Parker VP pens

[mitto]

I agree that most pens are 51s or are trying to be 51s but no, the pens shown here are not "51"s.

 

Why is knowing a VP filler 51 exists is a good question.

 

The 51 is not a perfect pen. The 51 suffers from a flooded collector when filling. Parker tried all sorts of different methods to clear the collector at the end of the filling cycle. Since the VP style filler is removed for filling the flooded collector problem in theory is solved.

 

The VP style filler is fragile with the long sipper at the front. If we think about it why would Parker make a design that looks prone to breaking and then make it from one of the most brittle materials available. The answer is of course Sheaffer's Snorkel. Sheaffer's Snorkel was a big competitor of the 51 which was both more expensive and by comparison, messy to fill. The 'Snorkel like' VP filler solved the messy filling issue.

So it was a business driven decision to make the VP pen with no regard, whatsoever, for the comfort of the end users of the product as well the long term credibility of the company. Seems so unparkerly to me.

[FarmBoy]

So it was a business driven decision to make the VP pen with no regard, whatsoever, for the comfort of the end users of the product as well the long term credibility of the company. Seems so unparkerly to me.

You will need to explain this to me. I do not follow your line of reasoning based on what I wrote.

[mitto]

What i meant to say was why would Parker care to soliving one issue - the messy filling issue of the 51 - and create another bigger one - the prone to breaking VP filler ? Just to compete with Sheaffer's Snorkel filling system?

[Ron Z]

I don't think it was an attempt to compete with the snorkel. It was an attempt to deal with the decades old problem of having to wipe off the nib after filling. Yes, the snorkel was one way of dealing with it, but also tried with the dip-tip nibs (which Esterbrook copied) and the capillary system of the Parker 61. The ultimate answer was of course the cartridge, which many of us gleefully defeat by using a converter, going back to the original filling system.

 

I'm not sure that Parker was aware of the problem with the plastic of the VP filler when they released the pen. You would think that they would know what customers could do to a pen after 70 years, but then again, maybe they didn't know that the plastic was THAT brittle. What was stupid was using shellac to secure the fillers in the section in later pens.

 

Susan Wirth has a series of pens that came out of the model shop that shows the evolution of the pen from the VP through the 65 to the 75, with intermediate steps.

[mitto]

Yes, that must be the case. Parker ostensibly didn't know the plastic used was so brittle. But then again one wonders why they used the cheap plastic material in the high end Parker 61s, the mkiii 51s and even the later special edition 51s.

[FarmBoy]

Yes, that must be the case. Parker ostensibly didn't know the plastic used was so brittle. But then again one wonders why they used the cheap plastic material in the high end Parker 61s, the mkiii 51s and even the later special edition 51s.

Cost

 

I have seen the development pens in the archive that show Parker was actively trying to lower costs to compete.

 

Why Parker ever made the SE is a good question.

[mitto]

Do you think that strategy yielded the desired results (or did it do quite the opposite) ?

[Tom Heath]

Your were quite lucky to have been able to remove this delicate filling system with breaking it Not to mention you probably do not have a spare...

 

A good rule it is not broken do not MESS WITH IT.. I have quite a few VP"S in all mode of condition , I much prefer them working

and plastic in tact

 

Enjoy your pen ( s)

 

 

Happy New Year

[mitto]

Your were quite lucky to have been able to remove this delicate filling system with breaking it Not to mention you probably do not have a spare...

 

A good rule it is not broken do not MESS WITH IT.. I have quite a few VP"S in all mode of condition , I much prefer them working

and plastic in tact

 

Enjoy your pen ( s)

 

 

Happy New Year

It was NOS. Never been used. Clear sac. Boxed. So the filler came out pretty easy. And I, too, have not inked it as yet.

[seattlec257]

I've just purchased a black Parker VP which appears to have never been used and is in mint condition. I think I'd like to use it, and will follow advice (from Ron Zorn) to not remove the filler section, but rather just dip the nib in ink and then squeeze the filler.

 

Here are my questions:

 

Is there a way to tell which year the pen was made, other than the couple years' range of manufacture?

 

Where can I find an upload scan/pdf of the owner's manual/leaflet for this pen? I'd like to read it as I may want to find and purchase a 2nd nib.

 

Thanks!

[Ron Z]

If you do break the filler, I still make the replacement front ends. I've been making them for years now, use them in my own VP pens, and they're holding up well.

[seattlec257]

If you do break the filler, I still make the replacement front ends. I've been making them for years now, use them in my own VP pens, and they're holding up well.

 

Good to know, thank you!

[mikerph]

I have a Vp set, the lead pencil has matching finger grip grooves just above the metal piece that protects the lead, Ive only seen this one pencil in all these years. I understand that the VP was only made a short time because the filling system was prone to breakage and was not shared with any other pen.