What to do when you own a 100-year old pen | Parker Duofold Junior Review
Somewhere along your fountain pen journey, you would no doubt be seeing posters and ads from the yesteryears and even have a chance to witness and experience a few vintage writing instruments. They come in all shapes and sizes and with so many materials to choose some, yet they are so different in comparison to the current style of writing instruments. In today’s review, I’ll be showing you a really exquisite vintage piece from the 1920s, from the famous pen maker Parker, and talk to you a bit on how to maintain these pieces of history so that they can last a lot longer in your ownership.
The Parker Duofold was a line of pens that started way back in 1921. There were a few sizes to them which were called the Senior, Junior, Lady, and Vest Pocket. The most popular ones that we can still find today are the red or orange, and black hard rubber, but then somewhere in 1924-1925 they started making them with plastic in various colors; and the example that we have here today is a Duofold Junior in Jade Green, which was introduced in 1927.
Now let’s take a closer look at the example we have here. Due to the size of the hands of people in the previous eras, this is a relatively standard size for a fountain pen as people’s hands were a lot smaller back then. The colored part of the cap and barrel were made with plastic but due to a lot of sunlight, sulfuring exposure from the ink sac and oxidization from being 100 years old, the barrel color has changed a lot, from a bright marble-like green into a dull brown that we see here. The cap is in a luckier position to still be able to maintain a bit of that green tint and we can really look deeper into what the materials used in the pen industry back then.
The cap finial, barrel cap, and section were made with hard rubber, and after a long period of time these parts hardened and sometimes would shrink and distort slightly, leading to looseness and the pens losing its capability to prevent ink evaporation. There would be some numbers or letters engraved on the barrel cap as well to give extra information, but all we can see here are what remains of the ridges on the two end pieces of the pen.
Moving your eyes along the cap, we see a triangular clip with a ball at the end. The gold plating was flaked off and all that remains is that bit of gold at the underside of the ball and a faint engraving of the name Parker on the top of the clip. Then there are hints of a missing cap band along the end of the cap as well, as Duofolds of this era used to have a single large cap band, and then they started introducing 2 and 3 cap bands models later in the 20s and 30s..
Turning the cap open we reveal what seems to be similar to the modern Parker Duofold nib. This style of arrow imprint was introduced later when Parker let people replace their broken nibs, with a number 4 at the nib collar. We get to a really short section that can be unscrewed revealing the ink sac and a metal depressor for the button filler. Turning the cap open, we can also see the button, which, in fully restored condition, can let you dip the pen into an ink bottle and press it a few times to fill the pen with ease. Quite a neat system compare to the modern standardized converters.
As of the making of this video, the button filler is not in working condition, but I can still let you guys see how this pen writes. Vintage nibs are definitely something else in terms of writing experience. After almost a hundred years, the pen can still create flawless lines consistently and has a lot of flex in it. As a fountain pen, this might not be the best one to carry around, but as a vintage nib for dipping and writing at home, this is definitely a gem. The feedback is pretty much nonexistent if you write using arm movement, and I didn’t feel any fatigue writing with it for many hours. The only down side is to make sure I dip it in ink to write regularly and maintaining what’s left of the pen, which we would get into right away.
Vintage pens were built really different from what we get today - no precise computerized machining or design, and a lot of the products were made by hand and there would definitely be inconsistency among the products. Please be extra careful in handling these, as the material is definitely gaining some years and they are getting brittle and prone to cracking if exposed to heat or other harmful elements. It is always advised to store them away from sunlight and heat sources to prevent shrinking or discoloration of the material. Next, when you fill them with ink, please make sure that the type of ink you use is vintage-pen safe. A lot of the modern inks use a different base fluid, and also the exact chemical details are unknown to us, please refrain from filling them with sheening or shimmering inks to avoid clogging or disintegration of the ink sac inside the pens. However, these rubber ink sacs are also made to be replaced in a few months time, so you would certainly benefit from learning how to disassemble vintage pens and replace ink sacs by yourself if you would like to use them regularly by filling them up with inks. After your writing session, it is the best practice to clean out all of the ink inside right away and make sure to dry your pens with tissue and do not submerge them while cleaning, as water can get into the nooks and crannies of the barrel and rust out the brass parts, making them more prone to cracking and breakage.
Overall, this particular Parker is a joy to write with, it does give you that sense of a bygone time, with a lustrous nib that glides on the page. Personally, would I get one of these for myself, I’d definitely say no, as the hassle of maintaining them would take away from the joy of writing, but to experience one and to make content and to show you guys how it writes? Definitely a big yes! Now, I would like to hear from you as well - what’s your experience with the Parker Duofold line, and in particular the vintage ones from the 20s? Would you like to own one in the future? and what other information that I missed out or didn’t mention of these pens, please comment down below.
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