Anybody else's "51" write incredibly dry?

[blak000]

Got a Parker "51" in the mail yesterday. Had to do a little nib alignment, but, afterwards, the pen wrote fine. Has a small issue with starting up if it's been sitting in the pen cup for more than 30 minutes; nothing serious... one stroke is enough to get it going. Another thing is that the F nib is smaller than I like (more like a Japanese Fine), but that's not the fault of the pen. The nib is a nail, but also pretty smooth.

 

Anyways, one thing I've noticed is that th pen writes DRY. Is this normal for the "51"? I've run across "51" ads online, that advertised how the pen "writes dry with wet ink," so I'm assuming that's how it's supposed to be. If that's the case, then the pen works great: I can wipe my hand over the writing after a second or two and it's perfectly smudge free.

 

Just wanted to know other people's experiences with this pen.

 

Overall, I like the pen... the aesthetics are great, as well as its balance... just wish the nib was a little wetter. The dryness causes the pen to have a little drag when I write...

 

Anyways, thoughts?

Edited October 14, 2007 by blak000

[rroossinck]

Floss the nib? If you were aligning and anything got in between those tines, it might slow the ink flow.

[RayMan]

My first 51 wrote dry when I had it filled with PR Burgundy Mist. It was also a slow starter the next day, with the same ink. Ever since I filled it with Skrip Black, however, it has been writing very wet, and absolutely no problem with slow starting, even after 2 or 3 days of non-use. The difference is night and day.

 

I filled my second 51 with a blue ink, but I've forgotten which ink I used. This pen writes dry. I haven't tried any other inks with this pen.

 

What ink are you using?

[blak000]

My first 51 wrote dry when I had it filled with PR Burgundy Mist. It was also a slow starter the next day, with the same ink. Ever since I filled it with Skrip Black, however, it has been writing very wet, and absolutely no problem with slow starting, even after 2 or 3 days of non-use. The difference is night and day.

 

I filled my second 51 with a blue ink, but I've forgotten which ink I used. This pen writes dry. I haven't tried any other inks with this pen.

 

What ink are you using?

 

Pelikan Brilliant Black. Flossing the nib sounds interesting, but I don't have anything floss the nib with!

[OldGriz]

Sounds like the collector might have dried ink in it and needs to be cleaned.

Not a big job on an Aero... just a matter of flushing with a 10% ammonia solution a couple of time until it runs clean then doing the same with clear cool water....

I would fill the pen with the ammonia solution and allow to sit nib down overnight.. .then flush and do it again...

[blak000]

Sounds like the collector might have dried ink in it and needs to be cleaned.

Not a big job on an Aero... just a matter of flushing with a 10% ammonia solution a couple of time until it runs clean then doing the same with clear cool water....

I would fill the pen with the ammonia solution and allow to sit nib down overnight.. .then flush and do it again...

 

Although I appreciate your input, I kind of doubt that this is the case. I bought the pen professionally restored from one of the reputable dealers mentioned on this forum. I can't imagine that he would leave a bunch of dried ink in the collector before he shipped it out. In fact, he told me he would check out everything before he sold it.

 

I don't want to mention his name or website, because I don't want this thread to reflect negatively on his handiwork... he really did a great job on the pen, and it WORKS... the nib just isn't as wet as I'd like it to be.

 

Judging from what you and rroossinck have said, though, I might have to get the nib adjusted. I e-mailed Richard Binder about it, and he said he'd be happy to do it... it'll just take 3-4 months before he can send it back. I JUST got the pen, so I think I'm going to hold onto it for a little while longer, before I send it in. *sigh*

[tnt]

The first 51 I bought has a fine NIB and writes very similar to yours. I just assumed that was what i should expect. I believe the 51 ads way back when presented this as a feature. The next 51 I bought has a medium NIB and writes very differently. Curious to see how your experience turns out.

[OldGriz]

Sounds like the collector might have dried ink in it and needs to be cleaned.

Not a big job on an Aero... just a matter of flushing with a 10% ammonia solution a couple of time until it runs clean then doing the same with clear cool water....

I would fill the pen with the ammonia solution and allow to sit nib down overnight.. .then flush and do it again...

 

Although I appreciate your input, I kind of doubt that this is the case. I bought the pen professionally restored from one of the reputable dealers mentioned on this forum. I can't imagine that he would leave a bunch of dried ink in the collector before he shipped it out. In fact, he told me he would check out everything before he sold it.

 

I don't want to mention his name or website, because I don't want this thread to reflect negatively on his handiwork... he really did a great job on the pen, and it WORKS... the nib just isn't as wet as I'd like it to be.

 

Judging from what you and rroossinck have said, though, I might have to get the nib adjusted. I e-mailed Richard Binder about it, and he said he'd be happy to do it... it'll just take 3-4 months before he can send it back. I JUST got the pen, so I think I'm going to hold onto it for a little while longer, before I send it in. *sigh*

 

I am not downing the dealer you bought the pen from.... but we all make mistakes sometimes...

I have sold pens that I had to have returned to me because somehow or other I missed something or it did not write as nice as the customer would have likes... generally all it took was some tweaking to get it the way they wanted.... it happens..

If the pen is not writing to your satisfaction, I would contact the person you purchase it from and ask them to look at it again...

AS I SAID, sometimes we make a mistake....

[blak000]

Sounds like the collector might have dried ink in it and needs to be cleaned.

