fountain pens

[Unlucky Berman]

Thanks Neecerie, that will take some time to see through all of this, but it'll be a pleasure.

But I already have another little question. I have seen several interesting pens where I just could not really decide. One of them is a Parker Parkette but seeing on this interesting page: http://parkercollector.com/ it looks like one called Parkette Junior. Does that mean it was a child's pen? Or was it a kind of "cheaper" of the big one? Like e. g. a gold filled Hamilton watch compared to the solid gold model?

 

[Shangas]

Back in the old days, pens came in various sizes (unlike today) and the title given to the pen denoted its size.

The sizes were generally...

Oversize or Senior (denoted a large or standard-sized pen).
Ladies' (denoted generally a slimmer pen, more suited to a feminine hand).
Junior (denoted a shorter pen).

'Junior' or 'Junior-size' did not mean that the pen was made specifically for children, just that it was a smaller version of a standard-sized pen.

When it comes to actual QUALITY, then in pen-collecting circles, we talk of 'tiers', as in levels.

1st Tier are all the really good pens. Parkers, Watermen, Sheaffers, Wahls/Wahl-Eversharp, Conway-Stewarts, Montblancs, etc.
2nd Tier were all the mid-range pens. These were pens like Mentmore, Esterbrook or Summit. Pens that were cheaper, but still good-quality.
3rd Tier were all the...dregs. Pen-companies such as Platignum, which made the cheapest possible writing-instruments. Platignum in particular made very very cheap fountain pens, mostly for schoolboy use. I remember the first time I saw a Platignum pen...it felt more like a drinking-straw. It was flimsy and weak and it looked like it would split apart and break at any second.

 

[scotrace]

I'm sure this is headed for Merge-Ville...

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I'm sure this is headed for Merge-Ville...

:whistling Merge, baby, Merge, vintage inferno. Merge baby merge. :whistling


Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Unlucky Berman]

As promised some pics of the pen I got today. A Parker Parkette and I believe it is a Parkette Jr. from 1934:

Next on the hunting list is a nice Sheaffer. I like those striped streamlined pieces from the 30s. Would make one for the bureau and one for writings at home.

 

[Unlucky Berman]

It was my christmas gift this year and the second vintage pen I have. I believe its a Sheaffer model of the Balance line and may be from 1935/36. Does someone maybe know more or affirm this assumption? Is 875 the number of this model?

 

[John in Covina]

It was my christmas gift this year and the second vintage pen I have. I believe its a Sheaffer model of the Balance line and may be from 1935/36. Does someone maybe know more or affirm this assumption? Is 875 the number of this model?

Don't have time to find my books, but the 875 is sort of the model # as it relates to the price $8.75. The white dot indicates it had the Lifetime Guarantee!

 

[Argee]

875 corresponds to a model but is not to be confused with an official model number. Your pen was made from about 1936 the early 40s. Its a full length narrow girth model balance, Mine is third from the left in this picture (one and two are oversized and standard, respectively). At least I'm pretty sure yours is the thinner version, what's the diameter of the pen and cap?

 

[Unlucky Berman]

13.7 cm long, the cap ca. 1.2 cm in diameter and the pen itself ca. 1 cm. So I think it is one of the thinner models. Thank you very much for the info.

 

[martinsantos]

Wonderful pens at this thread!

Love fountain pens - ever if my texts become a little dirty, as I'm left handed...

My everyday use pen is a Parker 51. Parker 61 is prettier, but its system of filling isn't so good.

 

[DeaconKC]

Neo, you can have Cross put a fine nib on the pen very reasonably. The Cross pens are rugged and reliable, I carry one almost daily for work.

 

[hottoddy]

As a lefty, I have never been able to comfortably use a fountain pen. My wrist tends to drag and smear the ink. I have played with a few 'lefty' fountains with the bent nib but found those worse - as they seem to anticipate the extreme hooked wrist style many lefties use. Any lefties like a particular fountain?

I do have a few MB rollerballs - with the LeGrand being my favorite for signatures (which I do a lot). But I tend to mostly use the nicer Uniballs with gel ink for daily work use.

-Todd

Ps. I did find some good lefty links on here after writing this, but I'm still sticking to rollerballs for now.

 

[John in Covina]

As a lefty, I have never been able to comfortably use a fountain pen. My wrist tends to drag and smear the ink. I have played with a few 'lefty' fountains with the bent nib but found those worse - as they seem to anticipate the extreme hooked wrist style many lefties use. Any lefties like a particular fountain? -Todd Ps. I did find some good lefty links on here after writing this, but I'm still sticking to rollerballs for now.

