I have Parker 51 Aerometric of English production with fine nib. It's problem is, that if the pen is left open for some minutes (usually 3-5), the ink dries and the pen fails to start writing. I have to apply some pressure on the nib if I want it to start writing again. It is especially annoying when taking notes during the lectures in University. The ink flow is usually sufficient. The pen doesn't skip, but doesn't lay too wet line either. I use it mostly with black inks. Currently it is filled with Waterman Black. Sometimes I fill it with Parker Quink Black and Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black too. The problem remains with all three inks. I used Parker 21 with hooded nib. It could be left open for much more time and the ink wasn't drying.

Can this be fixed or is normal for this pen?

Has the pen been restored? What you are describing is not typical of a "51" unless adjusted to write VERY dry -- usually they don't dry out much.

If you have not done so, I would fill the pen overnight with 10% ammonia solution and then flush very well and re-fill (you will need to shake or blot out all the water before filling with ink). This should dissolve dried up ink in the feed channel and around the nib, as well as ink solids in the collector.

Peter

When I got the pen, I flushed it with water and filled with ink. I didn't do anything else.

I would do the ammonia solution flushing.

As well, some of us P51 users have found that running a Parker Quink with Solv-X (old stock, you will have to look on eBay) for a couple of days can also help getting an old 51 working well. It made a great difference in my 51 that has a XF nib.

Very interesting, especially since the Parker '51' was designed SPECIFICALLY to combat this condition...

I would recommend giving it a good flushing with plenty of cold water and perhaps a bit of soapy detergent and see what happens.

It probably needs a good clean, but to do that you need to get the hood off. I suspect that there is a lot of dried ink in the collector that is impeding ink flow. Not a hard fix, just apply a bit of heat and gentle pressure and off comes the hood.
Rob

Parker '51' hoods unscrew in a counter-clockwise direction. A few minutes under some strong warm water and a bit of twisting ought to get the hood off. After that, soak the nib, feed & collector in some cool water. I suggest filling a shot-glass with water and dumping it in there and give it several side-to-side swivels, tapping gently against the inner sides of the glass to knock out any dried ink-flakes.

Today I disassembled the pen for cleaning, but there was almost nothing to clean. The only thin I found were some ink or maybe plastic flakes in breathe tube. I don't know if it is original. I've never seen black ones before. I also changed the position of ink collector. Now the thin slit which is on it is aligned exactly with that of the feed. When I disassembled the pen, feed was aligned 180 deg. opposed to this position. I don't know what exactly the alignment must be. It just seemed more logical to me. Now ink flow has improved, but the problem still exists. After the pen is left open a minute or two I have to apply some pressure to make it start writing again.

What you're describing is extremely uncharacteristic of a '51'...Is it a possibility that the nib-tines are too close together, and thus, restricting inkflow?

Or possibly it's something to do with your environs. Do you write in places that are excessively hot or humid? Or, it could just be a fountain pen acting...like a fountain pen. Cap it when you're not using it.

It seems more like they are too far one from another. I did some adjustment to nib and tried to smooth it a little bit. Now it is better.

Nib tweaking is both easy and risky at the same time. It should be done when one is relaxed, focused and able to concentrate. Take your time, use magnification, test often and be sparing with force. With luck, you'll get that '51's nib perfectly sorted out and your inkflow problems will be over!

I have already realized it. Big problem (at least for me) is to stop at the correct point. Sometimes I reach the point where I like how nib goes on the paper, but inspite of this I try to make it a little bit better and need to start all from the beginning because that last try just made it worse.

A few of comments if I may....

First, please, no detergent i.e. dish soap for cleaning pens. The best thing to use is 10% or so ammonia in water. Trust me!

Sometimes you find that the feed of a 51 is coated with crud, like a white powder. This I suspect is left over from the use of the 51 ink. It needs to be cleaned off, and sometimes you need a scratch pad to get it off. Pens that won't write well usually do when this is cleaned off.

The tine spacing is critical. Too tight and the nib will not write properly. Too open and the pen will be toothy.

We've found that the pens do seem to write better with the BIG slit at the top. Parker's repair manuals say that this didn't make any difference, but setting the big slit at the top gives me a good flow, and most people like the results.

You've discovered the joy of repairing a 51 - getting that hood lined up with the nib. It usually takes several tries to get it right. If you haven't sealed the threads, you MUST do this. It will leak and ink your fingers, I assure you! I use shellac, but at a minimum you should use Giovanni's section sealant. Do not use nail polish or teflon tape. Neither will work well, and both could damage your pen.

I'll second Ron on the position of the collector slits. I've gotten several "51"s that were fairly clean (as in no obvious residue of "51" ink or Superchrome crud) that only wrote OK until I took them apart. Usually found that the collector slits were not aligned with the nib, and putting the wide slit on top plus a trip thought the sonicating bath made them write as nicely as the tipping permitted. No way to tell how they left the factory, but I really do think that getting the slits lined up properly helps with ink flow.

I would also check the hood for accumulated crud on top of the nib, too -- if there isn't a tiny bit of free space for ink there, the pen will write dry. Old dried ink residue in the nib slit will cause the same problem, I usually slip a bit of aluminum foil down the slit if I think it's clogged. Make sure you don't leave a snippet of foil in there, though!

Peter

My feed was clean. Collector had some flakes, but the feed was in perfect condition.


I'll try to invert its position next time I open the pen. Now the thin and long one is on top of the nib.


My pen has the O-ring. Will it be sufficient? On my 21 I used a glue which can be used for gum and plastic. It worked for a year or two and I never had problems.


The space your talk about exists and I can even see some ink above the nib when the pen is hold with the nib down.

Use only shellac or Giovanni's section sealant -- you do, after all, want the hood to come back off again in the future. I have one that was glued with something else and I cannot get the hood off, making the pen useless as it really needs to be cleaned. I wouldn't depend on a 50+ year old o-ring to seal well.

Check the nib slit next time you have the nib out -- there should be a barely visible space between the tips with the nib dry -- hold it up to a light.

Peter

Some more questions on the same topic. Has the ink collector of 21 to be adjusted the same way as that of 51? Breathe tube of 51 has a small hole too. I think it's normal because I saw it on two pens. What does it do and how has it to be aligned?