Mabie Todd Swan 3260

[johnmc2]

I haven't heard of those brands, Warwick and Wndsor, they sound English?

My red J came up nicely

[betweenthelens]

Oh! That is a GORGEOUS pen. I love the ink, too! Nice!!!! I do think the words, the image, the idea of the fountain pen is connected directly to endorphin production!

 

I believe both the Warwick and Windsor are American; however, I could be mistaken. The Warwick is nice but cheaply made. Still, I am glad I breathed some new life into it. The Windsor is no longer. I ran it under hot, hot water to try and remove the section. I'd been struggling with this for almost two days and even my husband could not pull it apart using heat and section pliers. Anyway, once the cheap plastic (Another cheap pen but this doesn't preclude any merit it might have.) was heated in the extremely hot water and I took to it with the section pliers, it finally came apart like taffy just about and split/broke. So, I have a parts pen. I salvaged the J bar and nib.

[johnmc2]

Bad luck! I am afraid I totalled a blue SJ lastnight, it was a bit of a mess already but I was having fun cannibalising J-bars, sections,,nibs and feeds from various other pens and that was all going well but it was when I tried to glue & clamp the cracked barrel back together that things went horribly wrong. So I now have a very nice blue SJ cap! I ordered a Danitrio on eBay to cheer myself up.

[betweenthelens]

Ouch! I think that would hurt me more,if I'd totaled my SJ! I guess the Danitrio is a kind of better than winning consolation prize?

[johnmc2]

Yes, it's nice to treat yourself occasionally. But today my real treat was finding, for NZ$40, this pen in a rural antique shop! It needs a lot of work but what a beauty.

[Malcy]

The "60" does not indicate a celluloid barrel and cap. The "6" is the color code, the "0" the material code and in this case 0=plastic. The number 3260 means: 3 is model ( not lever ) , 2 indicates nib size ( the nibs found are 1,2 and 3 with both the 2 and 3 found as "Eternal" , the no.2 eternal is a rare nib. In most cases the number of cap rings is the same as the nib, the most commonly found exception is a 3 ring cap and a 2 nib), 6 is color (2=dark blue, 3=grey 4=drk green, 5=brown ) and the 0 is material ( 0= plastic , 1= BHR and 2=? I suspect casein). All bar black come only in plastic, there is a 3 model that's seen , 3170, 3171,3172 and so on that is a late, before the end, cheap line where the last number is the color and the 7 just differentiates it from the standard line and poor in comparison. The same works with the 4xxx and 6xxx as well ( nibs go to no.6 ), the 6xxx line also has a cheap line , these are mottled in color with third number being a 4 ie 6245.

 

Thank you for the wrist slap Harry. It was late and I forgot the word 'black' as in 'black celluloid barrel and cap'.

[betweenthelens]

Wow, John. Now that's a gorgeous pen! When you find something like that for a song, do you try and hide your excitement? When I found the Swan for $10, I very nonchalantly said to my husband, "This looks nice," but I knew what it was and my heart was beating madly. It's not like the shop owner is going to say, "Wait a minute. Did I mark it too low?"

[betweenthelens]

John, look what I found:

 

http://www.1001pens.com/ProdDesc.asp?cat=-1&id=pn4213

 

I'd say you did really well!

[johnmc2]

Yes, I really had to curb my excitement. I knew if I let on to my wife who was with me, that perhaps the shop owner would twig. I didn't even want to examine the pen too closely for fear of letting on. He wanted NZ$85 so I thought my offer of NZ$40 was cheeky but he agreed without quibbling. I made much of the rattling of the loose parts inside.

Nonchalance is definitely the key. Afterwards we went to another shop where I borrowed a magnifying glass so I could check it over more thoroughly so I could drive home without worry.

[johnmc2]

John, look what I found:

 

http://www.1001pens.com/ProdDesc.asp?cat=-1&id=pn4213

 

I'd say you did really well!

Blimey I did get a good deal! Thanks!

[betweenthelens]

[mcpop]

I thought I'd come in and share the love of Swan. I picked up this little cracker for AUD $30 at a junk shop. It needed a sac replacement, but the small effort was well worth it.

 

It is a 3261 and the black HR is now brown, except where the cap overlaps the barrel. It had a sticky-taped price on its barrel for god knows how long and it has made further discolorations. Despite the lighting in the photo below, there is no real brassing to the fittings. The nib is sublime with a nice spring that affords great line variation. Regular writing is also dreamy.

 

I'm wondering if it is an italic nib as there is no blob on the tip (it isn't oblique, just straight across) and the line edges it produces are super-crisp.

 

It has quickly become my favorite pen, leaving Pelikan m2xx, Lamy 2k and a raft of Parker 51s and Duofolds in its wake. Which is a shame: I love those other pens, but my hand now passes them over and grabs the Swan by the neck 95% of the time.

 

Now, to gain the required penmenship to do this great pen justice!

