Adding To The Flock

[inkstainedruth]

24 minutes ago, Mercian said:

 

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.

 

 

 

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 🤷‍♂️

I'm wondering if the 400 and M400 might be slightly heavier than your M205?  Although, admittedly, I haven't really noticed much difference in weight between my M400/M405 pens and the M200/M205 ones.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

12 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

I'm wondering if the 400 and M400 might be slightly heavier than your M205?  Although, admittedly, I haven't really noticed much difference in weight between my M400/M405 pens and the M200/M205 ones.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

It's certainly possible.
Or they might be 'a smidgen' wider, or something.

 

Perhaps it's only that I perceive the 400 & M400 as being 'fancier' pens than my M205, and thus am more likely to subconsciously want to think that they feel great in my hand?
🤷‍♂️

[stoen]

On 10/12/2024 at 6:02 AM, Christopher Godfrey said:

No, the 400-series nib units do not fit into the earlier models

Right, as far as entire nib units are concerned, yet, the 400 (1950-64) series gold nibs could be installed in both earlier 100N (1937-54) and later M101N (Originals of their time) feeds and collars, AFAIK.

 

@Lam1 also said:

Quote

The easiest thing to do is to put the nib of a 400/400NN in it, since they fit without modifications 

I have replaced missing or broken nibs in two ot three defunct 100N pens with early 400 spare nibs I had in stock, for restoring. There is absolutely no performance or cosmetic difference between late 100N and early 400 nibs (1950-54). The are fully interchangeable. Feeds are compatible. Collars are not.

[Merrick]

16 hours ago, Mercian said:

 

It's certainly possible.
Or they might be 'a smidgen' wider, or something.

 

Perhaps it's only that I perceive the 400 & M400 as being 'fancier' pens than my M205, and thus am more likely to subconsciously want to think that they feel great in my hand?
🤷‍♂️

Do you use both models posted and if so does the M400 have more trim on the cap than the M200? That could account for a slight weight difference which could be subtly impacting your perception. 

[Mercian]

On 10/14/2024 at 2:57 PM, Merrick said:

Do you use both models posted and if so does the M400 have more trim on the cap than the M200? That could account for a slight weight difference which could be subtly impacting your perception. 

 

I use them all posted.
My M400 is one of the pre-1997 ones, so it - like my 400 from the 1950s - only has trim rings in the same number & locations as those on my M205.

I am at a complete loss when it comes to trying to explain my reactions to the pens.
Clearly, I need to ink up the M205 and M400 and get writing with them both again, to see if I still feel the same way now 🤷‍♂️

[stoen]

My first M400 (early model). Got it for present. 
 

Next to an early 400.

🙂

[Merrick]

Nice! What nib width did you get?

 

Good call on the early model, you don't get that annoying trim ring at the end of the section with those pre-97 ones.

[stoen]

On 10/25/2024 at 6:28 PM, Merrick said:

 

Nice! What nib width did you get?

 

Thanks @Merrick.

 

It’s a nice EF. Firm, yet springy. Although it can hardly compare to the performance of the 1951/2 400, next to it, or even a EF Merz&Krell, it’s still a nice nib, more versatile than those in nowadays’ M400s.

 

Just swapped nib units between 400 and M400. Didn’t perform inking and writing tests yet…

 

Could it be that nib units of 400 and (early) M400 are interchangeable?

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, stoen said:

Next to an early 400.

 

<Sigh>

I am currently coveting an early-1950s 400 in Brown Tortoiseshell, like yours.
Preferably with an 'M' nib.
The grind and the 'bounciness' of the nibs on those pens are both delightful.

[Merrick]

That nib looks great! The pre-97 gold nibs do have a pleasant springiness but not real flex (the M200 steel nibs can get a little flexy at times but nowhere close to good vintage flex), and the pre-97 nibs have more angular grinds on them so they write more like I expect from a good fountain pen nib, as opposed to the rounded blobs of tipping you can see on the 97-present nibs.

 

In terms of interchangeability, this is one of my favorite things about Pelikan pens. The 400 nib units will fit in the M200/205/250, the M400, and the M600s, regardless of date of production. It makes it extremely easy to mix and match nibs to pens as you need. Similarly you can put a modern Pelikan nib from the M200/M400/M600 lines into a 400 series pen without issue (the M600 nib is bigger so you might have cap clearance issues depending on the pen, but I had no problem swapping one into my 400NN just for the fun of it). 