Here is some info with pictures of various lefty styles:
http://www.nibs.com/Left-hand writers.htm

 

[Unlucky Berman]

Finally I got a matching pencil, at least matching the style of the pen. I am not sure if it is the correct one to the pen model, because I have seen pencils with slightly differences in the clip.

 

[John in Covina]

http://lapenshow.com/
Sunday is the open to the public day to go and buy stuff.
LA Pen Show in 2011! As usual, the LA Pen Show will be held on President’s Day weekend. Be sure to keep February 17-20, 2011 on your pen show agenda so you can attend. In fact, because Monday, February 15th is President’s Day which is a holiday, you can extend your stay and see the sites of LA or simply elect to avoid the Sunday airline fares and return home on Monday. You might also extend your stay since the room rate in 2011 extends from February 16th through February 22nd. By extending your stay, you can see sites like Venice Beach and the Santa Monica pier. Both are just a few blocks from the Manhatten Beach Marriott. Venice Beach was ranked by ForbesTraveler.com as one of the top 10 American Boardwalks in the country to visit!

Based upon the responses we have received, we feel we are not only one of the largest pen shows in the world; but also one of the best promoted, best run, best organized and best attended pen shows in the world. In fact, we feel it’s both “The Pen Show You Can’t Afford to Miss,”™ and “The Show You Can’t Afford to Miss.”™

 

[fmw]

Thanks for the motivation. I think I'll dig out one of my Duofolds and fill it. I haven't used a fountain pen for a while. Oddly, I grew up using fountain pens - mostly cheap Esterbrooks. Even though the ball pen was invented in the 40's we didn't see the first Paper Mates until around 1952 in our area. I remember it well. It was a pretty big deal.

 

[John in Covina]

For many we consider Esterbrooks to be well built but inexspensve.
Wearevers - now those are considered cheap

 

[HeyMoe]

Recently I picked up a pack of disposable fountain pens (I know, sacrilegious) to see if using a fountain pen would be something that I enjoy or not. Turns out I haven't used any other writing implement in over 3 weeks. I suspect a quality vintage pen will be even better to write with.

I am looking for a 30's era fountain pen but am unsure what a good source would be for the pen or ink etc. Any suggestions?

 

[John in Covina]

I suspect a quality vintage pen will be even better to write with. I am looking for a 30's era fountain pen but am unsure what a good source would be for the pen or ink etc. Any suggestions?

Best place to start is to find out if there are any local clubs for fountain pen collectors.

Before you buy a vintage pen it is best to educate yourself and become familiar with grading and values.

Almost all modern ink has good reputations. See if you can get a hold of a copy of Pen World magazine for a list of pen stores and dealers. If you can travel you might visit one of the national pen shows on the East Coast. See if you can get a copy of the Pen Collectors of America magazine.

Online there are a number of big pen stores such as Swishers, the Fountain Pen Hospital, the Fountain Pen Shop, Joon and others. Some places have a variety of vintage pens for sale.

When you have a better idea as to condition etc. Ebay can be a source but as a beginner it is fraught with dangers. The major brands are Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, but look at Conklin, Wahl - Eversharp. Although you will mostly find the later models, an Esterbrook with the replaceable nib is really a good pen for the $.

Also there are a number of pens made today that are of classic design, easy to purchase and will have a warranty. I say don't get a Montblanc right away check out Pelikan instead. Pilot, Namiki, PLatinum.

 

[Shangas]

Hey...um...HeyMoe!

The 1910s-1950s/60s was really the Golden Age of the fountain pen. Most pens from big manufacturers made in (or purchased from) that time will be pretty damn good writers. I suggest companies such as Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer (for you, JohnIC), Conklin, Conway-Stewart, Wahl/Wahl-Eversharp and Mabie-Todd.

Iconic pens of the 1930s included the Parker Duofold, the Parker Vacumatic and the Sheaffer Balance, but being iconic, they are rather expensive. But almost any pen from the makers mentioned above, will be a good buy from the 1930s.

Read up on vintage pen websites (I shan't list them here, there's probably well over a dozen of them on the internet) and read up on looking after and buying vintage fountain pens. If you check my blog (see link, below) and click on the "Pens" category, I've written some guides and advice for stuff like this.

You needn't worry about ink. Any ink from a major fountain pen manufacturer (with the possible exception of Noodlers) should be perfectly safe to use.