The majority of these pens were found in a box at my grandparent's house and have been lying around in my posession for a few years untouched. Recently I've taken them out again and am thinking what, if anything I might do about getting them restored, either for personal use or resale. Most of them show signs of wear from age, nearly all will need their fill systems (bladders) serviced. Superficialy, the nibs seem to be in good condition.

I guess what I'm looking for is a cost/benifit analysis. For a while I used to have a Levenger True Writer but being young and scatterbrained I lost it...twice. I'm not much of a collector but I do like using fountian pens; that said I probably wouldnt use all of these and would consider selling some too if it were worth it. If restoring any of these would be a good investment in that sense, then I might go for it. I don't have, and probably wouldn't invest in the tools to do it myself, so I'd entertain recomdations for repair shops that will take them through the mail.

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Engraving on the nib says "Parker Lucky Curve". The barrel is pretty obviously discolored; I remember reading that this was common for the green of these particular pens. Bits of the clip and clip band exibit brassing, the band around the cap is loose. The "button" of the button fill may be missing.

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Engraving on the barrel reads "Waterman's Made in U.S.A." I think it's what's called a "ladies" pen because of its size. Deep scratches in the celluose on the nib end under the cap, the button on the top of the clip is brassed/tarnished. (I really like the color though)

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Engraving on the barrel reads "Gold Bond" and under that a word that is half worn - S (pretty sure) t (?) o (?) -nite, so Stonite? Some of the plating on the clip and bands is worn.

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Nib is a Sheaffer "Feather Touch" and Sheaffer is also engraved on the plastic of the holder. The barrel unscrews in the middle to reveal some sort of piston fill mechanisim. I don't remember notcing before, but as I type this I'm seeing a short crack in the barrel

Not shown: Recently my dad came across a very similar Sheaffer pen that's also brown plastic and fits the stand, the primary differences being that it's newer with a different nib. and takes cartrages (it also came with about 6 boxes of vintage Skrip ink cartrages in Washable Blue). However I tried to use it and the feed is apparenly clogged with old ink. I'd tried flushing it with running water and I've been soaking the nib end for several hours in rubbing alchohol until no more ink leeched out; right now I've got the barrel filled with water *and* the nib sitting, point down, in rubbing alchohol which is getting some more out. I'm affraid the feed might have to be taken out to be cleaned and I can't budge anything with just my hands. (If this can be done safely with standard household tools, I'd be interested to know how). The gold plating on the nib is also about 75% worn away.

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This is the best condition of the lot - looking at pictures, I think it's a Parker 45. It came with an empty Parker ink cartrage; with a little extra pressure I was able to get a similar Levenger cartrage in and it actualy writes! The nib is maybe a little scratchy and sometimes stutters on an upstroke, the plastic could stand some gentle polishing.

Not shown: The box also contained a slim Parker ballpoint, in brushed steel/chrome with a click-retract point. No ink remains in it. I took a picture but I'm out of space for this post, will post it if anyone asks.

Before getting underway-- get the rubbing alcohol away from the pens! They may dissolve! Water only, with tiny bits of ammonia if absolutely necessary.

If you send these out to be seen to, the total cost for the lot will probably run up a bit... but still less than the cost of a modern mid-range pen and in the case of several of them a great deal less than the cost of a modern pen of similar writing characteristics. Individually, you're looking as something between $15-30 each on the average, unless you take the DIY bit in your teeth:

1) Colour aside, those are brilliant pens to write with (although sometimes if it's the "christmas tree" feed they can be a little weepy). Because the colour's gone funny, you won't be pestered by collectors seeking to give you VAST SUMS of cash for it, and will be able to enjoy it in peace. Likely needs a new sac which is simple, if a new button and even the spring-bar under the button are needed it's STILL easy and inexpensive.

2) Scratches in cap affect writing not one bit. If you like it, and that colour is quite handsome, it's likely just the few gestures of putting in a new sac. Cheap, easy, and in all likelihood another brilliant writer.

3) New sac again. I'm trying to remember the reputation of Gold Bond pens, but whether or no it's a brilliant writer it's darn pretty.

4) If it's a vacuum-filler, it's got a slim rod on the filler. If it's a touchdown, it's going to be a broad tube. The former is non-trivial to get working properly, so you might want to back-burner it. A TD is pretty easy to set right, although the crack is a small complication (emphasis on small, as long as one has the right sort of welding-solvent). The Feathertouch points are pretty good fun, too.

5) Drive some water through it, possibly unscrew the point and soak it in water, and you're good. Modern Parker cartridges definitely work and I think the modern converters do as well.

Hi,

Ok, rubbing alchohol removed. It doesn't seem to have hurt anything through.

Some additional details in reply to the post above, and from someone who contacted me backchannel:

The Duofold/Lucky Curve is 5" 7/16, capped. The spring-bar is still present.

