Pioneer

[ToasterPastry]

Pioneer

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Pioneer_pen3.jpg

 

Introduction While many are resigned to showing their expensive treasure recently purchased at a writing instrument boutique, there are those of us that like to proudly brag in being the ‘sumgai’ that picked up that pen worth hundreds-of-dollars for less than a few cents. Here represents the latter category: literally a pen found in a junk box. No, it’s certainly not worth hundreds-of-dollars, but it writes much better than many that do.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Pioneer_pen6.jpg

 

Material: Wrapped striated celluloid

 

Color: Black, pearl and gray (with greenish-cast) in barber-pole stripes

 

Model: The Pioneer pen was a higher-level third-tier pen made by Wearever (David Kahn, Inc.) of North Bergen, NJ. To keep costs down, David Kahn’s company never imprinted the barrels.

 

Date of production: Early 1930s

 

Fill mechanism: Lever fill with rubber sac.

 

Dimensions: Length: 12.8 cm (5”) closed; Cap 5.7 cm (2-1/4”); posted 15 cm (5-7/8”). Width 10 mm (3/8”).

 

Nib: The original pen had a steel nib that I discarded. I found a “Warranted” 14K gold nib with a heart-shaped hole from another pen, and had it mounted onto this pen.

 

Price: This pen was literally free. Two months ago, I was at Ron Meloche’s San Diego pen shop. He said, anything I could find in his junk box was mine. Naturally, there were no perfect pens. There was, however, this beautiful Pioneer pen with missing cap ring and steel nib. Similarly, there was this ugly gray plastic pen with a beautiful 14K gold nib. I decided to create my own ‘Frankenpen’ from the parts. I felt so bad about creating this masterpiece from Ron’s junk box, that I consented to give Ron $20 for restoring the pen.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Pioneer_pen4.jpg

 

Cap: Screw-on cap, missing cap-ring.

 

History: David Kahn was a Jewish emigrant from Russia who came to the United States in the late 1800s. His early occupation as jeweler and engraver led to producing pencils and eventually fountain pens to sell and compete at the economy end of the market. His company’s first product was named Wearever. The first fountain pens were produced just before World War I in North Bergen, New Jersey. Wearever developed an injection molding process to create inexpensive plastic pens. These pens were designed to copy the higher end pens, like the Parker Duofolds, both in shape and color, but not necessarily in performance. Most Wearever pens sported cheaper steel nibs. But this strategy didn’t hamper sales. The pen was designed to sell to the masses at drugstore cash-register counters, not in individual boxes in department stores or fountain pen boutiques. Nonetheless, Wearever sold more red-plastic flat top pens than Parker, the company that introduced the big red pen. As a secondary line, Kahn produced the Pioneer pen in the 1920s as a somewhat higher quality pen. This particular brand featured gold-plated or gold nibs. My model did not, though. The initials “DK” for David Kahn can be seen on the clips. Like many other Pioneer and Wearever pens, the celluloid is quite attractive, although the trim and nibs were of cheaper quality. By the early 1940s, Kahn and his sons produced some higher quality pens under the names Zenith and Pacemaker. By the 1950s, Wearever was the most successful pen company in the United States. The Wearever brand was eventually sold to Dixon Pencil in the 1980s. While the quality, fit and finish of the pen has a longstanding poor reputation among collectors, Wearever did produce some well-made pens, especially in the 1940s. Nonetheless, even I must admit to have turned up my nose at an attractive Wearever or two.

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Pioneer_pen1.jpg

 

Writing Performance:

 

The characteristic of the nib on paper is based not only on the design and material of the nib, but also the paper, the ink, the restoration of the nib, and just blind luck. The gold nib was found in a junk box, and added to the pen. It is not part of the original stock. I just happened to pick out of the finest “Warranted 14K” nibs I have ever encountered. Without a doubt this pen is one of my top 10 favorite writers. It has wonderful semi-flex that adds character to my handwriting.

 

Fit and Finish:

 

After close inspection, there is no mistaking this pen for a higher-end Sheaffer, Wahl, Conklin or Parker made during the same time period. The celluloid is not machined from rod stock, but is created from sheets and then wrapped to form a tube. No seam-line is visible, though. Plastic end-caps are added to seal off the ends in an attractive fashion. This pen is a bit lighter and thinner than its higher-end counterpart. Many Pioneers and Wearever used thinner celluloid; thus these pens are prone to warp. The furniture (metalwork) on Pioneer pens was generally unremarkable. This one originally featured a rather large cap-ring (1/4” in width and ½” in diameter) that was ornate but also quite gaudy, judging by pictures of its brethren. I have not been able to find a suitable replacement. I could have a jeweler produce a new ring, but I’m trying to keep the pen as inexpensive as possible on purpose.

