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Parker 75 Cisele- Patina Or No Patina?


farmersmums

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I love the design of the Parker 75 Cisele and have purchased half a dozen or more since discovering the model earlier this year. Recently just picked up another one, an early version with the flat tassies, and it has a great patina on the sterling silver finish. Just for kicks, I thought I'd take some comparison photos next to another 75 that's been completely cleaned up and see what the folks browsing the Parker forum prefer. I have since cleaned up the nib and gold trim on the "grubby" 75 (and stubbed the nib!) but left the silver finish alone. What do you think- which one looks better?

 

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Clean.

 

Please show one of your wonderful handwriting samples With your ground stub nib.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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Personal preference is clean, but I wouldn't castigate someone for the contrary-- the clip really pops against all that oxidation.

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I have a Parker 75 Cicele I got back in the '60s. It's what's called a 2nd generation 75. Because it's silver I've always kept it polished and any time any thing of mine that is silver gets tarnished I polish it. So, I guess I prefer the shiny one.

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I like both "versions", depends on mood. Sometimes I let darken my Ciselés, sometimes I like them shiny and clean them up...

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I prefer the darker look of the patina. It looks very nice!

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I prefer them clean, but providing to keep the black patina inside the lines. So I use only a jeweller's cloth to clean my sterling silver 75s.

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I prefer them clean, but providing to keep the black patina inside the lines. So I use only a jeweller's cloth to clean my sterling silver 75s.

 

That's EXACTLY what I MEANT to say.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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I would prefer a mid point, with a bit of tarnish on the silver, but not totally blackened. A little light work with the jeweler's cloth, but not too much.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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I would prefer a mid point, with a bit of tarnish on the silver, but not totally blackened. A little light work with the jeweler's cloth, but not too much.

 

Pajaro got in before me! Clean, or slightly darkened to enhance the pattern - both look great, but for me, not tarnished to the extent of the uncleaned pen shown.

 

Glenn.

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I like both "versions", depends on mood. Sometimes I let darken my Ciselés, sometimes I like them shiny and clean them up...

This is me - at times I would prefer bright, others not so much. Keep one each way.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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I would prefer a mid point, with a bit of tarnish on the silver, but not totally blackened. A little light work with the jeweler's cloth, but not too much.

 

+1 What Paul said :) . Sunshine cloth only.

"Not a Hooker Hooker, but rather a left-handed overwriter."

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i can prefer the cleaned one as it looks much better provided the black lacquer in between the cisele design do not disappear

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You know, I polished mine when I got it, but have only touched up the nib, clip and tassies since. With other silver pens, I have left the patina on. Before I used the 75, I never thought I would like a pen that small. But somehow, the weight and balance make it almost perfect for me.

 

Dave

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Clean. That black isn't patina, it's tarnish. Patina is the soft glow that comes from handling and use and consists partly of very fine scratches. It's invisible under a layer of tarnish. Tarnish/oxidation in the grooves does give a vintage look and a sense of depth, and I don't mind seeing that. Leaving tarnish on long-term will damage the silver though. My personal preference is for the warmth of the patina, which I think makes the silver come alive and is quite beautiful, but the surface must be polished to see it. The jeweler's cloth mentioned by several above is a good suggestion.

 

They are lovely pens! (have one on my wish list).

Edited by Ceilidh
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+1.

 

as far as i'm concerned, silver should be cleaned, though not overcleaned (in the case of the 75, you'll overdo it if you remove the black grid lines).

 

here's a waterman 412 1/2 that i picked up from a flea market in NYC:

 

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here it is after restoration and some polishing:

 

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some of the darker shadows remain to give the pen its character, but it doesn't look like it had been neglected for 80 years (which seems to be what happened).

 

i'm a fan of the 75 myself and keep a few in the collection. here's a treat--one day, a friend brought me her late father-in-law's 75 for a check-up. it looked positively grimy:

 

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i cleaned it up a bit with jeweler's cloth, and discovered two bonuses: a BB italic nib, and rare metal threads:

 

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a nice pen should be clean! ;)

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Clean.

 

Please show one of your wonderful handwriting samples With your ground stub nib.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

Here ya go Bruce!

 

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Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while...
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I prefer the shinny look myself. When silver pens get tarnished they sometimes leave black on your hands when you use them, and the tarnish becomes uneven. So I tend to polish mine up every so often.

PAKMAN

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The OP's shiny one is an earlier (US-made?) version where the grid is formed from tarnish and therefore can be polished out if you use something like a toothbrush. The look (if you polish lightly) is a little more 'organic' and soft-looking. I'm not sure from the photos but possibly the tarnished one is a later (French-made?) pen where the grid is 'U' rather than 'V' shaped and filled with a black lacquer (or paint?), so polishing will not reduce the crispness of the black lines. Maybe the OP can confirm?

 

Edited to say, having looked again, they both look like earlier models (my eyes are failing me and it's difficult to tell!). I've modified my text accordingly...

Edited by soapytwist

"Truth can never be told, so as to be understood, and not be believ'd." (Wiiliam Blake)

 

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