Grandpa's Parker 21 / Found - Writes Like A Champ

[FPRebel]

I have just found my grandfather's blue Parker 21 with its "domed" (?) chrome cap and concave (trough) clip. His first initials and last name are engraved in this pen, and I remember this and/or a similar fountain pen always being clipped in his left shirt pocket. Grandpa was one of the very finest men I ever knew, a true gentleman.

When I found this pen while going through a box that had been stored since his death, I found a wonderful treasure. The lagniappe is that it's been at least 4 decades since its last use, and with only a dip in a glass of warm water and a squeeze of the aerometric filler, it's been writing like a champ all day!

When I discovered it at the very bottom of the box - the bottom is where pens go, right? - I was excited just to have the pen, my expectations for its working condition were low, particularly without a lot of cleaning and work or sending it off (I would have for this one). I unscrewed the barrel - that's when I first learned which Parker the pen is. Engraved on the aerometric filler:

TO FILL PRESS RIBBED

BAR THREE TIMES......

USE SUPERCHROME INK

THE PARKER PEN CO.

JANESVILLE, WIS. U.S.A.

PARKER "21"

 

The sac had stuck to the plastic inside of the barrel, and was rather twisted around the the aero filler.

I put the nib in warm water, and squeezed the filler a couple of times - a familiar, inky black swirl filled the glass! I dried the nib. Would the sac hold? Had I damaged it removing the barrel, they'd obviously become "glued" together over the decades of storage.

I've done nothing else to the pen, and it's been writing beautifully!

 

Can one of you Parker experts please help to date this pen for me? In addition to the trough (concave) clip, the clip is not one with a ball on the underside. I've read as much as I can find here and at the provided link for Parker pen info & dating Parkers. The only markings I've found are on the cap and aerometric filler.

 

I am so excited about this pen, and knowing the the year of manufacture would be another bonus, but not a loss to not know. Thank you in advance if you are able to provide solid guidance in dating this for me. My day, week, and month have been made! Probably my year.

 

Edit to note the white balance in the attached photos is off, and the pen is not nearly as navy as it appears. The pics were taken with my iPad and incandescent lamp light. If it's helpful for color reference, the dot grid paper is a Leuchtturm 1917. Thanks again. Sign me, "Happy, Happy"

Edited June 26, 2016 by FPRebel

[pen2paper]

It Is wonderful treasure! I love these finds, along with the thought that the family member would be so delighted that their pen is returned to useful service once again, And by a appreciative family.

[Runnin_Ute]

Can't help with dating, but congrats on the wonderful find!

[FPRebel]

Yes, he would, Pen2Paper, and thank you kindly. That's his WWI-issue New Testament, in the same box of treasure. Incredible day.

[FPRebel]

Thank you very much, Brad!!

[mitto]

Yours is the parker 21 MKI. The production timeline would be 1948 - 1951.

 

 

http://parkerpens.net/parker21.html

[DustyR]

Wouldn't the trough clip indicate it was the second version of the P21, introduced in 1951?

 

 

 

Yours is the parker 21 MKI. The production timeline would be 1948 - 1951.


http://parkerpens.net/parker21.html

[mitto]

Wouldn't the trough clip indicate it was the second version of the P21, introduced in 1951?

 

 

You are right. It looks to be MKII. I didn't pay attenation to the clip. The MKII came out in 1951/52 and remained in production until 1956 when the 21 Super was introduced.

Edited June 26, 2016 by mitto

[FPRebel]

Thank you, DustyR and Mitto for your help! It's really cool to have one of my grandfather's pens with his first initials and name, manufactured before I was born. I love that it is not, and was not an expensive pen, and that it's not even high on the "everyday" collectible pens' list. All of these things make it all the more personal to me.He was a well-read man, whose own needs were few. He'd sooner give to someone who was truly in need than buy something for himself. It makes sense that he bought a Parker 21 for himself; if you and I I had been his contemporaries and needed a pen, he'd have purchased a 51 or greater for us. That was my Grandpa. That's part of why I love this Parker 21 as much as I do.

Edited June 27, 2016 by FPRebel

[BLCL]

Back in the fifties, I had a black Parker 21 like yours. At the time, I was in junior high school. My "21" was a wonderful writer. I used mostly Superchrome ink in it and had no trouble with the ink even though there was some controversy about the ink. Anyway, I have always thought that the octanium nib was so smooth. It is composed of eight different metals, and the nib is electropolished. Yes, I loved how that pen wrote. Mine had the same clip as yours, with the trough.

 

A word of caution: Be very careful with the hood and the barrel because they tend to be brittle and can crack. It even happened when these pens were new.

 

I hope you enjoy your pen and can see how you would since it was your grandfather's.

[FPRebel]

Thank you for the note of encouragement and extra information, BLCL!! It's fantastic to hear from someone who used one of these pens and has fond memories of it. Do you remember what year you bought yours? I'm trying to narrow the date of manufacture further if possible....it may not be.

