Parker 51 Comeback 2020?

[TheRedBeard]

12 minutes ago, Heinkle said:

 

My Big Red Centennial did not write well out of the box - still trying to send it to Parker for a nib change

Oh, I am sorry to hear that, Heinkle... not good at all...

[lionelc]

7 hours ago, Ferocity said:

If either of you did clean it out well, and this hard start problem is happening then obviously the pen sucks. I'm in suspense to hear what all you guys did before putting ink into these 💖

after hearing about the pen issues, i used the pen without flushing, hard started then flushed it with soapy water - and it still hard started.  issue really is with the nib - to make the parker 51 as smooth as possible, the tipping is a large round blob and with polishing, there is a small divot at the tip.  after removing a tiny amount of tipping, it actually does write well, on par with my vintage 51s.

[TheRedBeard]

21 minutes ago, lionelc said:

after hearing about the pen issues, i used the pen without flushing, hard started then flushed it with soapy water - and it still hard started.  issue really is with the nib - to make the parker 51 as smooth as possible, the tipping is a large round blob and with polishing, there is a small divot at the tip.  after removing a tiny amount of tipping, it actually does write well, on par with my vintage 51s.

So, Newell should consider selling new P51 Deluxe with a small "luxury" DIY kit enclosed and relevant chapter added to the booklet

[lionelc]

19 minutes ago, TheRedBeard said:

small "luxury" DIY kit

need a tagline for it - world's most wanted accessories for the world's most wanted pen? 

[TheRedBeard]

7 minutes ago, lionelc said:

need a tagline for it - world's most wanted accessories for the world's most wanted pen? 

Well done, Lionelc :)

[Ferocity]

2 hours ago, lionelc said:

after hearing about the pen issues, i used the pen without flushing, hard started then flushed it with soapy water - and it still hard started.  issue really is with the nib - to make the parker 51 as smooth as possible, the tipping is a large round blob and with polishing, there is a small divot at the tip.  after removing a tiny amount of tipping, it actually does write well, on par with my vintage 51s.

That

is

scary

❤️👍❤️

Thanks for the heads up

it turns out that for you, the pen did suck!

 

[lionelc]

16 minutes ago, Ferocity said:

Thanks for the heads up

 

fixable though!  still happy i bought it.

[Ferocity]

= )

I'm glad you're happy with it = )

I am even more glad that you were able to get it working up to your standards = )

Let's see if mine’ll need some fixing.

Hopefully not, but I'll know when I know = )

pen chalet hasn't even sent me a tracking number or anything so WHO KNOWS when I'll even get mine = )

[corniche]

Hi all,

 

Sorry I've been MIA; had to resolve a problem with one of my out of state commercial properties. 

 

I flushed the pen before I left and re-inked it when I got back home this afternoon. 

 

 

It seems to be working fine again; I hope that continues to be the case; unlike before. But for now, a wet, smooth line with no skipping or hard starts.  I want to see if it still performs this well in a few days; when it's no longer "freshly inked up."

 

- Sean 

[Ferocity]

Nnnnniiiiiiiiiiice! That's great (well; except for the whole "out of state problems!") Sweeeeeeeeet!!! this is great news! Turns out your pen IS AWESOME! It most definitely didn't stink on arrival (no noodler's jokes please). Thanks a lot~! glad to hear the pen is working well ❤️ I hope the out of state shenanigans has been resolved as well 👍👍

 

~This guy

[Estycollector]

So glad/please the out of state property is behind me. Hope yours is positive as well. 

 

Best Regards, Sean!!!

[ajcoleman]

Sean, I may have experienced something similar.  My pen started out reasonably wet, but seemed to get dryer after a day or two.  I took the cartridge out, flushed the pen with water, and that seemed to fix it for a bit. (I had briefly flushed the pen before I filled it the first time.)  Then it happened again. The pen wrote dry, almost faint, and was more prone to skipping. I finally took a razor blade to spread the tines just a tiny bit, flushed it again, and switched inks. I was using Waterman Serenity Blue before so I don't think the ink was to blame. I switched to Pilot Blue just to try something different. Not sure what did the trick, but nonetheless, I seem to have it in a happier place now. It is writing more consistency than it did before. I don't know if I fixed anything or if in reality it was fine and would have worked itself out as I ran more ink through it. My suspicision is some dust or something worked loose and partially blocked the feed and just had to be flushed out.

 

Is it a bit disappointing? Perhaps, but not surprising.  Is it a problem on Parker's part? Maybe. I have bought new pens that haven't had problems like this, but this is certainly not unusual. I am still happy with the pen.

