Do you use a fountain pen?

[Snails]

It works. The vac system drew up ink and it has yet leaked back out! The nib doesn't feel as smooth as expected. Could this be caused by me being a lefty and the chances being that previous users were right handed and the nib has worn to suit? It also feels a bit dry compared to other pens I have?

Edited by Snails on Wednesday 16th August 09:10

[Robbo 27]

Snails said:

It works. The vac system drew up ink and it has yet leaked back out! The nib doesn't feel as smooth as expected. Could this be caused by me being a lefty and the chances being that previous users were right handed and the nib has worn to suit? It also feels a bit dry compared to other pens I have?

Edited by Snails on Wednesday 16th August 09:10

The filling system feels odd on these, you press the plunger to draw in ink, feels like the srong way around.

Have a close look at the points of the nib, they need to be perfectly in line like OO. You can move each one a little with your thumbnail.

If they are in line they may just need smoothing which you can do with a very smooth stone, like a piece of flint.

It may just be your pic but it could be that the nib is on a slant like \. If that is the case then this is a nib that is an oblique for a left handed person, and a very unusual nib. It could be just wear however.




If you post some close up pics then we can advise you better.

The dryness may be that it just needs a good flush out.

If it is a very special nib, a right oblique, then it could be worth sending it to a nib specialist.




If your nib looks like this one then I wouldnt mess around with it.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Wednesday 16th August 13:01

[Snails]

Robbo 27 said:

The filling system feels odd on these, you press the plunger to draw in ink, feels like the srong way around.

Have a close look at the points of the nib, they need to be perfectly in line like OO. You can move each one a little with your thumbnail.

If they are in line they may just need smoothing which you can do with a very smooth stone, like a piece of flint.

It may just be your pic but it could be that the nib is on a slant like \. If that is the case then this is a nib that is an oblique for a left handed person, and a very unusual nib. It could be just wear however.


If you post some close up pics then we can advise you better.

The dryness may be that it just needs a good flush out.

If it is a very special nib, a right oblique, then it could be worth sending it to a nib specialist.




If your nib looks like this one then I wouldnt mess around with it.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Wednesday 16th August 13:01

It is just the picture, unfortunately, it writes about fine to medium. I gave it a good flush through yesterday, but it still seems dry and can be a little difficult to get started. I think having tried using it for a day, it need to go away to be looked at. Not only is it dry, but there is a very slight leak from between the nib and the black piece of the casing. At first I thought it was just ink caught in the crevice when filling, however despite having wiped and cleaned the area, ink keeps appearing when pressing with a piece of kitchen roll.

[Robbo 27]

Snails said:

It is just the picture, unfortunately, it writes about fine to medium. I gave it a good flush through yesterday, but it still seems dry and can be a little difficult to get started. I think having tried using it for a day, it need to go away to be looked at. Not only is it dry, but there is a very slight leak from between the nib and the black piece of the casing. At first I thought it was just ink caught in the crevice when filling, however despite having wiped and cleaned the area, ink keeps appearing when pressing with a piece of kitchen roll.

I will send you the email address of the best nib person in the UK, probably amongst the top three in the world. suggest that you tell him what the issues are including the leak.

This is an opportunity to have something tailor made for you. There are many variations on holding the pen for left handers, Obama was an overwriter, beding his wrist right around, I have seen others that turn the page around 90 degrees and write sideways/uphill, if that makes sense. The classic nib cut for a left hander is to have a right hand oblique so that the nib looks like your right root, like this \. Usually at an angle between 15 and 35 degrees depending on whether you hold the pen square on to the paper or not. Its your call, you can have a striaghtforward cursive medium and I am sure you will be happy with that.

I would either do a pic of you writing with a pen or ideally a video.

If you want it just as it is in terms of patina you may need to tell him, its human nature for some of us to reach for the polish if you have covered someones pen in fingerprints.

The only part of this that I cannot recall is if John does any repairs, he may pass them to another person, so it might not be a good idea to expect a return post service.

[RizzoTheRat]

Finally got a chance to start the bottle of ink I got from Akkerman in the Hague a few months back. It really is a great design, there's a glass ball that blocks the neck so it traps ink in the top. The ink level is then only a few mm below the top regardless of how much ink is left in the bottle. I think I'll be refilling and reusing this bottle when I finish it.

[C&C]

Whoops - been on ebay again, although I'm now bidding pretty low anything so not buying anywhere near as much.

However, I seem to have "won" another Parker 75.
It was £45 including postage - Tortoiseshell Lacque, but the best bit is the nib.
It was advertised as a "M1" nib and didn't have very clear photos, so I took a guess that it might be an italic.

Sure enough a medium italic turned up, so very pleased with it.
It still needs a bit of a polish/clean up, but dip tested it works really well, and came with a decent convertor.


P75_Italic_3 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


P75_Italic_2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


P75_Italic_1 by conradsphotos, on Flickr


P75_Italic_4 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

[Celtic Dragon]

Saw this on youtube last night and thought you all might find it interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F12qUyIACM

[SystemParanoia]

I must have visited 20 charity shops over the past month...

no luck finding any pens at all.

