Author Archives: kuncoro

Parker Duofold

This year the world commemorate 75 years of the end of the World War II. After the surrender of the German on June, Japan decided to surrender on August, due to the continuous defeat at the Pacific theatre, the dropping of two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but especially by the declaration of war and attacks from Russia. Like Germany, Japan chose to surrender to the US rather than being occupied by Russia. Hey, those mad Russians had even murdered their own Tsar on World War I and almost all of their own heroes just before the World War II..

Now, please forget those clumsy Russias with their bad fountain pens (at that time), and focus to the US. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur were US Generals with quite different personalities, but — being American patriots — they both used the same brand of pen for the surrender documents 75 years ago. Eisenhower had chosen Parker 51, but MacArthur preferred to use Parker Duofold. Eisenhower’s Parker 51 was used to sign the German Instrument of Surrender in Reims (07 May 1945). MacArthur used a Parker Duofold to sign the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri (02 September 1945). Both were two of the most popular pens of their time. But the Duofold was a design that was 20 years older than the 51.

Parker started producing Duofold in 1921. It was a large pen compared with other pens at the time. Almost all other pens at the time were black, but Duofold was available in a bright red/orange color. Even at the USS Missouri, there were multiple pens used to sign the multiple copies of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender — all were standard black pens, except that one Duofold.

The Duofold design is based on the era of Jazz and Art Deco and reflects the abundance and style of the time. It is actually a collection of writing instruments with exceptional character and outstanding design. The Duofold pen is available in 3 sizes, the large Centennial, classical International, or the smaller Demi. The one displayed here is a Parker Duofold Centennial, launched to celebrate 100 years of Parker pens, i.e. in 1988. Crafted from solid acrylic with highly distinguished, contrasting contrasting platinum details. The pen has an 18 kt gold nib in F sizes.

Some dimensions info:
Weight 28 gram
Length closed 135mm
Length barrel 127mm
Length posted 172mm
Diameter 13mm

Now I need to know — besides the usual arrow design of Parker pens — the story behind the ace of spade symbols on both the nib and the cap of this great pen.

Franz Kafka — Montblanc

Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a Bohemian author, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. It has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle).

In 2004, Montblanc has launched a special edition for Franz Kafka. The design of the fountain pen of this series is not only reminiscent of the simple and yet artful style of its eponym, but also pays tribute to Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. In the fascinating change from square to round in the writing instrument’s form, the metamorphosis described in Kafka’s story has found its equivalent.

Top, clip and rings made of 925 sterling silver offer a thrilling contrast to the dark red translucent aura of the barrel. A further reference to The Metamorphosis is on the rhodium-plated 18-karat gold nib: a finely engraved cockroach.

Die ungeheure Welt, die ich im Kopfe habe. Aber wie mich befreien und sie befreien, ohne zu zerreißen. Und tausendmal lieber zerreißen, als in mir sie zurückhalten oder begraben. Dazu bin ich ja hier, das ist mir ganz klar

Franz Kafka 21-06-1913

Oxford University — Onoto

For my birthday, I will display one of my favourite pen: Oxford Blue Magna Classic by Onoto. This pen is dedicated for the University of Oxford, and it was designed with the official Oxford blue coloured resin and complemented by sterling silver fittings including a broad engraved cap band, the University of Oxford crest on the cap button and Onoto Chevron clip.

The Oxford Magna is based on the style and shape of one of the most famous Onoto fountain pens — the Onoto Magna of 1937 which is still acclaimed as one of the best fountain pen ever made.

Surely I bought it because of its dedication for The University of Oxford. But I do not buy pens just for collecting them. I remember the first day with the pen, I filled it with a GFC Midnight Blue ink, since I thought it perfectly matched the colour of the pen. Then I wrote a few line with it, and instantly fell in love. It surprisingly writes very smoothly, finely, comfortably, and I could write my best with this pen. I never change the colour of the ink for this pen since then. I guess this is the only pen I have, in which I never changed the ink since the beginning.

This Onoto pen accompanied me to many events, including international conferences, congress, classrooms, meetings. Nobody recognised the Onoto brand, though. Onoto is not a famous brand here in Indonesia. I guess people just think this is a souvenir from a visit to Oxford University.

I was in The University of Oxford in 2012 just for a short visit. It is one of the oldest and most renowned universities in the world, established in the 12th century. It is made up of 38 colleges and has a diverse student body from all over the world. The University of Oxford offers a wide range of courses in various fields, including humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. The small city expressed the elegance of the academic tradition of the University’s colleges throughout the city.