Not a big job on an Aero... just a matter of flushing with a 10% ammonia solution a couple of time until it runs clean then doing the same with clear cool water....

I would fill the pen with the ammonia solution and allow to sit nib down overnight.. .then flush and do it again...

 

Although I appreciate your input, I kind of doubt that this is the case. I bought the pen professionally restored from one of the reputable dealers mentioned on this forum. I can't imagine that he would leave a bunch of dried ink in the collector before he shipped it out. In fact, he told me he would check out everything before he sold it.

 

I don't want to mention his name or website, because I don't want this thread to reflect negatively on his handiwork... he really did a great job on the pen, and it WORKS... the nib just isn't as wet as I'd like it to be.

 

Judging from what you and rroossinck have said, though, I might have to get the nib adjusted. I e-mailed Richard Binder about it, and he said he'd be happy to do it... it'll just take 3-4 months before he can send it back. I JUST got the pen, so I think I'm going to hold onto it for a little while longer, before I send it in. *sigh*

 

I am not downing the dealer you bought the pen from.... but we all make mistakes sometimes...

I have sold pens that I had to have returned to me because somehow or other I missed something or it did not write as nice as the customer would have likes... generally all it took was some tweaking to get it the way they wanted.... it happens..

If the pen is not writing to your satisfaction, I would contact the person you purchase it from and ask them to look at it again...

AS I SAID, sometimes we make a mistake....

 

Well, I took your advice. I contacted the dealer, and am now awaiting a response. Even if he doesn't end up adjusting the ink flow, I hope that he's at least able to fix the pen so it's not such a hard starter anymore. Thanks guys, for all your input... I really appreciate it.

[wvbeetlebug]

Sometimes they just need tweaked a little. I love mine now. Writes like a rollerball. (wave to Griz!)

[Rick Propas]

Having worked on a lot of 51s and having a near mint 51 in my pocket this moment, my feeling is that the pen in question needs work. Parker 51s are incredibly complex and a lot of people (myself included, back in the day) just don't know how to tune and set them. A properly set up 51 should put down a good, solid line and should start up first time every time.

 

Apart from issues of cleanliness there is also the fact that the 51 is both a top and bottom feed pen. For it to work properly, the shell needs to be properly set to the nib as well as the feed, and it sounds to me like yours is not.

 

My Empire State set came to me almost twenty years ago, near mint in the box because the feed, nib and (especially) the shell were not in proper alignment. Came that way from the factory, never got used, thankfully, until I got it.

 

Have your repair person/seller consider that aspect of it, if they have not, or send it to someone who has been around a long tiem and knows 51, such as Richard Binder, Joel Hamilton, or Ron Zorn.

[blak000]

Well, got a reply from the dealer. He claims it was working perfectly fine before he sent it out. This happened with the pen last time; this is actually the second time receiving the pen, with a swapped out nib. The original nib I received was extremely scratchy, but he claimed it was smooth when he tried it. At least he was gracious enough to swap the nib out.

 

I don't think I'll be able to get the nib adjusted the way I like it, from him. I'm taking this problem straight to a nibmeister; hopefully he/she will be able to fix my pen the way I like it.

 

By the way, I'm kind of considering swapping out the nib (14k gold) entirely for an octanium one, so it would match color-wise with the lustraloy cap and the clutch ring. I've read in a few threads that they write just as well as the 14k gold nibs, but that they might corrode more easily. Is there any truth to this?

 

Also, as I mentioned before, my Parker "51" writes a lot like a Japanese F. Is that the way the pen is supposed to write, or is there some problem with my nib? I've always found Japanese F to be much too small for my tastes. If the Parker "51" fine is normally like that, then I'm going to try and swap up to a bigger nib size. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Edited October 14, 2007 by blak000

[domino]

I use Noodlers in mine. I find that a quick rinse and wipe a day does it.

I do use them daily. I've had no trouble restarting either. Other inks

may do better. As OldGriz says, a bit of tweaking may do the trick. If not

happy, get your seller to do it right for you. Most will.

[psfred]

Parker made a number of nibs for the "51", and they are not marked on the nib for size. I have the opposite problem with 61's -- Fine nibs all run to the narrow side of broad, and a nib advertized as medium writes almost like a Q-tip for me! Way too fat.

 

You probably have an accountant nib, not a fine. However, it does need to be set properly to work well. The ads for "writes dry with wet ink" are for Superchrome ink, which contained a large percentage of isopropyl alcohol for rapid drying. Needless to say, the "51" needs to provide a good, generous flow to keep the nib from clogging with that ink.

 

Note that many have been adjusted to write rather dry over the years, and as mentioned above the feed and hood have to be set correctly to the nib to get proper flow.

 

I only have one "51" that writes dry, and that's because I straigtened a badly bent nib and the slit is still too narrow, I've not gotten around to working on it again for a while. I do have one that writes too wet, need to take it apart and see what's going on there (it may be the one I cannot get the hood off of, it appears to have been solvent welded in place!).

 

Also, a pen that has been recently worked on may be cranky for a bit -- a fingerprint on the nib can prevent ink flow until it wears off with use. I've had more than one pen I repaired refuse to write well for a while, then suddenly work perfectly. I would use some free-flowing ink (Quink, Skrip, Watermans) for a fill or two before getting too upset, it may take a fill or two to get proper flow. If there is not change then, send it to one of the guys here (Tom, Ron, others) who will get it working properly for you.

 

Peter