Was This A Good Deal?

[Venemo]

I was just doing some random browsing on a local auction site when I found this. The box says "5th avenue" and I guess that it isn't the original box of the pen, but then, looking at the not-so-well-made photos, it seems that it's a Parker 51 for the local equivalent of 8 USD. Obviously, the seller has no idea what she is selling.

 

Now I haven't seen a Parker 51 below 100 USD, so I was too excited to pass on the opportunity. Of course it may or may not be working, but still... an 51 for such a low price... what do you think?

Edited January 3, 2015 by Venemo

[Matlock]

You have nothing to lose at that price.

[jdllizard]

Sure looks like a Parker 51 Aerometric to me.

 

Good luck, let us know how it works out when it arrives.

[william2001]

Even if the pen does not work properly, you pretty much didn't lose anything.

-William S. Park

 

EDIT: Oops.

Edited January 4, 2015 by william2001

[Venemo]

I'm getting it today. Will post some pictures and let you know how it went. According to the seller, it is "at least 30 years old" (it is probably more; and even then that'd make it relatively new) but she doesn't "take responsibility for its workability".

 

I bet that unless the pen had been deliberately damaged, it shouldn't take more than a thorough cleaning to get it up and running.

[OcalaFlGuy]

It also looks like an Aero 51 to me, though a well used one.

 

If pics #2 and #5 are correct it also looks like a Bloody Brit Burgundy one, a UK only color somewhat harder to find in the US.

 

And for $8.40 US? That's a deal right there.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Venemo]

It also looks like an Aero 51 to me, though a well used one.

 

If pics #2 and #5 are correct it also looks like a Bloody Brit Burgundy one, a UK only color somewhat harder to find in the US.

 

And for $8.40 US? That's a deal right there.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Bruce, I didn't find it in the US, it was on a local auction site (I live in Budapest, Hungary). It's a deep dark red color, the photos don't do it justice (as it appears as plain black on the pictures).

[Venemo]

So here's the thing. It wasn't completely a waste of money, but it does need some attention. The exterior is flawless.

Unfortunately it appears as black on this photo as well, but it's a deep dark red.

 

 

However, after attempting to take it apart, this is what I got:

 

 

Seems that the breather tube has punctured the sack, and not only this, but the sack also seems kind of twised somewhat.

 

As a quick remedy I attempted to fix it with duct tape (any engineer can fix anything with duct tape), but as it turns out, I'm not yet enough of an engieer to make that work. I'll need a sac replacement and to somehow put the breather tube back into its place (other than it having come out, it doesn't seem corroded or otherwise too damaged).

 

I also attempted to remove the hood (before the attempt, I applied some heat by putting it into boiling water as one of the web sites suggested), but without any success. When I tried really hard, it started emitting some crackling sound, so I quickly gave up before destroying it entirely. The hot water also helped clean it out quite well, but of course it won't take any ink because of the punctured sack.

 

If anyone can give me some pointers on how to fix it, I'd be more than happy!

[Venemo]

By the way, is this what they call an oblique nib?

 

[Cryptos]

Cool, that looks like a right-foot oblique. That's got to be a rare thing in a 51, and the first one I've seen posted. Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can shed more light on it.

 

And $8.40? Man, that's a steal. You would make more just selling the parts!

[Venemo]

Cool, that looks like a right-foot oblique. That's got to be a rare thing in a 51, and the first one I've seen posted. Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can shed more light on it.

 

And $8.40? Man, that's a steal. You would make more just selling the parts!

 

Maybe we're simply overthinking it and the nib is simply just worn out (although I can hardly imagine the kind of disuse which would lead to such wear). It could also be the case that the previous owner had it custom ground. Not sure, though.

 

Would be even nicer if I could get it to work. Doing the re-sac seems trivial, but I've never done it before and haven't a clue how to put the breather tube back into its place.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Venemo

[Cryptos]

I don't think I have ever seen a nib worn by use to the degree that is shown in your picture (not that I am an expert or anything) and that leads me to thinking it is deliberately oblique - either factory or custom ground.

 

There are plenty of expert restorers of 51s here. One of them will be along soon. Patience!

[Venemo]

I don't think I have ever seen a nib worn by use to the degree that is shown in your picture (not that I am an expert or anything) and that leads me to thinking it is deliberately oblique - either factory or custom ground.

 

There are plenty of expert restorers of 51s here. One of them will be along soon. Patience!

 

I know, I know, patience is a virtue!

 

Here's where I'm now:

I pulled the breather tube out of the sac and managed to remove the sack by applying some gentle heat. It seems that the part to which the sac was connected is slightly deformed, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't caused by the heat I applied. After that, I tried to put the breather tube back into its place, and managed to pluck out the feed with it at the other end. It seems that the feed can be plucked back with little effort and fortunately there seems to be no trace of any part of the breather tube broken into the feed. However the small hole on the feed feels very small (the tube hardly fits) and I'm not sure which end of the tube should go into the feed. Other good news: after my initial treatment with hot water, there is now virtually no old ink left in the collector.

