Presto History

[Gedion]

I found this large flat top Presto Fountain pen on the Bay (6 inches capped and almost 7 inches posted)

I can't find much on the history of the company though I found a reference to them making an

unreliable product. As I opened the pen for repair, I discovered that the pen has a metal (?brass or copper)

sleeve inside the section end of the barrel extending about 1 1/2 inches into the barrel and what appears to be gold filled

and riveted clip that is labeled gold filled. This appears to be a well designed and elegantly manufactured instrument.

 

Anyone know a bit about this pen or company?

 

Thanks

[jakson]

It is a lever fill pen, Presto oversize fountain pen that was made in the USA in the 1920s. This pen is made of green bakelite. It is not catalin style bakelite, it is more of the type used in insulators. .

[Inkdancer47]

As I was getting into fountain pens this year I mentioned my new interest to my older friend and he said that he had an old pen he'd inherited from his father.  He said that it was from the 1920s and he wanted it to go to someone who'd care for it and use it.  

 

The pen turned out to be a Presto Lever-filler.  The nib looks almost exactly like yours @Gedion but with a slightly different nib.  

 

I got a restoration from Pentique Pens (Goodyear, Arizona) and it turned out beautifully.  

 

My only concern is that I'm not sure what ink to fill it with.  I am afraid that since it is a lever filler with a vacuum sac in it that I will have to marry the ink to the pen.  Once I put the ink in, the sac will be stained permanently and I really don't want that to happen.  

 

Do y'all have any recommendations on inks that work well with a lever filler of that vintage that will be able to wash out completely (or at least leave minimal residue).  I wish to be able to change up the ink color every once in a while.

 

Here are some images:

[Greenie]

I can't speak to the history of  Presto, but these are the same materials and similar construction to Hudson pens of the era.  Hudson Bakelite Oversized Pens - USA - North America - The Fountain Pen Network

 

[corgicoupe]

Waterman or Pelikan are good choices from what I read from the people who restore pens.

[Paul-in-SF]

I have a similar large Presto in a dark burgundy. It had a so-so nib in it, so I swapped in a lovely #6 Wahl-Eversharp flexible nib, the only usefully salvaged part from a pen I ruined. The nib is a little slimmer than the old one, but it's longer, and still seems a very fitting size; it writes very well. 

 

To Greenie's point, I had read that thread and concluded that Presto were made by Hudson, so I wrote that in by hand on its little tag.