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 March 2, 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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Zaner-Bloser
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An educational publishing company based in Columbus, Ohio, that grew out of a partnership between Charles Zaner, founder of the Zanerian School of Penmanship, and Elmer Bloser, an instructor in Spencerian penmanship. During the 1930s, Zaner-Bloser commissioned Parker to manufacture special fountain pens and pencils based on the Duofold Special. These instruments had a unique shape, said by Zaner-Bloser to “fit the hand,” that featured a contoured extra-long section and a “wasp-waisted” barrel. One of the most attractive Zaner-Bloser models was made in Parker’s Modernistic Blue color (shown here). Parker-made Zaner-Bloser pens and pencils are now rare. See also Modernistic Blue. (Pen lent by Gary Lehrer, pencil lent by Joe Nemecek.)
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Zebra
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Japanese pen company founded by Tokumatsu Ishikawa, known for producing the first Japanese-made metal nibs in 1897.
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Zephyr
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A lever-filling bottom-line pen model (properly the Parkette Zephyr) produced by Parker beginning in about 1940. See the illustration below. See also Parkette.
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zogan
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A type of decorative metal inlay work, created by engraving grooves in the base metal and then hammering a precious metal, usually gold, into the grooves. The grooves are cut wider at the bottom than at the surface, forming a “key” that prevents the inlaid metal from working loose.
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Zoom nib
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A nib shape developed by master nib designer Nobuyoshi Nagahara of Japan’s Sailor company. A Zoom nib produces a line that varies in width from broad when the pen is held at a relatively low angle to the paper, to very fine when the pen is held nearly vertically relative to the paper. See also nib.
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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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