 

So my current questions are:

• How do I screw off the hood? (Do I even need to screw it off now that I think it's clean?)
• Which end of the breather tube goes into the feed? (One end has a very small hole on the side)
• I think the breather tube is in a good condition, but should I cut off ~0.5mm from each end so as to get rid of the corroded parts (and maybe to prevent it from puncturing the new sac)?

About the origins of the pen: the barrel has a hardly visible caption (which you can only see if you directly point a light at it) which says "MADE IN ENGLAND 0". According to some sources, this would date the pen at 1950. Is that correct?

[Cryptos]

I'll have to leave those questions for the experts. You may want to try dropping a private message to FarmBoy or OcalaFLGuy in the meantime.

[Venemo]

I'll have to leave those questions for the experts. You may want to try dropping a private message to FarmBoy or OcalaFLGuy in the meantime.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

And yes, I know, patience is a virtue.

[KBeezie]

So my current questions are:

How do I screw off the hood? (Do I even need to screw it off now that I think it's clean?)

Usually you can just unscrew it, but may require some soaking to loosen it. Worst case scenario is applying heat to loosen it (assuming it hasn't been shellac'd on)

 

Which end of the breather tube goes into the feed? (One end has a very small hole on the side)

The end that fits. But if you think the breather tube has been damaged or shrunk or something like that, you can replace it with a teflon based tube (usually sold by the foot at places like fountainpensacs.com for like $1.50 a foot or less), they usually require a little tapering to fit into the hole, so you taper the tube, you never try to make the hole in the feed larger.

 

I think the breather tube is in a good condition, but should I cut off ~0.5mm from each end so as to get rid of the corroded parts (and maybe to prevent it from puncturing the new sac)?

It's likely the tube is the correct length and that it's the sac that shrunk/warped. Usually best to keep it original length. If it's been corroded (metal tube?) you can usually sand that off, but I would just opt to replace it, since you're going to have to replace the sac anyways.

Edited January 5, 2015 by KBeezie

[SockAddict]

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

And yes, I know, patience is a virtue.

 

Yeah, it's not one of my virtues, either!

[Venemo]

Usually you can just unscrew it, but may require some soaking to loosen it. Worst case scenario is applying heat to loosen it (assuming it hasn't been shellac'd on)

 

I'm still trying, just don't want to ruin it. Maybe the pen will be fine without me taking off the hood after all.

 

 

The end that fits. But if you think the breather tube has been damaged or shrunk or something like that, you can replace it with a teflon based tube (usually sold by the foot at places like fountainpensacs.com for like $1.50 a foot or less), they usually require a little tapering to fit into the hole, so you taper the tube, you never try to make the hole in the feed larger.

 

According to this web site, there is a small hole in the tube and it does matter which end it's on.

 

 

It's likely the tube is the correct length and that it's the sac that shrunk/warped. Usually best to keep it original length. If it's been corroded (metal tube?) you can usually sand that off, but I would just opt to replace it, since you're going to have to replace the sac anyways.

 

Yes, just sanding the corrosion off is a good idea.

The thing is, I'm unaware of a shop that sells this sort of thing in Europe and having it shipped overseas would cost more than the item is worth. So I'm stuck with two options: either use the original tube (and maybe make some adjustments to it), or use the tube from a broken Hero pen (which is a few millimeters shorter).

[BT-7274]

You can get a replacement breather tube in stainless steel from the usual repair/restoration suspects for your 51, along with a replacement pli-glass sac. The stainless tubes should already have the small hole in the side drilled out, so it should simply work after you work the tube into the feed. End with the small hole on the side goes on top. Your original tube sounds like it's still useable, just polish it off and give it a whirl. Silver will tarnish, yes, but it won't corrode from simple water exposure, which is what ink is mostly.

 

I doubt you need to remove the hood though; first replace the sac and optionally, the tube. However, this part concerns me:

 

It seems that the part to which the sac was connected is slightly deformed, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't caused by the heat I applied.

 

Could you show us a picture of the sac nipple/connector? It sounds like a softened connector, which might need replacing.

Edited January 5, 2015 by White Expressions

[Venemo]

Thanks for your help!

 

You can get a replacement breather tube in stainless steel from the usual repair/restoration suspects for your 51, along with a replacement pli-glass sac. The stainless tubes should already have the small hole in the side drilled out, so it should simply work after you work the tube into the feed.

 

If I lived in the USA, I probably wouldn't concern myself and just replace the tube as well, but I'm unaware of any European dealers of these things (if you know one, please share) and shipping overseas is always a hassle. This is why I'll make do with what's available.

 

 

End with the small hole on the side goes on top.

 

Thanks! I think I get it now. So the small hole needs to be at the opposite end, not where the feed is, right?

 

 

Could you show us a picture of the sac nipple/connector? It sounds like a softened connector, which might need replacing.

 

Sure!

This is how it looks from the side:

(EDIT: Woohooo! The first picture I managed to take where you can actually see the color!!!)

 

And from an angle:

 

What I meant by 'deformed' is that the connector looks slightly oval (instead of circular), but it doesn't look like a serious problem.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Venemo