 

The only reason I don't have more M200s and M400s is that they hold less ink than the vintage 400s and I'm a sucker for celluloid and flex nibs.

[stoen]

53 minutes ago, Merrick said:

In terms of interchangeability, this is one of my favorite things about Pelikan pens. The 400 nib units will fit in the M200/205/250, the M400, and the M600s, regardless of date of production.

Thanks for confirming my test results. I’m not familiar with post-1975 Pelikan pens.

As for nibs, not many can compare to my early 400 F nib:

[Merrick]

Yes, the nibs on the vintage Pelikans really are among the best out there for my money. I have a 140 and a 400NN and have a 400 incoming and I reach for the 400NN more often than almost any other pen, and end up writing with it longer than other pens too.

[stoen]

On 10/25/2024 at 8:48 PM, Merrick said:

Yes, the nibs on the vintage Pelikans really are among the best out there for my money. I have a 140 and a 400NN and have a 400 incoming and I reach for the 400NN more often than almost any other pen, and end up writing with it longer than other pens too.

I would agree these pens/nibs are simply the best value for money. They can be found in very good condition, they still cost less than new M400s and perform better. They are simple and robust. My only recommendation to anyone would be: Try before you buy, or buy from a vendor you trust.

🙂

[carola]

There is an update to my family heirloom 100N Green Marbled I posted about on October 6th. It came back from repair on Friday and it cleaned up really nicely. It is now functional, the bent clip is straight again and the bent tine, too. And it has been polished a bit. Basically, it looks like a new pen.

Now the thing about the dating: It is indeed a pen from somewhere between 1948 and 1952, BUT it had a cork seal (I had been thinking my eyes were going so bad I was seeing things). My pen repair guy also found out, how this was possible. This pen had been heavily used and one day, its plastic seal must have called it quits. Someone then took it apart and fumbled a Pelikan 100 piston with a cork seal in there. Supposedly this had held up for the moment, but definitely not for a long time because the old piston´s ebonite couldn´t take the pressure.

The pen is now back to an original piston with black plastic seal and everything´s fine. The only issue for us is, that this means it simply can´t be my grandmother´s brother´s pen because he died before the war had ended. The botched repair on the other hand has made me think that my father MIGHT have something to do with it or at least know something about it. I am going to ask him about it when we meet around New Year.

 

In the meantime, two other birds have come to roost with my flock. They met the green 100N when it was out for repair and simply followed it home.

 

Pelikan M101N Tortoise Brown

 

Pelikan M101N Bright Red

[Mercian]

@carola that's brilliant news about your 100N! 😊

 

It's now probably good for another 70 years of use

 

56 minutes ago, carola said:

 

Pelikan M101N Tortoise Brown

 

No!
I CANNOT SEE that pen!
It does not exist and has never existed!

 

Or at least that is what my wallet is telling me...

[carola]

36 minutes ago, Mercian said:

@carola that's brilliant news about your 100N! 😊

 

It's now probably good for another 70 years of use

 

 

No!
I CANNOT SEE that pen!
It does not exist and has never existed!

 

Or at least that is what my wallet is telling me...

 

Thank you. 😃

 

As for the Tortoise Brown - seeing the prices that are asked on ebay, my wallet is entirely on your side. Would you believe me if I told you I got it for € 350?

[inkstainedruth]

The fact that one of your pens is a family heirloom is even cooler.  Good that you were able to get back up and running.

Of course now I'm just drooling over the M101N Tortoise....  Of course, it's also a bit too rich for my blood (I just plugged the price you paid into a currency exchange website.... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[carola]

28 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

The fact that one of your pens is a family heirloom is even cooler.  Good that you were able to get back up and running.

Of course now I'm just drooling over the M101N Tortoise....  Of course, it's also a bit too rich for my blood (I just plugged the price you paid into a currency exchange website.... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

There are a few heirloom pens in my collection, but this 100N is probably the one of the highest quality.

 

The price I paid for the Tortoise is pretty much sumgai. Hop over to ebay, you will find that for the specimen there you would have to double that price and then put an additional 1 in front of it all. They are going pretty much crazy over that pen. 🤷‍♀️

[inkstainedruth]

YIKES!  Way too rich for my blood, then.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[lamarax]

3 hours ago, carola said:

As for the Tortoise Brown - seeing the prices that are asked on ebay, my wallet is entirely on your side. Would you believe me if I told you I got it for € 350?

 

I guess besides the usual E-bay "bait-and-switch" game, there are some esteemed dealers in the market, who're trying the reverse-sumgui figure on us 😄