Identifying A Parker 45 Nib

[RhodiumPlated]

Hello all,

 

Having recently inherited a Parker 45, I would like to learn more about this workhorse, still going strong after many years of neglect and abuse. It has a remarkably flexible nib and has quickly become a favourite of mine against all odds. Yet, being mostly used to new pens, I find it unsettling to write with an instrument I know so little about.

 

Mine sports a black body with a gold filled (?) striped cap. It says "Made in France" on the cap along with a tiny "PP" symbol in a square but the barrel itself has no markings or identifier. The nib is brassy in colour and sports an "F" underneath, which I assume stands for Fine, but bears no other marks.

 

Do you know where I could learn more about the materials of this pen, including the nib? I realise Parker 45s are lower-end models, but they come in so many varieties that pinpointing an alloy or a material appears to be something of a challenge.

 

Any pointers would be most appreciated…

 

— RP

Edited November 26, 2010 by RhodiumPlated

[nxn96]

Try Parkerpen.net, Tony's website that documents the history of many Parker lines. Although the 45 started out as a school pen, the success of its cartridge/converter system, plus the general move from fountain pens to ballpoints, caused Parker to create a number of different versions of the pen to fit most any market. The higher-end metal pens were quite elegant, and the interchangeable nibs allowed for an easy customization.

 

I've read of both a 10k and 14k gold nib available for the 45 in addition to the basic steel nib, and given your description of the nib color as "brassy" I wonder if what you describe isn't one of the 10k variety.

[RhodiumPlated]

Thank you for the comments, they are most appreciates! Do you know if there are any differences between the nibs apart from colour variations to facilitate identification?

 

I had not heard of the existence of these two gold nib variants, which is very interesting.

 

— RP

[mstone]

if it's not labeled as gold (e.g., "14k"), it's probably gold plated steel

[RhodiumPlated]

if it's not labeled as gold (e.g., "14k"), it's probably gold plated steel

 

Thank you, this is indeed very plausible… No "gold" markings on this one so that seems to settle it.

[knitknitfrog]

We have 3 45's, two with 14k gold nibs, one with Steel. the only way to see the Nib Markings is to remove the nib, a relatively Simple operation. At the and of the Section is a small Plastic piece which looks like an open birds beak. this unscrews easily, in the usual anticlockwise direction. the complete feed and nib is removed from the Pen. when you undo this beak like protrusion the Nib and feed can be carefully pushed out of the small beak like piece (Sorry I know not what it is called").

then you can easily read the Nib descriptor, with the aid of a mag-glass. Note often it says 585 which is 58.5% gold i.e. 14k gold, a French descriptor. Mine Say 14k and 585.

hope this helps. I am new at this.

Stella.

[Jerome Tarshis]

Before assuming that the nib isn't gold, one must take apart the nib and feed assembly and look at the entire nib. The visible part of the nib when the pen is in use doesn't have any markings at all. The marking that specifies width, F or M or B, or a few others, is not on the nib itself but on its plastic collar. My 45 TX was sold to me as having a 14K nib, which I believe, but I haven't taken the nib assembly apart. (The seller was a man of excellent reputation and the tipping material is of contrasting color, as it might not be if the nib were gold-plated.)

 

They can be quite good writers, regardless of the nib material. Welcome to the club.

[RhodiumPlated]

We have 3 45's, two with 14k gold nibs, one with Steel. the only way to see the Nib Markings is to remove the nib, a relatively Simple operation.

 

Thank you, Stella, for the detailed instructions. Since I have been using Noodle's Heart of Blackness in this pen, and have never really flushed it (I know, my bad!), I took the time to entirely disassemble it today and sonicate it delicately. The various components are now slowly air-drying, and it seems a lot of ink was trapped into places I never knew ink could get trapped into!

 

In this particular instance, the nib has engraved: 750M at its base. I assume this means 750/1000 a.k.a. 18K gold?

