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Today's Featured Head-Fi Blog: A Japanese headfier's monologue (Sasaki)
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i love fountain pens. unfortunately, i have very very terrible handwriting. i write in chicken scratch. however, i keep a great fountain pen for adding notes to music...
can't be bothered to go bust it out and take pictures right now, but there it is- rhodium/ebony beauty. never dies on me. i can really glide accross a score to add fingerings, breath marks, phrase marks, etc...
in short, if i didnt have this thing, my music sheets wouldn't be covered in black!
The silver and gold pen in the middle is my Danitrio Tactical Carry II. This color and checkered finish is a prototype and currently there are only 2 of these in this finish.
I wonder who might have the only other prototype?
From left to right: Danitrio Tactical Carry II Prototype in Shiny Finish, Bexley Americana in Sanibel Blue, Danitrio Tactical Carry II Prototype in Matte Finish
And did somebody mention 51's? Like a pen from another planet!!
Two 51's and two Hero 100's, which are modern imitation 51's from China. I usually don't like Chinese pens, but I loooove my Heros.
And milkpowder, the modern 51 LE certainly is a looker, but remember its just a 45 in 51's clothing! Best to go vintage for the true 51 writing experience.
And finally, my happy Pelikan family. They miss their other siblings (M620 Place De La Concorde and Le Grand Place) who had to be sent off to Chartpak
for repairs:
From left to right: Pelikan M760 LE (1988), Pelikan M200 with super smooth Richard Binder 0.6mm stub, Pelikan M800, Pelikan M200, Pelikan M205 Demonstrator.
And here is a shot I took of the Concorde before I shipped it off. Haven't taken a picture of the Grand Place, but there will be many when it returns:
I have no idea which ones are vacumatics or aeromatics. Neither do I know the difference... Apparently, Aeromatics are on the newer 51s so Aeromatic is probably better. I can't tell them apart.
I want to get a M400/420/425 too because my M600 is so good! M800 might be slightly too big.
I have no idea which ones are vacumatics or aeromatics. Neither do I know the difference... Apparently, Aeromatics are on the newer 51s so Aeromatic is probably better. I can't tell them apart.
I want to get a M400/420/425 too because my M600 is so good! M800 might be slightly too big.
The first auction of the 51 teal blue looks okay. It is an aerometric filler, which is the "squeeze" filler. Seller is kind of sketchy (which is why I say this only looks "okay" ), and I don't recall ever seeing a 51 with an imprint on the barrel like that. Of course my experience is limited, it may be that Parker did make some 51's with Parker 51 inscribed on the barrel. Its a pity you can't see the inscription on the steel innards, that usually is a good indication of a 51's authenticity. Also you can tell if the 51 is a "special", which was a specific type of 51 that, while similar in design, is considered by many to not be as solid as a standard 51, and thus sells for less.
The second auction looks beautiful!! First off you have a pen seller with 100% feedback, which is damn near impossible. Lots of great looking shots of this beautiful red 51. Man, I want it. This is definitely a genuine aerometric filler 51. The M nib looks gorgeous. They say they have completely disassembled and cleaned the pen, which means it will be good to go straight out of the box.
The third auction doesn't have enough pictures for me to give a definitive up or down vote. The thing is, on the bay, there are lots of pen deals to be had from sketchy sellers who don't know what they have.
All of the above three are aerometric fillers. Aerometrics are, as you said, the later filling mechanism, and generally are the superior filling method (though fans of vacumatics might argue this point). Also it is super easy to clean. You can get the instructions and the full rundown on just about any filling system known to man on Richard Binder's Site, but basically you fill the aerometric by holding it nib down in ink and squeezing the sac until bubbles stop appearing in the ink, waiting about 3 seconds inbetween pumps (usually takes about 4-6 pumps).
The vacumatic filling system was in earlier 51's as well as another Parker pen, the Vacumatic (gasp! ). Vacumatics typically don't age as well as aerometrics, which means that usually a used vacumatic filler will need repair work unless it is specifically noted it has been restored. You fill the vacumatic by removing the pen's blind cap, where you'll find a little "pump". Hold the pen nib down in ink, and pump the little piston until bubbles stop showing in the ink (typically 10-12 pumps). Vacumatics are a bit more difficult to clean, because the suction power isn't as great as on the aeros, so it takes more pumps to suck in water and spit it back out.
So you've seen the aerometric filler, here is a pic of a vacumatic filler. This is a vac filler on a Parker Vacumatic, but it is the exact same filler system as a 51 vac. See the little piston under the blind cap? Thats how you know is a vacumatic filler:
And as another note, if you see a 51 described as a Demi model, this is just a slightly smaller 51, or as they used to call it in the less PC hey day of the 51, a "ladies pen". Exactly same quality as a full size 51, just a bit shorter.