The marking on the nib of the Waterman reads "Waterman Ideal 14KT". To be more clear about the scratches...they arent actualy on the cap, they're on the barrel, but it's the part of the barrel that goes under the cap. Some of them are more like gouges, but the deepest don't extend past the cap threads to the colored part of the barrel.

The pen from the desk set, it's a broad metal tube about the width of the pen, not a slim rod.

The Parker 45 seems a pretty definate keeper for myself.

Wow! What awesome finds! They're all worth fixing up. Especially since you found them at your folks. The 45 is a really nice pen. It's great that it takes cartridges too.

You know, the ones you don't want to restore, you can sell (here and elsewhere) as "as-is" pens and have other folks worry about restoring them. Just a suggestion...

Nice pens, BTW!

Erick

I think that they're all worth repairing, and since they're family pens, should be repaired. The cap band on the Parker can be swaged, so that's not an issue. The Gold Bond is especially attractive. You may be able to flush the 45 yourself, saving on the cost of having someone clean it. But then again, you may want to have it polished when the others are being repaired.

From your description, it appears that the Sheaffer is a Touch Down model. Not that it would be an issue if it were a vacuum filler since they can be repaired, but being a TD it's a bit cheaper. A little Simicrome or Flitz on the plate will clean up the brass.

Nice pens Ellie !! You can take care of the Parker 45 yourself. If I were you, I would bring them all back to life. After the 45, you could start with the one that appeals to you most. May be the blue Waterman. The desk pen is for using it at your desk.

Ruud

Thanks for all the responses so far!

Would anyone happen to have a more concrete ID for the Waterman and Sheaffer pens?

(Edit: Could the Waterman be a "Canada" model? Someone suggested a Waterman Thoroughbred; searching on pics, that doesn't seem quite right, the clip is quite different. I did come across this picture however, it looks nearly the same except for the cap band being a double. If they were actualy sold in Canada that would also make sense as my grandfather has relitives up there.)

The sloooooow de-cloging of the cartridge fill Sheaffer continues, just water now. What helps a bit is taking an ink cartrage that has been opened on both ends and flushed empty. With a little suction I can draw water in and out of the nib (something that if I had it, I might have tried using my missing Levenger converter for).

It seems like I might focus on the first three initialy, since the 45 is about a no brainer and while the sheaffer would be nice to have working in a practical way it's not the most attractive of the lot.

For the Sheaffer cartridge pen, I'm going to repeat a picture I keep putting up here:



You can get it at your local drug store for rather less than $5 and it's the best way to cram fluids through a section. Also, pick up some household ammonia (also cheap, and you can use it for washing up around the house, too) and mix it about 1:10 with water to help dissolve ink residue.

A Canadian Waterman would say "Made in Canada" on it. Not helpful in determining what it is, I know, but it narrows the field.

I've found them to be EXCELLENT writers, along with the other products of the National Pen Co, Chicago.

Indeed, I have a (heavily discoloured and scratched-up one) that I write with on a regular basis, and find it to be one of my most pleasant writers. I'd say that these pens are vastly underrated in general. I like the "harmonics" of their nibs, almost without exception, and I have a number of them, unfortunately mostly ringtops, whcih are hard to carry around.

One thing to mind: the celluloid on these pens seems to have almost INVARIABLY shrunk around the section to form a very tight fit and makes them VERY difficult to open up. It's still fairly tough in that it can take some pressure, but there's some work involved in opening them up.

The levers often have a bit of a catch to make them stay within the pen. If it doesn't catch, a TINY bit of GENTLE prying seems to fix it, in my experience.

Lovely, lovely pens!

The Gold Bond interests me. Indeed, I might wish to discuss a photo shoot for it. SIze contributes to value on this one. How long is it, closed?

The point of interest is that i've seen many GB's with this general look but with "notches" at top and bottom without rings. Many seem to feel the notched look was intended. I've wondered if most of these just lost the metal rings. It'd be nice to do a side-by-side betweent his pen and couple that lack rings to see if yours is otherwise same or if the shape at top and bottom is differnet beyond just presence of rings.

regards

david

Wow what a neat find! Instant Pen Collection! As others have mentioned all of these pens are worth restoring. The original purchasers had good taste in pens.

I have a blue pen like yours that's presumed to be a Waterman Dauntless:



It's a great writer, though it is a modest pen. If you don't like it, others will.

Could the nib on the Gold Bond be a Select-O- Point?

I happen to have this nib with S missing & have been trying to find more about them without much luck .. most googles bring me back to my own questions on this forum

4 5/8 inches capped, give or take a 16th. Feel free to drop me a note back channel but it will be a while before I could do anything like you suggest (see below).



Text on the nib simply says "Gold Bond 14k Guaranteed For Life". I wouldn't know anything else enough it.

Deirdre, you may have nailed the Waterman on the head. In case anyone asks the measurements on it, it's 4 1/2" capped.

I got paid this past week, so I'll be sending some of these out for repair finaly. As such they'll be out of my hands for a while.