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Identify my zillion pens!!


Inchworm

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Hi everybody,

I have been blessed, really. My uncle (actually my great uncle) sent me nine vintage fountain pens, and I'm having trouble identifying them all! I have most of the brands, I just don't know the make/model. I have taken pictures of them all, and hopefully they're not too big- I took them with my SLR digital, so had to reduce them a bit!!

Hope you guys can identify them, I'll list the brand and the info I know with the picture.

 

Alrighty. This is a Sheaffer striped pen, with the white dot, and the nib says Sheaffer lifetime 14K.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheafferstripedwhole.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheafferstriped.jpg

 

This is Morrison's little decorated pen- that's about all I can tell you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Morrisonuncapped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Morrisonflowered.jpg

 

This is a Parker silver capped with a black plastic barrell- it also has a silver clip with a blue diamond on it, it says Parker on it. The nib is almost completely covered with the plastic barrell, I'm not sure I could switch the nib unless I knew how to remove the hood thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Parkersilvercapwhole.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Parkersilvercap.jpg

 

This is a thinner Parker silver capped, it has a blue plastic barrell. The cap is silver with a gold clip, the clip does not say anything, but it has the arrow design on it. The nib is slightly different than the last one, more exposed, with a slight plastic 'hood thing' on it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Parkersilvercappedthinuncapped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Parkersilvercappedthin.jpg

 

Alright, this is a black esterbrook with silver accents- a ring/clip around the top of the cap, a ring on the bottom of the cap, and a small ring around the back end of the barrell. The nib says 9314-F Relief Fine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Esterbrookuncapped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Esterbrookcapped.jpg

 

Alrighty, close to the finish. This is a black Sheaffer with gold thingamajobbers. The nib is so sweet looking, it says Sheaffer Lifetime 14K. It has the word Lifetime and the white dot on the clip. It also uses a cartridge. Looks like an empty blue Skrip ink cartridge.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheafferthickgoldringwhole.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheafferthickgoldringuncapped.jpg

 

This is another Black Sheaffer pen, a few differences. The nib is totally different, though I can't say it's not better looking, the front portion of the nib is silverish, and the back is gold. It says Sheaffer 14K, it also has a patent number on it. The cap has a plain gold clip and a gold ring on the bottom of the cap. There is a plunger on the back of the barrell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheaffergoldthinringwhole.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Sheaffergoldthinringuncapped.jpg

 

Two more to go. This is a gold pen, I don't think I could say way too much about it, it came with a completely different brand of cap, a Waterman's cap, so I took that off. It's a Wahl pen, this nib say Wahl 2 14K. It's well used, and I think the nib might be fractured or something.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Goldpenuncapped.jpg

 

Last one peoples!! It's a green unknown pen, though it does have the name Stratford Regency with an address in new york on it. The nib says Iridium Tipped U.S.A. That's just about all I can say about it. Hmm.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/StratfordRegencygreenpencapped.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/StratfordRegencygreenpen.jpg

 

 

Alright, that's all I have, so hopefully this is not the biggest email in the forum! AHH!

~Inchworm

But what is the difference between literature and journalism?

...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. ~Oscar Wilde

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The fun of collecting is the research in identifying the "exact" vintage. You do have a very generous family member indeed.

 

Good luck...

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The nib is almost completely covered with the plastic barrell, I'm not sure I could switch the nib unless I knew how to remove the hood thing.

 

This is a parker "51" I would assume. Could be a 21 (less expensive little brother). Nothing to do with that nib except write with it. Can't replace it as there is probably nothing wrong with it. That's the design. And a very good design I should add.

 

I wish I had more time to go through and identify the others. It's a fun challenge.

 

Good looking pens.

 

Best wishes.

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The nib is almost completely covered with the plastic barrell, I'm not sure I could switch the nib unless I knew how to remove the hood thing.

 

This is a parker "51" I would assume. Could be a 21 (less expensive little brother). Nothing to do with that nib except write with it. Can't replace it as there is probably nothing wrong with it. That's the design. And a very good design I should add.

 

I wish I had more time to go through and identify the others. It's a fun challenge.

