Parker 51 Pencil Lead

[PortlyParson]

Greetings. I recently acquired a beautiful Parker 51 pencil. There are spare leads inside. Those, and any other diameters up to 1mm, will insert into the tip but slide right back out. 1.1mm are too large to fit. What am I doing wrong? The pencil leads just won't stay inserted.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

It will be 0.9mm that has worn so will need the attention of some pliers to close it up the grip but put something inside first to avoid damage

[PortlyParson]

Thank you.

[PPPR]

These take thin (0.9 mm) leads. Did you press the lead into place when newly inserted? With about 1/8" extending out, press the pencil down vertically on the lead tip. It should go in a bit to seat itself in the mechanism. If the lead is flush with the tip, consider repeating the process to ensure the lead is fully seated.

 

HTH

[welch]

The later P-51 pencils were push-down grip-repeaters, like modern .5 and .7mm Japanese mechanical pencils. The older pencils, and all P-51 Special pencils that I've found, want you to retract the lead as far as it will go...then turn to push the lead out. That should grip it.

 

All of them took .036 leads, more easily found as .9mm leads. Jonathan Veley, the Autopoint expert who runs Legendary Pencils, has a great stock of .036, and some jaw-dropping .046 leads for older and thicker pencils. 

 

My experience, however: "orphan" P-51 pencils often don't work well. (My hunch is that people tossed them aside as they wore out, keeping the fountain pen.) Typical symptom: the lead slides out.

[welch]

Something I should add: I have not found anyone who repairs Parker mechanical pencils. 

[pen lady]

This may or may-not help, but sometimes the nose-cone tip can become coated inside with old lead residue.  Try unscrewing it and ream out the hole with a wooden toothpick.  If the pencil was designed for 1.1 mm leads this could solve your problem.  But, as they say so often here, ''your results may vary''.  Good luck.