Need Some Help From Someone Who Knows More Than I Do ...

[CloaknDagr]

I have a pen I've had for years. I inherited it from my Great Grandmother, whom I knew well as a child (45+ years ago). Mostly I got the pen because no one else wanted it or knew what it is. I can vividly remember my Great Grandma writing with this pen so it holds a lot of value for me and I would never part with it. I keep it in my office and it NEVER goes out the office door. I have other pens I carry but not that pen. I don't want to risk losing it or having it damaged or destroyed so you can see the kind of value I place on that particular pen. I don't really care what its market value is. Eventually I hope one of my Grandchildren or Great-grandchildren will enjoy writing with it as much and for the same reasons I do.

 

This is the pen that began my interest in fountain pens. From here that interest has grown and this pen is to thank for that. It still writes well and it will take ink, about 8-10 nice big fat drops come out when I've filled it and then expressed the ink to be sure it's actually picking up ink. Right now it's full of Noodlers Bad Green Gator Bulletproof. I use it for signatures mostly, that ink in that pen is perfect for that purpose but I also write a little and doodle a bit just to keep it from drying out.

 

The pen is a Parker Vacumatic made in 1946. That's not what I need help with. What I would like to know is ANYTHING more anyone could tell me about this pen. Such as what model Vacumatic it is, for one thing. I have looked and looked and I cannot find an exact picture of this exact model anywhere on the internet. I think it's a Debutante, but that's just a WAG, because I haven't shown it to or been told by anyone who has actually both seen the pen and knew what they're talking about.

 

My apologies for the pictures, I don't really have anything handy that can take a good, detailed picture that close to the object. I've done the best I can with my little Samsung digital camera but I'm far from being a photography buff.

 

Notice the SINGLE narrow cap band. That is what sets this pen apart from all the pictures I can find on the net. The pen is green. It is otherwise like all Vacumatics I can find pictures of. I just can't find even ONE single picture of that exact pen so I'm at a loss and asking for help from anyone who can give me definitive information about this pen. This isn't just idle curiosity either, I need to know what exact model it is (if that's possible) so that as the need arises I can get parts for it.

 

Thank you all very much for any help you can give.

 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2014 by CloaknDagr

[Lou Erickson]

Can't see any detail on those nib shots, but I presume it's an ordinary Parker nib with the arrow.

 

Best descriptions I have seen are on Richard Binder's page about Vacumatics, but all of them have more then one band.

 

Is there a little depression there - could there have been two and one is missing? If so, two bands were quite common. Or is that just a stripe.

 

What's the date code on the barrel?

[penmanila]

it's very likely a vacumatic junior missing one cap band, possibly even two (i think i can see the indentation left by the missing band in the bottom picture). can you see or feel any ridges down there? if it's missing two bands, then the pen is one of those anomalies that parker occasionally turned out, unless it's a cap-barrel mismatch (i have two of these)--the three cap bands went out with the first-generation standards, and came in the double-jeweled pens, but some hung on and were matched with the later jewel-less barrels. see the top two pens below (i'm not so sure about the third one--could be a mismatch):

 

 

all vacs with two thin cap bands were called juniors. the section of this pen (note the slightly squared shape toward the end) is consistent with a late 40s/early 50s vac (might it be canadian-made, by any chance?).

 

not a debutante--the deb did have one cap band, and some were very slim plain ones, but not this thin. here's a pic (bottom pen) of a green debutante with a single narrow cap band (the top pen is a burgundy slender--these terms can be quite confusing!):

 

 

here's a picture of a vac junior from 1946, but it's in azure:

 

[Sasha Royale]

Hats off to you ! You are an honorable steward to your grandmother's Vacumatic. I hope you will keep it

healthy by using it regularly.

I have the same feelings for my father's Parker 51. I also have four or five other heirloom fountain pens

entrusted to me by others. They know I will care for them.

*********************

How certain are you that it is 1946 ? Is the number " 46 " on the barrel ?

Does the barrel read "Made In USA" ? (Near the end, some were made in Canada.)

Hard to see, but, could one of the gold cap bands be missing ? That would make it a two-band Vac.

How about some measurements ? Capped. Uncapped. Cap posted.

 

Sorry. I can ask questions, but I tend to be short on answers.

[Florida Blue]

it's very likely a vacumatic junior missing one cap band

 

+1 I too believe the pen is a Vac Jr. that is missing a cap band.

 

Vac Juniors had two thin cap bands. The OPs appears to be a 3rd generation Vac (single jeweled, plastic filler) in Emerald Pearl celluloid.

[CloaknDagr]

Can't see any detail on those nib shots, but I presume it's an ordinary Parker nib with the arrow.

 

Best descriptions I have seen are on Richard Binder's page about Vacumatics, but all of them have more then one band.