 

Good looking pens.

 

Best wishes.

Correct me if I am wrong but you should be able to unscrew the body from the section and on the filler mechanism it would say either 51 or 21. I don't have one but I think I remember seeing that as how you tell the difference.

 

As far as the Esterbrook it is a J series. To tell if it is an SJ or LJ you need to put the cap on and measure it. I forget what the measurements are but they will tell you at esterbrook.net that should get you in the right direction there.

Best use of a pen:

 

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Gator_b8/DANNYSICOVER.jpg

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You have obviously not read the FPN Handbook....

Chapter 1. Primary Directive....

New members shalt not come into the FPN and taunt the older established members with pictures of free pens given to them by a grand uncle.

 

Now the punishment for a first offense is disposition of said pens. Dispostion shall begin to the member who first found and publicized the offense and shall go through the members who cry "ME, ME, Give it to me next", until all said pens have been confiscated.

 

Nice score... I could not do the guessing game justice... but when the sentance is carried out I will make my decision... :P :P :P

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Hey I don't make the rules! Just let me know where to send you my address to send one of those 51's over to!

Edited by Gatorade

Best use of a pen:

 

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Gator_b8/DANNYSICOVER.jpg

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Guest Denis Richard

Hi Mr.Worm, :D

 

The first is a Sheaffer Tuckaway.

The third look like a 51 (are there any 61 with a blue diamond ?).

The fourth look like a Parker 45.

 

The gold one is a Wahl Metal Pen (Gold filled I presume), with what seems to be a Waterman Ring -top Safety cap.

 

Denis.

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What a great present.

 

Your Esterbrook looks like and LJ or an SJ. The 2314 is a fine oblique stub nib. It's a nice nib, alittle more rare than your standard 1550 fine.

 

The Sheaffer without the inlaid nib looks like a Snorkel Admiral, post 1950. Turn the nib over and tell me if there is a tube that is tucked inside the feed. It's a snorkel. Great pen!

 

A blue diamond on the Parker means its probably a 51. The filler might be a vacumatic or an aerometric. If the whole barren unscrews, it's an aerometric. If jsut hte blind cap unscrews wiit a plunger button underneath, it's a vacumatic filler.

 

The Striped sheaffer is a triumph model, but not sure of the sub type. If it is not a lever filler (you shoudl see the lever on the barrel) then it is probably a vac plunger filler.

 

The Sheaffers with inlaid nibs might be Imperials. You can type them with PenHero's reference articles at penhero.com.

 

Congrats. Great pens.

Kendall Justiniano
Who is John Galt?

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I'll take a stab at it, though I am not an expert.

 

But first, let me tell you that this collection is mostly junk. In fact, you don't want to clutter your life up with this kind of junk. I'll send you my address and you can send it all to me to take care of. Oh, and be sure to insure the package - probably for $1000.00 or more :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Seriously, this is an excellent selection with some excelent pens.

 

1. This is a Sheaffer Tuckaway from the 1940s. It has a triumph nib, and is a Vacuum-filler pen, which can be difficult to restore - but there are pro's who can do it for around $35. It's my own favotire type of filling mechanism.

 

Here's a profile:Tuckaway Profile at RichardPens

 

2. Morrison ring-top overlay. Morrison was a 2nd tier pen company in the 1920-1940s? They made some excellent gold and silver overlay pens. This looks like a hard-rubber pen with a silver overlay. If it is a solid sterling overlay, then wow! Antonios, who posts here a lot, has some great Morrisons and can tell you a lot more about them. They aren't worth as much as a Waterman overlay, but they are great pens.

 

An example, again at: Richardspens

 

3. Unless the cap has been swapped this is a Parker 51 Vacumatic. If you look on the barrel you should find a faint imprint that will say Parker 51. .There will also be a small number with some dots around it. That tells you what quarter and what year it was made - 3 dots for 1srt quarter, 2 dots for second, etc. The number is the year in the 1940s (I don't think that they made blue-diamond clips outside the 40s). You should also be able to remove a small cap on the end to reveal a plunger for the vacumatic filling mechanism. This is another one that is not easy to repair, but several pros can do it for ~$30-35.

