i don't know what came over me, but when i saw this NOS, broad-nibbed 45 flighter with a domed cap on ebay, i just had to get it (for $25 buy-it-now, it didn't seem too bad a risk). i've always liked 45s, despite their lowly status, and this one just looked... special--and the broad nib seemed uncommon. a bit of a "comedown" from the pelikan M1000 and M650 i just splurged on, but hey, a good pen's a good pen .... can't wait to actually write with this.



here's the sale:

http://cm.ebay.com/cm/ck/1065-29392-2357-0...em=280249401798

I think 45s are still highly underated. Our local Rymans (here in the UK) still has these for sale. £17.99, I think (but no broad nibs!). So your $25 was a pretty good deal. I like that cap too......

One of the best things about 45s is that when you buy them second hand and "broken", they dismantle into eleven or twelve pieces as easily as can be for a good soak and scrub - then they're good as new!

that's right--the only downside i've noticed has been a tendency in some plastic 45 barrels to bend to one side like a gnome's hat, but otherwise these things just live on and on

Yes the plastic is a bit soft. My old pen has been worn away, or squashed in, where the locking fingers in the cap grip the section. Apparently this does not apply to all. The plastic-jeweled ones seem to me lighter and perhaps harder .

My other gripes are the gold plating being too thin (applies to all Parker pens IME) and the fact that I cannot get at the collector fins. This makes me a bit wary of putting in inks that leave deposits in their bottles.

You know it can be dismantled one step further than just the nib? If you have some fine tweezers you can unscrew the collector cover from the cartridge piercer.

Errr.... no! I don't quite understand what you mean, but boy am I going to investigate when I get home today. Thanks for correcting me!

Nice pen! I have a 45 too, but I'm not too sure what the model type is.

It's a bit more than I described. I usually do this using a very tight-fitting converter I happen to have, but the best way I can think of to do it without such a handy tool is fine tweezers, with perhaps some electrical tape around the ends for a delicate grip.

If you gently grip the piercing nubbin, you can unscrew from it (normal left-to-loosen thread). Best to soak it first, in case of dried ink, preferably in some ammonia solution. Oh, and a tiny bit of heat - just a few degrees perhaps (not more than 30C) - can't go amiss.