As
the big BMW pulled away from our hotel in Frankfurt, the driver thoughtfully asked
if traveling on the autobahn at speeds over 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph)
would be uncomfortable for us. We looked at one another, grinned like two kids
in a candy store, and replied in unison, "No problem !"
"Welcome
to Germany!" I thought as we accelerated toward Heidelberg. In less than
one hour, Howard Levy, founder of the Bexley Pen Company, and I would visit Peter
Bock GmbH for an in-depth look at how they manufacture nibs. We were about to
see the culmination of more than 60 years of nib-making expertise. It would prove
to be a fountain pen lover's dream.
We
were warmly greeted by the owner, Otto Bock, and his assistant, Karin Bauschulte.
As vintage pen collectors, Howard and I were eager to talk with them about their
decades of experience in the fountain pen industry .
Entrance
to the headquarters of Bock GmbH. Bock is the family name
of the founder.
It also means "ram" in German, thus, the statue.
As
we chatted, Otto Bock explained that the firm was founded in April, 1939 by his
father, Peter. An initial staff of ten people created high-quality, hand-made
gold nibs for several pen manufacturers in the Heidelberg area.
As
a young boy, Otto Bock was fascinated by the work in his father's factory .When
he completed his mechanical engineering studies in the early 1950's, he plunged
into the automation work that was already occurring at Bock. This investment led
to considerable growth in the business, and a staff of 120 people.
As
Otto Bock reminisced about the pen industry over the past 50 years, he mentioned
brands that are familiar today, as well as ones that have become part of history.
He
explained that one of his father's early customers was C. Josef Lamy, founder
of the Lamy pen company. Mr. Lamy had the idea to place advertisements in German
newspapers offering fountain pens for sale by mail. Mr. Lamy would receive paid
orders, assemble the requested pens, then ship them directly to his customers.
This distinctive approach built Lamy's reputation as a reliable manufacturer,
providing the foundation for its long success. In the ensuing years, Lamy has
grown to the point where it manufactures most of its own nibs. However, when specialty
nibs are required, Bock continues its long tradition of serving Lamy's needs.
Mr.
Bock mentioned a little known fact about a connection that he has with another
Heidelberg company, Mutschler. Philip Mutschler, founder of the Mutschler Fountain
Pen Works, was Otto Bock's uncle (his mother's brother). In the 1980's, Mutschler
switched its focus from fountain pens to nibs, and purchased nib manufacturing
capacity from the Degussa company. Mutschler is now a competitor of Bock's in
the nib making business.
He
recalled an interesting family connection between two pen companies from the Heidelberg
area. During the 1920's and 1930's, Boehler and Osmia were well-known German brands.
(Parker Pen owned Osmia for a few years during the late 1930's. The now rare Parker-Osmia
Duofolds were produced at that time. )
Modern
day collectors have wondered why Osmia pens are sometimes found with parts clearly
labeled Boehler. It is often assumed that these mismatched parts were the result
of later repairs. As Mr. Bock recalled, the Boehler and Osmia companies were owned
by brothers, who occasionally made parts for each other's pens. This explains
why there were a number of Osmia pens that came from the factory with Boehler
parts.
In
those days, Bock supplied nibs to a number of pen companies. There were four customers
in the Heidelberg area: Boehler, Kaweco, Luxor, and Osmia. Other brands included
the Buschle Kompaktor from Wueppertal, Fink from Hamburg, Geha from Hannover,
Mekurit from Leipzig, Senator from Gross-Biberau, and Soennecken from Bonn. Bock's
export business was with Marion Pen Company in Birmingham, England
We
chuckled together about whether it was marketing wisdom, or just wry humor, that
resulted in a pen brand from Berlin called Argument. (It has the same meaning
in German and English.) Mr. Bock told how they marketed their brand by mounting
a large replica of their pen on the roof of a Model T Ford that drove about with
the brand name, "Argument", written in large letters on the side of
the vehicle.
Bock's
tradition of being a supplier to numerous pen companies continues today. As we
talked, I looked through a sample case of nibs that Bock currently produces. It
contained Bock nibs for 31 different brands of fountain pens. Among them were
nibs for well-known German and Italian pen manufacturers ... ones that are often
assumed to make all of their own nibs.
Since
nib-making is so specialized, nib manufacturers have found it necessary to invent
their own equipment and processes. During the past six decades, the bedrock of
Bock's success has been its ability to produce high-quality nibs in flexible,
cost- effective ways. Otto Bock's passion has been to continually invent better
ways to achieve the precision and versatility needed to do this.
The
Bock GmbH machine shop, where technicians make the equipment used to make nibs.
In
this spirit, we started our tour in the machine shop where they make the equipment
that makes the nibs.
Mr.
Bock explained how he personally works with pen manufacturers to define the specifications
for their nibs. Most customers start by providing the artwork for the appearance
of the finished nib. However, if they so wish, Bock has the capability to produce
designs as well.
One
key variable is how stiff or flexible the nib is to be. We learned that, contrary
to conventional wisdom, 18 carat nibs are not inherently more flexible than 14
carat nibs. It depends more on how the gold has been tempered, and the shape of
the nib, than the gold content.
A
tool and die maker uses an electric measurement
device to check the tolerance
of a nib die.
Once
the specifications are finalized, tooling is produced for that specific nib. We
were particularly fascinated to watch a skilled technician make the dies used
to create the precise shape of the nibs, as well as the decorative "nib art".
He used precision electronic measurement equipment to ensure that finished nibs
will meet design specifications. Once tooling is ready, the numerous manufacturing
steps can begin.
In
the world of fountain pens, about 10 times as many steel nibs are produced as
gold nibs. However, in financial terms, the picture is quite different. Gold nibs
produce much more revenue for a nib-maker since they generally cost more than
50 times as much as steel ones.