Edited November 30, 2010 by RhodiumPlated

[streeton]

We have 3 45's, two with 14k gold nibs, one with Steel. the only way to see the Nib Markings is to remove the nib, a relatively Simple operation.

 

Thank you, Stella, for the detailed instructions. Since I have been using Noodle's Heart of Blackness in this pen, and have never really flushed it (I know, my bad!), I took the time to entirely disassemble it today and sonicate it delicately. The various components are now slowly air-drying, and it seems a lot of ink was trapped into places I never knew ink could get trapped into!

 

In this particular instance, the nib has engraved: 750M at its base. I assume this means 750/1000 a.k.a. 18K gold?

 

Thats a new one on me - a Parker 45 with 18K nib ... BUT as you said the pen is Made in France, that explains the 18K nib as that is the French minimum standard for gold hallmarking (I think???).

Edited November 30, 2010 by streeton

[RhodiumPlated]

Thats a new one on me – a Parker 45 with 18K nib… But as you said the pen is Made in France, that explains the 18K nib as that is the French minimum standard for gold hallmarking (I think?).

You are very right. France does indeed traditionally distinguish between « gold » (18K) and « gold alloys » (anything less). However, I do not know whether this distinction still holds from a legal standpoint — which is technically irrelevant in this discussion, but interesting from a marketing and reselling perspective. I can confirm the pen was Made in France, and I expect market variations are unavoidable especially since the amount of gold in the nib may have had tax consequences for Parker at the time.

 

This being said, may I ask what surprises you? The fact the nib is gold or precisely 18K gold? « Should » it be something else?

Edited November 30, 2010 by RhodiumPlated

[welch]

I'm surprised that the pen has 18KT gold, but, as mentioned, France does not accept 14KT as gold-enough. Most P45 gold nibs are 14KT or 10KT.

 

By the way, the 45 was a great pen. So well designed that Parker made them from 1960 through about 2006 or 2007. One of the first modular pens: you can (and you did) unscrew the nib, unscrew the section from the barrel, pull the converter. All the components were interchangeable (mostly...Parker might have changed dimensions slightly). As long as you have the tines aligned, it's a great writer.

 

So popular that Parker made expensive versions with fancy material. So effective that Parker used the design ideas in their high-end Parker 75, and later pens. Read Tony F's "Parker Pens.net" site about the Parker 51 and 61; then read about the 45 and 75 to see the changed thinking.

[RhodiumPlated]

I'm surprised that the pen has 18KT gold, but, as mentioned, France does not accept 14KT as gold-enough. Most P45 gold nibs are 14KT or 10KT.

This is interesting… Maybe I read the inscription wrong, though. If Parker was in the habit of using 14KT nibs (or less), is it plausible for them to create a special range for the French market? I confess such considerations are beyond my nascent understanding of the pen industry…

 

By the way, the 45 was a great pen. […] As long as you have the tines aligned, it's a great writer.

I could not agree more… This is the pen that brought me back to Parker: after picking it out from a box of unused and clogged-up pens and inking it quickly, it wrote as smoothly as my then favourite Waterman Expert. Obviously it says more about my luck and the previous owner's good ink than it does about the pen itself but I felt any instrument capable of such a feat was worth a second look. Turns out I also gave it a third and a fourth.

 

So popular that Parker made expensive versions with fancy material. So effective that Parker used the design ideas in their high-end Parker 75, and later pens. Read Tony F's "Parker Pens.net" site about the Parker 51 and 61; then read about the 45 and 75 to see the changed thinking.

Mine appears to be a "middle of the road" model: gold filled cap and apparently gold nib but run-of-the-mill black plastic body one would not look at twice. Kind of an interesting mix, really. (Not that it's special or anything…)

 

Read Tony F's "Parker Pens.net" site about the Parker 51 and 61; then read about the 45 and 75 to see the changed thinking.

Thank you for the recommendation, I will!

[streeton]

I'm surprised that the pen has 18KT gold, but, as mentioned, France does not accept 14KT as gold-enough. Most P45 gold nibs are 14KT or 10KT.

