Black Striped Duofold Desk Pen

[Brian-McQueen]

I picked this pen up today. I tried to read up on Striped Duofold desk pens, but I can't really seem to find much about them. The pen is 7.5" long with the taper, and has a speedline filler. It is 4th quarter 1941 manufacture. Does anyone know if this pen should have a "V" nib? At present, it has a "Parker Pen Made in U.S.A" nib in it.

 

The pen came with a desk base as well (not pictured, but I can supply pictures if you wish). The sticker on the bottom felt says:

 

Parker Desk Pen Set

Made in U.S.A

 

Model No. K1

Price Complete with:

 

Desk Pen, No. 1 $8.75

 

Blue Diamond on desk pen signifies guaranted for life

[some patent information]

The Parker Pen Co. Janesville, Wis.

 

Where it says No. 1, however, the number 1 has been written over with the number 6 in the same pen used to write K1 in the Model No. blank.

 

So, to those who know about striped Duofold desk pens, what can you tell me? And to those who think I might be able to answer a question about it, please ask away.

 

-Robert

[Beechwood]

Just out of interest, because I have a 30s base that needs a pen, is your pen a screw fit into the base or a click fit?

[david i]

I picked this pen up today. I tried to read up on Striped Duofold desk pens, but I can't really seem to find much about them. The pen is 7.5" long with the taper, and has a speedline filler. It is 4th quarter 1941 manufacture. Does anyone know if this pen should have a "V" nib? At present, it has a "Parker Pen Made in U.S.A" nib in it.

 

The pen came with a desk base as well (not pictured, but I can supply pictures if you wish). The sticker on the bottom felt says:

 

Parker Desk Pen Set

Made in U.S.A

 

Model No. K1

Price Complete with:

 

Desk Pen, No. 1 $8.75

 

Blue Diamond on desk pen signifies guaranted for life

[some patent information]

The Parker Pen Co. Janesville, Wis.

 

Where it says No. 1, however, the number 1 has been written over with the number 6 in the same pen used to write K1 in the Model No. blank.

 

So, to those who know about striped Duofold desk pens, what can you tell me? And to those who think I might be able to answer a question about it, please ask away.

 

 

-Robert

 

 

Whilst DF Desk Pens tend to play a bit loose with some of the guidelines (as you can tell from the trim, assuming the description provided is complete) followed by pocket pens, there appears to be one sound reason why your pen approriately lacks a "V" nib.

 

Bonus points (as might say evil villain "Number 18")... if you can describe how this desk pen deviates in key fashion from otherwise similar pocket pens.

 

regards

david

Edited March 9, 2009 by david i

[kernando]

I'd be interested in seeing the base, and reading about the sockets.

 

I have a Vac set, big ugly light green stone, with the spring clutch in the socket, and this little spring loaded plate in the bottom. It's Canadian, 1939, speedline. The socket has one thin band at the top.

 

Then I have a Vac double base, green celluloid and glass, but with a pair of Challenger pens, black button fillers with plain bands and green windows. The sockets on those are plain on the outside and nothing on the inside. The two sets have similar joints (ball and socket).

 

The Challenger nibs (points, pens) are also marked "PARKER PEN MADE IN USA". I don't know about striped Duofold capped pocket pens, so I wonder what Dr. I's interesting point will be. I can't remember whether I've seen pictures of V decorated nibs on desk pens. If it turns out that the plain nib isn't the way it was, it at least isn't too weird, in that it fits.

 

I was just comparing the Vac and Challenger nibs, because I knew the Vac one is bigger. The Vac section has to have a bigger opening.

 

Wait, whoa, 7.5" long? My Vac is just over 7", tip to tip. I just finally realized that the Challengers are shorter, at 6 5/8".

[ANM]

Unlike most Parker desk pens this one will not convert to a pocket pen. This one doesn't have threads to take a cap.

[SMG]

Looking at this on my blacberry so I may be missing something, but isn't that a Vacumatic trim ring?

 

Cheers

Sean

[Buzz J]

David,

 

Dredging up some dusty bit of memory fragment, do I recall properly that pocket variety black vac duofolds occur only in the lower line?

 

That would make the color & diamond/ring in conflict. A black pocket pen would lack the blue diamond and have two thin rings.

 

John

[Brian-McQueen]

David,

 

Dredging up some dusty bit of memory fragment, do I recall properly that pocket variety black vac duofolds occur only in the lower line?

 

That would make the color & diamond/ring in conflict. A black pocket pen would lack the blue diamond and have two thin rings.

 

John

 

Given David's hints, I started thinking something along the same lines. I had read that black striped Duofolds were only available in Junior and Sub-Deb. Thus, there would not normally be a black striped Duofold with a Blue Diamond, right? And, iirc, V nibs were only on the higher line pens of the time so would be correct on the smaller pens (please correct me on that). However, my pen seems to be the same overall size and trim configuration as the striped Duofold Desk pen that can be found on David's site: Desk Pen. Would that make my black one some sort of anomaly, or a correct, cataloged pen?

 

To those who asked about the desk base I will post on it later. I am not at my home computer at the moment.

 

-Robert

Edited March 9, 2009 by RobertNFrappuls

[SMG]

now that I am home I see the duofold imprint. I concur with Buzz on his assessment that it was a lower line pen. Either way, cool pen. Desk pens are way underestimated these days.

 

Now I just need a job where I have a desk....

 

 

 

Cheers,

Sean

[Brian-McQueen]

Just out of interest, because I have a 30s base that needs a pen, is your pen a screw fit into the base or a click fit?

 

The pen pushes in where it is gripped by metal fingers. There are no threads, so it doesn't screw in. I have attached pictures of the holder taken apart.