 

Here's a profile: 51 Profile at RichardsPens

 

3. This looks like a Parker 45. They take Parker cartridges or a converter. They were made in the 1950s - ? A lower-budget pen, but a great one. There are some threads about these running right now.

 

4. Esterbrook J series, you would have to supply the length for us to know if it was a J, LJ or SJ. The nib is an oblique stub - relief fine in Esterbrooks terminology. For all you could want to know about Esterbrook - Esterbrook.net

 

5. This is getting into an era I don't pay as much attention to, but I believe this is a Sheaffer Imperial - from after the 1960s. Those inlaid nibs are very nice.

 

6. Sheaffer Touchdown Soverign - I think this is a TM version from 1950-1951. Another outstanding pen. See article at: PenHero.com

 

7. Looks to be a Wahl ring-top all-metal pen from the 1920s, probably gold-filled. Look for an imprint on the body that says something like 1/20 14K. I believe these are 1920s, but I am not sure. The cap is interesting - is that the Waterman cap next to it? If so it looks like a cap for a Waterman Safety. It doens't look like it would fit the pen.

 

8. Not sure about this one - probably a pen made for the Stratford Regency hotel in New York. I have seen pens so imprinted on Ebay, but I don't know who made them.

 

As you might guess, the PenHero Website and RichardPens are excellent websites for more information on most of these pens. Enjoy them, you have an excellent collection, and an relative with very good taste.

 

(Please feel free the correct the half-dozen errors I probably made.)

 

John

Edited by Johnny Appleseed

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!

Thank you so much guys, and NO you don't get any. He he he he...

All of the dates add up, the whole collection was my great great grandmother's? I'm not sure. But old.

I didn't ask for him to send me the collection, really, I asked if he had a Parker 45 and an esterbrook- he said he didn't but I suppose he did! lol.

Another important question- What inks can I use with these pens? Can I use a really good quality black ink in all of them??? The Sheaffer Imperial needs cartridges- but the rest take bottled ink.

 

I'll give you guys the info you asked-

1. It is indeed- I love it! It's the capless version.

2. I'm not so sure about the hard rubber, black plastic yeah. It is also a beautiful pen.

3. Yep, it says Parker 51, very faint! it has the number six with three dots around it- so that would be 1946 in the first quarter! So cool, so cool. It does indeed have a plunger after I unscrew the back of the barrell. It is a little sandyish though, it sounds really scratchy, but it works!

4. How do you want me to measure it?

5. This is also one of my favorites, I have loved the design ever since I saw it on the web. So happy to have one now!

6. Yes, it is so pretty- I love the nib. It's gorgeous. There is such a fascination with this peculiar hobby! I am so excited.

7. I could not find any imprint, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was worn off. Out of all the pens, this pen is in horrible condition. It is dented, chipped around the nib, and the nib tip itself is broken and bent. It's got numerous stains and fractures in the metal too- it's such a shame. It would be a pretty pen if it wasn't so damaged. The cap shown next to it seems to be matching. The waterman's cap is totally different looking, and I'm not even sure what the wahl cap is for- it does not fit the pen. I've attached a pic of the waterman's cap. Now, the wahl cap says Wahl Pen, Gold Filled, so it must be part of the pen! Argh.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v452/Guppygirl/Watermanscap.jpg

8. Hmm. I suppose it will be a mystery then! I'll get around to it sometime- too excited with the other pens!

 

Another question- What can I use on the Sheaffer Tuckaway to shine up the huge band of metal on the cap? It's all tarnished. And how should I clean the pens? When I got them, I just took a wet paper towel and wiped the nibs of dried ink- is there anything that's safe to use without damaging them, and is there a certain technique?

 

Also, with the pens there was a small slab of rough granite, it seems that there's some ink on it, and it's in a leather case. What is this? And what is it used for?

 

Thank you guys so much for your help with this, it is so AWESOME!!!!!!

~Inchworm

But what is the difference between literature and journalism?

...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. ~Oscar Wilde

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I think I just heard the tallons sink deep into the inchworm!

