Today I received a beautiful black Parker 51 with button filler mechanism and a not hooded nib.
Only problem: I have no clue how to fill the pen with ink!

I have lots of button fillers from Pelikan, Lamy, MB and some others but the 51 is not self explaining the way the others have been. Beside this 51 I have several aeros. They too are self explaining and easy to fill.

Please could anybody help me to understand the Parker button filler system?

Thank you.

The internal action is basically the same as the lever pens, but instead of directly mashing a spring, the button causes it to bow out sideways. Put the point in ink, press the button, release, wait a tic, and done.

If you follow that link and scroll up a little, there's pictures... which I think we'd all like one of from you-- no hood rather equals not a 51. If you scroll down from that link, there's material about Vacumatic fillers, which if it is an 51 is the other alternative, but I am again brought up short by the thought that there's not a hood.

You do not have a Parker 51. All Parker 51s have hooded nibs..
If the pen looks like a 51, but has a button fill and an open nib, you most likely have a Parker VS... a very nice pen. The body and hood were made of softer material than the 51 and scratch easy... The cap will not have a arrow clip. The pen will most likely need to have the sac replaced...

Pelikan does not make a button filler... it is a piston filler.

Just be sure that it's a button-filler and not a vacumatic-filler. A button-filler (And I take this from an original 1928 Parker Duofold manual) should be filled in the following way, I quote:

To fill, unscrew the small black cap on the butt-end, exposing the filler-button. Insert the point in GOOD, CLEAN INK so the point is completely immersed, holding the pen with the forefinger and press the button with the thumb. Release the button but keep the point completely immersed. The pen now starts to feed. Leave it in the ink - thumb off the button - for 10 seconds. It takes a big drink so give it time. After filling, wipe the barrel and point or other points of ink contact - dry them perfectly. Replace the small cap and the pen is ready to write

Note: I generally find that it's better to press the button again after filling it as instructed above, just in case the pen isn't COMPLETELY full.

Best of luck.

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Oh yeah and like Griz says - No hood? No 51. A Parker 51 ALWAYS has a hood. Has done for over 60 years. And do be careful about classification - As far as I'm aware - Montlanc never made button-fillers. They did, however, make piston-fillers (which are not the same thing, even though they may seem to be).

You are right, I have mixed up piston filler with button filler regarding my other pens.
But the one I am talking about is described as a button filler:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...N:IT&ih=004

And yes, you are right, it's a VS.
So I try to follow your instructions to fill the pen with ink. Hope, it works!

Is the pen restored? If not, you will have to get it restored (if it doesn't work) before trying to fill it.

I was looking at that auction... it went higher than I was willing to pay... but considering the pen is not all that common, it was a good price for a VS in Europe... high for a US sold pen...
I have 3 of them and all are very nice writers.... good luck..
I have found that you need to press the button, release and wait a couple of seconds and then do it again at least twice to get a full fill...

Well there are button fill 51's (red band sort of is a button filler) but agree regarding the hood.

The pen might be a Parker VS.

regards

david

One does forget the red band filler-- of course, it's something seen by about as many folks as is the Florida Skunk-Ape, so I might be forgiven.

FYI Montblanc did make button fillers.

George

Thanks to all for your help!

I followed your instructions and now the pen is filled with Diamine blue black and writes with a nice, wet medium nib.
The pen was described as fully restored and seems to be so, actually.

Vintage Parkers are hard to find in Europe. Only in the UK you can find some and the prices are high
Adding postage and maybe customs makes the US-pens as expensive as the UK pens. No alternative though.
And money transfer other than paypal is much easier within the EU than to the USA.

But then I got a vintage Pelikan 400 or 400 NN for 30-40 Euros every now and then which is a real good price. Even had some for less than 30!

You cannot have it all .....

And the other side of the coin is that it is hard to find nice, vintage Pelikans here in the USA. I have had my eye out for a prewar one for quite a while, but none yet at a price I would pay.