Adding To The Flock

[Lam1]

25 minutes ago, lamarax said:

 

I'm afraid they're not interchangeable. At least not in what it concerns the integral nib unit (see towards the bottom of the linked page).

But it should be a trivial hack.

I’ve done so myself for my M101n.

[Mercian]

59 minutes ago, lamarax said:

 

I'm afraid they're not interchangeable. At least not in what it concerns the integral nib unit (see towards the bottom of the linked page).

 

Does anyone know whether or not the nib/feed unit from a 1950s/60s 400 (or 400N or 400NN) will fit in to a M101 or M101N?

[Merrick]

Picked up a two chick M200 broad nib, and oddly it looks smaller than the M250 nib I got, is that normal? I thought M250 was the exact same as M200, just 14c nibs instead of steel. 

[Christopher Godfrey]

No, the 400-series nib units do not fit into the earlier models; but for the modern iterations of those gorgeous lapis and jade 101 pens, of course the vintage 100-series nibs fit perfectly.

[Mercian]

6 hours ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

No, the 400-series nib units do not fit into the earlier models; but for the modern iterations of those gorgeous lapis and jade 101 pens, of course the vintage 100-series nibs fit perfectly.

 

Thank you!

[carola]

13 hours ago, lamarax said:

 

I'm afraid they're not interchangeable. At least not in what it concerns the integral nib unit (see towards the bottom of the linked page).

 

🤔

I didn't screw out the nib before inking the pen up. But as it is possible to screw a vintage 400 unit into a modern M400 pen, maybe there is a vintage nib unit that would fit?

And if not, it should be possible to mount a vintage nib onto the modern feed. So, there are possibilities I could try out. If I ever get around to it.

 

Update: Didn't see the following comments before posting this due to the change of page.

[carola]

13 hours ago, Lam1 said:

But it should be a trivial hack.

I’ve done so myself for my M101n.

 

What exactly did you do?

[Lam1]

8 hours ago, carola said:

 

What exactly did you do?

 

The easiest thing to do is to put the nib of a 400/400NN in it, since they fit without modifications (at least that is the case for the M101n).

 

Now, to what I did... I don't remember exactly since it has been quite a few years (sorry). I do remember that I got a 100 nib which came in a Parker Duofold UK, as part of a lot. I purchased a collar (and the collar only) out of a website that makes them. The part I don't remember is if I used a 100 feed or a 400 feed. I'm sure if the 100 feed doesn't work immediately, it can be tweaked to fit. 

 

Now, another possibility, if you have just a vintage nib is to test if it works with the original feed. Pelikans are pretty wet and I don't see why it wouldn't (I put a flex Waterman 100 year nib on a M800 collar/feed and it works perfectly). Or you can get an ebonite feed and collar from flexiblenib.com, since I believe these pens use the same nib unit as the M400.

 

 

[carola]

5 minutes ago, Lam1 said:

 

The easiest thing to do is to put the nib of a 400/400NN in it, since they fit without modifications (at least that is the case for the M101n).

 

Now, to what I did... I don't remember exactly since it has been quite a few years (sorry). I do remember that I got a 100 nib which came in a Parker Duofold UK, as part of a lot. I purchased a collar (and the collar only) out of a website that makes them. The part I don't remember is if I used a 100 feed or a 400 feed. I'm sure if the 100 feed doesn't work immediately, it can be tweaked to fit. 

 

Now, another possibility, if you have just a vintage nib is to test if it works with the original feed. Pelikans are pretty wet and I don't see why it wouldn't (I put a flex Waterman 100 year nib on a M800 collar/feed and it works perfectly). Or you can get an ebonite feed and collar from flexiblenib.com, since I believe these pens use the same nib unit as the M400.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for this great bit of information.

[Lam1]

3 minutes ago, carola said:

 

Thank you very much for this great bit of information.

 

You are very welcome.

And, by the way, congratulations on your wonderful pen.

 

I have a Delta made from leftovers of this material and the celluloid is just phenomenal (unfortunately, the Delta is not half of what a Pelikan is in technical terms).

[midnightblues]

CURSES my new M205 arrived...with the wrong nib 😭 Cult Pens sent it in F rather than B. I can't deal with Fine nibs these days, and yes I've sent them an email. Hopefully they have a B they can sort me out with, I am concerned they might be oos given the sale they were doing. 

Also my word the M205 is TINY. I was not expecting such a dinky pen. Not sure what I think of it yet. Obviously I haven't inked it!

