Parker 45 Review

[matteob]

Actually I take it all back as I was writing from past memory. I got a 45 through the post today with medium nib. I cleaned the feed through with mild soapy water and loaded the converter with Quink Blue permanent. Very hard to get going and even with washing and shaking (leaving blobs on the paper) the ink supply is very inconsistent and the nib feels very scratchy. I don't remember them being like this as a kid: any ideas? Unless I can get it to write well it is back in the drawer and back to my TWSBI Eco.

Edited January 8, 2017 by matteob

[matteob]

A bit later...

 

P.S rinsed the pen out and have put it away for now. I may try another ink in future or persevere when I have more time but based on this experience I have to agree with the OP. Strangely water seemed to come through ok on flushing and there was plenty of ink in the feed so must be the capillary action of the nib itself... any ideas? A Jinhao X750 is in a different league as far as smoothness and flow are concerned. Maybe this is just a bad un?

Edited January 8, 2017 by matteob

[matteob]

Washed through and drying before being banished to the naughty step sorry drawer for the time being.

[ac12]

Remove (unscrew) the nib assembly and soak the section and nib assembly, in water.

If you are CAREFUL, you can even disassemble the nib assembly.

There are lots of places for old dry ink to clog a pen.

 

If you still don't like it, PM me and see if we can discuss a purchase.

[ac12]

 

 

To carry on this restarted thread. I think the nib construction changed over time. Back in ~1981 I was given a Parker 45 Harlequin fountain and ball pen set. The fountain pen wrote super smooth with a medium nib. I loved it. About 25 years later it rolled off the table and landed on the nib - ruined. Since then I've had several replacement nibs, one from (and installed) by Parker themselves, the other bought from a reputable pen repairer and installed by me. Both have been scratchy, written as if extra-fine, and frankly been awful - I've checked the tines and alignment and all has been fine. It's as if some thing changed in the manufacture and what was once a great nib is now trash.

 

Look at the tipping of your P45's nib.

The tipping made different back then, and with varying levels of consistency.

- I have some which are nice and round,

- I have several that look like a slice from a cylinder, complete with sharp edges which has to be rounded off so the nib won't scratch the paper. It appears to have been a WIDER nib, then factory ground to a narrower size. These nibs can write well, they just need the sharp edges rounded off.

[matteob]

You can have it. I have flushed it out twice first with washing up liquid dilute and then ammonia dilute but still writes really dry with an unlubricated feel: very disappointed as it is a great looking pen. However I am a writer who likes nice tools rather than a collector so a pen that does not write well is no good to me. Maybe it is the converter which has a ballbearing in it that is partially blocking the flow of ink into the feed?

Edited January 9, 2017 by matteob

[ac12]

hmm curious.

I have the same converter with a steel ball inside and have no problems.

I suspect a nib problem that needs some adjustment.

 

At least you have some ink flow.

I received a pen where there was gold PAINT completely clogging the feed I saw that in the pix, but I did not realize that it was PAINT, I thought it was gold lettering ink. That was a mess and a pain to clean, and the feed is still not 100% clean. It took so much effort, that in hindsight, which is always 20/20, I should have just pulled the nib and thrown the feed away, which I may still do.

[titrisol]

@matteob You will need to dissasemble the nib assembly, I think that between the feed and nib something is stuck

Look into this thread as how it should look like
https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/236516-parker-45-flighter-deluxe/

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/jdanley/Parker_7_zpsb1e5b3a5.jpg

 

WOW! how have the prices of the 45 increased!
Haven't looked for them in evilBay for a long time

[titrisol]

I am also interested in your pen, if you ar egoing to dispose of it

PS. I took the flighter out yesterday, looks just like yours, and popped a cartridge in, it took a while for it to begin writing and it was "jerky" at the beginning.

After half a page of doodling is became smoother, will test it through the week and confirm

Edited January 12, 2017 by titrisol

[MontPelikan]

Hello everyone,

 

a short review of the Parker 45 could be found here:

 

 

Thank you for watching!

 

MontPelikan

[Sasha Royale]

Vintage P45s, in the wild, are often in "neglected" condition. I usually start by disassembling the nib, and cleaning (after soaking) with a soft / worn-out toothbrush. I used one through college, and have carried a Parker 45 fountain pen, in my shirt pocket for 45 years. My experiences with it have been quite good. I prefer the "slide piston" converter, that permits bottle filling, with one hand.

 

I enjoyed reading your nicely-written review. Thank you.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Sasha Royale

[mitto]

The P45 section has quite a large size collector glued inside. Cleaning the collector properly from dried/clogged ink may need repeated soaking and flushing. Once the feed and the collector are cleaned properly the P45, in most cases, would turn into a smooth and wet writer.

[FLZapped]

Washed through and drying before being banished to the naughty step sorry drawer for the time being.

I see the problem, it's that converter with the ball bearing in it. Toss it and get the one with the coil spring. The bearing pinches off the ink supply. That or use the twist converter.