This is interesting… Maybe I read the inscription wrong, though. If Parker was in the habit of using 14KT nibs (or less), is it plausible for them to create a special range for the French market? I confess such considerations are beyond my nascent understanding of the pen industry…

 

By the way, the 45 was a great pen. […] As long as you have the tines aligned, it's a great writer.

I could not agree more… This is the pen that brought me back to Parker: after picking it out from a box of unused and clogged-up pens and inking it quickly, it wrote as smoothly as my then favourite Waterman Expert. Obviously it says more about my luck and the previous owner's good ink than it does about the pen itself but I felt any instrument capable of such a feat was worth a second look. Turns out I also gave it a third and a fourth.

 

So popular that Parker made expensive versions with fancy material. So effective that Parker used the design ideas in their high-end Parker 75, and later pens. Read Tony F's "Parker Pens.net" site about the Parker 51 and 61; then read about the 45 and 75 to see the changed thinking.

Mine appears to be a "middle of the road" model: gold filled cap and apparently gold nib but run-of-the-mill black plastic body one would not look at twice. Kind of an interesting mix, really. (Not that it's special or anything…)

 

Read Tony F's "Parker Pens.net" site about the Parker 51 and 61; then read about the 45 and 75 to see the changed thinking.

Thank you for the recommendation, I will!

 

My surprise is as per Welch thinking about 14k and 10k nibs only but then I explained why I shouldn't have been surprised - Made in France. I have a thought that as Parker needed to use 18k in France then they also used a higher model cap to match. You mention "gold filled" but are there gold markings on the cap such as 1/10 of 16k G/F if USA or Rolled Gold if English (Not sure about France). Parker to my knowledge have always engraved their pens with such gold markings if they are gold filled, otherwise it would be merely gold plated.

[RhodiumPlated]

Parker to my knowledge have always engraved their pens with such gold markings if they are gold filled, otherwise it would be merely gold plated.

The cap itself is engraved and bears the mention « Gold filled » along with the Parker name, arrow logo and a few other marks I have not yet been able to read. I shamefully confess I would not have noticed the difference with a gold plated cap otherwise…

[streeton]

Parker to my knowledge have always engraved their pens with such gold markings if they are gold filled, otherwise it would be merely gold plated.

The cap itself is engraved and bears the mention « Gold filled » along with the Parker name, arrow logo and a few other marks I have not yet been able to read. I shamefully confess I would not have noticed the difference with a gold plated cap otherwise…

 

I also would not know the difference visually although the Gold Filled pens I own tend to have a richer yellow color to them compared to gold plated pens. The main difference is in the longevity of the materials as I understand.

 

Your thread has been very enlightening regarding French made Parker 45's and I for one would like to find out more and perhaps even acquire one. Ebay being my only outlet though, I don't recall seeing too many, if any, French 45's, but because of this thread will now keep a fresh eye out for them on Ebay.

[RhodiumPlated]

I also would not know the difference visually although the Gold Filled pens I own tend to have a richer yellow color to them compared to gold plated pens. The main difference is in the longevity of the materials as I understand.

Definitely! I own a couple of plated pens from reputable brands that have started to degrade after a few years of regular use. Caps are always the first to go, with a mottled or dulled appearance and damage spreads quickly. Of course, I may have subjected these pens to aggressive cleaning in my wayward youth so it would be remiss of me to put the blame on the manufacturers.

 

Your thread has been very enlightening regarding French made Parker 45's and I for one would like to find out more and perhaps even acquire one. eBay being my only outlet though, I don't recall seeing too many, if any, French 45's, but because of this thread will now keep a fresh eye out for them on eBay.

I am glad you found the case of interest. I am afraid I have no further information on the pen or the best way to obtain French-made Parker 45s but I would assume the French eBay would be a good place to start, if only because families are regularly unloading school pens…

[RhodiumPlated]

I notice the thread has been moved. Apologies to the moderators for posting in the wrong forum initially.

Edited November 30, 2010 by RhodiumPlated