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I would like to know where to repair or adjust a plunger filler from a vintage ONOTO Magna 1876 from the 1940s (all plunger fillers are the same, just vary its diameter, I just wanted to specify that is a post-war Onoto Magna 1876). Thank you in advance for your answers.

This is the catch from yesterday's pen show in Tilburg, NL. I'm not knowledgeable about vintage pens, so some help would be welcome. Ignoring the Sheaffer PFM for the moment, I found what is supposed to be a ca. 1938 Onoto 5601 in green marble with a 14k #3 Standard nib. Very nice pen, writes extremely well. I put J. Herbin Lierre Sauvage in it - great match! The other pen, which was bought by my son, is a very, very beautiful De La Rue / Onoto lever filler in brown-flaked marble. Exact model and year of manufacture as yet unknown. Any corrections and additional info are welcome! Thanks!

As I never seem to have much luck on the repair board, hopefully I can find an Onoto-experienced eye here. Snagged a small group of pens from a "If it's in a Parker box it's a Parker" seller, but instead of a Platignum or whathaveyou in the box, somewhat to my trepidation find myself the owner of a De La Rue "Onoto the Pen" with the model number 3050 imprinted on the blind cap. Well I never expected one of these to swim into my ken, so I've perforce been taking a crash course in these pens and established what I need to do to, hopefully, get it working. Despite a copy of Pen Repair, various threads and articles, I have a couple of queries I hope someone could help me with. Viz: a. The plunger rod is not entirely straight; it's not wildly bent, but it is slightly off. Is this going to be a problem? b. Despite Custom Pen Parts efforts, I'm not absolutely sure what this pen counts as in their identification table. Tend to assume "Standard", but the barrel length is a bit off, however I don't know how variable those can be. I've tried to find information on understanding Onoto model numbers and approach it from that angle, but no dice. Which size washer does this 3050 need? Any other tips, pointers, information on this pen, all very gratefully received. Thank you muchly. I wouldn't say I'm out of my depth here, but I'm having to paddle pretty vigorously! Cheers, Al

Recently, I came upon some photos of Onotos formerly owned by Ernest Shackleton. It seems they have not been shared on FPN before, so here they are: The first one is from a Christie's auction in 2012 (picture can be magnified by clicking on it) : https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5605380 The second one, which looks so similar to the one above that it may be the same pen, is pictured in an online exhibit made by the Osher Map Library of the University of Southern Maine. Scroll down to item no. 67 on this page and you'll see it (picture can be magnified by clicking it) : https://oshermaps.org/exhibitions/to-the-ends-of-the-earth/section-7 If the pens above are one and the same, I wonder if it is currently in the collection of the Osher Library. (Any FPN folks work there, perchance?) In any case, here is a third one, obviously not the same pen as the above, with much more barrel wear but less discolouration. This photo is from an earlier Christie's auction in 2001. Unfortunately, the photo of this pen is lower resolution than those above. Moreover, the imprint is worn down and quite hard to read on this one: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-2778060 All of the pens are engraved on a barrel band with Shackleton's initials and the year 1921. It seems he must have obtained them shortly before embarking on his final expedition; perhaps he even carried them aboard the Quest. Now, both (or all three?) of them are typical 1920s hard rubber Onotos in most respects - the shapes of the sections, caps, and plunger knobs; the chasing pattern; the absence of an over-under feed. But interestingly, they all bear this style of imprint: "ONOTO" PATENT SELF FILLING PEN DE LA RUE, LONDON The imprint on the last pen is so worn that I can't tell for sure that it isn't the "Onoto THE Pen" type of imprint instead, but based on what I can see, and word placement etc., it seems reasonable to say that it was most likely the same "patent self filling pen" imprint. I've always assumed the "patent self filling" imprint was early; certainly by 1921 I would have expected to see "Onoto THE Pen" imprints, especially on pens with the newer design of section/cap/filler knob. Clearly my assumption was wrong. That said, I don't have Steve Hull's Onoto book, so I don't know what the best of current knowledge is regarding when the imprint change happened. (Does the book say anything about when the redesigns and imprint changes happened for N and O model Onotos?) In any case, these are pens that accompanied the great explorer in his last adventures. It is heartening to see them preserved till the present day in such a fine condition.

I am waiting to receive a De La Rue Junior Pen with a warranted 14k no 22 fine nib. Are there any Da La Rue owners among the fpn community? What can I expect from this pen in terms of writing characteristics and build quality?

I have two problems with the De La Rue Onoto plunger fillers and would like to know how you handle these. 1) Because the rod shuts of ink supply to the nib the ink is drying up at the nib and it takes a while until the pen writes again. This happens with the pre-Great War pens and also a between wars celluloid pen. Do you have also this problem? How do you handle it? 2) It is not advised to use the plunger mechanism when the pen is filled because of the rod seal. With the pre-Great War pens I can unscrew the section and remove the liquid that weay. The section at the celluloid pen is not easily unsrewed. How do you clean the pens? Cepasaccus

Hello to All, I am new to this forum. I have one of my vintage onoto delarue pen that has the plunger at the back that opens only about 8mm...it feels stuck....this is the self filling type. Now the pen is very old, should be around 1920's......I suspect that old dried ink is inside. What can be done so that I can repair it? I can fell it is hitting something. (1) Can I throw some surgical spirit or alcohol inside so maybe it will dissolve the ink? will this cause damage? (2) How does this pen open up? I really dont want to induce any damage or marks...the pen is in very good condition, still has the box with the original papers, no wear on the body...etc.... Here are some picture.... Any help and ideas appreciated. Thanks. Dam.