 

Me. Want. More. Swans!

 

 

[johnmc2]

... grabs the Swan by the neck ...

 

 

Nice imagery!

 

And a very nice pen too. Your penmanship looks OK to me.

[betweenthelens]

Nice, mcpop! Addictive, right? I want another Mabie Todd besides the Swan, maybe a Blackbird. What ink are you using in it? Do you find it a dry writer? Congratulations!

[mcpop]

Addictive, yes. It's a shame I can't find a dealer around my neighbourhood (rural Australia) so I have to sniff around the shady corners of eBay looking for a hit.

 

I don't find it dry. When no pressure is applied, it is a fine line but it never skips or splurts. In fact, it is right up there with the best in terms of well behaved pens.

 

In that picture it is Iroshizuku Kon Peki, but I have been using Ku Jaku lately and it is great.

 

I have also used Noodler's Ottoman Azure and Diamine Sapphire Blue, Herbin Perle Noire and Waterman blue (when testing the repairs) without any issues -- they all flowed perfectly and worked well on Rhodia, Clairefontaine and cheap legal pads ... obviously better on Rhodia and CF.

 

I think I am settling on Ku Jaku as a long term ink.

[betweenthelens]

You may have to travel (as the addiction becomes worse) to find a pen in the wild. See if there are any reports of sightings amongst your friends.

 

Since becoming enamored of fountain pens, I've concentrated on pens and only have two bottles of ink to my name, Pelikan in Royal Blue and Violet. I ordered a bottle of Waterman Florida Blue off of ebay this past weekend and now I would like to try other inks. I've not heard of Ku Jaku. I definitely want to try the Iroshizuku line and Diamine and Private Reserve inks.

[mcpop]

My Swan was caught in the wild, and I got a Conway Stewart 58 and 70 in separate jungles. I think there is greater value for money and more romance in the wild-caught pens.

 

Living rurally, most of my friends aren't even literate letalone able to recognise a writing instrument.

 

Florida Blue is like the Toyota Camry of ink. Reliable, available everywhere, cheap, not too flash. I would never be without a bottle of the stuff, though. A real staple.

 

Ku Jaku is a peacock coloured Iroshizuku ink. I spent a long time putting off buying Iroshizukus because of the prohibitive costs. Then I bought three from eBay (to amortise the postage from Japan) and I absolutely love them. They make my Pelikan, Waterman, Sheaffer and Parker inks look like dishwater.

 

The Diamine and Noodler's I have are very good and quite saturated. Polar Blue gives me some headaches though. I just keep it around for addressing letters because it is bulletproof.

 

I have no hesitation in recommending Iroshizuku but perhaps it would be better to wait until you've dated other inks for a while. Then, when you finally get some Iroshizuku, It will be a real thrill, like you're first kiss from someone you think you may be falling in love with.

 

Since buying it, I haven't purchased any more inks. I have been ruined! I can never love again!

 

But that's just my tale.

[betweenthelens]

I agree with respect to catching pens in the wild. The thrill of the conquest comes close to actually catching a valuable pen. When I found the Swan in a local antique mall and saw the price of $10 USD, I tried to contain my elation but I found I could barely do so. "Look," I said to my husband, "It's a Mabie Todd for $10. This is a pretty good deal, huh?" Then I added, "It'll probably need some work, though," just in case the dealer with key in hand and waiting for me to finish looking in the case was in the know about Mabie Todds, let alone fountain pens.

 

So, where in Australia are you? I have a friend in Port Macquarie in NSW.

 

That's what I've heard about the Florida Blue so I thought I best have a bottle to test new pens.

 

I didn't even know Ku Jaku was an Iroshizuku ink. I would love to acquire all of the Iroshizuku inks. They're just gorgeous. Is the Noodler's Polar Blue problematic?

 

I am the type that can get to know a few inks at the same time. Nothing serious or limiting about getting to know them with no commitments, right? Still, though, even if I fall for the Iroshizuku, I won't settle down as there are other inks out there that I'd like to get to know, like Akkerman.

 

I'm sure you've not been ruined. When the right ink comes along, you'll know it.

Edited August 26, 2013 by betweenthelens

[mcpop]

I'm on the South Central Coast of Queensland ... I probably don't know your friend.

 

Polar Blue doesn't behave well in a lot of pens -- it creeps and doesn't flow nicely all the time. I wonder if living in subtropical conditions causes this, after all, it was designed to withstand freezing. It is also awful on most paper. It feathers, bleeds and comes out in blobs on all but the finest of papers. And when it dries, it has a chalky appearance. I am also reticent to put it in vintage pens because I reckon it will stain. It is the antithesis of Florida Blue.

 

Very frustrating indeed. It was my first Noodler's and it nearly put me off all Noodler's. Then I got Ottoman Azure and nearly had conniptions trying to reconcile the disparate impressions.

[betweenthelens]

That is a hike!

 

Oooh. I'll stay far away from Polar Blue!