Do you use a fountain pen?

[K87]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Louis Balfour said:

I wish I were in the same league as either of those giants.

The last seven days have nevertheless been quite spendy and I must now stop.

Welcome to the addiction.

That is part of the appeal of Jinhao, a new pen for not much money.

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Louis Balfour said:

I wish I were in the same league as either of those giants.

The last seven days have nevertheless been quite spendy and I must now stop.

Welcome to the addiction.

That is part of the appeal of Jinhao, a new pen for not much money.

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

Thank you for your extensive advice in this thread. Thanks to the others of you too, who have offered tips.

The Parker seems to be behaving itself now and it writes smoothly. I did do the aluminium trick, using our best cullender. I THINK it made it slightly better. I have another ten day or so to test it. I hope it stays, because I have a use for it. If it does, I need to get leads and a rubber for the pencil. I cannot find either currently. The leads are 0.8 and I can only find 0.7 (I am guessing they will work) but the eraser I cannot find.

[K87]

Louis Balfour said:

K87 said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Louis Balfour said:

I wish I were in the same league as either of those giants.

The last seven days have nevertheless been quite spendy and I must now stop.

Welcome to the addiction.

That is part of the appeal of Jinhao, a new pen for not much money.

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

Thank you for your extensive advice in this thread. Thanks to the others of you too, who have offered tips.

The Parker seems to be behaving itself now and it writes smoothly. I did do the aluminium trick, using our best cullender. I THINK it made it slightly better. I have another ten day or so to test it. I hope it stays, because I have a use for it. If it does, I need to get leads and a rubber for the pencil. I cannot find either currently. The leads are 0.8 and I can only find 0.7 (I am guessing they will work) but the eraser I cannot find.

You are welcome. I think the leads for the 51 are 0.9mm

Cult pens should be able to supply both the eraser and leads.

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

Louis Balfour said:

K87 said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Louis Balfour said:

I wish I were in the same league as either of those giants.

The last seven days have nevertheless been quite spendy and I must now stop.

Welcome to the addiction.

That is part of the appeal of Jinhao, a new pen for not much money.

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

Thank you for your extensive advice in this thread. Thanks to the others of you too, who have offered tips.

The Parker seems to be behaving itself now and it writes smoothly. I did do the aluminium trick, using our best cullender. I THINK it made it slightly better. I have another ten day or so to test it. I hope it stays, because I have a use for it. If it does, I need to get leads and a rubber for the pencil. I cannot find either currently. The leads are 0.8 and I can only find 0.7 (I am guessing they will work) but the eraser I cannot find.

You are welcome. I think the leads for the 51 are 0.9mm

Cult pens should be able to supply both the eraser and leads.

Thank you.

[K87]

https://cultpens.com/products/staedtler-mars-micro...


https://cultpens.com/collections/eraser-refills?pr...


Not 100% positive on the right eraser for the 51, I would give Cult Pens a call, they are very hepfull

[Clockwork Cupcake]

K87 said:

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

The Hero 616 is the only Chinese pen I have bought that I felt was a waste of money, even at under £1. Awful pen. Maybe I got a bad one.

[K87]

K87 said:

https://cultpens.com/products/staedtler-mars-micro...


https://cultpens.com/collections/eraser-refills?pr...


Not 100% positive on the right eraser for the 51, I would give Cult Pens a call, they are very hepfull

Penbox also sell them

https://www.penbox.co.uk/parker.pen.refills.htm

[K87]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

K87 said:

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

The Hero 616 is the only Chinese pen I have bought that I felt was a waste of money, even at under £1. Awful pen. Maybe I got a bad one.

You and many, many others.

I gave one away to a student at Edinburgh Uni, who had bought another pen from me. I didn't expect a letter of thanks but what I did receive contained words that would make a sailor blush.

[C n C]

According to this post on FPN, the poster has found that 0.9mm lead works fine in a Parker 51 pencil. They recommended Pentel super hi polymer lead, and it's available from Cult Pens here.

Another thread on FPN also agrees that 0.9mm is the correct size.

The latter link also suggests that whilst Parker do not do an eraser to fit the P51, a Sheaffer type "P" size eraser fits, although I haven't been able to find a supplier with them in stock, and suspect they may have also been discontinued.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

Today I wrote some more with the Lamy Safari that our much-missed and much-loved erstwhile poster Robbo sent me, and who tuned the nib for me before sending it to me.

