I Took A Chance On Buying A Parker 45 On Ebay...

[OakIris]

I have a nice dark blue Parker 45 that I had acquired back when they were first made. It writes so nicely that I decided to add another one to my small inventory of pens. So, I purchased a turquoise colored Parker 45 on eBay. (Photos are from the item listing.)

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/UJcAAOSwyTZUYBX8/$_57.JPG

 

The picture was a little blurry, but it seemed to show a nice looking pen; the item description included "looks great." There were other pictures too, and the pen and nib appeared to be intact, etc. The seller did say that he had not inked and tested the pen so I expected that it would at least need a good cleaning.

 

I received the pen yesterday. The pen's section - which was not shown in full in any of the photos - was stained and had some deformation. I 'assume' the deformation would be an example of the Parker 45 'dimples' mention in this article from Pentrace (http://www.newpentrace.net/articleGA05.html):

 

Early pens suffered from a deformation of the section (known as “dimples”) caused by the clutch ring of the cap and by the fact that the section was made of a poor type of plastics. The same problem, by the way, also plagued the top-of-the-line Parker 61.

 

If I had had a better eye, I perhaps would have seen that this photo of the nib and part of the section showed the staining at least, but I just figured it was the lighting making it darker:

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/fNkAAOSw54xUYBYC/$_57.JPG?rt=nc

 

If I had had a more suspicious nature, I would have asked the seller for a complete picture of the pen. so that I could see the contrast between the turquoise of the barrel and the stained turquoise of the section - as well as seeing the 'dimples' in the section. The seller cleverly cut off the photo right before the dimples could be seen. Oh, and also, the clutch ring on the section is completely loose, something not mentioned by the seller and of course not something that could be detected by a photo. Anyway, lesson hopefully learned - next time if a listing doesn't show the entire pen, I will be asking the seller for 'full disclosure!'

 

When I got the pen, the nib and cartridge (it didn't come with a converter) were "glued" to the pen with dried ink. I soaked the section, got lots of dark blue/black ink out of it and was able to remove the nib and cartridge; still soaking in water to get rid of the rest of the ink. So, I am a bit disappointed with the staining and deformation of the section, but I can live with it - kind of cool to think of all the writing that had been done with this pen to cause the staining, presumably from skin oils - ?? I also have a NOS broad Parker 45 nib (also just received) that I hope to use with it. I will be able to get the pen back in writing shape and if it writes as nicely as my navy blue Parker 45, I will be happy with it; I am trying to persuade myself that I didn't just waste $25!

 

Enough whining about my naivete for having purchased this pen, lol. I posted this in the repair section because I have a couple of questions:

 

1) Will polishing the section remove any of the stains? If so, what polish is recommended that won't damage the 'cheap' plastic Parker used?

 

2) What is the best glue/adhesive to use to re-secure the clutch ring?

 

Holly

[OcalaFlGuy]

Holly, I can't tell any more from your pics than from the Fleabay pics.

 

What discoloration? That first 1/8" of that section?

 

My gut call is that any discoloration won't polish out but I'd rather SEE the discoloration first.

 

P-45 clutch rings come from the factory with a repulsion field that makes them jump off of barrels. 4 equadistanced dots of shellac balances out the force.

 

Keep repeating this to yourself about the dimples. It's literally the pens One fault. They make good finger grippers and aren't near as obnoxious as the Lamy's. Yeah, they don't look nice but they look even worse the more you look at them. I've gotten used to them.

 

Funniest thing, I would lay money on the table that from your Fleabay pic the barrel was warped. What a great illusion. I realize it's not but it sure looks it in that pic.

 

There is a pinned thread in Parkerville on found in the wild 51's. I'd do that to your 45. It's been well used it looks, it could and likely does have a metric buttload of ink dried up inside the section. There is a collector inside there that you can't see that is almost as big as the one in the 51. Letting 45s dry up with loads of ink inside them is especially not a good idea. Soak n' flush it into the next galaxy.

 

I'm surprised you would bid on any pen with such bad and missing pics...

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[OakIris]

Hi Bruce - the two photos in my post are from the eBay listing, not photos that I took. I will try to take photos and post them here; took some pictures this evening but they don't really show the stain, I think I need better light - like daylight - so that it can be seen. The entire section is discolored with a kind of yellowish stain. If it were only 1/8" I probably wouldn't complain at all, lol. The barrel is a nice turquoise color and it is not bent - I see what you mean by looking at the photo, but - lucky for me - it is an optical illusion.