 

Is there a little depression there - could there have been two and one is missing? If so, two bands were quite common. Or is that just a stripe.

 

What's the date code on the barrel?

Yeah, it's an ordinary Parker nib with the arrow and seven (I think) feathers.

 

The one band is the thing and it's a big thing because I can't find any pictures or records of a Vac with a single narrow cap band. What you're asking about re: a little depression - is the light and my poor photography. There's no grove or anything to indicate a missing band. That's just a stripe that caught the light right. It has the same band as the Vacs with two narrow band caps, but there's only one of them and therein lies the confusion. There are no markings on the band at all, it's just a plain gold colored band and very narrow.

 

The date code is .6., that's "dot six dot" with no dot underneath the 6. I presume from what I've been able to learn so far that it was made in the second quarter of 1946.

 

Thank you for your interest in helping me.

[CloaknDagr]

Recommendation

Please check the pictures on your computer BEFORE you upload/post them.

When you put up pictures, it should be reasonably sharp.

These pictures are so out of focus/blurry that it gives me a headache trying to look at them.

I did check them, I'm sorry but that's as good as my camera will do. Thanks anyway, sorry about the headache but I figured something was better than nothing because I've been describing this pen to people until I have a headache too.

[CloaknDagr]

Hats off to you ! You are an honorable steward to your grandmother's Vacumatic. I hope you will keep it

healthy by using it regularly.

I have the same feelings for my father's Parker 51. I also have four or five other heirloom fountain pens

entrusted to me by others. They know I will care for them.

*********************

How certain are you that it is 1946 ? Is the number " 46 " on the barrel ?

Does the barrel read "Made In USA" ? (Near the end, some were made in Canada.)

Hard to see, but, could one of the gold cap bands be missing ? That would make it a two-band Vac.

How about some measurements ? Capped. Uncapped. Cap posted.

 

Sorry. I can ask questions, but I tend to be short on answers.

The barrel has the Parker date code stamped into it. The date code is ".6." which from what I can garner means the second quarter of 1946.

 

So I'm fairly certain about that part ...

 

The Barrel does say "Made in U.S.A.".

 

Capped lenght is 5 1/16th inches.

Uncapped lenght is 4 5/8ths inches.

Cap posted is 5 7/8ths inch.

 

Thanks for for your help.

[CloaknDagr]

 

+1 I too believe the pen is a Vac Jr. that is missing a cap band.

 

Vac Juniors had two thin cap bands. The OPs appears to be a 3rd generation Vac (single jeweled, plastic filler) in Emerald Pearl celluloid.

It is a single jeweled, plastic filler in Emerald Pearl colored celluloid.

 

If there's a groove where a missing band used to be, I can't see it or feel it but neither my eyes nor my other senses are anywhere near as sharp as they used to be so that can't be ruled out until I can get my hands on a jewelers loupe. Which I will do now that you and a couple others have pointed out the possibilities. It's not something that I had thought of looking for so it may well be there.

 

Thank you for your input.

[CloaknDagr]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

here's a picture of a vac junior from 1946, but it's in azure:

 

Except for the Azure color that last picture is exactly what my pen looks like, clip and all. Except for the single band, which I'm now starting to wonder if maybe it had two and one is missing. Like I said in a previous post, I can't tell but I'll get something that will let me look more closely. I have some magnifying glasses and a microscope but the glasses are too little and the microscope is too much.

 

If I find that groove where a cap band is missing I'll be relieved. I know that sounds strange but I've had a devil of a time trying to find any information on this pen, including the proper parts for it. Because I cannot positively identify it I can't really do much for getting parts and if it's missiing a cap band then that solves the whole mystery quite nicely. As I said before, the market value of the pen isn't an issue and if it's missing a band I don't really care (unless I can find a replacement). I care more that I don't know the story about how the band went missing if that turns out to be the case.

 

This pen sat in my Great-Grandma's writing desk in the parlor in her home. I doubt it got anything resembling abuse but her husband, my Great-Grandfather, was an SOB so you never know. My Great-Grandma was a kind and loving person and he was just exactly the opposite- but that's a story for another time and place. Great-Grandpa Albert was also a notorious cheapskate so if this is a Junior and at the lower end of the value/quality spectrum (which is something else I don't know about this pen and would like to) for this pen at that time then that wouldn't surprise me at all. It still has no impact on how I value the pen, I find it amazing and wonderful that it's survived all these years and still writes.

 

I was born 12 years after this pen was made ... I have other heirlooms going back three generations before this pen. The market value of the pen makes no difference to me, I'd like to keep it in good condition and pass it along like I intend to do with several other family baubles in my possession. For me it's more a matter of holding and useing such things, things from a bygone era where quality spanned generations and those generations are my own folk- that's why I want to find out about this pen.

