Glossary: Fountain Pen Bits, Pieces, and Other Stuff
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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 April 15, 2008)
The glossary is organized alphabetically. For numbers, look under the spelled-out form; e.g., for 14K, look under fourteen.
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Q
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QF
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See Nozac.
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quill
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1 The central shaft of a feather, comprising the hollow larger end, or calamus, and the solid smaller end, or rachis. 2 (also quill pen) The immediate ancestor of the dip pen: a feather, usually a primary from the left wing of a goose, that has been made into a pen for writing by removing the barbs for some distance up the shaft to provide clearance for the writer’s hand, heat-tempering the exposed calamus for strength and durability, and cutting a split point in the end of the calamus. See also dip pen. 3 A term for the taper of a desk pen. See taper.
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Quink®
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An elision of quick and ink; Parker’s registered trademark name for a proprietary quick-drying fountain-pen ink introduced in 1931. For many years, Quink’s advertising featured “Solv-X,” a special ingredient claimed to clean the pen while you use it. See also Solv-X.
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The information in this glossary is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative.
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