Parker 51 Broad?

[FPK]

Hi all, I am looking for a pen for my sister and am highly considering a Parker 51, but her favorite nib size, broad never seems to be available. Does anyone have experience with one? Were they even made?

[Beechwood]

Reasonably common in uk, several medium UK 51s are more broad than medium.

[Strang]

My understanding is that Parker made broad nibs for the 51 in a ratio of 1 broad out of every 50 nibs produced. I think they're not terribly hard to find but they are sought after and often demand a premium. YMMV.

[OldGriz]

Here is a list of all the nibs that Parker made for the 51.... this is from a Parker catalog and was reproduced in the Parker 51 book

If you look at the nibs... everything from the broad nib down to the broad stub are less commonly found nibs and will bring a premium price.

The Arabic nibs are without a doubt the most rare..... I have seen only two in time collecting and selling 51s....

 

As mentioned in the UK it is more common to find a broad nib... in fact the tipping material on UK made pens is generally much larger than US made pens.

Therefore a UK medium nib will write more like a US broad nib....

But expect to pay higher prices for medium and larger UK pens also....

Edited January 21, 2011 by OldGriz

[pajaro]

I have a Parker 51 in broad, midnight blue, made in 1949. It has the blackened letters on the filler, and is pretty nice. Of the over 200 Parker 51s I have owned this is one of two I ever found. This one is USA made and is extremely wet. The other one I have is a Mark III English Parker 51 in burgundy with rolled gold cap. This one is a dry writer.

 

That's 2 out of over 200 pens I had collected. Not that I was looking for them, but I do like them.

[welch]

A US broad is rare and expensive. Ernesto Soler (Parker51.com) found a broad nib for me, priced about $50 or $60...much more than a medium nib.

 

You might do better hunting for an English medium pen, since the nib is about half-way between the US medium and US broad. The English nibs usually have nice chunky tips, as well. P51 Newhaven medium is, I confess, my favorite pen.

Edited January 22, 2011 by welch

[Aysedasi]

I have a couple - one in a burgundy vac and the other in a rebodied yellow Kullock 51. They are both a veritable joy to write with. But I do struggle with the identification of P51 nib widths. I recently bought a medium nibbed P51 (as described) which, to my eye and hand is verging on XF! I also have other P51s with nibs I'd previously thought of as perhaps fine/medium, but I'm more inclined now to see them as medium/broad!

 

In any case, hold out for a broad - they are magical to write with.

Edited January 22, 2011 by Aysedasi

[richardandtracy]

I have a converse view to 'The UK tips are very broad', and it's that 'The US tips are very narrow'. I have P51's with both a US 'medium' and a UK 'medium'. The UK pen provides a line width of (as close as I could measure it with my micrometer) of 0.80mm, while the US medium line width was 0.45mm wide, and is as narrow as I'm prepared to put up with. I think UK mediums tend to be nearer 0.6mm wide, but a fat, wet UK medium may well be considered equivalent to a US broad.

 

I have a Sonnet 'Broad Italic' that produces a line width of 0.8mm, but as a result of that UK P51, it feels more like a medium italic...

 

So, widths are not set in stone..

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Malcy]

I have a P51 broad. It is a UK pen and has quite a pronounced foot. It is super smooth to write with.

 

My experience is that most UK P51 are medium width.

[PeterBeoworld]

I have a Parker 51 with a broad oblique nib. My first 51 had the standard medium nib and is, dare I say it, a little boring. The broad oblique is far more fun! Excuse the writing - I was changed from left to right handed and am a doctor - so two excuses!

I bought this refurbished from the Battersea Pen Home who can supply pens with this nib.

Edited January 29, 2011 by PeterBeoworld

[Andreas Smith]

Peter

Ah, at last, a doctor with good handwriting!

[whitelily]

Here is a list of all the nibs that Parker made for the 51.... this is from a Parker catalog and was reproduced in the Parker 51 book

If you look at the nibs... everything from the broad nib down to the broad stub are less commonly found nibs and will bring a premium price.

The Arabic nibs are without a doubt the most rare..... I have seen only two in time collecting and selling 51s....

 

As mentioned in the UK it is more common to find a broad nib... in fact the tipping material on UK made pens is generally much larger than US made pens.

Therefore a UK medium nib will write more like a US broad nib....

But expect to pay higher prices for medium and larger UK pens also....

 

This might be a hard question to answer, but why this difference between the UK and the US?

[whitelily]

Just adding one more question: How "broad" is a P51 nib? (in mm or compared to other nibs; I know this varies according to ink and paper, but just as a rough estimate...)

[pajaro]

Just adding one more question: How "broad" is a P51 nib? (in mm or compared to other nibs; I know this varies according to ink and paper, but just as a rough estimate...)

 

I think my English broad is about .9 mm. My American broad stub runs 1.0 to 1.1 mm, as measured against Richard Binder's chart printed on Universal brand copy paper.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Just adding one more question: How "broad" is a P51 nib? (in mm or compared to other nibs; I know this varies according to ink and paper, but just as a rough estimate...)

 

It's not really in the Broad vein but here's a useful data point I hope.

 

Mike Masuyama measures the line the nib makes on his test paper. He grinds Medium P-51 CI nibs to a .6 mm up/down line for me. I know that even .1 mm more is too broad for my handwriting. I have a Fine I may see if he can get a .5 mm CI line from if I go to Atlanta.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[pajaro]

Just adding one more question: How "broad" is a P51 nib? (in mm or compared to other nibs; I know this varies according to ink and paper, but just as a rough estimate...)

 

It's not really in the Broad vein but here's a useful data point I hope.

 

Mike Masuyama measures the line the nib makes on his test paper. He grinds Medium P-51 CI nibs to a .6 mm up/down line for me. I know that even .1 mm more is too broad for my handwriting. I have a Fine I may see if he can get a .5 mm CI line from if I go to Atlanta.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Can you see line variation from such a fine CI?

 

In testing out italics and CI nibs I was reluctant to spend any money on anything smaller than 1.1 mm. Of course my eyesight isn't what it used to be.

[OcalaFlGuy]

See for yourself. I think this is Red and Black paper.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[whitelily]

Thank you Pajaro and Bruce. Very helpful!

[Rick Krantz]

I can say that my daily user pen is a custom (by me...) double jewel (black jewels) 51 in black with a sterling hand hammered cap, and a broad nib. I pieced the pen together from parts, and made the end cap, but I paid $100 for a good 51 with the broad nib. I then pulled the nib out of the original pen, being that it was a clean GF cap, I sold it for about $100. Broad nibs are pretty tough to come by.

[indigoskye]

Can you see line variation from such a fine CI?

 

In testing out italics and CI nibs I was reluctant to spend any money on anything smaller than 1.1 mm. Of course my eyesight isn't what it used to be.

I'm not the one you asked, but I have a CI nib Parker 51 in medium that was custom ground by Mike Masuyama. I can see line variation in my writing and it is a wonderfully smooth writer. If you have the chance for Mike to grind a pen for you, I'd say go for it. You'll be pleased with the results.