My First 51's

[gordonhooker]

I have purchased a dove grey 51 from the classifieds here from a guy in Europe and waiting for it to arrive, but I also purchased 2 51's a burgundy and a black one off ebay here in Australia and they arrived today, both are in good condition and I got the both of them for A$65 which is about US$48. I flushed the burgundy one and filled it with Waterman absolute brown and a nice pen to use. It is smooth it feels really nice in the hand, no wonder they are still so popular. This pen is up there with my Pelikan M600 and my Lamy 2000 as far as I am concerned.

[Graphemer]

I've recently developed an interest in the "51" too (well, hooded nibbed pens more generally). It's great to hear that the pen lives up to its reputation and that you managed to find them for such a reasonable price! As a recent transplant to Australia, I'm still trying to get used to the prices of pens and the like, but a 51 (aerometric or vac?) for $48 USD sounds like an absolute steal. Any pictures, yet, or are you to busy writing?!

[inkstainedruth]

Nice deals. So, what nibs seem to be on these -- or can't you tell yet?

I know some people don't like the look of hooded nibs, but for me they are very streamlined and classy. Sort of timeless -- some pens, like Lamy Safaris, are very contemporary looking; other pens come across sort of old fashioned and out-dated (and maybe even a bit "stuffy"). 51s straddle that -- but they're also superb writers, especially the Aerometrics (my two 51 Vacs are more finicky, and the Cedar Blue in particular seems to not be working the way it should, even though I had it repaired last fall.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[gordonhooker]

Thanks they are both aero-metrics and I will get pics after I finish writing with them. Nice clean looks better in the hand than my 17 and 45. ☺

 

They both write fairly fine compared to my 17 and 45 so I am assuming they are both fine or mf.

Edited August 13, 2015 by GordonOZ

[Graphemer]

That's an interesting obeservation about the difference between the vacumatics and the aerometrics, Ruth. I'll bear it in mind while I look for one of my own. Does anyone else have a similar experience? Might there be a reason why the vacs are finickier?

[inkstainedruth]

That's an interesting obeservation about the difference between the vacumatics and the aerometrics, Ruth. I'll bear it in mind while I look for one of my own. Does anyone else have a similar experience? Might there be a reason why the vacs are finickier?

I think -- from what I've read -- that it's a feature of the change in fill systems. I have now had the Cedar Blue repaired, but not yet inked up. So I'm hoping that it will be better (I SOOO wanted to like the pen....).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[gweimer1]

For a guy who once claimed he wasn't really collecting Parker pens, I have a small case of them - 5 Parker 51's (three aerometric, two vacumatic), and two of the aerometrics are among my best writing pens. My blue one is the best of all I have.

[mitto]

For a guy who once claimed he wasn't really collecting Parker pens, I have a small case of them - 5 Parker 51's (three aerometric, two vacumatic), and two of the aerometrics are among my best writing pens. My blue one is the best of all I have.

All my 51s (eleven) are aerometrics. And all are good to best writers. To the best of my knowlegde there is no restorer for the vac 51s here in Pakistan and that is the reason 51 vacs have no demand in the local markets. I, however , have two vacumatics from the 40s and both need restoration and , hence , out of use.

[gordonhooker]

I managed to buy a couple of pens and pencils off the same person a few months ago and I asked here what they could be and was told that one was most likely a P17 and the other a duofold junior, yes one is a duofold junior and now I am not so sure about the P17. On closer examination of both size and the pen it self I believe it might be a P51 MKIII as it is only slightly shorter and narrower than my P51 Vacuumatic and it has a P51 sac guard inside of it. How would I know for sure please people?

[pajaro]

I don't know about the Vacumatics, but I have resacked 51 Vacumatics. I used a rubber gripper to unscrew the filler, holding the threads. It was fairly hard, but the fillers came out. In one case I replaced the sac, and in two other cases I bought one of those brass fillers sold here and on ebay. I bought them with the sacs installed. Then I screwed them in. No sealant is needed or wanted. Don't seal it with shellac or anything else. No leaks at the filler. The brass fillers work nicely. I was afraid of this repair, but now I think it is fairly straightforward. The five or six 51 Vacs I have all work nicely, one is medium (I bought an NOS medium 14K nib for it) and the others are fine or extra fine. The fillers work smoothly and the pens write nicely. All my 51s, aero or vac, start right away no matter how long they have been inked or idle. That is what I think makes the 51 a top-notch pen. Gee I don't know now why I ever bothered buying any other pens.

