Frequently, you will prepare inked drawings, maps, or charts that require freehand lines and lettering. There are many types of freehand pens available. But here we will be concerned only with those pens used by the EA. Included in the draftsman kit is a reservoir pen set, which may be used either with a penholder, as a freehand pen, or fitted into a mechanical lettering device for template lettering.

The technical fountain pen (sometimes called a Rapidograph pen or reservoir pen) may be used for ruling straight lines of uniform width with the aid of a T square, triangle, or other straightedge. It may also be used for freehand lettering and drawing and with various drawing and lettering templates. One of the best features of the technical fountain pen is its ink reservoir. The reservoir, depending on the style of pen, is either built into the barrel of the pen or is a translucent plastic ink cartridge attached to the body of the pen. The large ink capacity of the reservoir saves time because you do not have to constantly replenish the ink supply. Therefore, many EAs prefer the technical fountain pen to the ruling pen.

A typical technical fountain pen is shown in figure 2-31. Variations in pen style and line size are offered from various manufacturers. Some pens are labeled by the metric system according to the line weight they make. Other pens are labeled with a code that indicates line width measured in inches. For instance, a No. 2 pen draws a line .026 in. in width. Most technical fountain pens are color-coded for easy

Figure 2-31.-Technical fountain pen.

identification of pen size. These pens are avail-able either as individual fountain pen units, resembling a typical fountain pen, or as a set, having a common handle and interchangeable pen units. The pen shown in figure 2-31 is a part of a set of technical fountain pens.

Some reservoir pens for lettering are made so the point section will fit in a Leroy scriber. (The Leroy letter set will be discussed in chapter 3.) These pens may also be used for any work that a regular technical fountain pen is used for.