It’s been decades now but I still remember my excitement on being promoted from Class IV to V while at school. Perks included bossing over the primary section of the school, as I would be among the senior-most in the block. It also meant that I was only a year away from the next part (secondary education) in my journey while at school. Also, it offered us a chance to switch from pencils to pens as our primary writing medium. Most of us chose fountain pens.
While thinking back on the ink fights that come along with using these pens is a source of amusement in itself, the joy of writing with these is on another level altogether. While I miss writing with fountain pens these days, it doesn’t stop us from knowing a thing or two more about these instruments.
Idea behind writing
The idea behind writing has been more or less the same for thousands of years. Be it stone carvings on rock, pen on paper or printed material in a newspaper like the one you are holding, it all corresponds to making your mark and ensuring that it lives on.
The fountain pen, which is a writing device that has inspired many to leave behind beautiful handwritten messages, is one of those products that has been continuously improved by many involved. It was only in the 1880s that the fountain pen as we know it now got its starts, and George Safford Parker was one of those who made it possible.
Parker, a teacher and seller
Parker started out as someone who sold pens for the John Holland Pen Company in order to supplement his teaching income. These pens were unreliable, had ink issues and were also prone to breaking.
Parker didn’t merely sell pens to his students, he also believed that he was obliged to repair it for them if he could. So he got some tools, learned the inner workings of the fountain pen and set about servicing the pens if he could make them work again. This meant that students sought the pens he sold, as they could depend on him to keep it in working order.
While this increased the number of pens he sold for starters, he was soon inundated with repair work. Parker was frustrated with the amount of time this needed and decided that with his know-how, he could make a better fountain pen himself. And he did just that…
Sets up a company
He set up the Parker Pen Company in 1888 and on December 4 that same year, applied for his first fountain pen-related patent. He received this patent a little over a year later and received two more within an 18-month period.
Parker’s breakthrough, however, happened only in 1894. It was in that year that he received the patent for his Lucky Curve feed, which revolutionised the fountain pen to a certain degree. For, the Lucky Curve was designed to correct one of the pressing problems that these pens faced.
The soiling problem
Pens that existed then retained ink in the feed tube when carried in a pocket. Owing to the body temperature of the person carrying it, the ink inside warmed up, expanded and forced its way to the pen point and even filled the cap at times. This extra ink inevitably led to soiled fingers when the pen cap was opened during next use.
Parker came up with an ingenious solution, extending the feed farther into the barrel of the pen and curving the extension to make sure that it touched the wall. As a result, he had provided a way for capillary action to drain the excess ink out of the feed.
The Lucky Curve feed, in fact, proved to be so successful that pens based on this feed technique were produced for decades. While this allowed Parker to expand his business, he never compromised on the quality, constantly innovating and improving the pens that he produced.
A global brand
So much so that the Parker Pen Company became one of the earliest brands to be recognised globally. Be it an author writing his book, scientist penning his paper or a politician signing a treaty, Parker’s pens were the go-to writing devices of the early 20th Century.
While we are typing away all the time these days, either on a computer or on our mobile devices, it might not be a bad idea to write something now with your own hands.
Grab a postcard, pick up a fountain pen and write a few words that the receiver might cherish.
