Parkette Nib

[kircher]

Hi everybody! this is my first new topic, so be patient. I've recently bought a parkette set that looked very nice on ebay, but I realized when it arrived, that the iridium tipping is fundamentally gone. Now, I have two questions for the forum:

a. what do you do in these case? I guess the answer is: nothing, there is no unexpensive way of dealing with this issue.

b. the nib looks like it is gold rather than gold plated, but i could only find replacemente parkette nibs that are gold plated (and i still wonder whether it is worth the price). Do all parkettes have gold plated nibs except the deluxe ones?

Suggestions welcome!

[FarmBoy]

Retipping isn't cost effective for the pen, just get a replacement nib.

 

FB

[kircher]

my problem with the replacement nib is that i can only find gold plated ones, while the one I have now is gold (at least, I believe). Any suggestion on where to find replacement nibs?

[kircher]

i don't even know whether this pen, although "cosmetically" very nice, deserves a new need...

[kircher]

is there any way around retipping, like bending the tines downward like in cheap steel nibs or smoothing everything until it becomes like a stub nib?

Edited November 6, 2014 by kircher

[Hooker56]

Kircher,

 

You can stub the nib yourself and it will write beautifully. The drawback is the softness of the nib material. That's what the iridium is for.

It will wear down rather quickly by comparison.

 

http://blog.gouletpens.com/2010/11/john-mottishaw-sure-makes-nib-tuning.html

[Ron Z]

Todd is right - you should buy a replacement nib. You can buy one for about half the price of retipping. Look for a Vacumatic nib, or other Parker nib on eBay. But if there is some tipping material on the nib, it should be sufficient. We don't use our pens as much as people did at one time so you're unlikely to write the tipping material away.

[Mr. JW]

Assuming that this is an earlier model Parkette (1932-1941) as opposed to the later model (1950-1952), you should also look for a "Parco" nib. When the Parkette was first released it was known as the Parco and its nibs were marked Parco. Definitely worth replacing the nib, these are nice little pens when restored.

[kircher]

I've been looking for replacement nibs, without much success. they are either goldplated or they don't say, as mine does, PARKETTE.

How much is re-tipping in general?

Edited November 6, 2014 by kircher

[peterg]

If any one has a spare Parco nib. I have just bought one with a (plated?) Enduro nib, so could do with one. The pen is in good condition apart from the chew marks at the bottom of the barrel

[FarmBoy]

I've been looking for replacement nibs, without much success. they are either goldplated or they don't say, as mine does, PARKETTE.

How much is re-tipping in general?

Starts around 70 and goes up.

[kircher]

that's a lot of course for a pen like this. thanks for the suggestions. Now i'm looking for a 14 c gold nib for parkette

[balson]

lots of good advice all around, just thought i would pop in and say that if they are in ok shape the steel nibs on parkettes are not bad. all the ones i have run into have all been really smooth writers.

Edited November 9, 2014 by balson

[Larry Barrieau]

What's the answer to the original question about the nibs being gold or not? Will it say "gold plated" if it is gold plated? Will it say 14K if it is 14K? What if it looks like gold but has nothing imprinted about the gold content? Thanks