[Erik Dalton]

GordonOZ, Sounds like you have a P 51 demi. They are slightly smaller and thinner than a full size P 51, but really nice writers. You should put up a photo so we can see.

I've been on a P 51 kick lately. Decided that i would rebuild a few. Im so glad i did. What a special pen. Its mind boggling and a privilege to be working on a 70 year old pen that is so beloved, that it still has parts being made for it.

They write well, and feel good in your hand, but i dare not carry one around everyday.

[gordonhooker]

I am not that much of a photographer but will see what I can do tomorrow

[gordonhooker]

Some pics the grey is the 51 vac and maroon is one I think is a 51 MKIII:

 

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/gordonhooker/IMG_6088_zpseseavmfm.jpg

 

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/gordonhooker/IMG_6089_zps7pgqstpl.jpg

 

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa33/gordonhooker/IMG_6091_zps7ylg3wod.jpg

[NinthSphere]

edit the second: Parkerpens.net has this to say on the matter:

 

 

DeLuxe "17" is identical to the Parker "51" MKIII, save the imprint.

 

17s appear to have a different clutch ring than the mkIII 51s as far as I've seen though. Together with the sac guard, I'd call what you've got a mkIII.

Edited August 27, 2015 by NinthSphere

[Erik Dalton]

Yea, you've got a vacumatic and a mk lll. I have the identical same two pens. Same colors, caps and all. Love them both. They should give you a lot of writing pleasure.

[gordonhooker]

Thanks heaps I appreciate the help.

[claudewick]

I have an odd relationship with the P51's. For years I disdain of it, i thought they were ugly. Then a few months ago a friend asked me to "restore" his fathers P51. Well, I'm not a restorer, it's just a hobby, and I learned a few technics by myself mostly because professional restorers are rare here in Brazil.

 

Being a close friend I wasn't confortable to say no, however I was afraid of damaging his pen. So I ordered a P51 at ebay to get acquainted to the pen, dismantled and "restored" the pen. Only when I finished this I felt confident to work on my friend's pen.

 

But that singular event became an obssession. Since then I bought:

 

- Black vacumatic;

- Cocoa Aero;

- Orange (fantasy) Aero;

- Midnight Blue Aero (not received yet)

- Black Aero (not received yet)

- Burgundy Aero (not received yet)

- Flighter (expected to arrive today)

 

Now I'm dreaming with a plum...

 

The Cocoa is among my top 3 writers (the other 2 are Montblancs) and I'm loving this pen more and more every day. All of this because a friend asked me to repair his parent's pen...

 

 

Here's some pics of his pen when I finished working on it:

 

I replaced the ink sac, replaced the nib (the original had no more tipping), regrinded the hood point to the original shape, because it was broken, polished and restored the painting on the name engraving, that was chipped.http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/2015-08-23%2011.17.22.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/2015-08-23%2011.32.31.jpghttp://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/2015-08-23%2011.34.09.jpghttp://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/2015-08-23%2011.37.26.jpghttp://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/2015-08-23%2016.43.06.jpghttp://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/IMG-20150823-WA0036.jpghttp://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y262/claudewick/IMG-20150823-WA0038.jpg

[Erik Dalton]

Wow, what a nice job you did on that pen. Great photos.

You're not the only one bitten by the bug. I've gone on a similar 51 acquisition spree. I think I have 11 now. I've completed the mechanical rebuild on a couple. Now for the polishing and getting the caps to fit snugly. That's the part that is most challenging for me. Going to take my time. I hope my rebuilds come out as good as yours.

 

I know this sounds like treason, but I also came across three P 21's. I paid around $23. For each and thought I got a great deal. They are such great writers. Better than even the P 51. But the plastic in the body and hood is so poor that these sweet writers can quickly become useless due to cracks and leaks. So sad to see this. I handle mine with kid gloves, but out of three, I have only one fully functional pen that I treat with extreme care. These issues just don't come up with the Parker 51. Its amazing to me that a 70 year old P 51 is more durable and trouble free than a P 21 of any age. Guess that's why it's so easy to get hooked on these. Not only do they look great, but they are nearly indestructible.

Thanks again for the photos. Show us more when you do future rebuilds.

[gordonhooker]

very nice thanks for sharing.

[pajaro]

That's an exquisite total restoration. Very nice work on the name.