Editing Fountain pen (section)

==Feed==
[[File:Fountain pen diagram.svg|thumb|Diagram of the operation of a modern fountain pen]]

The feed of a fountain pen is the component that connects the nib of the pen with its ink reservoir.<ref name="explain">{{cite web|title=How Fountain Pens Work|url=http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-fountain-pens-work.html|website=Explain That Stuff|accessdate=27 July 2016}}</ref>

It not only allows the ink to flow to the nib (in what is often described as a "controlled leak") but also regulates the amount of air flowing backwards up to the reservoir to replace this lost ink.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Binder|first1=Richard|title=Feeds: Revolution, Evolution, and Devolution|url=http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/feeds/evolution.htm|website=Richard Binder's Pens|accessdate=26 July 2016}}</ref>

It does this through the use of a series of narrow channels or "fissures" that run down its lower edge. As ink flows down these fissures, air is simultaneously allowed to flow upwards into the reservoir in an even exchange of volumes. The feed allows ink to flow when the pen is being put to paper but ensures ink does not flow when the pen is not in use. The feed makes use of capillary action; this is noticeable when a pen is refilled with a brightly coloured ink. The ink is taken up and into the feed by way of capillary action (and is often visible in clear demonstrator pens), but is not dispensed onto the paper until the nib makes contact.<ref name="explain" />

How the feed is shaped may determine the wetness and flow of a particular pen. For this reason, feed material alone and its surface roughness may have a significant effect on the way two pens of the same nib size write.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gilmour|first1=Jono|title=Fountain Pen Guide Series, Session 1: Nibs, Feeds, and How They Come Together|url=http://www.pentorium.com/2012/08/25/fountain-pen-guide-series-session-1-nibs-feeds-and-how-they-come-together/|website=Pentorium|date=25 August 2012}}</ref><ref>[https://fountainpendesign.wordpress.com/feed-supply-ink-function-foutain-pen/feeds-made-of-plastic/ Feeds made of Plastic …and not hard rubber]</ref>

Pen feeds are crucial to preventing ink from dripping or leaking. Feeds often feature finned structures intended for buffering fountain pen ink. Buffering is the capacity to catch and temporary hold an overflow of ink caused by other conditions than writing towards the nib. When a fountain pen nib receives such an overflow it will result in ink blobbing or dripping also known as burping. A pen with a misconfigured feed might fail to deposit any ink whatsoever.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Conner|first1=Rick|title=Construction of a fountain pen|url=http://www.rickconner.net/penspotters/construction.html|website=Rick Conner|accessdate=26 July 2016}}</ref>