Why A Parker 51?

[rwilsonedn]

It's ironic, in a way, that a pen that seems to have been designed to emulate a ballpoint has become such a fountain-pen icon. On one hand, I have to agree with the quiet, almost smug feeling of quality and the good writing manners. On the other hand, that consistency and ability to be inconspicuous in a world of BPs becomes for me a lack of personality, sometimes. And then there is the matter of the vacuum filler. I put my treasured 51 (the first pen I ever paid to have restored) into the rotation the other day, and it thanked me by transferring an entire filling of ink into its blind cap. Fortunately I noticed before it was able to secrete same into my pocket. Certainly an important pen, and I think for the most part a fine pen. But not a great pen. Parker went on to better things, in my view.

ron

[Inkysloth]

It's ironic, in a way, that a pen that seems to have been designed to emulate a ballpoint has become such a fountain-pen icon. /snip

 

Given the Parker 51 was developed to the point of sending into test markets by 1939, and the ballpoint was only patented in 1938, I very much doubt the P51 was developed to emulate the ballpoint.

 

As others have said, it had a firm smooth nib that could cope with heavy use - as had pens before it, such as the Dufold, and it was hooded so ink that dried rapidly on the page would stay moist until written with. These weren't features developed to match the ballpoint. In the early days of the ballpoint the ink was pretty smudgy and gloopy, far from the rapidly drying Superchrome ink that Parker developed.

[pajaro]

I don`t get it either. Parker 51 is an old, overpriced pen that has an small ugly nib, hidden away under a plastic hood. It`s plain looking, it has a totally boring filling system- you can`t even see how much ink you got left, and it doesn`t even....write by itself. And it lasts forever.

 

Hopefully, people will read my post and ebay prices will tumble

What do you mean by a boring filling system. It's pretty quick and done. Do you love laboring on with something more complicated?

 

A lot of pens don't reveal the remaining ink by visual means. Who cares? You ought to have an idea of what's left by experience.

 

It does last a long time.

 

The "boring filling system" comment comes up often against C/C systems and the 51. I suppose you would prefer a ?

I just like quick filling and forget it.

[Sasha Royale]

The special characteristic is internal. The filling system and ink feed are much more than you see, even though others look the same, externally. The hooded nib is another very practical innovation. The friction clutch cap was the first. All previous pens had threaded caps.

 

Anyone, who could afford a Parker 51, had a Parker 51. Eisenhower, DeGaul, Churchill, my Dad. People use to buy the caps, and wear them in the outside pocket, as status symbols.

 

Yes, I have a Parker 51, I have a Pelikan Soveran . . . . . M200 ? M400 ? M600 ? Yes !

 

Choose carefully. You are prohibited from owning both.

 

Write with joy.

[pajaro]

The special characteristic is internal. The filling system and ink feed are much more than you see, even though others look the same, externally. The hooded nib is another very practical innovation. The friction clutch cap was the first. All previous pens had threaded caps.

 

Anyone, who could afford a Parker 51, had a Parker 51. Eisenhower, DeGaul, Churchill, my Dad. People use to buy the caps, and wear them in the outside pocket, as status symbols.

 

Yes, I have a Parker 51, I have a Pelikan Soveran . . . . . M200 ? M400 ? M600 ? Yes !

 

Choose carefully. You are prohibited from owning both.

 

Write with joy.

How come you get to have both? I see, you are an adult.

[rff000]

The 51 is really two very different pens if you compare the vacumatic and aerometric. The difficulty of doing any self-repair on the vacumatic without special tools, the possibility of leaks on a plane, plus the long cleaning and rinsing of old ink vs. the aerometric that solves all three of these issues, make it hard to make any single statement about the 51 per se.

Edited October 31, 2013 by rff000

[Florida Blue]

 

I bought a third, this time a certifiably cheaper pen, one of the last run (a model 3 or some such? come on P51 folk you can explain this better than I) with a supposedly lower grade 'Octanium' nib. Surely this pen would dispell the myth for me.

