Burrows Welcome Stylus

I last reviewed a Stylographic Pen Restoration in my post of June 6, 2008, titled Stylographic Pens. That article (click on title for link) featured the restoration of a JUCO Stylo  (Jacob Ullrich Company).    About a month ago, I found this pen and thought about how much I enjoyed writing with the JUCO.  So, I picked it up and began the restoration.

Below is a photo of the pen after it has been taken apart.  The key component in repairing these old stylos is the wire needle which sits in the section and controls the flow of ink from the sac to the writing surface.  They are quite delicate, and if damaged or missing, cause a search for replacement parts.

I cleaned all of the parts below, including a through scraping of the section to remove all remnants of the old sac.  Make certain to clean the section channel completely as this one was clogged with old ink.  As usual. the cap was caked with old ink which needs to be removed.

Here is a close up photo of the section with the wire needle fully extended after cleaning.

This photo is of the section from the rear, showing the bar that extends across the inside, providing a backstop for the wire needle, keeping it within the section.

Finally, a photo of the section after the size 16 sac was cemented on and the wire has been inserted.

The completed pen measures 5 1/8 inches closed and 5 11/16 inches posted.  As you can see, the gold clip, cap bands, and lever all polished up well.  No cheap gold plate on this pen.

The mystery of this pen is the imprint.  It is crisp and clear, but I have been unable to find any information on its meaning.  Burrows Welcome is certainly a very familiar name.  However, the Pharmaceutical Giant known as Burroughs Wellcome is spelled differently.  Burroughs Wellcome was (and is) a pharmaceutical company that began in London in the late 1800s, eventually becoming a Global giant in their business.  So, does this pen relate to them as a poor misspelling or Americanization of the British names?  I have no idea and have been unable to track down any information.  If anyone has further information or ideas, please comment below.

Stylographic pens were more popular and manufactured in the UK, but also here in the US.  The stylo that I wrote about in 2008, referred to above was manufactured in the New York area.   This one remains a mystery to me.  I do think that Stylographs are a neat little niche in the fountain pen world.   When one writes with one, they resemble a roller ball, which is a highly popular pen today.  Keep you eyes peeled for them.  They are simple to restore and are an often overlooked part of fountain pen history.