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Parker 51 Surprise


mariom

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I responded to an ad for a 51 on Gumtree (a local online selling site) last week. I spoke to the vendor (can't do that on the bay of fleas), who described the pen as a gift to his mother back in the 50s, since when it had (supposedly) hardly been used. We agreed on a price, and as it turned out he also pad a Parker pencil which ended up being included in the transaction. He described the nib as "quite broad", which suited me down to the ground. When the package arrived, I was initially quite disappointed. The 61 pencil seemed jammed, the pen had clearly been well used as the nib was crusted with ink, the sac stained and the imprint faint. The rolled silver cap had a loose clip and looked very sad. However, a close look at the nib had me scratching my head. I'd never seen one before, but I was sure I had a left oblique on my hands, and it looked like a broad.

 

As it turns out, everything has turned out OK. The pencil cleaned up OK and works fine. The cap, while it has lots of patina and a small ding, has polished up a treat. The navy gray pen cleaned up nicely and fills well. It's just the nib I'm not too sure about. It looks in perfectly good condition, and at 1.1mm I guess it is indeed a broad left oblique italic. I'm just not sure if it suits me from a writing perspective. When I get the angle right, it writes very smoothly indeed, but I have trouble keeping it at the right angle. I normally rotate my pens a little to the left, but It seems I have to rotate this pen around 60 degrees (or more) left to find a smooth line. It does my head in a bit.

 

I'm not sure whether I should preserve with it or move it on. From what I read, these are quite rare and desirable. Anyone like to do a trade?

Mario

 

post-115834-0-13394200-1430048230_thumb.jpg

 

post-115834-0-67433900-1430048236_thumb.jpg

 

post-115834-0-22944600-1430048233_thumb.jpg

Edited by mariom
=====================================
Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

=====================================
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I say keep it, as you never know if fate will throw you a left handed decendent. Thus you can preserve the hobby down your bloodline!

 

I take it the 51 is English, going by the cap (what does the imprint say?). The neatly-flatted rather than pointed hood profile is similar to my English vac 51's.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/1950%20Parker%2051%20English%20Black/Black%2051%20Vac%20hood%20shape.jpg

Edited by Flounder

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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I responded to an ad for a 51 on Gumtree (a local online selling site) last week. I spoke to the vendor (can't do that on the bay of fleas), who described the pen as a gift to his mother back in the 50s, since when it had (supposedly) hardly been used. We agreed on a price, and as it turned out he also pad a Parker pencil which ended up being included in the transaction. He described the nib as "quite broad", which suited me down to the ground. When the package arrived, I was initially quite disappointed. The 61 pencil seemed jammed, the pen had clearly been well used as the nib was crusted with ink, the sac stained and the imprint faint. The rolled silver cap had a loose clip and looked very sad. However, a close look at the nib had me scratching my head. I'd never seen one before, but I was sure I had a left oblique on my hands, and it looked like a broad.

 

As it turns out, everything has turned out OK. The pencil cleaned up OK and works fine. The cap, while it has lots of patina and a small ding, has polished up a treat. The navy gray pen cleaned up nicely and fills well. It's just the nib I'm not too sure about. It looks in perfectly good condition, and at 1.1mm I guess it is indeed a broad left oblique italic. I'm just not sure if it suits me from a writing perspective. When I get the angle right, it writes very smoothly indeed, but I have trouble keeping it at the right angle. I normally rotate my pens a little to the left, but It seems I have to rotate this pen around 60 degrees (or more) left to find a smooth line. It does my head in a bit.

 

I'm not sure whether I should preserve with it or move it on. From what I read, these are quite rare and desirable. Anyone like to do a trade?

Mario

 

attachicon.gifP4253667.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP4253663.jpg

 

 

attachicon.gifP4253664.jpg

 

That looks Arabic / Urdu / Hebrew / Persian italic. Would have loved to do the trade but I fear the shipping costs may turn out to be unbearable for both the parties.

Khan M. Ilyas

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I say keep it, as you never know if fate will throw you a left handed decendent. Thus you can preserve the hobby down your bloodline!

 

I take it the 51 is English, going by the cap (what does the imprint say?). The neatly-flatted rather than pointed hood profile is similar to my English vac 51's.

 

 

As I understand it Flounder, left footed obliques are designed for right handers, and some degree of rotation is required to use them - it's just the degree of rotation I can't get my head around.

 

And yes, the pen s English. I can just make out a faint "England" and a"5" in the imprint.

