What's In a Name?

What’s in a name?

As previously mentioned in my previous post, many people flock to a certain brand name in dip pens predominantly due to word of mouth and reputation. To pen collectors the name Joseph Gillott might as well be “Joe Gold” the way people are willing to throw thousands of dollars acquiring their pens. Don’t get me wrong, I am one of those people, only I don't have the thousands of dollars. Joseph Gillott pens are utterly fantastic, no doubts there! However, it is negligent to assume that no other pen maker could ever achieve that level of mastery on their own. In this post, I will continue to discuss the Esterbrook Art & Drafting pen series; is this issue we will discuss the number #355 Art & Drafting pen. 

One thing that must be understood is that pen manufacturers did not patent their pen designs. Why is that? Well, in order to patent the design you’d have to explain how it was made. That would reveal secrets like metal thickness, steel temper, and ink flow characteristics. It was wiser to let others attempt to copy you and fail. Therefore, the secret was held by a select few. These people were all connected. Joseph Gillott was one of the first pen makers, who inspired Richard Esterbrook the 3^rd, who was then responsible for C.H. Howard Hunt.  As such we will be comparing the #355 Art & Drafting Pen to the #100 Artist from Hunt Pen Company and the Joseph Gillott #290 Lithographic.

First, let’s take a look at the slight evolution of the #355 from Esterbrook. As previously discussed in my other post regarding the #356 Art & Drafting Pen, Esterbrook made some design changes to the pen.  In this version I suspect that change was due to cost factors.

In the picture above, the obvious difference is the hand grind on the pen. Although this picture doesn’t exactly depict its size, I assure you it’s very, very, small. It’s about 1 inch long and about 3 / 20 of an inch wide. It is used to illustrate fine details and can be used to write extremely small scripts. It has a very small ink capacity and is extremely thin, almost fragile metal. It does not tolerate heavy pressure. Of all the steel pens made, it is one of the most delicate. The only real strength it has is in its temper. That dark blue hue is a result of the final heat tempering. These pens have ranged in temper from light blue, to purple, and the latest versions marked ESTERBROOK (instead of R.ESTERBROOK&CO. ) are pitch black. With that said, the competition ranged in other colors.

 

Shown above is the elder of the #355s that I have against two different eras of the Hunt #100 Artist and the Joseph Gillott #290. As you can see, the design is nearly identical. They all have the same thin metal, with the same shaped point, and nearly the same gravity well, and they have all been hand ground. Actually, it’s very remarkable that they ever chose to hand grind these pens. The pen is so extremely fragile that any miscalculation on the grind wheel would have eaten through the pen or at least bent the point into a useless shape. The craft is awe inspiring, in my opinion. This is one of the reasons, I am certain, that Esterbrook chose to cease grinding. It was an added cost as well as adding time to production. With that said, there isn’t any functional difference between them other than the colorful aesthetics. It is my calculation that the main purpose behind the temper for these pens was to protect them from corrosion. They all flex in the same manner, and have the same action.  The only potential curiosity would actually be the Hunt pen. Hunt became famous for their “round pointed” pens. This was a 19 step procedure to make the points and edges rounded so that they would not catch on the paper. The earlier versions of the Hunt #100 Artist had “Round Pointed” stamped on them. They later dropped that clause. In regards to the Joseph Gillott, it just looks more attractive. Its finish is smoother and you can tell there was more care in its creation. However, that aesthetic doesn’t change how it inks. So really it’s value is all in the name. The name means everything.

So, if you’re disappointed you couldn’t fork out the hundreds on a box of vintage Joseph Gillotts #290, be humbled if you could acquire and afford the more practical, and more available Esterbrook #355 Art & Drafting or the Hunt #100 Artist.

Happy hunting!

Not all pens are created equal even when they’re the same.

Not all pens are created equal even when they’re the same.

After over a decade of researching Esterbrook and other vintage & antique dip pens, I have discovered a myriad of inconsistencies and misconceptions. A few well-placed reviews over the last few decades has created a sub-industry in the world of dip pens. Famous artists and calligraphers, as well as popular calligraphy groups and clubs have given endorsements on their opinion towards, “what is the best pen?” The answer isn’t truly as simple as saying, “This particular pen.”