 

As long as I'm here, can you or anyone else tell me what nib and ink diaphragm are correct for this pen? Those would be the two parts I can foresee needing replacement.

 

Thank you so much for the time you took to help me. I really appreciate it.

Edited September 17, 2014 by CloaknDagr

[penmanila]

if indeed it has just one cap band and there's absolutely no indication that it may once have had one or two more bands, then you have a manufacturing anomaly, which has been known to happen with vacs (some bandless vacs have also been reported to turn up); i've never seen one of these myself. i know you're not interested in monetary value, which is good both for the sentimental value you put on the pen, and also because this kind of anomaly (if indeed it is one) might not add all that much to the pen's price on the market. (the value of some rare vacs depends on other factors like color, pattern, and band imprints.)

 

but just to be clear, the vacumatic junior was by no means a "cheap" pen, even in its time; vacumatics (of any kind) were first-tier pens, and the only real difference between the major and the junior was that the junior had the two thin bands and the major one fat band (and maybe a bicolor nib). so this was a pretty classy pen for your grandma to have owned.

 

your nib looks correct and shouldn't need to be replaced. the diaphragm should be replaced professionally--it's not something you can do safely and correctly without the right tools and skills. have it done by a pro like danny fudge (among others--but he's my go-to guy for good, quick, inexpensive service; look for him at www.thewritepen.net).

Edited September 17, 2014 by penmanila

[penbrute]

I've never seen a single (thin) cap band vacumatic (and I've been checking out the versions.)

 

Interestingly, and perhaps contrary to expectations, the 2-band cap is only rarely available while the thicker band and 3-band versions are plentiful and always available.

[penmanila]

hmmm, i'm afraid not. there are plenty of juniors to go around, and they generally go for slightly less than the majors, and certainly less than the 3-banded standards, unless they have some outstanding characteristics such as a flexible nib (rare in vacumatics) or are in mint and stickered condition. among collectors, the hierarchy of vac models is actually pretty clear (again, condition and special features aside). size, age, and color will often determine relative value, plus of course condition. third-generation majors and juniors (like this pen) are often recommended as starter vacs because of their availability and affordability--in the $50 to $100 range--and then you could go on to the double-jeweled first- and second-gen vacs. like i mentioned earlier, vac taxonomy and nomenclature can be a bit bewildering, but i think we'll all agree that every vac, any vac, is worth picking up

 

perhaps contrary to expectations, the 2-band cap is only rarely available while the thicker band and 3-band versions are plentiful and always available.

 

[CloaknDagr]

I'm impressed, and that's not as easy to do as you folks may think. I've been looking at/for information about this pen and Parker Vacumatics in general for months. I've read a lot of web pages in that time and still you folks have managed to tell me things I did not know. I probably could have saved a lot of time, effort and frustration by just joining this forum and asking questions in here. The above was my first post in this forum and you all have done me an outstanding service. Thank you very much for taking the time and making the effort to help me with this and I mean that most sincerely.

 

Having said all that, I'll move on to what I've done with the information you have so graciously supplied.

 

I borrowed a jewelers loupe from my neighbor so that I could inspect that cap and cap band more closely. There is a tiny but distinct groove running the circumferance of the cap where the other band should be. Under magnification there is no doubt that there is a band missing from this cap. There is the groove the band would sit in and a tiny circular hole where I presume a stud or protrusion in the original band would have been to anchor it in it's groove. That little hole does not completely pierce the cap itself like the air hole does. So that leaves out (at least in my questionable powers of deduction) that the hole in the groove is an air hole or would serve any function other than to secure the missing band to the cap.

 

Which solves my dillema nicely. The pen is indeed a Junior with a missing band.

 

I could not see the groove because, well my eyes aren't so good anymore for the most part but also because it lays in the dark green layer between the lighter layers above and below it.

 

For me personally the loss of the band isn't a big deal. As long as I've had this pen that band has been missing. So Great Grandma must have lost the band and that personalizes the pen even more. Do I wish the band was still there? Heck yes, it would have saved me a lot of trouble researching this pen. Now knowing that it's missing what I regret most is not being able to ask Great Grandma what happened to it.

 

You folks have nicely solved my problem and you've done so in a nice manner. Thank you very much.

 

I have a notebook wherein I record information about family heirlooms. It's all I can do to pass along this kind of information; where the Waterbury mantle clock in my office came from, who the hand painted miniature vase belonged to, how I got Grandma's Royal Copenhagen vase with The Little Mermaid when my Aunt ended up with the rest of the Royal Copenhagen, etc. Now I can put an entry in there about Great Grandma Anna's Parker Vacumatic and that pleases me greatly.

