Requirements and methods for inspection of fountain pens

A fountain pen, also known as a fountain pen, is a writing instrument that delivers liquid ink to the nib through an internal ink storage system. Its design combines gravity and capillary action to make writing smooth and free. The fountain pen originated in the Islamic world in the 10th century, and the early prototype was a simple ink storage device. At the end of the 19th century, American inventor Louis Edson Waterman improved the design of the fountain pen and invented a reliable ink flow control system, which solved the problem of ink leakage and made the fountain pen an efficient writing tool. Modern fountain pens are divided into ink-absorbing, ink-sac and disposable types, suitable for daily writing, artistic creation and collection. Its nib is made of gold, steel and other materials, with precise design and different writing feel from person to person. The fountain pen not only carries the history of the development of writing tools, but also becomes an important symbol of cultural and personal expression because of its elegance and practicality.

Classification

Fountain pens are divided into gold pens and iridium pens according to the nib material.

Fountain pens are divided into suction type, ink bag type and pen barrel water storage type according to the water storage structure. The suction type is divided into press-type water absorber and piston type water absorber according to the water absorption parts.

The fountain pen feed is divided into fine straight groove type and water-guiding core type according to the water outlet form.

Note: The trade name of fountain pens that use a water-drawing core-type feed is usually called a straight-liquid fountain pen.

Fountain pens are divided into dark tip, bright tip, semi-bright tip and curved tip types according to the shape and structure of the nib.

Require

The appearance of the fountain pen should meet the following requirements:

a) The surface is smooth and free of defects such as cracks;

b) The whole stroke has no obvious skew;

c) Parts are assembled flat and firmly;

d) The logo should be legible.

The performance and physical and chemical properties of fountain pens should comply with regulations.

The appearance of the pen tip should meet the following requirements:

a) No defects or bends;

b) The two sides of the iridium grain are of uniform size, with no obvious height difference;

c) The iridium particles have no pinholes, cracks or sharp corners;

d) The logo is recognizable.

The basic performance of the pen tip should meet the requirements.

The safety performance of the following materials and parts in fountain pens used by students aged 14 and below shall comply with the provisions of GB 21027:

a) The content of migratable elements in the ink that comes with the pen and the printed, brushed and painted parts on the pen holder and pen cover;

b) Phthalate plasticizer content in accessible plastic parts;

c) Pen cover safety.

Test methods

Test conditions and materials

Test conditions

Unless otherwise specified, the tests shall be carried out under the following test conditions:

a) Ambient temperature: (20±15)℃;

b) Relative humidity: (65±20)%.

Test ink

The test ink should meet the following requirements:

a) Surface tension (25 ℃): 35 mN/m～60 mN/m;

b) Relative viscosity (25 ℃): 1.05～2.09;

c) Color: Blue.

The test ink is prepared according to Appendix B.

Test writing paper

Writing paper that conforms to the basis weight specification of 70.0 g/m2 in GB/T 12654.

Appearance test

Test equipment

10x or more magnifying glass.

Test steps

Under an illumination of 200 lx to 250 lx, inspect the appearance of the fountain pen visually and inspect the appearance of the pen tip with a magnifying glass.

Initial performance test

Test equipment

50. Stopwatch.
50. Special ring weights 60 g and 100 g.
50. Linear marking instrument, the writing format is a straight line with a length of 100 mm.

Test steps

Test pen preparation

Here’s how:

a) After the suction test pen absorbs the ink, use a tissue to absorb the excess ink outside the pen tip;

b) Before inserting the ink capsule test pen into the ink capsule, first point the ink capsule interface downward and tap it lightly with your fingers to make the ink flow to the interface. After inserting the test pen, start the stopwatch and count to 2 minutes;

c) The water storage type test pen can be tested directly.

A method

Put a ring-shaped weight on the front end of the test pen (60 g weight for dark tip type, 100 g weight for bright tip type, semi-bright tip type and curved tip type), make the test pen and the writing paper surface at 50°~70°, draw a straight line of 100 mm by hand at a speed of 50 mm/s~60 mm/s, and check whether the test pen is discharging ink normally.

Method B

Install the test pen on the fixture of the linear marking instrument, adjust the writing angle to 50°~70°, the writing load to 0.49 N, and the writing speed to 50 mm/s. Start the linear marking instrument and draw a straight line of 100 mm on the writing paper to check whether the test pen can produce ink normally.

Keep the ruled writing paper for stitch width testing.

This method is a referee test method.

Vertical drip test

Place the test pen vertically on the test pen holder with the tip facing downwards. After leaving it there for 5 minutes, check whether the test pen is leaking ink.

Coating durability test

Equipment and Materials

The funnel has a cone angle of 60°, a pin length of 50 mm, and an inner diameter of the pin of (5.5±0.1) mm.

Green silicon carbide abrasive (GCF36 or GCF46).