We
saw gold nibs being made, and learned that the process for making steel nibs is
essentially the same.
Here
are the 11 steps that we observed while Bock was making gold nibs.
1.
The gold used to make nibs arrives in the form of long, flat gold bands round
into large rolls. The gold band is somewhat wider than the finished nib length.
It is thicker on the side that will become the writing end of the nib, and thinner
on the side that will be inserted into the section. (This saves money on the costly
gold and allows for a better fit of the nib into the section.) The gold band has
been treated to give the combination of flexibility and hardness needed to make
proper nibs.
2.
We watched the gold banding unwind and feed into presses that punch out nib blanks.
At the same time, the "breather hole" was made and the flat blanks were
imprinted with their "nib art" (decoration, logos, nib size, carat content
of the gold).
This
illustrates how nib blanks are stamped out of a band of material and formed.
Note that the "nib art" is created at this stage.
3.
Then, the nib blanks are inserted into hydraulic presses that use 25 tons of pressure
to form the gold nibs into their final convex shape.
Technicians operate the hydraulic
presses that create the curved nib surface.
4.
A small ball of iridium is welded to the soft gold on the point of the nib. The
size of the ball determines the width of the nib. The tip material is commonly
called iridium, but is actually an alloy of various metals from the platinum family
of metals. A specially-designed electrical resistance welding machine meets the
challenge of making sure the very hard iridium tip is firmly attached to the relatively
soft gold nib. The result is a tip that can withstand many years of abrasion as
the nib slides across paper.
5.
Grinding machines, invented by Bock, shape the bottom, top and sides of the nib
tip. We remembered that some nib manufacturers do not finish the top of the tip
since it is does not touch the paper. Bock nibs are so well finished on the top
that you can turn the nib over and nearly always write with the top surface of
the nib!
6.
A slit is cut from the tip to the breather hole of the nib using a diamond cutting
disk no thicker than a human hair. This machine, also invented by Bock, is a marvel
of engineering design. It is so precise that designers can create "nib art"
that depends upon the slit being precisely in the middle of the nib. We looked
at a modern Pelikan gold nib, where it was easy to see that the decorative pattern
would have been spoiled if the slit had been cut off-center.
7.
Once the nib is split, another grinding operation gives both sides of the tip
the best shape for writing performance. It is another engineering marvel to see
the nibs do an intricate dance on the grinders to achieve just the right shape.
Mr. Bock offered his 10x magnifier so that we could have a look at the finished
profile. Karin Bauschulte said, with a twinkle in her voice, "The technical
term is shaped like a baby's bottom."
A
technician performs a final quality inspection.
8. We watched a technician
take a container of nibs and electronically measure each one to ensure that the
nib widths met Bock's tight quality standards. It was a testament to the maxim
that quality must be built in. Nib after nib was made exactly to specification.
None had to be rejected.
9.
Next, the nibs are thoroughly polished. Mr. Bock showed us two ways that the nibs
can receive their final high gloss finish. One method looks similar to an old-fashioned
ice cream freezer ... without the cold. Loose nibs are dumped into a cylindrical
container filled with what looks like thick pancake batter. A paddle rotates in
the container, stirring a slurry of walnut shells in an industrial abrasive similar
to toothpaste. The second method reminds me of a miniature car wash. Nibs are
mounted in small holders where they rotate while moving in an orbit. As they move,
the nibs are sprayed with liquid abrasive and tiny cloth wheels whirl around them
polishing every surface. In either case, the results are excellent.
10.
If the nibs are to be "two tone", an extra step is required. For example,
a gold nib can have a portion of the nib decoration plated in rhodium in order
to create a color contrast between the gold and silver colored metals. Typically,
the part that will not be plated is masked so that the plating will not adhere
to the gold in those areas. After the decorative overlay is plated, the mask is
removed to reveal the original metal. This work is very challenging, so we were
particularly impressed when we looked at two- tone nibs under 10x magnification
and saw the precision with which it was done.
11.
Finished nibs are cleaned, then mounted in foam holders that protect them for
shipment to the fountain pen manufacturers.
A
beautiful array of finished Pelikan nibs ready for shipment.
Howard and I left the immaculate
production area with the same impression. In our combined experience of more than
50 years in precision manufacturing, we have seldom seen such an impressive display
of engineering ingenuity. Otto Bock and his team have labored for decades to invent
and improve their manufacturing processes to a point where their nibs are of the
highest quality at very competitive prices.
Years
ago, many manufacturers made their own nibs. Only a handful of manufacturers still
do this, and it is becoming even rarer. Similarly, the number of specialty nib
manufacturers can be counted on one hand.
Howard
and I understood that we had just seen a form of manufacturing that had evolved
... from relatively primitive methods that many could use ... to sophisticated
proprietary methods that are unique in their effectiveness and efficiency. It
is a classic case of 'survival of the fittest'.
What
better way to end the day than to make some changes to the nibs that Bock makes
for Bexley. Otto Bock offered his suggestions for us to consider. Great ideas.
We wanted to change over from 14K to 18K nibs. "No problem", said Mr.
Bock.
We
also wanted to add a new broad stub nib to the Bexley line of nibs. We discussed
nib width and flexibility, and agreed on what to do.
We
were soon working on new "nib art" for our 18K Bexley nibs. A few sketches
to shape our ideas ... a visit to Bock's CAD technician ... and, in less than
an hour, a new design was approved for tooling and production.
As
we thanked our gracious hosts for such a wonderful day, our driver pulled up to
the front entrance of Peter Bock GmbH. Soon, we were back in the big BMW ... speeding
toward Frankfurt ... with vivid memories of gleaming gold nibs ..."Made in
Germany".
