Titanium - a versatile alloy for fountain pen nibs
Titanium ore was first discovered in 1791 in Cornish beach sands
by the English clergyman and mineralogist, William Gregor. The
new element was not purified until 1910, however, and another 40
years were to pass before it began to be refined and produced in
marketable quantities.
In his periodic table of the elements, first published in 1869,
Dmitrii Mendeleyev assigned titanium the atomic number 22, which
places it in the first main transition series of elements,
metals which are mostly hard, strong and lustrous.
Today we know that this light-weight, high-strength metal
possesses a number of extraordinary properties that make it one
of the materials of greatest technological interest in many
sectors. Titanium is practically immune to corrosion by saline
solutions and shows exceptional resistance to an extremely broad
spectrum od acids, alkalis and other aggressive chemicals
agents, both synthetic and natural.
Its strength and excellent corrosion resistance make Titanium an
ideal candidate for use in manufacturing fountain pen
nibs, which are subject to continual contact with one of the
most aggressive of all commonly-used substances: pen ink.