by Bill Riepl

This makes the third time we've gotten the chance to write about a pen from the lathe of Chris Thompson, and while that might be overkill, I wasn't able to resist the chance to gloat in print about this current example. Gloat? Yes, this pen is my personal Thompson Duofold, he was kind enough to take the time out from the ceaseless toil involved in a new project (hint, the words Giant and Parker are in the name of the upcoming pen!) and turn a Duofold for me in solid copper.

I chose copper for several reasons, the weight and durability, of course, but mainly for the way it will age. I wanted something that would develop a patina with time, and copper wears well in that regard. In addition to the appearance, there is the fact that this pen should serve admirably as an improvised weapon in the odd barroom brawl!

The Thompson Duofolds, as you know if you've read the past reviews on these pens, are complete accurate duplicates of the original pens from the 1920s. Right down to the thread measurements. All the dies Chris uses are made to spec. from a vintage Duofold. In fact, until recently, all the trim, nib and feed used on the Thompson Replicas were original vintage Duofold parts. So, the pens have a very familiar look and feel. Well, in this case, the feel is right out the window, since turned of solid copper rod stock, this pen is about ten times the weight of a hard rubber Duofold.

Oddly enough, though, the balance is about the same, with only the weight magnified. In other words, without the cap posted, this pen feels very comfortable in the hand. With the cap posted, it's top heavy, with that extra weight form the cap pulling the nib end up from the paper. On the original Flattop Duofolds, it's not so much the weight of the pen with the cap posted that drives me nuts, it's the overall length that feels out of balance. In either case, vintage Duofold, or Copper, I use the pen without the cap posted!

This removed the parts problem from over his head, and allowed another advantage as well. You can now have a Thompson Duofold in whatever nib size you wish, from extra fine, to a broad oblique. Assuming you have or can get the nib, of course. But I can tell you it's a heck of a lot easier finding an OBB in a modern Duofold nib than in a vintage Duofold nib! I took the middle road, with a fine nib in this one, until I can lay my grubby mitts on something in the way of an italic or a broad oblique.

If you, like me, have had problems in the past with your modern Duofolds not being (how can I put this diplomatically?) shall we say, the best of writers", rest assured that putting the modern Duofold nib and feed in a button fill pen removes all the feed and flow problems! The theory I've heard forwarded is that the lack of constriction at the the inner end of the feed in this design results in a better flow of ink to the nib. Certainly, the joint between the ink supply in a converter or cartridge and the feed is much tighter than that in this pen, where the entire inner end of the feed is in contact with the ink supply in the sac. The Copper Duofold is a great writer, with perfect ink flow, a nice wet line, which is what I personally prefer.

As far as appearance goes, the Copper Duofold is a real winner as well. As with all the Thompson Duofold replicas, it's engraved with the original Duofold markings, with the addition of the words Replica 2001 along the bottom of the imprint. The engraving is very nicely done, and doesn't look out of place at all.

From what I understand, he will still make you a Duofold replica with original Duofold nib and clip, if you can supply him with the parts. But, if you choose to go with the modern parts, it's nice to know that you'll be getting a pen that works every bit as good as the originals.

Whichever parts you decide to use, give some thought to trying one of these fabulous pens in metal. Even if you disagree with me about the utter perfection of the copper as a material of choice (Dean, for instance, continues to believe that the titanium version is the ne plus ultra) any of the Thompson Duofolds rendered in metal offer a great, substantial pen.

Copyright © 2001   Bill Riepl

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