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Silly curiosity, this. Cleaning my 88 from the 8o's sometime (first pen I ever bought) I see some really, really tiny figures at the bottom of the nib just before entering the section. I haven't found anything on these tiny markings, any ideas? From the top the nib reads 14k, 585, Aurora, that's all well and good, now here's the tricky bit, in an oval: a five pointed star, numeral 5, _space_ TO. They are so tiny I don't think I have anything that could provide a good photo. Now that I've spotted them, I can't let it go. Thanks kindly.

Can anyone help me identify these for my stepdad? They were bought at Staples in the late 80s or 90s. Top is plastic bodied, cartridge fill, bottom is gunmetal plated over steel, piston fill. I've managed to identify these as a Kultur (top) and a Maestro with a piston fill converter (bottom). I'm posting this on behalf of my stepfather, who would like to be able to use the Maestro but complains that it leaks when stored horizontally - from cleaning it out he seems to mean leaking into the cap. Does anyone have any experience with Maestros which might suggest why he's finding that? I've seen other threads speaking of internal cracks, but I can't find any info on how to (or indeed if I can) remove the nib and feed to examine its innards. Also the piston converter seems to be a friction fit thing, does it need a bit of brute force and ignorance to get it to seal well? Many thanks all.

http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/027dc5a5-680d-4d35-abdb-c831786df228_zps8d6b4c5f.jpg http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/8a5e9841-297e-4197-b159-5ed73e751804_zps1b300add.jpg http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/87d4afc7-4765-4e30-a381-3482bc4c4863_zpsb17feb33.jpg http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/8990b6d2-4068-4b2d-b3de-fd97cf059911_zps2cf3c107.jpg The nib can go from a fine to about a BB with minimal pressure. I don't normally write this way, but it is quite pretty when you take the time to do it. A 2013 m400 next to the earlier (1982-1990) m400. http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/DSCF0936_zpsed3ce440.jpg Older cap logo vs. modern. http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/DSCF0949_zps0978f0dc.jpg The pen on its own. http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/DSCF0956_zpsc63bef6a.jpg My flock of Pelikan nibs: Modern m400 B, vintage 140 OBB, m100 1.0 calligraphy and vintage m400 F. http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/DSCF0927_zps6a65d8c5.jpg

Hello pen experts, I picked up a Vector rollerball and what appears to be a Vector Mode fountain pen off the local antiques market this morning for £5 total (yay)- not a lot of info out there on the Mode apart from parkerpens.net, and I'm not totally clear on which Mode it is, if you see what I mean. http://25.media.tumblr.com/15f889fd74d9e81d6468d48ef10b3af7/tumblr_mvj8ll5Uxh1s06cxto1_1280.jpg Not in the best of shape, bless it. Anyway, the website talks about this finish being introduced as a rollerball and I was just curious about whether this is a Mode which IS a fountain pen, or whether it's been frankensteined, so to speak. Future versions of the Mode on the website are mentioned as either different finishes or under a different name, so I don't know if this is a later version or not. I just wanna know what I got here, haha. Not overly keen on the white rollerball, that one might get sold if there's a collector out there who wants a "well-loved" pen

Hi guys, first post here, so I hope I'm not doing something horribly wrong. I recently came to own a late-80s era Cross Century. I've spent a bit of time already; flushing the old ink, getting a convertor, making the convertor work, etc.. My issue now is that, while everything is visibly OK, the pen will only write after the (14k) nib is dipped in hot water, but only for ~30 letters before it seizes up again. Inks used so far are Noodler's Squeteague and Heart of Darkness, both of which work admirably in my Lamy and Platinum pens. I've attached a photo (at ridiculous resolution) in case the defect is immediately visible.http://i.imgur.com/XAYyjWG.jpg