It's just so light and smooth and a joy to write with.

I am never leaving it at work again. It is now my current fave pen (again) and the Sheaffer Targa (a tortoiseshell one, not my dad's patinated one) and my Parker 45 Flighter which I regularly write with are now benched for now.

Sometimes I think I should use my dad's patinated Targa but it's too special to me. Currently in a leather case, with its matching ballpoint. The case also having been sent to me by Robbo. Such a generous guy.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

A pic of my dad's Targa set for newer members, and those who forgot

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

https://cultpens.com/products/staedtler-mars-micro...


https://cultpens.com/collections/eraser-refills?pr...


Not 100% positive on the right eraser for the 51, I would give Cult Pens a call, they are very hepfull

Thanks, will call them if the Parker behaves next week.

[blueg33]

You can get 0.9mm leads on Amazon

[Louis Balfour]

blueg33 said:

You can get 0.9mm leads on Amazon

Thanks. I thought I'd find erasers there too, but no.

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

Louis Balfour said:

K87 said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Louis Balfour said:

I wish I were in the same league as either of those giants.

The last seven days have nevertheless been quite spendy and I must now stop.

Welcome to the addiction.

That is part of the appeal of Jinhao, a new pen for not much money.

About 20 years ago the Chinese pen of the moment was the Hero 616, it could be bought for less than £1, one person even said they paid just 1p for a pen including delivery on ebay.

The quality was poor, 2/10 just crumbled in use, the appeal was they looked like the 51.

Thank you for your extensive advice in this thread. Thanks to the others of you too, who have offered tips.

The Parker seems to be behaving itself now and it writes smoothly. I did do the aluminium trick, using our best cullender. I THINK it made it slightly better. I have another ten day or so to test it. I hope it stays, because I have a use for it. If it does, I need to get leads and a rubber for the pencil. I cannot find either currently. The leads are 0.8 and I can only find 0.7 (I am guessing they will work) but the eraser I cannot find.

You are welcome. I think the leads for the 51 are 0.9mm

Cult pens should be able to supply both the eraser and leads.

Cult pens tell me they can supply neither the leads nor erasers, and neither can Battersea Pen Home, who Cult recommended.

I am sure I’ve seen rubber “rod” somewhere and wonder if I could make my own.

The 51 seems to be behaving now. I wonder whether many years of not being used made it a bit dry. Flushing and use has woken in up.

[K87]

I will ask some sources for you.

Do you need the ferrule that holds the rubber in place?


eta I have done a quick search, these parts are hard to find, even in America where these things sold in their millions. One thought is to ask the original seller.

I will also look through my own parts, I know I have the leads.

I have found a seller of the leads

https://www.vintagepenparts.co.uk/ourshop/prod_745...

But....a) I don't like the seller one little bit and also these leads may be steels also, b) you may be better buying new 0.9mm Pentel leads

there are ebay sellers offering replacement erasers, could they fit?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394061043880?chn=ps&amp...

Edited by K87 on Tuesday 5th March 17:51

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

I will ask some sources for you.

Do you need the ferrule that holds the rubber in place?


eta I have done a quick search, these parts are hard to find, even in America where these things sold in their millions. One thought is to ask the original seller.

I will also look through my own parts, I know I have the leads.

I have found a seller of the leads

https://www.vintagepenparts.co.uk/ourshop/prod_745...

But....a) I don't like the seller one little bit and also these leads may be steels also, b) you may be better buying new 0.9mm Pentel leads

there are ebay sellers offering replacement erasers, could they fit?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394061043880?chn=ps&amp...

Edited by K87 on Tuesday 5th March 17:51

Thanks K87 again. The leads I have ordered from Amazon, and I've bought a pack of those erasers from Ebay. They are 0.5mm too big but I suspect I can make them fit.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

I use Pentel 0.5mm and 0.7mm

I didn't realise Pentel also did a 0.9mm

If they do then 0.9mm is 0.9mm and Pentel lead is fine.

[Louis Balfour]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

I use Pentel 0.5mm and 0.7mm

I didn't realise Pentel also did a 0.9mm

If they do then 0.9mm is 0.9mm and Pentel lead is fine.

The ones I have ordered are Hoh-I-Nor.

[K87]

I don't use a pencil so often but I am pleased to own a Scripto pencil, a low rent American pencil, mainly because I remember my father using one when I was a small boy