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I happened across this late model Parker 61 and ended up paying $32 for it. It was in great condition cosmetically, but upon filling it, I found that it leaked ink everywhere. The ink was pouring out of the bottom of the spring-bar converter, even though it seemed like it was seated fine. But let me back up for a second: for those unfamiliar (myself included), the 61 mark 3 was released in 1969 without the infamous capillary filler. Instead, it shipped with a system which was cartridge / converter, like the 45. So this pen is actually all original, and was made in England sometime between 1969 and 1983(!). Richard's Pens and the Parker Pens Penography have more information. Getting the pen apart was difficult but not overly so. I soaked the thing in water for four or five hours, and kept trying carefully to loosen it. The only sticky wicket was getting the feed / nib unit out of the hood section. I just kept trying to unscrew it gently and finally it came out. The inside of the hood was a mess, so I spent some time cleaning. In any case, the long and the short of it is that the connector was cracked. Apparently, Parker replaced the connector (which had been metal in the mk1 & mk2) with plastic, and it's known to crack. And so, without further delay, here's the offending part: http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_02.jpg This is where it fits in: http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_03.jpg And this is the full disassembly: http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_01.jpg I wasn't really sure what to do with this pen, now that I'd found the problem. So, To The Web, Batman! After a lot of Googling, I turned up a place called "Custom Pen Parts" in England. To my absolute delight and surprise, they make a replacement for this IN BRASS! And, it was $12! The folks who run the place are incredibly helpful, and "Roger" dispatched the part right away. As soon as it arrived, I rebuilt the pen. The new connector was a perfect fit. http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_04.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_05.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_06.jpg (gotta watch out to get that trim ring put back the right way) http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_07.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_08.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_09.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_10.jpg It's really quite good looking. I filled it up with Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo because it's almost an exact match. Unfortunately (and as Richard Binder mentions in his Parker 61 write-up linked above), the pen is quite fine and writes dry. It's not horrible, but definitely not to my taste. I wouldn't call it scratchy... it's still a decent pen, but I'll probably have it tuned (yes I wrote the wrong ink color here). http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_12.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_11.jpg Just for reference, here's the mk3 compared to the mk2. The differences are nominal, save the filling system. You can see the hoods are a bit different, and apparently the cap is different on the inside, but it's nothing I can really tell. http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_13.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_14.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_15.jpg http://www.suramar.org/fpn/parker61-mk3_16.jpg In any case, I guess my summary is, yay for Custom Pen Parts! But also, I personally am quite a fan of the Parker 61. I understand people's complaints about the capillary system... but I'm not as bothered by it as others are. I think it changes the way you use a pen, and I certainly wouldn't want all my pens to work that way, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Parker 61s can be had for a song and a dance. They seem to be more popular in England then they are elsewhere, so I've had good luck finding replacement parts too. I personally think the 61 is an undervalued pen.

Hello All, A couple of years back, I bought my wife a Parker Latitude as a birthday gift. We filled it with some Quink but never really used it. I, myself, have used a Parker 61 as my daily writer for a couple of years and recently thought about getting the Latitude up and running. I cleaned it out and filled it with some Quink. But I've noticed some things that I'd like some feedback/input on. 1. When writing, the nib on the paper feels "rough." B comparison, my 61 is silky smooth. So, will this new pen get "smoother" the longer it's used? 2. The nib dries out overnight. If I shake the pen, there is a rattle heard in the pen (kind of like a shake paint ca) which I assume is supposed to get the ink "moving". After a few minutes of shaking and touching the nib to the paper for a few seconds (and repeat), eventually, the ink starts flowing and the rough writng resumes. Is this normal? (Again comparing with my 61), the 61 starts writing as soon as I remove the cap. Anyway, your thoughts are appreciated.