 

OK. You asked about ink. First off yeas they will all use fountain pen ink, any color. Just don't use drawing ink, or indigo ink. Good rule of thumb is to go to the inky thoughts or ink review section and you will see more ink than any one person should ever be subjected to. Black is the most common and therefore the least popular in those sections, just because it is plain. There are so many inks out there that you can try a few colors and have fun with it!

 

As far as measuring the Esterbrook with the itallic nib:

Put the cap on it and lay it down on a ruler.

 

If it is 5" long it is either a "J" or an "LJ" The difference between the two is the J is full sized and the LJ is thinner. Also the plastic button piece on the top and bottom are called jewels. On the J the cap jewel is slightly larger than the one on the other end. You probably wouldn't notice till you hold them side by side.

If it is 4 3/4" then it is an "SJ"

If it is 4 3/8" then it is a Purse Pen or "CH" because it has the clip.

 

Check here for more detail:

http://www.richardspens.com Then go to the refrence tab and the Pen models and look up the Esterbrook J series.

 

All in all you have just come into a great collection. It would probably be good to have the more complicated ones cleaned and adjusted by a pro. The Esterbrook is a fairly common pen and very easy to disassemble, clean and re-sac if needed. Kinda fun too!

 

I guess you get the jist of how it works here. Just post your question and watch the answers flow!

Best use of a pen:

 

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Gator_b8/DANNYSICOVER.jpg

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7.  The cap shown next to it seems to be matching. The waterman's cap is totally different looking, and I'm not even sure what the wahl cap is for- it does not fit the pen. I've attached a pic of the waterman's cap. Now, the wahl cap says Wahl Pen, Gold Filled, so it must be part of the pen! Argh.

I think Denis and John indicated that your short fat metal cap was made for a safety eyedropper pen. Waterman safety pens have nibs which retract inside the section, before the cap can be screwed on. The nib can be retracted by turning a knob at the end of the barrel. The cap is short, and the nib disappears inside the pen, before the cap is replaced.

 

If the short fat metal cap was the correct cap for your Wahl pen, the nib would have to retract inside the section, before the cap could reach the threads.

Edited by Blorgy
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Another question- What can I use on the Sheaffer Tuckaway to shine up the huge band of metal on the cap? It's all tarnished. And how should I clean the pens? When I got them, I just took a wet paper towel and wiped the nibs of dried ink- is there anything that's safe to use without damaging them, and is there a certain technique?

Exciting find -- so nice when you get a hoard from the rellies, and they're good, too.

 

First step in cleaning the metalwork would be to use a silver polishing cloth, from the supermarket. This will probably be as much as you want, and it is only the tiniest bit abrasive. If the plastic of the pens is really scratched up, you can polish this out with one of the auto metal polishes: the canonical one to use in the pen community is Simichrome, and it does seem to produce better results than other ones I've tried. But you might first just try wiping off the gunge of the years with a damp paper towel.

 

To clean out the interior of your pens, nothing is better than water. You might add a smidgeonette of dishwashing liquid, but try plain water, left in the pen for a long time. Once the ink is flowing, you could use washable blue ink in the pens for a bit. This will carry on the cleaning, is easy to flush out of pens, and if any of these should have a leak, also easy to remove from places where it shouldn't be.

 

Your "51" Vacumatic: I know what you mean about the gritty feeling. It *might* be working OK, but the advice of the knowledgable is to always have the diaphragm replaced in one of these you find in its natural habitat, because it might let go once it's more than a decade or two old. The Tuckaway might be working: to try it, unscrew the blind cap, draw out the rod, insert the nib in the ink and press in the plunger briskly. You don't have to wait for these to fill, if they're working OK. The odds are that it will need repairing, but there's no harm in trying it out.

 

Such excitement -- it's sure to keep you from measuring the marigolds for a few days.

 

Enjoy

 

Michael

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Glad you found our information useful.

 

With the Wahl pen, it looks rather short for a Safety pen - there would not be much room for the nib to retract. I suspect it may be the kind with a 2-part cap. Some of the ring-tops had a 2-part cap. The top cap would attach to a chain, so the pen could be removed from the chain with another cap, which could be removed for writing.