[inkstainedruth]

Funny, but I think of M200/M400 pens a perfect size and weight for me.  Bummer about the nib though.

When I got my M405 Stresemann a few years ago, I ordered it from Rolf Thiel at Missing Pens on his eBay store.  I wanted a B nib for it, but he didn't have any of the rhodium plated ones at the time and asked if I wanted a different width.  And I said that if I got one of the standard "two tone" nibs that was a B, it was perfectly okay with me.  I figured that if nothing else, if someone happened to pick up my Stresemann by mistake I could then very easily say, "Nope -- it's mine!  Look at the nib!  It's NOT a complete rhodium plated one!" 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Misfit]

@carola thank you for telling me about the Rings pen. That new blue bird you got is stunningly gorgeous. Wow! So very pretty. 

[Merrick]

35 minutes ago, midnightblues said:

CURSES my new M205 arrived...with the wrong nib 😭 Cult Pens sent it in F rather than B. I can't deal with Fine nibs these days, and yes I've sent them an email. Hopefully they have a B they can sort me out with, I am concerned they might be oos given the sale they were doing. 

Also my word the M205 is TINY. I was not expecting such a dinky pen. Not sure what I think of it yet. Obviously I haven't inked it!

The M20x and M40x models generally maintain the dimensions of the older 400 models from the 50s/60s. Nowadays they’re on the smaller side of full size pens although I must say I find my 400NN to be supremely comfortable despite my preference for larger pens. 
 

I have heard people refer to the M200 as a pocket pen which I don’t think is a fair characterization but for people who are used to the size of modern pens then I understand why they make the assumption. 

[carola]

@Misfit You´re welcome. And thank you for your appreciation.

 

@Lam1 Thank you. I had no idea Delta used the same material. But I am also lacking any experience with their pens. And it was this very nice material that got me in the end.

 

[debraji]

Arrived today: a green striped 400N (my first) with a BB nib (another first), and a matching ballpoint. Both are pristine--which is amazing, because they're both as old as I am--and a pleasure to write with. I like EF nibs, and stubs, and OM's. This BB is kind of like a cursive italic.

[Merrick]

22 minutes ago, debraji said:

Arrived today: a green striped 400N (my first) with a BB nib (another first), and a matching ballpoint. Both are pristine--which is amazing, because they're both as old as I am--and a pleasure to write with. I like EF nibs, and stubs, and OM's. This BB is kind of like a cursive italic.

That sounds amazing! I’ve been dying to try the vintage B-BBB nibs and the oblique variants. 

[carola]

4 hours ago, Merrick said:

That sounds amazing! I’ve been dying to try the vintage B-BBB nibs and the oblique variants. 

 

Please do. I am not a fan of obliques (they simply don´t suit my hand), but the B-BBB nibs are just gorgeous. Be prepared to have some blotting paper at hand to reduce drying times though. 😉

 

@debraji Nice haul!

[stoen]

On 10/6/2024 at 9:36 PM, carola said:

possibly from the 1930s

Great pen, @carola! Congrats! Its precise dating seems a bit inconclusive to me, however:

- nib is clearly from very late thirties (probably 1939, or even later - “export”).

- the barrel might have been replaced in a later repair (one-piece post-war barrel)

- original mechanism+cork-piston must have been preserved.

Here’s my grandpa-pen from the thirties (1937/8). Please observe the two-piece barrel and “step-section” (upper left hand corner):

 

 

[Mercian]

On 10/12/2024 at 9:57 PM, midnightblues said:

CURSES my new M205 arrived...with the wrong nib 😭 Cult Pens sent it in F rather than B. I can't deal with Fine nibs these days, and yes I've sent them an email. Hopefully they have a B they can sort me out with, I am concerned they might be oos given the sale they were doing. 

 

I suspect that they might have accidentally transposed two orders - i.e. sent your 'B'-nibbed pen to somebody who had ordered an M205 with an 'F' nib.
In which case it ought to fairly simple to arrange a swap.
But I may of course be wrong.

 

 

On 10/12/2024 at 9:57 PM, midnightblues said:

Also my word the M205 is TINY. I was not expecting such a dinky pen. Not sure what I think of it yet. Obviously I haven't inked it!

 

Yes, I find that I have to use it 'posted', but when I do it's a perfectly decent size.

Weirdly though, I find that my 400 and M400 feel slightly more 'right' in my hand than does my M205, even though they are pretty much exactly the same size 🤷‍♂️