 

Similar to you, one of the features of this school pen which has wowed me, is how smooth a writer the nib is! I'll have to look up "octanium." My grandfather's pen is out of ink now, and after a gentle cleaning, I'm leaving it out of commission until I review and decide on one of the Parker or Waterman blue, black, or blue-black inks. At that time, I'll also order a small talc from Anderson's - the sac was a little stuck to the barrel when I first found it. (I probably need to begin reading about sac replacement.)

 

I've read a lot about the brittle nature of the 21's hoods and barrels. I'm happy to report, this one doesn't seem to have a single crack anywhere!! So desperately hoping to keep it that way!

[Mangrove Jack]

Fantastic find FPRebel. You will love owning and using this pen.

 

I too found my grandfathers Parker 75 fountain pen over 40 years after he died, and after a thorough flushing, with lots of black ink coming out, it wrote very well. The ink sac was in good condition. I used it for a few months and it worked perfectly. It is now among my regular use fountain pens in rotation and will come into use again soon.

 

Good luck with your pen.

[wastelanded]

I too have my grandfather's black 21, my mother's as well. I found them after many years of searching, along with his Sheaffer Imperial and the Pelikan 100n which came over with him. All of the pens wrote perfectly after a good flush and a cycle of Quink Washable Blue, which I find does a good job of getting rid of old ink in long-dormant pens.

 

The Pelikan *could* use a new seal, but other than that these treasures wrote perfectly after a half century in a box.

[Mangrove Jack]

I too have my grandfather's black 21, my mother's as well. I found them after many years of searching, along with his Sheaffer Imperial and the Pelikan 100n which came over with him. All of the pens wrote perfectly after a good flush and a cycle of Quink Washable Blue, which I find does a good job of getting rid of old ink in long-dormant pens.

The Pelikan *could* use a new seal, but other than that these treasures wrote perfectly after a half century in a box.

I second the use of Quink Washable Blue for use in long dormant pens.

[richardandtracy]

Family pens like this are really special.

I have my Grandmother's Onoto from (we think) when she left for India to get married after her Fiancé was posted to the BAI in 1927. It's hallmarked 1924, so the story is possible.

 

Anyway, treasure the pen, use it if possible & keep it for the memories even if the cracking problem happens. Hopefully it won't crack - I have a similar vintage P21 that is in good condition despite obvious heavy use over the years.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[pen lady]

I recommend udsng a Parker, Sheaffer or Waterman ink with this pen and with any vintage one for that matter. If you want to get adventurous with some of the highly saturated inks, get a modern pen, don't use a family treasure. Good luck with this one. I had a 21 too that had a wonderful nib, but the hood has cracked, so it's out of commission until I can find another one.

[FPRebel]

I have loved reading all of your family pen find stories. Thank you for sharing these along with your congratulations on my own find and your tips for vintage pen care. It is all very needed and welcomed information. I'm as happy for each of you and your family pens as I am about my own - what a special feeling of connectedness with ancestors. What if these pens could talk :-D and tell of letters they'd written, cards and contracts they'd signed, math they computed .....What if vintage pens could tell, errr, write their stories!

Wastelanded and Mangrove Jack, thank you for the suggestions for Parker Quink Washable Blue - going to Amazon NOW to order a bottle. I'll check back shortly to comment more.

 

Edited for typos....my own really bug me!

Edited July 1, 2016 by FPRebel

[FPRebel]

Many, many thanks for the recommendations of Parker Quink Washable Blue!! It arrived a couple of days ago, and I inked up Grandpa's 21. (I know he would have approved; I could almost sense his smiling.) The pen writes very smoothly - it feels very lubricated - with this ink. The sac must have been fairly clean inside after the mild soap and water flush. Although the sac is obviously discolored, the blue of the ink was much more apparent than I anticipated as it flowed into the crevasses of the decades old sac. Then I thought, my grandfather was the sort who took great care of things. He wasn't at all "retentive," but I have no doubt he would have had a method for fairly routine pen cleaning.

 

A small talc is on the way from Anderson's as soon as we're past the Independence Day weekend. (I mentioned in tmy original post, the sac tends to stick a little to the barrel) So far, not even a tiny crack. I want to use this pen, carefully - it feels good to hold and use. What causes the cracks and are there tips for preventing them? Any other advice, other than to continue reading the Parker board for info specific to 21s?

Thank you!

[mitto]

The 21 can be a very very good writer. I have one in burgundy color ( a 21 Super) whose nib is the smoothest of all my 51 and 21 nibs. In fact I am considering putting that nib in one of my 51s. And yes, I have some Super 21s that came with gold 51 nibs on them.

 

In my experience there is no differece in performance of the octanium Supet 21 nib and the gold 51 nib per se. The parker 51 special came with the same octanium nib as on the 21 Super.

 

Replacement body parts of the 21 and Super 21 are easily available.

[Sasha Royale]

Good writer. You have nice penmanship. You have a very nice heirloom. Use it in good health.

Some observations : The Parker 21 is a "budget" version of the very fine Parker 51. It has the same excellent function. However, the plastic used in the Parker 21 is thinner than in the Parker 51, and probably not the same plastic. In its extreme age, some Parker 21 pens are brittle. Handle with care.