 

John

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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With the Wahl pen, it looks rather short for a Safety pen - there would not be much room for the nib to retract. I suspect it may be the kind with a 2-part cap. Some of the ring-tops had a 2-part cap. The top cap would attach to a chain, so the pen could be removed from the chain with another cap, which could be removed for writing.

 

John

In the photo, I think I can see a lever projecting very slightly from the barrel.

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HRRM. Sorry couldn't get back to ya over the weekend- was gone.

Okey dokie-

OH NO!!! NOT THE INCHWORM!!! DON'T KILL IT!!!

:P

Alright, and where can I get ink? I'm not sure if the craft store Michael's carries inks, though I will check. I think I'll look into colors too, whee! Hey, I tried the green mystery pen with some blue ink that I have in an italian pen set (it's a dip pen, beautiful!), and it works! Though I think the nib needs a little work. How much does it usually cost to repair nibs, or at least clean and, I suppose re-shape them?

 

BTW, sorry if I'm skipping questions/answers, I'm replying to a couple posts here!

 

Hold on, let me get a ruler.

Ok, a teeny bit more than five inches! So it's either a J or an LJ.

Alright, it's an LJ!!! AWESOME!!

 

Yep, I'm pretty well forum-versed- quite a nice attribute to have!

 

The nib does not retreat inside the barrell, so it must be a 'three part' pen. I'll have to look that up.

 

The grunge of the many, many years did not all come off with the paper towel, I think it requires a bit more than that! I will try using the polishing cloth, that should loosen it up a bit. Would a dab of silver polish on a damp rag work on the sheaffer tuckaway? 'Cause I have plenty of silver polish for all the old silverware and such.

 

Once again, more ink to buy. Gargh, I know what I'm buying next!!

 

Alright, I will try to mess with the tuckaway. I'm so afraid that if I actually use them un-cleaned that they will be ruined and unusable!! AHH! The plunger does indeed come out and then go back in, it's a little hard, but I suppose that's because there's no ink to draw in!! LOL.

 

Yep, as I said, the Wahl does seem like a two-cap version, though the writing cap has been lost. There are screw threads there, so oh well!

 

Yep, the Wahl pen has a lever. It was really difficult to get the right angles on the photos there- I have a multiple-pound SLR camera in one hand and I'm trying to balance the pen to STAY with the other, all in the dark and trying not to make noise so I don't wake anybody up!! lol. I'm a freak.

 

I suppose those are all the replies I got, so AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot tell you how much fun I am having. Can't wait to start using the pens!! WEEEEEE!!!

~Inchworm

But what is the difference between literature and journalism?

...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. ~Oscar Wilde

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An update- I tried a couple pens with the bottled ink I have, it's not the best color, and it's italian, but watery, so it's okay-

the Wahl pen is shot, it's past repair, and I don't think I'll spend the money on it, not worth it.

the esterbrook is fantastic, works perfectly.

The parker 45 is also perfect, the rubber bladder is in perfect condition, works great.

The Sheaffer Touchdown is workin' great too.

 

Those are the four I tried, along with the mystery green pen, which I had before. I think that some of the nibs need to be re-done, they're a little aged, ya know? So I will see. I'm waiting until I can get some awesome great ink, then I'll clean the others up to use.

You guys are so awesome, thanks a zillion!!! :D

~Inchworm

But what is the difference between literature and journalism?

...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. ~Oscar Wilde

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Inchy, I have lead you astray. I hang my head in shame. :doh:

 

 

Your green mystery pen is a Stratford, which was a brand of the Salz company. See a thread on them here.

 

John

Edited by Johnny Appleseed

So if you have a lot of ink,

You should get a Yink, I think.

 

- Dr Suess

 

Always looking for pens by Baird-North, Charles Ingersoll, and nibs marked "CHI"

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Awesome!!! Yeah, it works great. I just think my ink sucks. Gotta get new stuff... :rolleyes:

Thanks so much!!!

~Inchworm

But what is the difference between literature and journalism?

...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all. ~Oscar Wilde

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