Pen Mechanisms Revealed – 4. The Stephens Button Filler

Laurence Oldfield

Introduction

The 1930’s was a period in which many inventors sought to develop fountain pens with new and more convenient filling systems. The Stephens company was well known for its ink and steel pens, but no fountain pens seem to have been marketed until the button (or stud) filler appeared in 1935 (Figure 1).

Double proposed a button with a cam arranged to operate a short rod connected to the end of the sac pressure bar. A half turn of the knob depressed the bar until the rod clicked off the end of the cam, allowing the pressure bar and sac to relax so that ink could be drawn in. The design was probably the inspiration for Debretts Top Lever pen promoted by manufacturers Curzons and Lang, which was in production with Langs until about 1931.

In 1935 it appears that Stephens picked up the idea of a fixed button following the patent published by William Livsey in July of that year (Figure 3). Langs, having expertise with pens of this type, were the main contractors chosen by Stephens for manufacture of the pen. Three models were produced, the 56, the 76 and the 106, the model numbers reflecting the prices in old money (five shillings and six pence, seven shillings and six pence, and ten shillings and six pence) (Figure 4). The ‘56’ was basic, the ‘76’ had a nickel cap band and the ‘106’ had two gold filled bands and a gold filled clip. The 14ct gold nibs were imprinted with the model number and increased in size correspondingly. A good range of colours was available in addition to plain black: black and gold, burgundy and black, blue and gold, marbled black and white, jade green, red marble, blue marble, green marble and black chased.

In 1937 Stephens produced a deluxe model with the same mechanism, but it had three gold filled bands, end jewels and a larger nib. It was priced at 1 Guinea (21 shillings) and carried the model number ‘21’. In January 1941 the Stephens pen repair department was another casualty of WW2 bombs, and pens under repair were lost, probably together with repair documents, drawings and manuals. It is likely that production of these pens ended at this time because Lang’s production machinery was requisitioned by the Board of Trade for automatic production of weapons.

The mechanism

The Stephens button fillers are simple and elegant, but they often prove to be a mystery when they need to be dismantled. The parts are shown in Figure 5. The aluminium bush provides the mount to the barrel and prevents rotation of the brass plunger rod. The internal end of the plunger has a recess that provides the location for the end of the pressure bar. The other end is threaded and slotted. The slot aligns with a pin in the aluminium bush and the thread holds the hard rubber push button. The small screw and keyed washer prevent the mechanism from coming apart in use. The nice finishing touch is the hard rubber cap that screws into the button so snugly that it is often impossible to see that it is a separate part (Figure 6).

Mode of operation

To fill the pen, the button is unscrewed (Figure 7) as far as it will go (limited by the screw on the end of the brass rod) and is then pushed in as far as it will go. The pressure bar is then bent and the sac compressed. Upon release of the button the sac expands again and produces the suction that draws ink into the pen.

Dismantling and renewal of the sac

Dismantling a pen, especially one that has been undisturbed for over 70 years, should not be undertaken lightly. All restoration and repair carries a risk, so it is essential to study the construction and be aware of what can go wrong. Ideally, the pen should be soaked in cold water for 12 hours (be careful not to do this for casein pens such as the Conway Dinkie 550) and then placed in an ultrasonic cleaner for five minutes. This usually loosens any hardened ink and corrosion. The first step is to remove the section. Using leather or rubber lined pliers, the section should unscrew without difficulty if a little hot air is applied first. Hot air will also be useful to help the process of unscrewing the filler button cap, but it will be necessary to use a thin rubber sheet to achieve adequate grip. Beneath the cap, the slotted top of the brass screw that attaches the button to the brass plunger will be seen. When this is unscrewed, be careful not to lose the small lock washer. Occasionally, the brass plunger becomes fused to the aluminium bush and cannot be removed until the bush is unscrewed from the pen barrel.

When all the parts have been cleaned, lubricated and reassembled, and the pressure bar correctly located into the end of the plunger, the sac must be prepared. It is important that plenty of clearance on length and diameter is allowed or it will become strangled when the section is screwed in (like the Parker AF pens). A liberal coating of talcum powder on the sac will help. If the pen holds a reasonable quantity of ink (at least 16 drops) it can be assumed that the sac is correctly located.

Using the Stephens pen

These pens are amongst the most stylish of the 1930’s and should merit an important place in any collection of UK pens. They are also a delight to use and are well worth the effort of restoration. Their ink capacity and filling procedure is similar to any of the earlier button fillers, but they retain the novelty of having a button that cannot be lost.

References

Stephen Hull, Penchant, WES Journal, vol. 43, p39, 1995
Mike Bryan, The Stephens Pen, WES Journal, vol. 44, p31, 1995
Frederick Double, UK Patent No. 297,903, October 1928
William Livsey, UK Patent No. 442,262, February 1936

Acknowledgement

I am indebted to Steve Hull for background information and helpful comments and also to Mike Bryan for permission to use the information contained in his earlier article.