 

Who knew that Parker had build in a repulsion field as part of the design of the 45s! When I checked the one on my dark blue 45; it is a tiny bit loose, too, but isn't quite ready to leap from the barrel - the repulsion field must have weakened. I wondered if shellac would be the right 'glue' to reattach the clutch ring; I have plenty and that is what I will use!

 

The dimples are not awful, just noticeable. I can live with them.

 

The pen is fully disassembled, section, cartridge and nib soaking in water; not too long before they should be nice and clean. As I will be installing a new nib, I am not too concerned about the nib that came with it - a medium - but it seems to be cleaning up nicely and appears to be in good shape.

 

As for bidding on the pen..... Yes, I should have known better. I really wanted another 45, blue is my favorite color...you see where this is going. It didn't even occur to me that the listing did not include a photo of the entire pen, uncapped, so that you could see the section, and I wasn't aware that the barrel 'dimpling' was a known problem with the 45 - didn't do my homework, obviously, and MY 45 didn't have any such problem, so.... Sigh. After receiving the pen I of course realized why the seller hadn't shown it in full, and felt pretty stupid. A little honesty goes a long way, but - here's a newsflash - not everyone (buyers included) on eBay is honest. I hope that I will not make the same mistake again. And, of course, if the pen turns out to be a wonderful writer, like my other 45, it won't go down as a mistake at all, right?!?

 

(I did send a message to the seller letting him/her know I was disappointed by their lack of disclosure; surprise, surprise, no response.)

 

Holly

[OcalaFlGuy]

Needs to be soaked AND flushed. Baby ear bulb at least.

 

You only mentioned soaking the nib. YouTube Parker 45 assembly. Take it apart to clean if you didn't know already.

 

If it's just scunge that needs polishing off, I can get you going there, pic. pls.

 

Unless the seller sold a lot of other pens, I doubt he had any clue about that 45. (And I am not the one to go easy on Fleabay sellers.)

 

The repulsion force has been scientifically shown to be at its maximum intensity within 24" of any sink drain.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[pen2paper]

How disappointing.. Returning the pen wasn't an option?

 

Way back when the bay was new, I found what I knew to be a special piece of small antique glass. Upon arrival it was clear that the top had been radically ground off, and even that had chips, devaluing it entirely. The seller claimed I chipped it or had buyers remorse. At exactly the same time another buyers feedback was posted and pointed out the sellers photos positioned the object they bought to conceal pre-sale flaws, and that was Exactly visible in the still posted sales photos of my piece. You could match the glass swirls and clearly see that it was positioned to show all areas Except for the ground top and chip damage. It was an expensive lesson to thereafter insist on full photos, full disclosure, no evasive trickery, or no sale. There was no refund, but that seller quickly disappeared from the bay as well-worded, detailed negatives piled up.

[OakIris]

You are correct - I do still need to remove the nib from the feed to complete the cleaning, but otherwise everything is all disassembled. The seller may not have had a clue about the 45, but did say he/she had a bunch of other vintage pens to sell so he/she must have had some experience. And even if you know nothing about pens, there is no way that you would say it "looks great" when you see a section all stained and a bit deformed, lol. In addition to stating in the listing title that the pen "looks great," the seller also wrote (my emphasis):

“This pen has not been re-inked and tested, so I'm selling it "as is." That said, it looks really nice, with no noticeable issues."

I will try to get some decent pictures posted tomorrow. By the way, here is the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/271663773038#cvip_desc

 

I think I have run into that attraction between repulsion forces and the sink drain before; thank you for the warning!

 

Holly

 

[OakIris]

How disappointing.. Returning the pen wasn't an option?

 

Way back when the bay was new, I found what I knew to be a special piece of small antique glass. Upon arrival it was clear that the top had been radically ground off, and even that had chips, devaluing it entirely. The seller claimed I chipped it or had buyers remorse. At exactly the same time another buyers feedback was posted and pointed out the sellers photos positioned the object they bought to conceal pre-sale flaws, and that was Exactly visible in the still posted sales photos of my piece. You could match the glass swirls and clearly see that it was positioned to show all areas Except for the ground top and chip damage. It was an expensive lesson to thereafter insist on full photos, full disclosure, no evasive trickery, or no sale. There was no refund, but that seller quickly disappeared from the bay as well-worded, detailed negatives piled up.

