Parker 51 Special Aerometric writes very dry after filling

[Udo]

I bought a Parker 51 Special Aerometric with a medium nib.

 

Everything is ok, very good condition, the ink sac is almost as good as new.

 

Filling works wonderfully.

However, I have noticed that the fountain pen writes quite dry after filling, only later does the nib lay a rich wet ink line on the paper.

 

Is there a trick so that the fountain pen writes rich and wet immediately after filling or what could be the cause?

 

I would be very happy to receive tips and information.

 

[Claes]

Hi Udo!

 

Let's start with some basic questions...

 

a) What ink do you use?

b) How do you fill the pen? All details, please.

c) Is the hole at the back of the barrel fully open or clogged?

d) Does this occur every time you fill the pen?

e) When you received the pen, did you clean/flush it thoroughly?

 

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

 

[Udo]

Hello and thanks for the help.

 

a) I use Pelikan 4001 Blue Black.

b) I fill the pen as described on the ink container. Dip the front part of the pen into the ink and press 4 times. Then I let 3 drops run back again and wash the tip with a paper towel. The ink container is then almost full. What I have noticed, however, is that when I turn the pen over, the ink does not run straight down, I have to tap the ink container. Only then does the ink run. As if there is still air in the container.

c) The hole at the end of the barrel is free and open.

d) It is now the 3rd filling, and yes, I always have this phenomenon after filling.

 

e) The fountain pen is clean, I bought it from a specialist.

 

I hope this information helps you.

Greetings,

Udo

 

[Claes]

Sorry, I am out of good ideas...

If you bought it recently, how about asking the seller?

 

/Claes

 

[Paul80]

A couple of suggestions 

 

Don't use Pelikan ink, it's known to be a dry ink, try Parker Quink.

 

Assuming the feed is nice and clean, the hood may need setting to the feed.

 

Await the usual suspect to jump in and tell you we are all wrong and only he knows the correct way 😉

[Beechwood]

9 hours ago, Paul80 said:

 

 

Await the usual suspect to jump in and tell you we are all wrong and only he knows the correct way 😉

 

That is one way to stop any erudite replies

[Glenn-SC]

17 hours ago, Format said:

 

That is one way to stop any erudite replies

Erudite is a good thing. 
I doubt Paul’s comment will have any effect.  

[inkstainedruth]

@Udo Another thing I thought of, while reading this thread, is that I'm wondering if the nib needs a little tweaking.  I have a 51 Vacumatic with an EF nib, and it was a little scratchy to write with when I had the pen repaired.  I had taken it to FPN's RonZ at a pen show to get the pen checked out and see if the sac needed to be replaced, and then after he did that I tried writing with it and he ended up opening up the tines a smidge.  Now?  If I need to do a bunch of research and take copious notes?  That's the pen that gets inked up.  The pen holds a lot of ink, and the nicely tuned EF nib is (while still stingy as far as how much ink comes out of it, compared to some wider nib) it is a lovely writer.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

I must admit that my first thought was ‘is the Sterling Silver ‘breather tube’ of your pen banjaxed?’

 

Your best bet is, probably, to send your “51” to a reputable restorer, such as @Ron Z, who will be able to get the beast back in to full working order.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

From my knowledge Pelikan Blue-Black is infamous for being one of the driest inks out there, and Parker 51s do not have a reputation for being wet writers so that is not a good combination. It is strange that it writes dry after filling and better later though, usually it's the other way around.

 

I would recommend trying a different ink (sadly I've had a lot of bad experiences learning that not all inks work with all pens), and if that still doesn't fix the issue, send it off to get serviced as others have suggested.

[Beechwood]

If the pen works well most of the time but dryish only after being filled that would say to me that there is nothing much wrong with the pen and the filling technique needs to be varied a little, even waiting a few moments after filling with the pen held nib down, As others have suggested I would try a regular Parker or Waterman ink and even see if the same issue persists on different paper, perhaps Rhodia.

 

 

[Ron Z]

On 9/19/2024 at 4:56 PM, Paul80 said:

Don't use Pelikan ink, it's known to be a dry ink, try Parker Quink.