Remember you can always look around the FPN marketplace or the green boards over at www.pentrace.net. A lot of the sellers are in the states, but just about all of them are happy to ship internationally for an extra 8-10USD. I'm always more confident buying from someone on FPN or Pentrace, the same way I'm more confident buying from an established Head-Fi'er.
Again, my experience is very limited in 51s. This is just what I've gleaned over the past 6-7 months hanging around FPN and reading sites like Richard Binders or www.parker51.com.
I love my Pelikans, they are currently my favorite pens (although I am loving the new Bexley I just got). The M800 is definitely a large pen, and is heavier then the M200-600, mainly because it has some metal fittings in it. For example, the threads on the piston are metal instead of plastic. I have never held an M1000, I can only imagine how huge that thing is. One day!
Vacumatic and aerometric are two different filling systems. Vacumatic uses a sort of plunger-thing, and the aerometric is a sort of bulb that you squeeze to suck up the ink.
Collecting-wise, you're probably better off with a vacumatic. Personally, I have a 51 Special that uses an aerometric and I like it a lot better than the vacs I've used. That's me though, there are a ton of vac-diehards out there.
Vacumatic and aerometric are two different filling systems. Vacumatic uses a sort of plunger-thing, and the aerometric is a sort of bulb that you squeeze to suck up the ink.
Collecting-wise, you're probably better off with a vacumatic. Personally, I have a 51 Special that uses an aerometric and I like it a lot better than the vacs I've used. That's me though, there are a ton of vac-diehards out there.
x2. Most of the more "collectible" 51s are vac fillers, by which I mean double jewels, rare colors, etc. I am pretty sure there is an aero flighter though, which is highly collectible.
But again, IMO, and as matt fury said, the aero is better for everyday use.
Sorry, my p&s can't macro for crap, but here are some of my pens. These are all vintage..
Here's a Parker 51 Special that I got from my grandma...Great writer, can always count on it.
A Parker Vacumatic Duofold...they call the series vacumatics, but this is one of the cheaper button-fills.
On the left an Eversharp Skyline, with a nice fine flex and on the left a Parker Deluxe Challenger...
Onto the MBs. I have a soft spot in my heart for vintage Mont Blancs. They write in a totally different manner than their modern counterparts, and many have just incredible flex nibs.
A Mont Blanc 142G. Technicaly a ladies pen, but I like the combination of size and heft. I have 2 of these actually..
Here's an early 146. This is the export version, which says "Masterpiece" on the ring instead of "Meiserstuck." One is harder to find than the other. I forget which, but I have one of each. These 146s each have just awesome flex to the nibs. One is an OB and probably my favorite writer ever.
Here's the 142G next to the 146.
And here are my two vintage 146s strafing a modern 146. Check out the size difference.
A 214..button fill, as opposed to most MBs which are piston..
And now in coral, from the land of the Danes..
A 234 1/2 G
And now a blurry shot so you can see the cap imprint..
MB 344
Something of a rarity..a Mont Blanc 422 Stylograph. The damn star fell out of the cap somehow, but it actually writes really well.
A 324. With the great "Simplo Montblanc" imprint on the barrel...Hard to capture with my camera, though. Another button-fill.
Good imprint and outline-star on the cap. The other side of the cap is engraved "MERCEDES"
A modern MB Boheme. Nice oblique nib.
A vintage Pelikan. I forget the model..
And finally, a very early cartridge fill Waterman. Uses a glass cartridge. I love the look of it, no idea how it writes though.
Here's a group shot of these pens and a couple others...
OK, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed looking at them. It's a little depressing, cause taking these pictures made me realize the nice headphones I could own instead...
OK, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed looking at them. It's a little depressing, cause taking these pictures made me realize the nice headphones I could own instead...
Wow, you have a beautiful collection of vintage MBs. I know very little about vintage MBs, but I'm trying to learn. It was fun looking at your pictures!
If I had to venture a quick guess, I'd say that Pelikan is a 120 or 140.
The price is fair and consistent with the typical eBay.co.uk closing values. Of course, it's not completely original because the sac had been replaced. Maybe that would put off serious collectors.
Best to go vintage for the true 51 writing experience.
). Vacumatics typically don't age as well as aerometrics, which means that usually a used vacumatic filler will need repair work unless it is specifically noted it has been restored. You fill the vacumatic by removing the pen's blind cap, where you'll find a little "pump". Hold the pen nib down in ink, and pump the little piston until bubbles stop showing in the ink (typically 10-12 pumps). Vacumatics are a bit more difficult to clean, because the suction power isn't as great as on the aeros, so it takes more pumps to suck in water and spit it back out.
