Parker 51

[Badger]

Hello All,

Could anyone tell me why the 51 is so special. is it lightweight or heavy? There is a picture of a magnificent silver 51 on this site. I'm not so keen on the hooded nib, but I could be persuaded if it's a great writer.

Love

Badge

[david i]

Hi.

 

Do take a post at the Parker 51 eyecandy i plopped just above your note :-)

 

The 51 represented markedly new levels of engineering sophistication.

 

The 51 did not introduce the world to a a metal cap on a plastic pens (the more deco Wahl Coronet, the threaded-cap Sheaffer Crest and Parker's 51 preceded the 51's USA intro), but did make the look di riguer for most of the world. Yeah, the 51 looks lots like most of the pens out there today, because most of the pens today borrowed the look from the 51 ;-)

 

Many many variants are out there, factoring in shape, filling style, color, cap style, size, etc. One can spend a lifetime hunting these.

 

A working 51 can be had for <$50, whilst some cost several thousand.

 

All the right things to stimulate collecting appetites.

 

best

 

david

www.removed.xyz

[Badger]

Thanks Dave

Great picture.

[Oxonian]

Hi Badger,

 

Having seen David's selection (and what a selection it is ,51 afficionados will still be drooling quietly in the corner) you have probably got the 'looks' part of why do people like them out of the way and can understand it, they do look good.

 

The best thing about them is that even a run of the mill Black lucite and brushed cap 51 will write as well as any of David's gems if it is set up well.

 

There is however a serious problem with the 51. It was made in the days before health and safety warnings were thought of, or it would have to carry a warning that to people of a certain disposition it may be highly addictive and may cause serious damage to your bank balance, your peace of mind and that of your spouse/partner/significant other as well as that of your bank manager.

 

If you are fortunate and do not have that particular disposition you can enjoy a great pen at very modest cost with absolutely no danger, if properly looked after they rarely leak, the caps don't slip off in your your pocket, if the clutch is in good condition and the clip grips your pocket edge and won't slip off. Find one you like and even if you are drawn to many other pens the 51 will stay with you, you won't want to part with it, but be warned they do get lonely and you soon find that they multiply just ask Ruadhri and Jim and Griz and.............. :roflmho:

 

Me I'm fine, I've only got a few, less than ten anyway, well 12 but......

 

Cheers enjoy a 51 soon, John

[Oxonian]

Amendment to previous post.......

 

Please insert an 'i' in between the 'a' and the 'd' in Rua(i)dhri in the last line, in order to prevent the wrath the Irish from falling upon me, it was an honest oversight on my behalf, with a surname like mine English was enough of a problem without starting on the Gaelic.

 

Mea culpa, John

[philm]

It is so special because it is:

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/munsonhsr/dcp_3558_editeda.jpg

 

Seriously, it is a great pen to write with. Dependable, sturdy, and smooth.

[Nihontochicken]

Oxonian and Badger, as I mentioned on other threads, Parker 51s are "where it's at!!!" Forget Sheaffer Compacts and Parker Vacumatics. Those are only pretenders!!! Just keep thinking the correct fountain pen mantra, "Fifty one. Fifty one. Fifty one. Fifty one. Fifty one ..." :ltcapd:

[Badger]

Cheers All, thank you.

[JimStrutton]

Badger,

 

Do not despair, the eye candy that 'The Evil Dr I' posts is only there to drive folks like myself, DWL, Old Griz and the rest up the wall.

 

However I can tell you that the cheapest beat up "51" off fleabay, if it is clean and set up well, will write like a dream. The problem is that once you get a "51" you are then off on this endless Grail Quest to find the pen that write better. Trouble is it is like looking for a black cat, in a pitch dark room, that is painted black, only there is no cat

 

I have a "51" that I use daily that was made up from spare parts I found that I had after a few months of eBay trading, it writes just as well as my expensive "51" Vacs. I have used a "51" since '62, when my parents bought me a new one for getting a scholarship and I have still not found a pen to equal it

 

Jim

[Ruaidhri]

Badger,

 

Have a look at:

Richard Binder

 

And

Parker51.com

 

amongst others.

 

As Jim said there are plenty of very good user grade "51"s out there. Treat yourself.

 

Don't pay any attention to young Dr. I. He won't be showing those for much longer :ph34r:

[Roger]

I'm not so keen on the hooded nib, but I could be persuaded if it's a great writer.

Nor was I after the first acquisition, Badge. I looked at the 61s and thought, AH HA, that's why they put the guide arrow on the 61s...nobody could properly use the bloody hooded nibs without it. WRONG!

 

You'll find that you develop an insight for the correct orientation of nib to paper. If you put the nib to paper a little off the mark, you newly developed sense for the nib will, while the first stroke is being made, cause you to rotate the nib in the correct direction for just the correct amount and, bingo, you're at the sweet spot and writing away contentedly.

 

Worst case scenario... You acquire a "51" and just plain don't care for it after a proper trial. Keep it, anyway! It's a tribute to the world's most popular pen that all pen folk should manifest.

