What Pens Are You Fiddling With Today?

[MercianScribe]

Obviously, with an intent to using, but I'm asking more about new acquisitions or old projects you're re-sacking, nib-smoothing, nib-replacing etc.

 

This evening I hope to be opening this motley crew, checking their filling mechanisms and measuring them up for sacs. They're mostly small ones I've picked up so I don't think I have the right sizes. It's going to be a bit hard on the hands...!

 

 

Top to bottom

 

A Queensway? Never heard of them

Mentmore Supreme

Burnham 49

Sheaffers 2 Self Filling

Mentmore Spot (that gold one)

Unknown mini flexy BCHR

2 x Peter Pans

 

[deepak23]

Finished opening and cleaning up a skippy Sheaffer Imperial...

[MercianScribe]

Well, I managed to open five of the eight... The Queensway is unfortunately fairly unsalvageably warped, but the rest are all lever fillers with operational levers, two of the pens have sacs in them, and two were ossified but easy enough to clean out.

 

Unfortunately, the two Mentmores and the Burnham, the three I'm definitely keeping, were the three I couldn't move at all...!

Why was it skippy, and have you rectified it?

[peterg]

The unknown BCHR was almost certainly made by Unique. What nib has it got?

 

Queensway was a sub Platignum brand. Not sure if it was a chain store brand or just cheap.

Edited May 13, 2017 by peterg

[MercianScribe]

Just says 'Warranted 14CT':

 

 

Why Unique?

[Sasha Royale]

After 50 years, I still do it. I carry my fountain pen in my trousers pocket. My Jinhao x450 loss a "chip" of black plastic coating, while in the pocket with car keys. So, I have started stripping away the rest of the black coating. The end cap appears to be yellow brass. The pen barrel is aluminum. A magnet proves that the pen clip is a ferrous metal, probably steel. I may leave the pen cap as black.

 

I have been tempted to show the results of my scraping, but decided that YOU should get your own x450, and begin scraping.

[ac12]

A Parker 45 that used to write nicely is being fussy and the nib dries out when I'm writing.

Painful troubleshooting time.

[peterg]

Most of the manufacturers had their own 'house style' In this case it is the size and shape of the pen, cap band and warranted nib that Unique's produced. Lang's made a similar pen but used their own warranted nib.

[MercianScribe]

OK, thanks. I didn't know Unique made such small ones.

 

Tonight I finally got the Supreme open, changed the sac, cleaned it up and got it writing. I confess, I was extremely surprised at how simple the button fill system is (it's my first), and how with one little press it drew up a sacful. The bar is well corroded though, so I can't help but think it'll need replacing soon.

[overwriter]

An old Aurora 88P that i got back from eckiethump. He fixed the piston. It works well now and is a really cool old pen.

[Scribs]

I lost track of time this afternoon with my Überdry UEF Platinum 3776 and some brass shims. Getting the tines to realign was the trickiest part, but now it writes better than before, and I can sit and think for minutes, instead of seconds, with the pen uncapped and not need to worry about it drying out!

 

I'm really pleased I've finally got it sorted because finding a nibmeister in this country hasn't been easy.

[sidthecat]

I've been having a go with the Hicks dip pen I've acquired. It's a #2 semiflex so it handles much like a fountain pen. I may have to find a crazier one.

[MercianScribe]

After 50 years, I still do it. I carry my fountain pen in my trousers pocket. My Jinhao x450 loss a "chip" of black plastic coating, while in the pocket with car keys. So, I have started stripping away the rest of the black coating. The end cap appears to be yellow brass. The pen barrel is aluminum. A magnet proves that the pen clip is a ferrous metal, probably steel. I may leave the pen cap as black.

 

I have been tempted to show the results of my scraping, but decided that YOU should get your own x450, and begin scraping.

 

I might go for that on an x750 that just came in the wrong colour with a chip in it... would you say it's worth it?

 

I've been very lucky with dip pens recently through a couple of legacies, Sid... problem is when you come by them that way of course, you may never be able to replace them again. Makes you want to create something really nice rather just more practice pens...!

 

This evening I've been working through a batch of spare NOS Imperials to put up for sale. I've kept a couple... lovely writers for an nth tier brand. I also started tweaking the nib on a Sheaffer No2 Self Filler, and a couple of other 20s pens that were a bit scratchy. Bit a project in itself, probably till the end of the week.

[ParramattaPaul]

Tonight's planned little chore is nib cleaning for the seven pens I have inked for ready use.

[Randal6393]

Working on getting an Ahab equipped with an Esterbrook 357. A little uneven, not as much flow as I would like, but doing a good job on copperplate script. I have several Ahabs that I am not using at the moment, trying to get a reliable XF to B flex pen.

 

Enjoy,

[MercianScribe]

Most of the manufacturers had their own 'house style' In this case it is the size and shape of the pen, cap band and warranted nib that Unique's produced. Lang's made a similar pen but used their own warranted nib.

 

It's A SWALLOW!! I found some very very faint markings and went over it with a lit x2 loupe to discover the words THE SWALLOW BABY...! It needs some serious nib realignment and smoothing, which I attempted to start last night, but it may be beyond my ken.

 

That was my pen fiddling yesterday; resacked the Swallow Baby, and the Sheaffer 2 1/2, and started on their nibs, and tried again in vain to get the Mentmore Spot, the Moore Pen and the Burnham 49 open. Starting to get a little strain in my forearms, but no play on the pens! I'll be Popeye by the time I've finished...

[MercianScribe]

Working on getting an Ahab equipped with an Esterbrook 357. A little uneven, not as much flow as I would like, but doing a good job on copperplate script. I have several Ahabs that I am not using at the moment, trying to get a reliable XF to B flex pen.

 

Enjoy,

 

I have four Noodlers coming; one Ahab, one Charlie, and two Creapers. I'm kind of looking forward to getting them and having a fiddle... providing I'm successful! I've heard a lot about how awkward they can be. I'm pleased with the effect I get from my Jinhao x750 with a Noodlers flex, and in comparison rather disappointed with the performance of my first FPR (a Guru) I got through last week. I should check out the FPR and Noodlers vids on adjusting their nibs.

[MercianScribe]

Tonight it's a smoothing bonanza! Some to keep, some to sell, some need a lot of work, some just a little, from vintage gold flex to modern steel nails and all points between, some just realignment, some full-on micromesh...! I think I can finally make time tonight.

[Barkingpig]

I cleaned my Pelikan White Tortoise & was very happy to have remembered I could remove the nib for flushing. I had complained once to a friend, a long time Esterbrook collector, that I hated cleaning mine because of the lever filler. She immediately reminded me I could simply remove the nib! I felt VERY foolish, because I had never considered doing same, for cleaning, although I had replaced a couple already.

 

It is amazing the things that an inexperienced user only realises when many of them seem so common sensical. I am sure I am missing many "tricks" that many other users take for granted. Despite using Sheaffer school & No Nonsense pens 50 years ago, I had never heard of "cleaning a pen" when I became interested in pens for "the second go around." IF, my Parents knew, or did indeed ever clean a pen, it was lost on me. Perhaps they didn't & just kept refilling. But I am thankful everyday for the things I have learned here.

[Bookman]

This arrived in the mail yesterday, a NOS/1980s Pilot Tiger 600, which I'd never heard of until I saw it on Speerbob's site. It needed polishing and an ink-flow adjustment. All is good now.