 

That type of 51 was called a "Special," but I find that the Octanium nibs perform just as well as the gold and there were only minor differences between the Special and a regular 51 (chrome plated cap, black jewel, hoop filler etc.). They were still great pens.

 

The 51 is really two very different pens if you compare the vacumatic and aerometric. The difficulty of doing any self-repair on the vacumatic without special tools, the possibility of leaks on a plane, plus the long cleaning and rinsing of old ink vs. the aerometric that solves all three of these issues, make it hard to make any single statement about the 51 per se.

 

That is an excellent point. If you are buying a Vac 51 (unrestored) you should factor in either the cost of repair or the time and effort of doing it yourself if you have the proper tools and knowledge.

[loudkenny]

And then there is the matter of the vacuum filler. I put my treasured 51 (the first pen I ever paid to have restored) into the rotation the other day, and it thanked me by transferring an entire filling of ink into its blind cap. Fortunately I noticed before it was able to secrete same into my pocket.

 

I had this same problem with my EDC pen - a Cedar Blue Vac 51. It wasn't the pen's design at fault - it was a pinhole in the diaphragm. Replace the diaphragm and all will be well again.

 

loudkenny, on 30 Oct 2013 - 01:40, said:

... The 51's do have a cool feature other pens didn't have - a 'ball nib'. This gave the 51 the ability to write with a thinner line with the pen held upside down in the hand than right side up, which is great for taking margin notes.

/snip

 

ken

 

I'm going to be Mr Picky, but pens before the 51 were capable of writing a thinner line when held rotated 180 degrees - the Vacumatic was advertised as having this feature, and I believe Sheaffer may have done similar too? Though I'm less certain on that. Anyway. it's not just the ball nib that can do this, any nib correctly ground will.

 

Mr. Picky (err... inkysloth ) is right here - most Parkers since the Vac had this design feature. I think I read somewhere that Parker had a patent on this nib, but I'm not sure. I do think that this is a really cool feature to have, especially for those of us who 'margin' all over textbook pages. I do wish the 51's nib could do what my favorite '45 Vac Major can do - nice semiflexible medium nib right side up with a very nice EF line held 'upside down'.

 

You can actually see the level of ink in an aero 51 if you have a reasonably new sac in your pen.

 

I have to say Thank you for this thread... I was trying to justify *not* buying yet another 51 to myself for three weeks now, but trying to explain the 51 talked me into it. I'm going to buy it tomorrow AM - a 1950? India Black aero with a 14K medium nib and a 14K nine line cap.

 

ken

Edited October 31, 2013 by loudkenny

[inkstainedruth]

It worked again! You got a whole bunch of us to rave about the great 51 one more time. And every word of praise for the pen is deserved. Designed by Moholy Nagy, you know. No, that's a myth.

But makes for a great story....

Responding to the original poster:

I have three: two Aeros and a 51 Vac. The 51 Vac may need a new diaphragm, and one of the Aeros has some issues. But it's pretty (Midnight Blue with a gold filled cap) and I got it for a good price (nearly every other Aero on Ebay that weekend went for more than I paid for mine, while not being in nearly as good condition, IMO).

The other is a Plum Demi and is sort of a beater (although I understand now the lure of that rare color, because it's *gorgeous*). It's not in anything like mint condition from the point of view of a "C-worder".

But the thing just works. I think it's got an M nib (as compared to my other two, and the two Vacumatics I own) which is a joy to write with. And oh, does it write. And writes. And writes. It's understated and elegant and a perfect size and weight and balance for my smallish hands. It's sleek and classy, not flashy bling.

I don't know of too many other things that work after nearly 65 years with only a good cleaning....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

What do you mean by a boring filling system. It's pretty quick and done. Do you love laboring on with something more complicated?

 

A lot of pens don't reveal the remaining ink by visual means. Who cares? You ought to have an idea of what's left by experience.