 

Worst case scenario (corrolary No. 1)... You love your "51"! Pity, because now you fall into line with all the pathetic ones like - hmm, better not go there.

[Badger]

I like your thinking Roger, I might just do that.

Love

Badge.

Edited September 2, 2006 by Badger

[Badger]

Thanks for the sites Ruaidhri, how do you pronounce that?

[Oxonian]

Hi Badger,

 

Ruaidhri is pronounced carefully...... I wouldn't dare even try to explain, Gaelic is a language too far for me.

 

On the subject of 51's

 

If you would like to try a 51 without buying one, as you are in the UK and if you don't mind paying to post it back to me I am quite happy to lend you as basic, medium nibbed 51 Aero little black number to try for a week or two. Send me a PM with your address if you want to try it, postage to you is on me.

 

This offer is restricted to Badger by the way, I only have the one lender pen.

 

Cheers John

[Ruaidhri]

Here's the usual explanation -

 

Ruaidhrí - the í is "i fada" (fada = long) in Gaelic

Pronounced Rooree

Anglicised as Rory

Rua rooah= Red, Rí Ree = king --> Red haired King.

Actually sparse blonde-ish and definitely not a king

 

You are not the first to ask - and probably won't be the last. Same on PT & L&P :blink:

[jackoguit]

Badger-

 

Here is my "51" story. My interest in fountain pens is less than a year old. But early on my work travels took me by an "Antique Mall". I asked the old fellow behind the check-out desk if he knew of any stalls selling fountain pens. He showed me a couple of outrageously high priced Wearevers. I said "No thanks. That seems a little steep." He asked If I had an hour and he invited me to his home to look at some of his pens. Turns out he's a retired attorney. He looked through drawers and came up with 4 pens: A green '48 aero "51" with a gold converging lines cap, a green '48 aero "51" with lustraloy cap, a cedar "51" Special with his name imprinted and a black Sheaffer Imperial III.

All were in nice shape, but not perfect- he used them every day until he retired in 1980. Then he flushed them with water and put them in that drawer. I tried to put on my best poker face and asked him how much he wanted for them. We settled on $20 each for the "51"s and $15 for the Sheaffer.

 

I have since sold the green lustraloy and rarely use the Sheaffer.

But I use the "51" and the Special all the time.

 

Here is the really great thing: I know their story. Every time I use them I think of Larry. That is one of the main attractions for me to fountain pen collecting- It is a personal tool which links me directly to the past. It connects me to my father and other guys with white shirts, skinny ties and hats. FP's connect me to vets who were putting together their lives after a war robbed them of their youth and innocence.

 

I won't say "51's are the only pens for me. Now I have a thing going with Parker Vacumatics that is scorching holes in my bank account.

 

But the "51" is an icon. To me it symbolizes post-war optimism.

 

And all you have to do is pick one up and you know it's cool.

 

Jack

[randyholhut]

I'm looking at a magazine ad for the "51" from February 1946.

 

World War II has barely ended, and demand for pens is at an all-time high.

 

Parker could have slapped together pens and sold them as fast as they sent them out the door.

 

Instead, the Parker ad shows a blueprint of the "51." It's marked with the legend: "No tolerance to exceed plus or minus 1/1000th of an inch." Under the headline: "WHY THE PARKER "51" PEN CAN NEVER BE 'MASS PRODUCED," this is what they tell their customers:

 

"Parker 51's are limited by their very precision. The craftsmen who make them work to standards of accuracy never before attained in fountain pens. Their pride in producing 51's equals the pride of those who own them."

 

And that's why these wonderful pens, 60 years later, still write circles around anything that's out there today. Even factoring in the puffery factor of 1940s advertising, these pens are engineering marvels. Because the people in Janesville and Toronto took such care in building these pens, we still get to enjoy them today.

[amh210]

I'm looking at a magazine ad for the "51" from February 1946.

 

 

Instead, the Parker ad shows a blueprint of the "51." It's marked with the legend: "No tolerance to exceed plus or minus 1/1000th of an inch." Under the headline: "WHY THE PARKER "51" PEN CAN NEVER BE 'MASS PRODUCED," ...

I wonder how they got so many of them out the factory door if they weren't "mass produced." For sure, they had lots of expert workers, but I would still call the "51" a mass-produced pen.

 

Maybe the term had a different valence when used in the ad?

 

After 60+ years, it may be the best mass-produced pen ever!

 

Andy

[RLTodd]

I'm looking at a magazine ad for the "51" from February 1946.

 

...

 

"WHY THE PARKER "51" PEN CAN NEVER BE 'MASS PRODUCED,"

 

...

Yes, old magazines advertisement are very entertaining. You can't say things like that these days if your selling to the mass market. If the FTC doesn't get you, a disgruntled consumer's lawyer will.

[Badger]

Thank you John for the very generous offer of trying out your Parker 51, however I'll have to decline as I'm very nervous about any harm coming to it and I'd be riddled with guilt for years to come and have to join a nunnery, but thank you anyway.

 

I have decided to take Rogers advice and put the 51 on my birthday wish list as even if I'm not keen on the style, or don't like the way it writes it is a little bit of history.

 

Love

 

Badge