The quality among dip pens changed drastically starting in 1938, just before World War II. By this time the United States was well under way in creating its own dip pen market with a dwindling dependency on imported pens and steel from England. There was also the emerging market on fountain pens steeling valuable market share. Companies began to cut corners and find ways of making the pens cheaper to produce. Quality was no longer the driving force. As a result the famous, “go to” pens changed in ways that should have tarnished their reputations. However, brand loyalty is as powerful as Romeo and Juliet’s love; resulting in pretty much the same ending.

This is a series of blogs I will be posting on, from time to time, featuring many of the favored dip pens and how they altered and changed. Some might ask why? As I said, there is a sub-market for these pens and people are paying ridiculous prices for things they don’t have to pay as much for. It drives the price higher than necessary and diminishes the availability of certain pens all the while better pens sit unused and in copious amounts. Other times it’s the reverse. I hope to re-educate the populace.

We’re going to start off with a very glaring example found in the Esterbrook world.  The #356 Art & Drafting pen. These drafting pens appeared in the 1940s and pandered to the engineering, architectural, and art businesses. They are part of a series of Art & Drafting pens, the numbers are #354, #355, #356, #357, and #358.These were the tools for the fine arts craftsmen. Esterbrook has had a history of trying to copy some popular pens and marketing them as original. Sometimes they succeed and other times they get busted. In this case, as I will prove, they had attempted to copy Joseph Gillott’s now famous #170 Warranted.

Practically any pen made by Joseph Gillott was a masterpiece both in its design, functions, and manufacturing. The quality didn’t change while they remained a sole proprietorship. Once they sold their company and folding into a conglomerate, the quality finally diminished. 90% of what you find out there labeled Joseph Gillott is from the 1800s all the way into the early 1920s. One of their most sought after pens is the #170 Warranted. It’s a small and fine pointed pen that has some reasonable flexibility. It is perfectly suited for drawing, inking, and sketching. Esterbrook was hungry to increase their repertoire of pens and thus copied the #170 Warranted and created the #356 Art & Drafting pen.

If you see my supplied side by side comparison, you can clearly see that the #356 is remarkably identical to Joseph Gillott’s design; right down to the Gillott-iconic curvature of the point.** Joseph Gillott has sued Esterbrook before regarding their pens. Although I am unable to find a court case regarding these pens, it is evident that Esterbrook sought to change the pen’s design going forward.

As you can see from the picture above, Esterbrook has altered the core design of the pen. The entire structure, point curvature, side cuts, length and width of the pen and the gravity well has changed. This does affect the overall functionality and responsiveness of the pen. The newer #356 has a thin gravity well which means that the ink flow would be restrictive and the fact that it has straight side cuts means that the action would be stiffer than the slightly curved side cuts of the older version. Also, Esterbrook has switched to groove stamping versus hand grinding the points for flexibility.  Some say you get more uniform flexibility with groove stamping than grinding.  Scientifically that might be true, but I have always found the hand ground points to function better.  Curious, and warrants a different discussion at a later time.

Now consider this, people in modern times have been scooping up any and all Joseph Gillott #170 Warranted pens that appear, including all the ones I ever had available to sell. Which means that the design of that pen is considered superior to the newer Esterbrook design and is a format that people want and need. The new version of the Esterbrook #356 Art & Drafting pen is the most common version you will find when you see boxes of Assorted Drafting and even in separate gross boxes of the #356. Therefore, when you are searching out there, don’t immediately ignore the label should it say, “Esterbrook #356 Art & Drafting.” It may be the older version which is identical to the #170 Warranted from Joseph Gillott.

Happy hunting.

**Note: I have discovered that one of the chief differences between Joseph Gillott and other pen manufacturers was it's distinct curvature of their points. Instead of gradually curving from side to point, it sharply turns just before it gets to the edge. I beleive this curvature creates a desirable flexibility required in Copperplate style scripts and smooth inking strokes.