 

It does last a long time.

 

The "boring filling system" comment comes up often against C/C systems and the 51. I suppose you would prefer a ?

I just like quick filling and forget it.

It was fairly clear from context that rochester21 was being facetious.... And the "ninja" smiley just reinforced that.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[tedd]

I inheirited my Parker 51 from my dad. Had it in storage with his things. I simply cleaned it, and it writes like a champ. It has a simple elegant design for a 'modern pen.' I stowed it away so I wouldn't lose this precious thing wandering around town. I got Parker Sonnets which has a similar size and shape, but it feels different.

[UncleNick]

The Parker 51 is not the sexiest pen. Here is what sold me on the P51:

 

• Rock-solid reliability. I fly regularly and don't even give a thought to where the pen is (often my pocket) or how much ink is in it. It always starts, even when left uncapped for a while.
• Slip cap - I take notes at work all the time so the slip cap is convenient and fast.
• Simple to clean and fill
• Hooded nib - I actually like hooded and semi-hooded nibs! - Lamy 2000, Aurora 88, Lamy 27n etc.
• It just works without any fuss.

[UncleNick]

 

The Parker 51 is not the sexiest pen. Here is what sold me on the P51:

 

• Rock-solid reliability. I fly regularly and don't even give a thought to where the pen is (often my pocket) or how much ink is in it. It always starts, even when left uncapped for a while.
• Slip cap - I take notes at work all the time so the slip cap is convenient and fast.
• Simple to clean and fill
• Hooded nib - I actually like hooded and semi-hooded nibs! - Lamy 2000, Aurora 88, Lamy 27n etc.
• It just works without any fuss.

 

 

Also - I live just up the road from Janesville, so it is a piece of local history!

[Moshe ben David]

Several people mentioned that in addition to the P-51 used by Eisenhower, that Adm Nimitz used one amongst the pens for the Japanese surrender. Interesting. I'd always thought of the Duofold Big Red used in that case. Were they both used?

[OcalaFlGuy]

The Big Red on the Missouri was Gen. McArthur's wife's pen out of her purse. It was one of 5 pens he used, the other 4 being desk tapers. Mrs. McArthur's signing pen was later lost.

 

Each signer used his own pen. Parker was Very military appreciative and provided free pens to many of the upper generals. Nimitz did use a 51.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/51512-the-signing-of-the-japanese-surrender-on-the-uss-missouri/

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[DrCodfish]

The Big Red on the Missouri was Gen. McArthur's wife's pen out of her purse. It was one of 5 pens he used, the other 4 being desk tapers. Mrs. McArthur's signing pen was later lost.

 

Each signer used his own pen. Parker was Very military appreciative and provided free pens to many of the upper generals. Nimitz did use a 51.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/51512-the-signing-of-the-japanese-surrender-on-the-uss-missouri/

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Ah Ha! I have that big red, and it shall be the central character in my next novel! I have a vintage (early 20's) big red and am constantly amazed that a pen nearly 100 years old performs just as well as it did the day it rolled away from the loading dock in Janesville.

 

I have often fantasized about the stories this pen might to tell if only it could talk. Of course it may have spent the majority of it's life in a desk drawer (or perhaps even stuck in a crack behind the desk) but I prefer to imagine it traveling hither and yon, execuing documents and letters both important, somber, joyous, and promiscuous. It didn't occur to me that this pen could have been aboard the MIghty Mo for such an auspicious signing.

 

My very valuable (to me) old pen is now priceless!

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I might not have mentioned the filling systems of the "51" before, but as many have mentioned, it comes in the Aerometric and Vacumatic varieties. Both actually are identical, at least in theory. They are both Parker's take on the bulb filler. I still think that the Aerometric was a step forward since it holds a similar amount of ink while reducing the complexity of the system. Instead of using a plunger to invert a bulb, the Aerometric takes the bulb, and changes it into a ribbed translucent PVC bulb that is compressed by a bar instead of using a button to invert it.