Test steps

The coating durability test device was constructed. The abrasive drop rate was adjusted to (450±10) g/min, the distance from the sand drop port of the funnel switch plate to the sample was 250 mm, and the angle between the sample and the axis of the funnel foot was 45°.

Open the switch plate to allow the abrasive to fall onto the specimen.

After the specified time, visually inspect the specimen to see if the substrate is exposed.

The abrasive can be used up to 300 times.

Plating corrosion resistance test

Reagents and materials

50. Artificial sweat with a pH of 4.7. The composition of the solution is shown in QB/T 1901.2—2006.
50. Anhydrous ethanol.
50. Medical gauze.

Instruments and Apparatus

Electric drying ovens that meet the following conditions:

a) Temperature resolution: not less than 1 °C;

b) Temperature fluctuation: not less than ±1 ℃.

Square medical enamel tray with lid.

Test steps

50. Place 6 to 8 layers of medical gauze on the bottom of a clean enamel square tray, add artificial sweat and evenly wet the medical gauze.
50. Wipe the sample with absorbent cotton dipped in anhydrous ethanol to remove surface grease.
50. Place the sample on medical gauze in an enamel square dish, allow artificial sweat to wet each surface of the sample, and cover the dish.
50. Place the enameled square plate in an electric drying oven at (40±2)℃.
50. After 24 hours, take out the sample, wash it with running water, dry it naturally, and visually inspect the sample to see if there is any color change.

Water absorption/water storage test

Test equipment

Balance with a resolution of not less than 0.01 g.

Test steps

Pressing gallbladder water absorber

Weigh the test pen that has not absorbed ink using a balance.

Dip the tip of the test pen into the ink and press the pen cap 8 times in a row to allow it to absorb the ink.

Weigh the test pen again and calculate the water absorption according to formula (1).

mA = m2－m1……………………(1)

Where:

mA ─ water absorption, in grams (g);

m2 - the mass of the test pen after absorbing ink, in grams (g);

m1 - the mass of the test pen before absorbing ink, in grams (g).

The calculation result is expressed to one decimal place.

Note: The conversion method for ink volume is 1 mL is equivalent to 1 g.

Piston type water suction device

Weigh the test pen that has not absorbed ink using a balance.

Move the piston of the test pen water absorber to the head position. Then dip the pen tip into the ink and absorb the ink twice in succession.

Ink capsule

Weigh the unused ink sac on a scale, then take out all the ink in the sac and weigh the empty sac again.

Formula (2) calculates the water storage capacity.

mB = m3－m4……………………(2)

Where:

mB ─ water storage capacity, in grams (g);

m3 - the mass of the ink sac and ink, in grams (g);

m4 - the mass of the empty ink sac, in grams (g).

The calculation result is expressed to one decimal place.

Note: The conversion method for ink volume is 1 mL is equivalent to 1 g.

Pen water storage type

The test was carried out according to the ink capsule method.

Writing performance test

Test equipment

Continuous writing machine, the writing format is continuous "8" lines, and the length of a single "8" line is 25 mm.

Test conditions

Ambient temperature: 20℃～30℃.

Relative humidity: 50%~80%.

Test steps

Adjust the writing speed of the continuous writing machine to (80±10) "8" characters per minute, and the writing load to 0.49 N (according to the fixture plus weight

total mass conversion).

The test pen is inhaled or filled with sufficient ink (except for water storage pen), and inserted into the pen holder of the continuous writing machine (at an angle of 50° to 70° with the horizontal plane). Start the continuous writing machine, write continuously for 20 minutes, and check whether the thread is broken.

Intermittent writing test

Instruments and Apparatus

An intermittent meter should be used that meets the following criteria:

a) Temperature range: room temperature ~ 50 ℃, temperature fluctuation: ±2 ℃;

b) Relative humidity range: 40% to 95%, relative humidity fluctuation: ±3%;

c) Wind speed: (0.6±0.1) m/s.

Special ring weights 60 g or 100 g.

Test steps

Adjust the intermittent instrument to a temperature of (35±2)°C, a relative humidity of 60% to 70%, and a wind speed of (0.6±0.1) m/s.

The test pen absorbs or fills a sufficient amount of ink (except for the water storage pen), draws a normal line on the paper and then inserts it into the test hole of the intermittent instrument

(The tip of the test pen faces downward and is perpendicular to the plane of the jack), and record the start time of the test.

After leaving it for 30 minutes, take it out and test it according to the method in 6.3.2.2.

Put the test pen on the pen cover, with the pen tip facing upwards and place it in a vertical position for 72 hours, and then test it according to the method in 6.3.2.2 to check whether the test pen is

No The ink output is normal.

Leakage resistance test

Instruments and Materials

Microsyringe or straight dropper.

Centrifuge, with a maximum speed of not less than 4 000 r/min.

The resolution of the vacuum gauge shall not be less than 0.1 kPa.