 

 I disagree.  Pelikan Royal Blue is  all that I use, and is my standard ink for testing all pens, and all that I've used for well  over a decade.  I buy it by the liter.  Parker black is however often suspect, and both Richard Binder and  I have had issues with  it in many  pens while any other ink works just fine.  I finally abandoned Quink blue/black after I had issues in some pens.

 

I would look at the set of the hood against the nib if the pen were in my hands.  That is part of the flow regulation in a 51.  A slight increase in the gap between nib and hood often gives a satisfactory flow when writing.   Also check the feed itself.  There should be a slight upturn at the very end of the feed.

[Beechwood]

17 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

 

 I disagree.  Pelikan Royal Blue is  all that I use, and is my standard ink for testing all pens, and all that I've used for well  over a decade.  I buy it by the liter.  Parker black is however often suspect, and both Richard Binder and  I have had issues with  it in many  pens while any other ink works just fine.  I finally abandoned Quink blue/black after I had issues in some pens.

 

I would look at the set of the hood against the nib if the pen were in my hands.  That is part of the flow regulation in a 51.  A slight increase in the gap between nib and hood often gives a satisfactory flow when writing.   Also check the feed itself.  There should be a slight upturn at the very end of the feed.

 

Would I be correct in thinking that set of the nib and hood and feed would affect the performance  throughout the use of the pen as opposed to becoming better in use and dry only at the start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ron Z]

Perhaps.  But a good point.  I do have a question though....  This:

 

On 9/19/2024 at 8:13 AM, Udo said:

wash the tip with a paper towel.

Wash implies wet.  Are they using a wet or a dry paper towel?  If dry, wiping it off shouldn't be a problem.  If wet....   then perhaps they are washing away or diluting the ink at the tip.  Then the pen wouldn't write properly. Once enough ink got to the tip of the nib it might write, but enough was removed when cleaned off that it wouldn't at first.   I use a paper towel or tissue just to soak up and remove the excess ink.  It is possible to be too thorough in the process.  Just wrap a paper towel or tissue around nib and feed and let it soak up the extra. 

 

[Udo]

First of all, thank you very much for the tips and advice. 

 

I was able to solve the problem - by switching to Parker Quink ink. 

I would not have thought that the writing flow could change so much with a different ink. 

 

One more question: As Parker Quink is unfortunately not available in many colors, I would like to know what alternatives you can recommend.  

 

Thanks again for any suggestions and tips.

 

Udo
 

[Udo]

38 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

Perhaps.  But a good point.  I do have a question though....  This:

 

Wash implies wet.  Are they using a wet or a dry paper towel?  If dry, wiping it off shouldn't be a problem.  If wet....   then perhaps they are washing away or diluting the ink at the tip.  Then the pen wouldn't write properly. Once enough ink got to the tip of the nib it might write, but enough was removed when cleaned off that it wouldn't at first.   I use a paper towel or tissue just to soak up and remove the excess ink.  It is possible to be too thorough in the process.  Just wrap a paper towel or tissue around nib and feed and let it soak up the extra. 

 

I use a dry tissue and really only wash off the excess ink on the grip and nib.

[Beechwood]

1 minute ago, Udo said:

First of all, thank you very much for the tips and advice. 

 

I was able to solve the problem - by switching to Parker Quink ink. 

I would not have thought that the writing flow could change so much with a different ink. 

 

One more question: As Parker Quink is unfortunately not available in many colors, I would like to know what alternatives you can recommend.  

 

Thanks again for any suggestions and tips.

 

Udo
 

 

 

Excellent, good that you have found a solution, You are right the Parker range is limited, Waterman has a little more but not extensive, Perhaps keep the Parker for the 51 and fancy colors in other pens

[Ron Z]

What ink were you using in the first place?

[Claes]

Udo: I presently have five Parker 51s inked, and have no problems with either of these inks (which are just examples -- there are hundreds of inks that will work just fine):

• Taccia / Benitsuchi
• Waterman / Serenity blue
• Diamine / Schwarzwaldtinte
• Diamine / Green black
• Diamine / Bilberry

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

[Claes]

@Ron Z He used Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

 

/Claes