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Parker 51


Stephen-I-am

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I just "won" (funny how they make it sound like you won the lottery or something) a 1948 Parker "51" steel cap blue diamond clip vacumatic fountain pen, medium(ish) nib.

 

I have a very small collection at the moment (Pelikan M200, Lamy 2000, and Namiki VP), and thought it would be nice to have something a bit vintage. The price was $41, and it needs a new sac but otherwise is mint. I guess the seller makes a living by going to estate sales and then using ebay ...

 

Anyway, if anyone would like to share some information on this pen, I'd be interested in hearing it. I hope I made a good purchase for my first vintage pen.

 

Stephen

Current Favorite Inks

Noodlers La Reine Mauve Noodlers Walnut

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Stephen, let me be the first among many to tell you that you got the BEST vintage pen for your first one. The price is about right, getting it re-sacced will probably run you $25 and you'll be using it for the next 50 years happily alongside your other pens (which form a quite nice bunch themselves). Richard Binder has a good profile on the Parker 51 (his personal favorite pen) in the "Reference Info" section of his site and quick turnaround on this pretty basic repair can be had at Pentiques or The PenDen. Watch yourself though, they say that Parker 51s are quite addictive and you can't have just one :)

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Very nice pen!

I have a handful and thay all write very well.

None of mine (and I have soem older than yours) have needed to be resacked.

I have a new SE and it writes great too!

Congratulations. (and on the Lamy and VP, too)

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Welcome to the dark side, 51's are addictive pens.

 

Bill

"Life moves pretty fast, if you do not stop and look around once and a while you might just miss it."

Ferris Bueller

 

 

 

Bill Smith's Photography

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nmb said it, really, the "51" is the best pen of them all. (Note to the new "51" collector: Always put quotation marks around "51" except when you're talking about the modern 51 SE -- these are the ways Parker trademarked the names.)

 

Blue Cedar rules. If you've been around here any length of time at all, you've seen my postings with pix of my Blue Cedar "51". It's gone through something of a metamorphosis: when I got it, it was a single-jewel pen with Lustraloy cap whose clip has no Bue Diamond:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/51_cedar.jpg

 

But I've always liked double-jewel pens better, so when the chance to convert my pen popped up, I took it:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/51_cedar_dj.jpg

 

But my ultimum desideratum in the pen world has always been a Blue Cedar with a sterling cap. While I haven't allowed that Lustraloy cap to escape, I've set it aside in favor of this cap:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/51_cedar_sterling.jpg

 

This pen is one of the twelve "51"s in my collection, and my collection is small. You have taken the first step toward total assimilation. Welcome!

sig.jpg.2d63a57b2eed52a0310c0428310c3731.jpg

 

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My blue "51" will soon be home! Just received a note from Barbara Binder that it and my MB are ready to return. :D What a great b'day present! (The blue one has a companion pencil that's been lonely for a long time.)

 

I have another "51" - a black one that I bought off the green board - that is probably my 2nd favorite writer. It was my fave until I got my Sheherazade. :P

 

Now the hard part - what to fill that gorgeous blue with? Maybe Noodler's Blue-Black? PR's Black Magic Blue? Maybe order some Diamine Prussian Blue just for it? Oh, the agony... :lol:

"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." - Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

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Here's an original Cedar Blue, double jewel (bottom is Al), Sterling Cap, Blue Diamond, no date stamp.

http://show.imagehosting.us/show/1171260/31965/user_31965/T0_31965_1171260.JPG

 

A (sort of) matching pencil and a new SE!

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Now the hard part - what to fill that gorgeous blue with?

My advice is to avoid heavily saturated "boutique" inks like Noodler's, PR, or Levenger.

sig.jpg.2d63a57b2eed52a0310c0428310c3731.jpg

 

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My advice is to avoid heavily saturated "boutique" inks like Noodler's, PR, or Levenger.

 

So that leaves the Diamine Prussian? Would Aurora Blue be all right? That is a beautiful blue, imo. Or Waterman violet? I love deep rich colors, so I might need to buy a couple more bottles of a less saturated ink (awww, darn :D ).

 

What's a good dark blue (that's not Noodler's, PR, or Levenger)?

"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." - Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

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Congratulations on your new acquisition. My first vintage pen was a Pelikan 140. My second vintage pen was an aerometric 51. Just like others have mentioned, I really like writing with the 51 and use it everyday. And yes, I think I am addicted to the 51 since I am already thinking about which model should be my next 51.

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My blue "51" will soon be home! Just received a note from Barbara Binder that it and my MB are ready to return.