 

Your kindness is only surpassed by your knowledge. Thanks for sharing.

[penbrute]

My post had nothing to do with value of vacumatics, only with availability of 2-band versions vs. 3-band/thick-band etc. This is based on ebay listings and easily verified.

 

On a related note, do all junior vacumatics have 2-bands? Conversely are all 2-banded versions of junior persuasion?

 

 

hmmm, i'm afraid not. there are plenty of juniors to go around, and they generally go for slightly less than the majors, and certainly less than the 3-banded standards, unless they have some outstanding characteristics such as a flexible nib (rare in vacumatics) or are in mint and stickered condition. among collectors, the hierarchy of vac models is actually pretty clear (again, condition and special features aside). size, age, and color will often determine relative value, plus of course condition. third-generation majors and juniors (like this pen) are often recommended as starter vacs because of their availability and affordability--in the $50 to $100 range--and then you could go on to the double-jeweled first- and second-gen vacs. like i mentioned earlier, vac taxonomy and nomenclature can be a bit bewildering, but i think we'll all agree that every vac, any vac, is worth picking up

 

 

 

[ac12]

IMHO, a Vac is NOT a pen a newbie should start on.

Removing the pump without breaking the pen requires a special tool and experience.

 

Send it to a pro to have the diaphram replaced ASAP.

The diaphram in the pen is likely 60+ years old. And if it hasn't failed yet, it will soon. You do NOT want ink leaking into the pump mechanism, cuz that will rust the spring and make repair more difficult and expensive.

IOW, deink the pen and send it to a pro to replace the diaphram.

 

PS, I take my vacs to a friend to remove the pump, and when I clean and replace the diaphram I have him put the pump back.

Oh yes, removing the pellet from the pellet cup is another problem, I literally had one pellet cup go up in smoke and flames, destroying itself from too much heat. That was an AW SH*T moment.

Edited September 17, 2014 by ac12

[penmanila]

i realize that, and my apologies if i implied otherwise; was just trying to be more informative for the OP's sake. yes, all vacumatic juniors have two thin bands. these two marbled 1930s, first-generation vacumatics look nothing like the OP's pen, but they're also called juniors.

 

 

let me add to the confusion by elaborating a bit on my earlier statement that "all vacs with two thin cap bands were called juniors." some two-banded "vacs" may not be "vacumatics" at all, but the earlier "vacuum fillers", of which far fewer have survived and command a premium. some vac juniors, like the golden web, are also more prized. the top pen is a burgundy vacuum filler and the bottom pen is a golden web.

 

 

 

as for the scarcity of juniors vs. majors, it could well be that there are fewer of them now on ebay, or that indeed more majors were made overall (i don't have the production figures to be sure one way or the other); but juniors will not be hard to find if you really want one and, at least among vac collectors, will certainly not be considered rare as a class of vacumatics. some varieties will be relatively uncommon (this one in terms of color) like this burgundy junior, but i wouldn't use the word "rare," which--again in the vac world--is more often reserved for pens hardly ever seen by most such as the blue slender maxima (of which only one specimen is known to exist), the all-gold imperial coronet, the so-called "overmax", and such esoterica. this is probably information overload, but as the word above my avatar suggests, i have a thing for vacs and am prone to evangelizing for them quite shamelessly (and could yet be proven wrong by many others on this board whose knowledge exceeds my enthusiasm.)

 

 

 

 

My post had nothing to do with value of vacumatics, only with availability of 2-band versions vs. 3-band/thick-band etc. This is based on ebay listings and easily verified.

On a related note, do all junior vacumatics have 2-bands? Conversely are all 2-banded versions of junior persuasion?

   

 

Edited September 17, 2014 by penmanila

[Hooker56]

CloaknDagr,

 

Wonderful story! I have several heirloom pens also, plus a collection of various pens including about a dozen Vacumatics. There's no more tangible connection to my deceased father than using his Montblanc pen. I totally understand your need to protect your Great Grandmother's pen. The stories behind the pens I've got are at least half the fun of collecting.

 

That said, though, I agree with Act12. It should be serviced sooner rather than later because it WILL fail, and generally when it's most inconvenient (like when it's sitting on your desk near another heirloom that isn't impervious to Noodler's Green Gator).

 

Try posting in the Repair Q&A Section and ask for references to someone near you in VA that you can take the pen to and wait for them to refurbish so you don't have to risk mail service. It might make for a happy ending all around. The cost for diaphragm replacement shouldn't run more than $35-$40.

 

Thanks for sharing,

 

Clayton

Edited September 18, 2014 by Hooker56

[Brian-McQueen]

CloaknDagr, what part of Virginia are you in?

[penmanila]

^i'm in virginia as well right now, for three months (in centreville). too bad i don't have my vac tools!