Left Handed & Buying Second Hand

[NeleS]

Hi all,

I just joined and have a question. A while ago I found again my pen case. I lost track of it after we moved to a to be renovated house.

What I discovered:

my fountain pens were still working (after cleaning of course)

all of the pencils were still working 😉

none of the ball points were working

The consequences:

I now use my fountain pens every day

I decided never to accept another disposable pen again

I also discovered that of two pens (which still write perfectly) the cap doesn't hold anymore. These are both Parker Vectors. This is not completely unlogic: they are very affordable pens and I have had them for more than 20 years. So, I bought 2 new ones. I hoped I only had to replace the cap and the barrel, and was able to keep the actual pen. But it seems Parker has changed the dimensions sligthly. The caps don't fit.

Anyway, now I find myself trying to get used to 2 new Vectors. They write quite well, but not as smooth as my old ones. I guess I will have to be patient.

I also found out that I like vintage pens more than most new ones. But before I buy a vintage pen (I have been looking at Parker 51, Sheaffer Imperial with a Truimph nib, ...) I would like some tips, since I am a left-handed writer. Is it a good idea to buy a used pen as a left-handed? are there pens or nibs I should avoid?

kind regards, Nele

[pajaro]

I am a left handed writer, and I have bought Parker 51s and Sheaffer Imperial and a lot of other pens second hand. No ill effects. There are probably pens anyone should avoid, but not because you are left handed. I avoid Wearever. All of them, because they leaked for me shortly after buying new ones back in the 1950s. Parker 51 will generally work, if you get the aerometric pen with the squeeze filler. The Vacumatic types with a blind cap that unscrews from the end of the barrel and a rod you have to depress to fill usually needs a restoration. You might want to avoid these at first.

[PAKMAN]

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! Glad to have you as a member!!

[akrohn2010]

Welcome to FPN from North Carolina, USA! Enjoy your stay.

[OCArt]

Welcome to our little corner of the universe from a pen user in San Diego.

[jar]

Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell. Take a look inside the Vector caps to see if it's just an inner cap shoved in too far.

[ThomasB]

Hello and welcome from Baton Rouge, Louisiana...Enjoy your time here

[northstar]

Hello and welcome to FPN.

[Henricum_Tropen]

Hello Nele and welcome to FPN, from Cape Town, South Africa.

[Wahl]

[torstar]

this lefty writes a few inches below the ink on the page, so FPs have never been a problem.

 

51s have been fine, try to get a broad/bold nib....

 

left-footed nibs can take a little longer to find the sweet spot, that's my only gripe

[mitto]

Greetings and welcome to FPN.

 

Your old Vectors' caps probably have nothing wrong with them. The problem is with the nib sections. Buy new replacement nib sections for your old pens and the caps would hold on them as they do on the new pens you purchased.

[Chrissy]

Hello and welcome to FPN. ​

[NeleS]

Thank you for the tips, and your warm welcome!

[torstar]

if your pen is too burdensome as a lefty, we'll gladly take it off your hands...

[CheapSkate]

Hey your be fine ( well unless you buy italics ground the wrong way )

[Sasha Royale]

Welcome !

 

I suppose you are concerned that the Parker 51 nib will be "worn" to the hand of the previous owner. Nibs are much tougher than traditional paper, and typical Parker 51 users do not have to bear down hard, as P51 ink flow is legendary in its smoothness. Also, my dd used his Parker 51 for 30 thirty hears. Though his office has a typing pool, he preferred to write business letters by hand. He was left-handed. I .inherited his Parker 51. I detect no difficulty of function, in my right hand.

 

A greater worry should be developing an addiction to Parker 51 fountain pens. Get ready for a fine

writing experience.