MacNiven and Cameron; one standard, one interesting!

August 9, 2023

Hi folks,

In the last couple of weeks I've been lucky enough to come across a couple of MacNiven and Camerons. The first one is a simple lever-filler, probably from around WW1, called a Cameron 84. No Waverley nib, but a lovely little pen for its age, complete with the checkerboard machining on the body. The nib even says "normal" on it.

The BHR is still in very decent shape. For those who are interested, I found it in the antiques for sale area of the car museum run by Rust Valley Restorers in the interior of British Columbia (coming to a History Channel near you!).

The other is from a certain auction site. I bought it because I had no idea what it was and couldn't find another one like it. It's called a "Waverley Transparent." I think it's obvious why. But less obvious is how it fills.

MacN & C made bulbfillers with a sort of attached tweezer mechanism to squeeze the bulb. In this case, though . . .

The back end unscrews to reveal . . .

A silver coloured button. The tube over the bulb is sealed except for an oval hole into which the button fits. The button is attached to a rudimentary J-bar and has a nicely springy action. It squeezes the sac and the pen draws in ink.

The ink-holding part of the barrel contains a breather tube, just like a Vacumatic. It is really satisfying to fill, as with each squeeze the ink goes up about 1/3 of an inch (8mm). Sorry the picture is a little unclear, there was water in the barrel . . .

The nib is a standard MacN & C, but not normal this time . . .

And finally, here's the etching on the bulb cover. This is so nicely done, and so British, it's what won me over to this ridiculous pen.

If anybody knows more about this model, or a similar model made by one of the manufacturers MacNiven and Cameron used, like Burnham or maybe Langs, I'd love to hear about it. Happy to answer any questions anybody has about this, I believe, pretty rare little pen.

Cheers,

Ralf