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So, it was a hot summer's day here in the southern hemisphere of the world, and in a flea market a young fountain pen enthusiast saw what seemed to be a dusty leather cup (you know, the ones you use to play with dices?) with about five vintage pens (it was some days ago, so I don't remember the exact number). Among these pens there was a Parker 51, a Shaeffer PFM (in a poor condition), and what appeared to be in the eyes of this inexperienced young one a vintage Waterman. No more story mode. I asked the vendor if I could see what was in there and to my delight/horror I pulled out an upside down Waterman with no cap from the leather cup. One tine was broken and missing, while the other was completely bent forming a U around the feed (wich seemed ok), but it was there in one piece. The sac was carbonized and the lever was full of rust. By the size of the body (wich was grey, but that may be different after cleaning) I would say that it was and oversized pen, and the nib was to die for: long tines, low shoulders, paper thin 14k gold, heart shaped breather hole, and the "Waterman Ideal's" words in an arch (I don't quite remember the number. Could it be 8?). It was really something new for me. I had never even held or seen a vintage pen before. I knew they were suposed to be very light as compared to what a fountain pen tends be in terms of weight now, but to hold one of these was a surprise. The guy wanted about US$25 for it. It's still there. So, all kinds of opinions, advices, ramblings, etc. accepted. Will provide you some pics when possible, wich would be the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.

I like Parkers, mine are very reliable and well behaved, but I only have the cheapest ones as everyday carries. However, I've spotted a Parker Sonnet with a broken nib on ebay that I'm wondering about bidding on. One tine has snapped off just below the tipping but, other than that, the pen looks like new (perhaps someone bought it and broke it very quickly by trying to use it like a biro ). If I can get it cheaply, is it feasible, as a total novice (I've done the occasional bit of smoothing, but that's all) to snip off the end of the other tine and use abrasives to give the nib an untipped italic end that would last me a year or two? Or is this more complicated than I think? So far, the pen is up for 99p and has no bidders, with a day and a half to go, so if it still has no bidders by tomorrow morning, I'll probably see if I can get it cheaply. I could get a brand new Sonnet for very little more than I could get a new gold-plated nib for this one, so if regrinding this is something a ham-handed first-timer is likely to make a mess of, I'd be better passing it up. I suppose I could snip the tips off one or two of my ultra-cheap pens and try regrinding them first...? This could all be academic, if the pen gets a few bids in the next 24 hours, of course. I won't buy it if I have to pay more than about £10. More money than that would be better put towards getting a decent pen that works straight out of the box. For instance, when I priced new Sonnets and nibs I found a smart-looking stainless steel bodied Sonnet, brand new, for just over £40, so I don't see the point in spending more than about 25% of that on a broken one).