Two folded nickel-silver blades facing eachother and having their edge in contact so that it makes a very thin horizontal line while it offers some flexibility, that's the idea of some Mr. Boxall in the 1920's. The handle was then of black laquered wood which became plain natural wood a little later when the company changed hands to some Mr. Dupont, who called it Automatic Lettering Pens. When he passed away a rep at Parker company named David Ford went on, changing the handles to a military shade plastic thus making the old models much more desirable for collectors. The system is still more or less the same today, offering the largest strokes together with the narrowest lines with its 13 different designs and sizes. The edge has to be put slits upwards on support at an angle of 45° for classical styles of writing, after charging ink or watercolour with a brush through the sides openings. Mixing colours is part of the fun. Wash gently under water and dry the blades with a blotter.
