Hi,

I have caught the 'Parker 51 bug' after reading how great it seems to be, and am considering purchasing a standard Parker 51 (as a general writing pen - not so much a collectable) and have found several good deals I may choose from on the internet. The one problem is that they all have medium nibs - I prefer a fine or extra fine - and have had no luck tracking down any fine nib versions.

My question is can I buy nibs separate or can I have a medium Parker 51 nib ground down to a fine by, for example, the chap at www.richardspens.com? And if I could buy a separate nib - where could one be procured?

I realise I could search for potential answers on the forum, but the sheer amount of Parker 51 topics is bewildering and gave me a headache after the first page or two of results... oh dear it is a popular pen!

Never mind! Just joined the "51" club - bought one off a reputable seller off eBay. And it has a fine nib! Happy bunny!

Hi Patrick,

"51"s with a fine nib are quite common in the US, but not so many in the UK. I find that a UK Fine is not as Fine as a US nib. The majority of the US made "51" Vacs have either a fine or an Extra Fine nib, whereas the UK made Aeros mostly have Medium or even broader nibs. As UK Medium is almost the equivalent of a US Broad!

Fortunately the nibs are interchangeable, and I have swapped quite a few nibs to get the nib I want in the pen, for example I have a Cedar Blue Vac with a UK Med/Broad nib. I exchanged the EF nib originally in the pen for the UK nib and the guy was happy to do the swap for just the cost of the postage as he wanted an EF nib.

I hope that you enjoy your "51"

Jim