Ink quantity

Suction type and ink capsule type

Use a micro syringe or straight dropper to drip half of the ink storage capacity into the test pen.

Put it into the centrifuge and shake it to make the ink flow into the water absorber or ink bag. After taking it out, tap the test pen lightly with your fingers with the tip facing down to make the ink flow to the interface of the water absorber or ink bag.

Test steps

Adjust the decompression speed of the pressure reducer to -12 kPa/min～-10.7 kPa/min.

Insert the test pen vertically into the pen holder with the tip of the test pen facing downward, place it in the vacuum cover of the pressure reducing instrument, and seal the vacuum cover. Turn on the pressure reducing instrument, and when the indication of the vacuum gauge reaches the specified value in Table 1, check whether the test pen is leaking ink.

Metal pen clip elasticity test

Test equipment

Insert with a thickness of 3 mm (can be made of wood, plastic or metal).

Test steps

Insert the insert between the pen cap and the pen clip bead, leave it for 10 minutes, then remove the insert and check whether there is a gap between the pen clip bead and the pen cap.

Impact resistance test

Test equipment

Thickness 30 mm thick fir board.

Test steps

Place a 30 mm thick fir board on the ground.

Keep the axis of the test pen with the pen cover parallel to the board surface, and let it fall freely onto the board surface once from a height of 1 m.

Check whether the test pen can write normally and whether the parts are cracked, deformed or falling off.

Pen cap tensile test

Test equipment

A force measuring instrument with a resolution of not less than 0.01 N.

Tensile tester with a resolution of not less than 0.01 N.

Pen cap fatigue tester, cap removal frequency: (100±20) times/min, fixture displacement: 20 mm.

Test steps

Inner spring type

After the dynamometer is adjusted to zero position, put the pen cap on the pen body, let the top of the pen cap contact the force-bearing surface of the dynamometer, and slowly apply force along the axial direction to (4.9±0.5)N to tighten the pen cap and the pen body.

Fix the pen cap and pen body on the tensile tester fixture respectively, keep the test pen and the axis of the tensile tester fixture consistent, after the tensile tester is adjusted to zero position, turn on the tensile tester to separate the pen cap from the pen body, and read the maximum indication of the tensile tester.

Locking type

Fix the pen cap and pen body of the test pen on the fixture of the pen cap fatigue instrument respectively, adjust the fixture, start the instrument, and pull the pen cap and pen body cap 10000 times at a frequency of (100±20) times/min.

Iridium grain gap width test

Test equipment

Projector with a resolution of not less than 0.01 mm.

Test steps

Fix the pen tip on the projector table and measure the smallest gap of the iridium grain.

Tests on pen tip abrasion, line width and iridium grain firmness

Test equipment

Reading microscope with a resolution of not less than 0.01 mm.

Test steps

Take the writing paper sample retained in the initial writing performance test method B test.

Select 5 random points on the straight line on the writing paper, use a reading microscope to measure the valley value of the stitch width, and calculate the arithmetic mean b1.

Take b1 as the initial stitch width, and this value is the stitch width of the test pen.

The test pen is inhaled or filled with sufficient ink (except for the water storage pen), and the pen tip is written for 100 minutes. Check whether the iridium grain of the pen tip falls off. The writing time is calculated cumulatively after the writing performance test. After the writing is completed, the test is carried out according to the methods of 6.3.2.3.1 and 6.15.2.2. The arithmetic mean value is taken as the line width b2 after writing, and the pen tip wear is calculated according to formula (3).

µ = b2/b1……………………(3)

Where:

μ─pen tip wear;

b2 - width of the stitch after writing, in millimeters (mm);

b1 - initial stitch width, in millimeters (mm).

The calculation result is expressed to one decimal place.

Gold content (purity) test of pen tip

It shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of GB/T 18043.

Migration element content, phthalate plasticizer content and pen cap safety test

Follow the provisions of GB 21027.

Logo, packaging

Logo

Each fountain pen should have the following mark:

a) The name of the manufacturer or its abbreviation or registered trademark;

b) Product model.

The nib and water absorber of a fountain pen should have the manufacturer's abbreviation or registered trademark.

The nib of a gold pen should have a mark of gold content.

Fountain pens with stitch widths of extra fine, fine, medium, thick and extra thick should use the "EF", "F", "M", "B" and "BB" marks respectively.

The sales packaging of fountain pens should have the product name and trademark, manufacturer name, address, product model, implementation standard number, production date (year, month)/batch number, number of pens, etc.

The transport package should have the product name and trademark, manufacturer name, address, product model, implementation standard number, quality, volume, quantity of products inside, production date/batch number and other marks.

Various signs should be obvious and clear. The graphic signs on the transport packaging should comply with the provisions of GB/T 191.

Package

The sales package should be accompanied by a product certificate or conformity mark.

The packaging materials of transport packaging should be adapted to the needs of long-distance transportation.