 

Both systems used breather tubes, but what made the Aerometric special was that the breather tube has a hole bored through one side of the breather tube near the feed. This allowed the pen to equalize to pressure changes (in an airplane for instance) more easily when placed point up. Instead of the pressure pushing the ink up the path or least resistance, the breather tube, and out of the pen, the air pressure would be able to escape via this hole in the breather tube. The closest one can get to this system without getting a Parker "51" is to get a Hero 100. This pen also has the same arrangement with a hole bored through one side of the breather tube in a similar location, but it's not an Aerometric because it's not Parker.

 

One interesting thing to note is that Aerometric has become like the word Kleenex and is used to refer to all sorts of pens that fill by pressing a bar on the pen. This isn't entirely correct as it really is Parker's brand of the improved bulb filler. Thus, a press bar converter, even if it is Parker, doesn't really qualify to be called such.

 

It can be noted that Parker did try certain things to address the problem of ink being pushed up the breather tube before they made the Aerometric. There are drawings of the Vacumatic "51" with a shorter breather tube that allowed the end of the breather tube to be just above the ink (instead of submerged in the ink) when the pen was placed point up. This way, air would go up through the end of the breather tube instead of ink. I don't know how of if it was formally implemented, but I do own a late Canadian Parker "51" Vacumatic with a breather tube of the specified length and dimensions in the patent. I know it is original because of how it arrived to me. It does work as the patent intended.

 

In the future with the Vacumatic, I think we should try to find a different material that is more resistant and require less repair than the current latex diaphragms. Of course, one could try to experiment with making a reciprocating plunger-type unit instead of having the diaphragm, but it should be able to work without any modification to the pen so that a traditional Vacumatic filling unit can be reinstalled if needed. The nice thing about the simplicity of the Aerometric system is that as long as the breather tube hasn't been corroded (it can be replaced with an appropriately bored tube if it has corroded), the system will work for a long time with minimal work needed.

 

Now, don't forget, not all press-bar fillers are Aerometric fillers, and a press-bar converter is not an Aerometric converter. Not all tissues are Kleenex, and not all mechanical pencils are Eversharps.

 

Dillon

[icevic]

 

Why pay £30-£100 for a Parker 51, which may or may not work, when a brand new Pelikan.,or Mr Pen, (or whatever) can be had for the same price?

 

Fifty posts about how great a Parker 51 is, but there are some modern pens that are pretty good too. Modern pens definitely do not have the combination of features that make the 51 such a perfect example of industrial design - modern pens are not designed in the same way as they used to be due to the small volumes, and certainly not designed and manufactured from the ground up to be a complete lifetime unit as they are today - but there still are lots of very good new pens.

 

But here is something the 51 gives you that a "brand new Pelikan or Mr. Pen" for the same price won't give you:

 

 

 

You can use your 51 for ten years and then sell it for more than you paid for it.

 

 

 

 

Try using a new $100 pen for 10 years and see what you get for it. Maybe you'll get $50 if it is pristine.

 

 

Vintage pens have intrinsic value because the demand is high and growing, while the supply is low and shrinking.

 

And no pen company is going to design and manufacture a pen to the same standards as the 51 for the low, low volumes that fountain pens sell in today.

[BT-7274]

I guess I'll add on to what I've posted earlier: they're really easy (at least for the aerometrics) to disassemble and repair/swap parts. I recently managed to revive my practically destroyed, cartridge/converter 51 by gutting a (dying) user-grade 51 for a few essential parts. The feed's still missing a small piece, but functions well with even fairly flow-resistant inks like BSAR. A true case of 'it ain't broken, don't fix it.'

 

...Anyway, if a college student can take it apart, put it back together, and still have it write, it's a darn good pen.

[Wahl]

I suppose all the reasons for owning a P51 have already been sated, and I agree with all of them.

 

I collect pens from the 20/30´s, but I believe nothing beats a P51 for daily use.