye is bleached by exposure to air and light. Iron gall ink is acidic, and its corrosive effects can destroy fountain pens whose nibs or other working parts are made of metals that do not resist corrosion. See also blue-black.
italic	The nib shape (illustrated to the right) that is characterized by a wide thin tip cut straight across, for creating broad strokes in a generally up-and-down direction (relative to the nib itself) and very thin strokes in a generally sidewise direction. Read a tutorial on nibs here. See also Arabic italic, crisp, cursive, music nib, nib, oblique, and stub.
Ivorine	Parker’s name for a series of pastel-colored casein pens the company produced for about two years beginning in 1916. See also casein.