 

Conclusion:

 

I illustrate this pen as a case-in-point. This pen was not discovered at a flea-market or garage sale. Its pieces were discovered inside a well picked-through junk box of old fountain pen parts that was handed to me by another collector. Once the parts were assembled and the pen was restored, I demonstrated this fountain pen by filling it with Diamine Washable Blue. Another collector immediately offered to pay $65 for this pen. If I were to fashion a nice cap-ring, I wouldn’t have any guilt in selling this pen for $150. Its finish is strikingly unique. Furthermore it writes and handles better than pens offered at several times the price. Wearever and its sub-brands may be maligned by the collecting public. Yet these pens make excellent writers, especially you mate it with a fine gold nib.

 

Source: Don Fluckinger, “Taking a Second Look at Wearever Pens,” at Richard Binder, Fountain Pens. Accession Date: March 2004. http://www.richardspens.com

 

http://weareverpens.com

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/Pioneer_pen2.jpg

 

[MYU]

Thanks for this fascinating review about an unheard of pen, TP. What a beautiful design! I've seen striated celluloid before, but never "twisted" quite like this (Visconti did their own form of twisting with other materials). I think it's great to take an old pen and give it new life, over spending money on a brand new pen. Nicely done!

[brianw06]

I concur , some of the sweetest writers are vintage with new life breathed into them. Kudo's to you

[ttakacs]

Yesterday afternoon I found this same pen in an antique store and bought it with a lot of four other pens for a total of $12. (Two of those pens are Esterbrook J and Esterbrook LJ in perfect working order, so I already got my money's worth!)

 

My Pioneer needs to be re-sacked and lacks the lever. It does have the original David Kahn nib and the three narrow cap bands, which I believe are rather handsome. I will post pics later.

 

Tim

[jonro]

Thanks for the review. Third tier pens do deserve some respect and Wearever produced some real winners at very attractive prices. We tend to focus on the high end pens, but there were a lot of second and third tier pens that are an important part of the history of fountain pens that we should not ignore.

[Univer]

Hi,

 

Thank you for a terrific review of a very attractive pen - how nice that it has a new lease on life!

 

I agree with jonro: Wearever turned out some truly excellent writers - even without the benefit of nib surgery. In fact, I have actually performed several reverse nib transplants, successfully fitting orphaned steel Wearever nibs to other no-name pens. While a steel Wearever nib in good condition can be a competent writer, the framed stainless-and-14K version is superb; in good condition, a framed Wearever nib can equal or surpass many costlier competitors.)

 

As regards barrel imprints: am I right in understanding that it's the Wearever sibling brands that never received barrel imprints? Many of my "main-line" Wearevers' barrels are imprinted. (That's not to say that they were more carefully made; I have one lovely Wearever whose lever slot is cut right through the middle of the imprint.)

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

[ttakacs]

Here are photos of my Pioneer, for which I paid two dollars at an antique store.

 

 

 

 

The pen is missing its lever, but filling is as easy as inserting a nickel in the slot and depressing the pressure bar.

 

The nib is marked "14k David Kahn Inc." The hood over the nib section is visible. You can also see how the nib curves to the left. I am not sure whether the nib is made that way or it has been damaged. To these eyes, however, the curve seems too graceful to have been the result of damage.

 

How does it write? This is a broad, very flexible nib with heavy ink flow.

[ToasterPastry]

Thanks for posting this photo. I had read that David Kahn's company had welded a gold nib to a steel frame in order to keep the costs of production down.

[rahulg]

uber cool!

[pen2paper]

Here are photos of my Pioneer, for which I paid two dollars at an antique store.

 

 

 

 

The pen is missing its lever, but filling is as easy as inserting a nickel in the slot and depressing the pressure bar.

 

The nib is marked "14k David Kahn Inc." The hood over the nib section is visible. You can also see how the nib curves to the left. I am not sure whether the nib is made that way or it has been damaged. To these eyes, however, the curve seems too graceful to have been the result of damage.

 

How does it write? This is a broad, very flexible nib with heavy ink flow.

don't know how I missed seeing this post..very cool pen.

wonder how hard it will be to find an original lever??

wonder if the nib was 'tuned' for the specific use of the original owner? Perhaps a left handed overwriter?

[Erad67]

On 8/16/2009 at 6:14 AM, ttakacs said:

Here are photos of my Pioneer, for which I paid two dollars at an antique store.

 

 

 

 

The pen is missing its lever, but filling is as easy as inserting a nickel in the slot and depressing the pressure bar.

 

The nib is marked "14k David Kahn Inc." The hood over the nib section is visible. You can also see how the nib curves to the left. I am not sure whether the nib is made that way or it has been damaged. To these eyes, however, the curve seems too graceful to have been the result of damage.

 

How does it write? This is a broad, very flexible nib with heavy ink flow.

I have a Pioneer that's pretty much the same, but the nib is a little different.  Mine has the level and I just had the ink sac replaced by a 97 year old guy in Japan.