 

I'd be interested in seeing the base, and reading about the sockets.

 

I have a Vac set, big ugly light green stone, with the spring clutch in the socket, and this little spring loaded plate in the bottom. It's Canadian, 1939, speedline. The socket has one thin band at the top.

 

I have attached some pictures of the base. Your Vac set holder sounds very similar to what I have, but mine has no spring. Yours must be a Seal-o-matic holder. Does anyone know if there should be a spring in the Duofold holder?

[david i]

David,

 

Dredging up some dusty bit of memory fragment, do I recall properly that pocket variety black vac duofolds occur only in the lower line?

 

That would make the color & diamond/ring in conflict. A black pocket pen would lack the blue diamond and have two thin rings.

 

John

 

Spot on. Too, i think I know the thread from which you recollect that detail

 

Blue Diamond striped Duofolds (large Senior and small Ingenue models) are catalogued (and so far only found) in the three colored striped: green, red and blue. The mid line Major and Debutante too. The low line vac-fill pens Junior and Sub-Deb as well as the button fill pens are found in black. So finding black Blue Diamond desk pens is something of a surprise.

 

The pen in this post correctly has a non-"V" nib as it dates to 1941; the "V" nib was introduced around mid 1942. Had the pen had somewhat later date code, the "V" nib would be expected, as the pen is diamond line. A non-blue diamond desk pen from the Striped DF series would not pack a "V".

 

regards

d

[kernando]

Ooh, nice pictures. I never thought to unscrew that. I just assumed it was one piece, with the ring swaged on, and all the innards shoved in through the hole. So far, I haven't figured out how to get that black ring out, so ours could be the same machanisms. Whee Vacumatic, Seal-o-matic. I want to get it apart, because then I can get someone to try filling in the crack in the outer socket. Does your inner socket have a circular plate mounted on a spring in the bottom? I'm a little worried about it flipping too far to one side and getting stuck, or unstuck.

 

That's a nice band on a Duofold, the Vacumatic style. Mine's without blue diamond. My guess is that's because it's Canadian. Can anybody tell us whether blue diamonds were only for the US? I like those hinged joints. Mine are the ones with the ribs going up the sides.

 

I've done this before. Let's see if it works again. Sorry if it's big to anybody. Yeah, I really need green Vac desk pens and nice sockets. The other socket is left out because it's broken.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/kernan/pens/vacbase-1.jpg

[Buzz J]

I have attached some pictures of the base. Your Vac set holder sounds very similar to what I have, but mine has no spring. Yours must be a Seal-o-matic holder. Does anyone know if there should be a spring in the Duofold holder?

 

There should be a spring beneath the largish bottom piece. It's about 1" by 1/4" with a very loose wind.

 

John

[Brian-McQueen]

Spot on. Too, i think I know the thread from which you recollect that detail

 

I think I found that thread: Need information about Duofold striped series, What about this black one anyway?

 

Blue Diamond striped Duofolds (large Senior and small Ingenue models) are catalogued (and so far only found) in the three colored striped: green, red and blue. So finding black Blue Diamond desk pens is something of a surprise.

 

What size is my pen considered? Did the desk pens come in more than one size?

How often do the black Blue Diamond desk pens pop up?

 

The pen in this post correctly has a non-"V" nib as it dates to 1941; the "V" nib was introduced around mid 1942. Had the pen had somewhat later date code, the "V" nib would be expected, as the pen is diamond line. A non-blue diamond desk pen from the Striped DF series would not pack a "V".

 

Glad to know I have the right nib at least. Thank you very much. It would have been a pain trying to track down a "V" nib for it.

 

There should be a spring beneath the largish bottom piece. It's about 1" by 1/4" with a very loose wind.

 

Now I have to go scrounge something up for that... dangit.

 

-Robert

 

 

 

 

[david i]

What size is my pen considered? Did the desk pens come in more than one size?

How often do the black Blue Diamond desk pens pop up?

-Robert

 

Only one size. Striped DF Desk Pens are not common. So far, I've seen them in green and occasionally in black. Best of all perhaps is the first year (1940) Black.

 

Know why?

 

d

[Brian-McQueen]

What size is my pen considered? Did the desk pens come in more than one size?

How often do the black Blue Diamond desk pens pop up?

-Robert

 

Only one size. Striped DF Desk Pens are not common. So far, I've seen them in green and occasionally in black. Best of all perhaps is the first year (1940) Black.

 

Know why?

 

d

 

No, but I would like to. Would that have been a shadow wave pen?

[david i]

What size is my pen considered? Did the desk pens come in more than one size?

How often do the black Blue Diamond desk pens pop up?

-Robert

 

Only one size. Striped DF Desk Pens are not common. So far, I've seen them in green and occasionally in black. Best of all perhaps is the first year (1940) Black.

 

Know why?

 

d

 

No, but I would like to. Would that have been a shadow wave pen?

 

Yeppers.

 

-d

[Brian-McQueen]

What size is my pen considered? Did the desk pens come in more than one size?

How often do the black Blue Diamond desk pens pop up?

-Robert

 

Only one size. Striped DF Desk Pens are not common. So far, I've seen them in green and occasionally in black. Best of all perhaps is the first year (1940) Black.

 

Know why?

 

d

 

No, but I would like to. Would that have been a shadow wave pen?

 

Yeppers.

 

-d

 

That would be quite the nice pen. Do you have any pictures of one? I don't think I have seen any shadow wave Duofolds at all.

 

[Brian-McQueen]

Does this pen repair in the same manner that other striped Duofolds repair? The filling unit will unscrew as well as the section, right? What size diaphragm should be used?