 

Mario

=====================================
Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

=====================================
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That looks Arabic / Urdu / Hebrew / Persian italic. Would have loved to do the trade but I fear the shipping costs may turn out to be unbearable for both the parties.

 

I don't think so Khan. The nibs you refer to are deeper from top to bottom than they are wide, with the slit along the long axis. This is definitely an italic grind - quite wide and quite thin from top to bottom.

 

Mario

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Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

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I believe they're suitable for left handed overwriters too.

 

Ah. Just the thought of it makes my wrist ache.

=====================================
Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

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I say keep it, as you never know if fate will throw you a left handed decendent. Thus you can preserve the hobby down your bloodline!

 

I take it the 51 is English, going by the cap (what does the imprint say?). The neatly-flatted rather than pointed hood profile is similar to my English vac 51's.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/1950%20Parker%2051%20English%20Black/Black%2051%20Vac%20hood%20shape.jpg

Like this this:

Khan M. Ilyas

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Left foot oblique nibs are indeed for right handed writers. As for the rotation problem, you will have that with any italic pen unless it's pretty narrow. If you want to keep it, you will just have to get used to writing without turning your wrist or moving your elbow too much.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

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Hard to say from your photo Khan, too blurry! I've seen a fair few damaged and 'kitchen gunsmithed' hood tips, they don't look so neat and symmetrical as my vac hood or Mario's aero. All my post-50's English 51s have have conventional pointy hoods.

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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In re: left handed overwriters - http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/nibs/beyond.htm

Left foot oblique nibs are indeed for right handed writers. As for the rotation problem, you will have that with any italic pen unless it's pretty narrow. If you want to keep it, you will just have to get used to writing without turning your wrist or moving your elbow too much.

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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Flounder, Richardspens is correct. It is designed for a left handed overwriter, but right handed people can use it too as long as the pen is held so the entire writing surface is kept in contact with the paper and isn't rotated. I have one that I use without any difficulty.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

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Hard to say from your photo Khan, too blurry! I've seen a fair few damaged and 'kitchen gunsmithed' hood tips, they don't look so neat and symmetrical as my vac hood or Mario's aero. All my post-50's English 51s have have conventional pointy hoods.

 

 

Well, it is exactly like yours. But yes , I failed to focus. Moreover , it was a night time snap.

Khan M. Ilyas

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Can anyone confirm if this nib qualifies as a "broad" at 1.1mm? It doesn't seem to produce a particularly broad line, but as I'm still learning how to write with this pen, it may just be me.

 

Mario

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Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

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What line is it writing? This nib was a broad, and wrote over 1.1 (too much for me, I hardly ever used it).

ps my handwriting has improved in the last 3 years, honest injun.

 

post-29904-0-19046700-1430241442_thumb.jpg

 

post-29904-0-71737200-1430241491_thumb.jpg

 

post-29904-0-28691000-1430241537_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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It's a bit of a cross-comparison, but in the mid-1960s Pelikan thought something that wrote on either side of 1.1mm (depending on pressure) qualified as a BB, so I don't see why a slightly older "51" shouldn't.

 

Vis:

pelikan-0473ws1.jpg

Ravensmarch Pens & Books
It's mainly pens, just now....

Oh, good heavens. He's got a blog now, too.

 

fpn_1465330536__hwabutton.jpg

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I've definitely seen (and downloaded... somewhere. bah.) a Parker chart with the different 51 nib grades on it. Interestingly the bold nib was described as for "heavy pressure".

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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Ah. Just the thought of it makes my wrist ache.

 

Right obliques are better for left handers. I am left handed and I find right obliques almost usable. Left obliques are for right handers. I say I don't like the obliques much. I have enough trouble keeping the nib on a normal pen oriented properly, and having to rotate the pen is takes my mind away from what I want to write, and I don't need the hassle. I have several obliques from a few different manufacturers, left and right obliques, and they are little used. Nice conversation pieces, but I let them alone. Some people like them a lot though.

 

I have a broad stub 51 that writes a 1.2 mm line. The stub is a Minuskin effort, and it is pretty nice. Ultimately I decided I like fines and extra fines better. Broad and medium straight italics or cursive italics are sort of OK, though. I have Sonnets and Sheaffers with such nibs.

Edited by pajaro

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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What line is it writing?

 

 

There's a writing sample in my original post, although as I said, there's no guarantee I'm using the nib to its best effect. I can't really compare it to your samples as I'm assuming your nibs not obliques.

 

Mario

=====================================
Mario Mirabile
Melbourne, Australia

www.miralightimaging.com

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