Sorry - don't know why I didn't see this before I made my last post. I think that I could have returned it, but I decided to keep it. I use my pens, don't just collect them and put them away; I think this will be a great user grade pen even though it won't be my prettiest. Also, it will help to remind me to make sure I see photos of ALL parts of the pen before I decide its one I have to have! Still cleaning it up so I don't know about the writing, but, for the most part, I don't think you can go terribly wrong with a Parker 45 as far as its writing characteristics are concerned. Guess I will find out!

 

Here are a few photos; none of them are stellar but hopefully you can make out the stain. In the first one I tried and probably failed to show the deformation of the section. My point and shoot camera just won't show it very well; it is noticeable to the eye, but, as I said previously, it isn't awful and I can live with it. The other photos - hopefully - show the stain. It's almost like the yellowish/brown stain left by tobacco use, but it is not something that can be cleaned off with soap and water; I really think it is from the skin oils of the previous owner/s, but who knows. Maybe Bruce does!

 

 

 

 

 

One more quick question - is it OK to clean the barrel and section (nib removed) in an ultrasonic cleaner? Just worried that perhaps the plastic is of such a poor quality that it wouldn't do well under the 'punishment' of the ultrasonic cleaning process....

 

Holly

[OcalaFlGuy]

The other photos - hopefully - show the stain. It's almost like the yellowish/brown stain left by tobacco use, but it is not something that can be cleaned off with soap and water; I really think it is from the skin oils of the previous owner/s, but who knows. Maybe Bruce does!

 

One more quick question - is it OK to clean the barrel and section (nib removed) in an ultrasonic cleaner? Just worried that perhaps the plastic is of such a poor quality that it wouldn't do well under the 'punishment' of the ultrasonic cleaning process....

 

Holly

 

You may well be right Holly about the owners fingers.

 

Start with less aggressive, Simichrome. Go after an area that looks just barely affected and see what the Simi does to it. Use a piece of old flannel shirt.(Secret weapon) You should be able to get an idea from that if it is On the plastic or In it.

 

Sonicate away. I personally would watch the water to be sure and change it out before it gets warm.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[OakIris]

Thank you for the advice, Bruce.

 

I don't have any Simichrome....keep meaning to get some.

 

The only "pen polish" I have is Ron Zorn's 'secret formula' stuff (which I have actually never used. ) I might give that a try; I can't imagine it would do any harm.

 

I will give my ultrasonic cleaner a try first, just to see if it helps, and go from there.

 

I am trying to be patient with this necessary clean up work, but I really want to find out how the pen writes.

 

Holly

[OcalaFlGuy]

Just for you Holly. My work pen. $18 shipped. 14k Gold nib. Yep, some dimples too... It's my first Fine 45 nib, pretty nice actually.

 

 

[EDIT] Ask your SO if they have any automotive rubbing compound. Keep it Away from the holes on each end of the section.

Use the flannel shirt too. The compound is messy but at least will give you an idea if the scunge will come off.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited November 23, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[PDW]

There is a collector inside there that you can't see that is almost as big as the one in the 51.

 

I keep reading this, but on every 45 I've disassembled I look down the section from the front and see the threads for the nib, a step in - and a gleamingly-polished tube to take the stick of the feed with no holes for the ink to go anywhere inside the section.

 

Can someone post a pic of what the section looks like when broken/sawn open to give a cross-section which reveals the collector?

Edited November 24, 2014 by PDW

[PDW]

 

I keep reading this, but on every 45 I've disassembled I look down the section from the front and see the threads for the nib, a step in - and a gleamingly-polished tube to take the stick of the feed with no holes for the ink to go anywhere inside the section.

 

Can someone post a pic of what the section looks like when broken/sawn open to give a cross-section which reveals the collector?

 

Should have looked at the right source first - Marshall and Oldffield's third edition has a photo showing how the collector (and it does exist) sits in the section. Doesn't look as if it would want to come out!

[OcalaFlGuy]

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Chrissy]

I bought a new Parker 45 with chrome cap, on ebay for GB£9.99, and although not mentioned in the listing, I'm pleased that it has a gold nib. For some reason it just wouldn't write well with the De Atramentis ink sample that I filled it with.

 

So I cleaned it all out, again, put it in my ultrasonic, and then shoved a Parker Quink cartridge in it. It seems to like that much better. It's obviously temperamental. I call it my female P45

Edited November 30, 2014 by Chrissy

[pen lady]

Choosy I'd say, not temperamental!

Edited November 30, 2014 by pen lady