Parker 51 - Italic Nibs

[AndersLarsen]

Hi all,

 

I've got a Parker 51 at home - my father's old one in fact. It works very well, and I have a strong emotional attachment to the 51 - quite apart from its writing qualities.

 

Problem is, I also like writing with an Italic nib. At home, I normally use a Brause dip pen - 1mm.

So I'm trying to combine the two, and I'm looking at the below one on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-PARKER-51-FOUNTAIN-PEN-MK-1-BLACK-R-SILVER-CAP-GOLD-ITALIC-MED-NIB-/301160122171?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PensPencils_WritingEquipment_SM&hash=item461e8ac73b#ht_619wt_1153

 

But I'm unwilling to purchase without a little more knowledge if possible - does anyone on this forum know what width this nib would be - in general I'm looking for something close to 1mm. Also, from the handwriting sample on the advert, this nib looks like almost like a stub, as opposed to an italic.

 

Assuming it's a factory nib (a big assumption, I know), does anyone have any info. on factory Parker 51 nibs in general?

 

Thanks in advance

Anders

[pajaro]

If the seller didn't say he would post to UK addresses only, I would have bought it. The price seems favorable.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Anders, I think the line from that nib will be around 1.0 mm, the nib looks about a 1.2 or so to me.

 

I think you will like that nib a lot. Any larger starts to be Too Large for Most people's handwriting Most of the time.

 

Here are 2 that's wide line is a .6mm, they are Masuyama rounded CI's ground from M USA nibs. Good line variation, with Stub smoothness. Both of these are Very Wet, a tad over a 7 wetness, almost Too wet, you can see some of my letters closing in on themselves (signifing the line is too wide for my size writing) with these Wet .6mm lines.

 

 

For that pen with That nib, that is a good price IMO. If I were you, I'd JUMP on it,

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[AndersLarsen]

_{urrgghhhhh....... someone just bought it - very possibly my damn own fault for posting it here.}

 

_{Still, the replies have been useful - I'll keep a lookout for any future italic nibs around now I know what the rough dimensions are.}

 

_{thanks anyways}

_anders

[pajaro]

Sorry, I was trying to prod you to jump on it. It was a good price. I should have written "Hey! Buy it!"

[Florida Blue]

Parker produced two factory italic nibs for the 51: a medium and broad oblique. They also produced two stubs: a medium and broad.

 

Those nibs were made in small numbers so it could be an aftermarket modification, but to my eye the tipping looks like a broad stub, so it could have been a factory nib.

 

I don't want to rub salt in your wound , but that pen was an absolute steal. It had an uncommon rolled silver cap, which are hard to come by in the US (as they were only available in English-made 51s) and are very desirable to collectors.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Florida Blue

[OcalaFlGuy]

Anders, for future reference, if you're using Windows 7 or later, you can snip any part of a page and save as an image. Ie; if something like this came up again, you could snip just the pic to show here without all the listing info.

 

Just a 411.

 

Were it me, I would have not bought it until I knew that at least Anders didn't want it. But then, I wouldn't have dallied about on that one.

 

I have the same cap on a Bloody Britt Burgundy pen.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[cellmatrix]

I agree with Bruce, one very good option is to get a fat medium or broad parker 51 and have it ground by a nibmeister. The one below (sorry for the poor photography) is an amazingly smooth pen with great line variation. Its been my daily carry pen for a while now.

[Hooker56]

Anders,

 

You can always buy a 51 that you like and have a nibmeister tip and grind it to your custom specifications. If you get a great deal on the pen. it helps make the customization cost much more palatable.

 

For that matter, if you customize your father's heirloom pen, You could happily use it everyday.

[AndersLarsen]

_{Hi all,}

 

_{Actually, I think this one turned out well in the end for me. I'm not a collector, so the original nib and the silver cap weren't that important for me. I've been looking into this a bit further on the internet, and I think I'll take the advice of going to a nibmeister to have my father's old pen customised - I'll probably make contact with Greg Minuskin.}

 

_{Thanks again for all the assistance.}

 

_anders

[Hooker56]

Anders,

 

Greg does excellent work and generally has a much faster turn-around time than some others.I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Clayton