[corgicoupe]

"I finally took a razor blade to spread the tines just a tiny bit, flushed it again, and switched inks. I was using Waterman Serenity Blue before so I don't think the ink was to blame. I switched to Pilot Blue just to try something different. Not sure what did the trick, but nonetheless, I seem to have it in a happier place now."

 

My Dad was mechanic on a friend's hydroplane, and the driver would come back to shore and say..."Change the prop and move the motor aft one inch." Dad's response was... "Make only one change at a time or you'll never know what fixed the problem." That foes for fountain pens too.

[Ferocity]

I bet that Ebay dude is going to be supper happy for the free publicity hahahah 

[corniche]

6 hours ago, Estycollector said:

So glad/please the out of state property is behind me. Hope yours is positive as well. 

 

Best Regards, Sean!!!

 

Hi Esty,

 

 

Thanks; I have it worked out. When I retired a few years ago; I sold all of my business ventures, except one. I held onto all of my rental properties.

 

But this covid situation is ruining that - all the extra regulations for commercial use properties - which vary from state to state - is getting to be a real headache.

 

- Sean 

 

 

[corniche]

17 hours ago, ajcoleman said:

Sean, I may have experienced something similar.  My pen started out reasonably wet, but seemed to get dryer after a day or two.  I took the cartridge out, flushed the pen with water, and that seemed to fix it for a bit. (I had briefly flushed the pen before I filled it the first time.)  Then it happened again. The pen wrote dry, almost faint, and was more prone to skipping. I finally took a razor blade to spread the tines just a tiny bit, flushed it again, and switched inks. I was using Waterman Serenity Blue before so I don't think the ink was to blame. I switched to Pilot Blue just to try something different. Not sure what did the trick, but nonetheless, I seem to have it in a happier place now. It is writing more consistency than it did before. I don't know if I fixed anything or if in reality it was fine and would have worked itself out as I ran more ink through it. My suspicision is some dust or something worked loose and partially blocked the feed and just had to be flushed out.

 

Is it a bit disappointing? Perhaps, but not surprising.  Is it a problem on Parker's part? Maybe. I have bought new pens that haven't had problems like this, but this is certainly not unusual. I am still happy with the pen.

 

Hi Adam, 

 

YES! That is EXACTLY what happened to me. TBH, I thought my problem might have been triggered by pulling out the converter and putting other ones in, to test fit various converters - including the Aerometric from the early 45 - - and developing a "super air bubble."

 

But I cranked the converter until ink bled through the nib and siphon hole in the feed; so I knew there was no air left in the line... but the problem soon came back.

 

So, I gave it a good soak and flush, including 4 minutes in my USC. So, I'm hoping the problem is solved with that. If it comes back; I'll try a brass shim between the tines. 

 

It is disappointing that this has to be done; their QC leaves a lot to be desired. 

 

Thanks for the info. 👍

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

3 hours ago, corgicoupe said:

"I finally took a razor blade to spread the tines just a tiny bit, flushed it again, and switched inks. I was using Waterman Serenity Blue before so I don't think the ink was to blame. I switched to Pilot Blue just to try something different. Not sure what did the trick, but nonetheless, I seem to have it in a happier place now."

 

My Dad was mechanic on a friend's hydroplane, and the driver would come back to shore and say..."Change the prop and move the motor aft one inch." Dad's response was... "Make only one change at a time or you'll never know what fixed the problem." That foes for fountain pens too.

 

Sage advice, Corgi. 👍

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

On 2/22/2021 at 5:20 AM, lionelc said:

hi sean, ferocity and peter - approached my plum gt with some apprehension after reading your thoughts on it.  it actually came with a cc and the pen felt very comfortable in hand but hard started out of the box!  it was a case of baby's bottom but have learned much from fpn members and practice - worked on it with my go to of serenity blue, micromesh and a loupe.  definitely not a pen for newbies given work required to make it write well.

 

 

 

Hello Lionelc,

 

Thank you for this info.

 

It seems these pens suffer from multiple possible problems. Thanks to you guys here at FPN, though, at least now I have a clue on how to fix them. 👍

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

1 hour ago, Ferocity said:

I bet that Ebay dude is going to be supper happy for the free publicity hahahah 

 

Hi Ferocity, 

 

That's not a bad looking specimen, considering the rarity of it. 

 

Are you sure you still want the new one?

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

On 2/22/2021 at 3:00 PM, TheRedBeard said:

So, Newell should consider selling new P51 Deluxe with a small "luxury" DIY kit enclosed and relevant chapter added to the booklet

 

 

Thanks, Red. I needed a laugh.

 

- Sean