PENS
A coarse, flexible pen (never a fountain or a stub pen) should be used by all teachers of muscular movement writing. Pens are dipped in oil before being boxed; for that reason when taking a new pen it is best to dampen it and remove the oil. Many a blot will be saved by so doing. Dip in the ink until the hole in the pen is partly or entirely filled with ink. When touching to the paper, be sure that both nibs come in contact, and are made to wear evenly. Each pupil should have his own pencil or pen, for sanitary reasons, as well as because no two persons wear a pen in exactly the same manner. After the lesson is ended the pen should be wiped on a penwiper. Removing the ink, which contains acid, will cause the pen to last longer, and a clean pen will do better work than one clogged with sediment. Pupils should never drop the pen to the bottom of the inkwell in order to get ink; this ruins the penpoint and causes unnecessary noise. A good penpoint should last from eight to fourteen hours or longer if properly treated. Inkwells should be filled frequently.