[ClockworkCupcake]

SystemParanoia said:

I must have visited 20 charity shops over the past month...

no luck finding any pens at all.

Same here. I always ask when doing a charity shop dive. Many look at you as if they have never heard of such a thing, some say "if we had any they would be here" (whilst gesturing to a display cabinet), and others say "if we had any they would be on show" (and seem nonplussed when I reply that I assumed such things would be so nickable that they wouldn't have been).

I've kind of given up asking now.

[Robbo 27]

That Parker 75 was a bargain, even with an ordinary nib it was at least half price, looking forward to seeing what it looks like after a polish.

[Robbo 27]

Celtic Dragon said:

Saw this on youtube last night and thought you all might find it interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F12qUyIACM

That was fanastic, thanks for posting. Wouldnt we all like to have those skills and his workshop.

[Robbo 27]

ClockworkCupcake said:

Same here. I always ask when doing a charity shop dive. Many look at you as if they have never heard of such a thing, some say "if we had any they would be here" (whilst gesturing to a display cabinet), and others say "if we had any they would be on show" (and seem nonplussed when I reply that I assumed such things would be so nickable that they wouldn't have been).

I've kind of given up asking now.

I keep asking, but it is a very rare event to find something.

Oxfam have their own sales site for more niche items, my neighbour runs it. The site started with books, then vintage fashion and now anything collectable that would otherwise get pinched or undervalued in the general shop stock.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop

I have just done a search, using the word Pen and there is stuff of interest, including a Parker 51 that is now a bottle opener for £10, sold out but I have never heard or seen such a thing. The cap alone was worth £20.

Edited by Robbo 27 on Wednesday 13th September 19:55

[SystemParanoia]

ClockworkCupcake said:

SystemParanoia said:

I must have visited 20 charity shops over the past month...

no luck finding any pens at all.

Same here. I always ask when doing a charity shop dive. Many look at you as if they have never heard of such a thing, some say "if we had any they would be here" (whilst gesturing to a display cabinet), and others say "if we had any they would be on show" (and seem nonplussed when I reply that I assumed such things would be so nickable that they wouldn't have been).

I've kind of given up asking now.

They always seemed to assume im trying to ask them for a pen to borrow or something as their eyes usually flit down to the half chewed biro they usually have at the point of sale

[Robbo 27]

SystemParanoia said:

They always seemed to assume im trying to ask them for a pen to borrow or something as their eyes usually flit down to the half chewed biro they usually have at the point of sale

Another item that you sometimes see is the leather writing case, popular in the 40s and 50s, holds a writing pad, place for stamps and envelopes. These are really sought after in America and Italy but often thrown away when UK people are doing house clearances.

[C&C]

Robbo 27 said:

That Parker 75 was a bargain, even with an ordinary nib it was at least half price, looking forward to seeing what it looks like after a polish.

Well, I gave it a quick polish - will do a more thorough job when I have a bit more time, but it doesn't look too bad:

75_T_after_1 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

75_T_after_2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

[Robbo 27]

That looks fantastic

The ring just above the nib often suffers from either abrasion or corrosion but that one looks in good shape.

Very nice job.

[Celtic Dragon]

This thread does not help a tinkerer (as mum just referred to me) I'm now having the family collection delivered to my when my dad comes down next month.

I'll be interested to see what they kept as I know they had a throw out session when I left home. I know one that did survive the purge, from the phone call is a Lady Scheaffer 923. Not my taste, but I'm interested to see how it writes as it's virtually unused.

[toastybase]

How often would you get your fountain pen serviced?

We have ours done at home by the Parker man who comes over every 3 years

[Robbo 27]

Celtic Dragon said:

This thread does not help a tinkerer (as mum just referred to me) I'm now having the family collection delivered to my when my dad comes down next month.

I'll be interested to see what they kept as I know they had a throw out session when I left home. I know one that did survive the purge, from the phone call is a Lady Scheaffer 923. Not my taste, but I'm interested to see how it writes as it's virtually unused.

The Lady Sheaffer range have their following, mainly because they are so different from anything else produced at the time, or since.

It might be worth ordering some cartridges, nothing else will fit apart from the old style Sheaffer cartridges with the squared ends,

[Desiato]

SystemParanoia said:

I must have visited 20 charity shops over the past month...

no luck finding any pens at all.

I left my name and number with a couple when dropping stuff off and the local Oxfam contacted me at the weekend. They have three pens in at the moment.
One is a nice slender dark coloured Waterman in good condition. £9.99
One is a Gold Platignum Messenger £5.99 and the third is a Parker, £3.99. Not sure which model.

None had cases but all seemed nice, clean pens. Not what I was looking for sadly.
I made the mistake of not taking a picture of them. Sorry.

If anyone is interested it is the Oxfam in NewAsh Green, Kent.