This makes me miss my Midnight Blue Aero very much :( . It's spending the winter with Richard, but I'm sure it will be well worth the wait! In the meantime, I have my own Cedar Blue/Sterling cap to keep me company. Only problem is this one has a midnight blue section - I need to find a cedar blue section to complete this beauty.

 

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/633/img14594ha.jpg

"I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them."

- Baruch Spinoza

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So that leaves the Diamine Prussian? ...

Yes, the Diamine inks have great characteristics and are, in my experience, very easy to flush and clean out of a pen, when necesary.

 

So Diamine 'Prussian Blue', 'Presidential Blue' LE, 'Blue-Black' (and maybe 'Indigo') and 'Imperial Purple' should fit.

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It's nice to hear that the warm fuzzies I got from the purchase are shared. What to ink it with is indeed a good question. Maybe this is a good reason to track down some Diamine royal blue.

 

Here is a picture of the pen from the auction:

 

http://www.theboulets.net/parker51.jpg

 

Stephen

Current Favorite Inks

Noodlers La Reine Mauve Noodlers Walnut

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It's nice to hear that the warm fuzzies I got from the purchase are shared. What to ink it with is indeed a good question. Maybe this is a good reason to track down some Diamine royal blue.

 

Here is a picture of the pen from the auction:

 

http://www.theboulets.net/parker51.jpg

 

Stephen

Welcome Stephen to the "51" addiction ;)

 

Now although your pen looks very nice, it does look lonely to me, surely it needs a companion ? :rolleyes:

 

What about a nice example of an Aero to go with it so that you can compare and contrast?

 

On the ink front, I use either Quink or Diamine in my "51"s. I do use more saturated ink in the Aeros sometimes, as they are easier to clean out.

 

Regards,

 

Jim

Obi Won WD40

Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert!

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So that leaves the Diamine Prussian? Would Aurora Blue be all right? That is a beautiful blue, imo. Or Waterman violet?

Diamine is good. Aurora is okay. If you like the Aurora color but want Waterman, try mixing Waterman Florida Blue and Waterman Violet. I use a 50/50 mix, and it has a color halfway between Aurora Blue and Tanzanite. Someone told me recently that he mixes 3 Florida Blue to 1 Violet and gets a color almost exactly like Aurora Blue.

sig.jpg.2d63a57b2eed52a0310c0428310c3731.jpg

 

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Welcome to the addiction! Like a lot of other folks have already said, becareful. "51's" are very addictive. Some would say much worse than crack...lol. I don't think you could have starter off with a better color or model for your first "51". There is just something about that deep rich Bluecedar color I really dig & like Richard I love a sterling cap on it too. I would love to find a hand hammered silver cap for mine. I think that would REALLY set it off.

 

Here are a couple of pics of my new Sergio Kullock "51" reproduction in sterling silver. I managed to work a trade with a bud of mine to get this one. It's one of the very few pens I've ever connected with the instant my hands touched it. Have to say I'm in love here.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DennisLively/kullock51001.jpg

 

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DennisLively/kullock51002.jpg

 

A close up of the pattern. MMMMMMMMM MMMMMM MMMMM! This pen is soooo nice.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DennisLively/kullock51003.jpg

 

If you need someone to restore your "51" drop me an email at penman09242aol.com. I'll be happy to help out.

 

Dennis

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http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DennisLively/kullock51002.jpg

Dennis,

 

That is one terrific pen, I am a sucker for silver pens, just happen to have the silver caps though. That is a Super Flighter I reckon :D :D

 

What is about the Cedar Blue pens, with a silver cap they are something special.

 

As we are having a show and tell on "51"s here is the picture of my favorite Cedar Blue, a custom pen with copper rings and a polished silver cap made for me by Ralph Prather.

 

http://www.strutton.free-online.co.uk/Pictures/Pens/51-Cedar-Custom-SJ-1.jpg

 

It is sitting filled with Quink Permanent Blue on my desk today, never seems to drop out of my rotation :blink:

 

Jim

Obi Won WD40

Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert!

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Jim,

 

Zounds that's a killer "51" as well. Love the effect the rings bring to it. Is your cap smooth unlined silver?

 

"What is about the Cedar Blue pens, with a silver cap they are something special"

 

Not so much special as they just really appeal to me.

I'm a Sterling fan in general. Pretty much all I wear is sterling, from my big chunky 4oz. bracelet, my necklace with turn of the century whistle or my family masonic ring from the 20's that I was given when I was raised to master mason 10 years ago, all sterling.

There is just something about the way it glows when it's developed a light patina that speaks to me. Not the polished super shiny look but the patina you get from daily wear/use. I just dig it.

 

Dennis

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