Gaah!--Lost My Favorite 140

[mark e]

yeah...pulled a real stupid over the weekend, i lost my favorite pel 140, m nib---too much party after dinner and dancing, and it just, youknow.....flew away

 

the worst part is, i bought it 4-5 yrs ago for less than half the amount of what i see cracked and brassed ebay rejects going for now, and that just adds to my already being irritated, aggravated, pixilated, and just downright pissedoff-a-lated--

 

mine was nearly mint, the gold perfect, no brassing, cracks or scratches, and with a typical springy semi-flex m nib---i do a lot of signatur-ing, and when filled with perle noire, it was the perfect pen (sniff) for that...aaagh!

 

i have another one, with a scratchy f nib and brassed platings, but it's just not doing anything for me

 

and there's no way i'm gonna pay the prices i've seen to replace it (grrr), so i'm looking for recommends/ideas for another signer-----can the f nib be modded/stubbed (needs work anyway) or should i save up and look for a nice 400nn, imean, if i'm going to spend that much, i might as well spend a little more and move on up---

 

help? ...ernst?....bo-bo?....rick p?....anyone?

[ac12]

It would depend on where you take the pen.

I would not take the 400 where you went with your 140.

I would take your other worn 140 or a cheaper pen.

 

Selection of pen has to match the risk of the environment you take it to.

Low risk environment, the 400 is fine.

High risk environment, I would take a Lamy Safari.

 

Get a nice M nib for your 140, maybe even adjusted and polished. It would be a better writer than the F nib, and the 140 would be usable.

Edited October 1, 2014 by ac12

[mark e]

yeah, normally my inside jacket pocket is a low-risk environment, but this was a new one and evidently the lining was too thin/slick to stay clip-gripped---i almost took an estie that nite, but it was dry when i checked it so i switched on the way out the door.....figures---and i normally wouldnt consider a modern pen, but maybe that's the deal now...i dont want to go thru this again (he says, still gnashing his teeth)

[Matlock]

yeah, normally my inside jacket pocket is a low-risk environment, but this was a new one and evidently the lining was too thin/slick to stay clip-gripped---i almost took an estie that nite, but it was dry when i checked it so i switched on the way out the door.....figures---and i normally wouldnt consider a modern pen, but maybe that's the deal now...i dont want to go thru this again (he says, still gnashing his teeth)

 

I know how you feel, I lost a much loved Parker 51 in much the same way. Since then I carry my M400 if it is a no risk environment and a cheap and chearfull Lamy Safari (or even a ballpoint) in every other case. As has been said, get a new nib for the 140 and keep a look out for a replacement, bargains do crop up from time to time. good luck.

[whych]

Check the alignment of the nib in your 140. If it is scratchy, it could mean the nib is misaligned in the feed and one of the tynes is higher than the other.

[setriode]

I feel for you. I recently took a Lamy Safari into a high risk environment and lost it and was dismayed. A week later a kind soul gave me an identical Safari with an even better nib and now I feel better.

 

All the better pens are kept safe either at home or secure in a case in a briefcase.

 

Only Safari and Kaweco Sport in pockets.

[Bo Bo Olson]

German Ebay...up from €50-70 a couple of years ago to €70-90 now. Could be if you watch a bit, you could luck into a good €50 pen.

 

The 140 is perfect shirt pocket size because it posts long. It is as far as I know only in semi-flex. I have two an OF and OB. The OB is a writing nib....not like a modern fat and blobby one for signatures only.

I'd rate an OB like a M-B size. "Fat M".

Very, very good line variation. Same with the OF but not as much slop room like an OB. With OM's & OF's you have to place the nib a bit tighter to the cant. I have some 14 semi-flex and 'flexi' obliques from the '50's era, half are Osmia/O-F-C's, 4 are Pelikan's.

 

Do you have a 10-12-15X loupe? Check your F nib's alignment. Push down from the breather hole on the up tine for 3 seconds or so a few times...should be good to go after 3-4 times. (If not, push up on the down tine a couple of times) A 6 X loupe from your local Jeweler could almost do. You need an once in a life time buy of a good coated glass loupe, That can cost € 20 or a bit more. I got mine at my jewelers for about that five years ago. Mine has a handle, a fold up would be better for flea market hunting. Bender sells some for $35 but then you have to add postage. Check the brand he carries, you could perhaps get it 'local'.

 

A cheap loupe on Ebay....is an alternative...until you 'buy again' for better.

You will buy again, in cheap is cheap for good reasons.

 

The '50's 400 and the '56-65 400nn...is impossible to say they will be semi-flex or 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex in the original owner picked what flex rate he wanted.

In 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex I have a 500 OBB and a 400nn OF. I also have a 400n in semi-flex B that I like a lot.

 

It's the flatness of the tipping....not full across like a stub, that gives the '50-65 nibs that stubbish flair.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson