What Would You Do?

[vPro]

Hello guys
I am currently in a position where I need your advice/suggestions.
I currently have a Parker 51 with a broken nib - I like the pen, though not as much as I used to. One of my grail pens is a Pelikan M400 which can be bought on eBay for €80-120.

I am deciding between two options:

 

1: Sending off my broken Parker 51 nib to goldnibs.com to transform the broken nib to a 1.3 mm stub. I really want a juicy, broad nib that offers some lovely line variation. This will cost around €60.
Or

2: Save up for a few more months and buy a used, vintage Pelikan M400 preferably in Brown Tortoise.

 

I wish I could have both, but that's not the case for now

#1 Pros

- I'll have a special and well-tuned nib - I've been wanting a broad/double broad stub for a quite some time.

 

#1 Cons

- The nib will be on a Parker 51 - a stub will be harder to angle correctly with the hooded nib, although one will get used to it eventually.

- I already dropped the 51 once (while it was capped) and the cap got pushed so far down the barrel, that it bent the nib. There's a chance of this occuring again.

 

#2 Pros

- I'll have a pen that I have been wanting for a really long time. I really love the design of the Pelikan M400.

#2 Cons

- I can't really afford it right now, unless I happen to find one that is very cheap

- It might be hard to find a pen with a nib that I will like.

 

I'd love to hear your suggestions (or even if you have any other ideas) I currently have around €70 to work with.

[NinthSphere]

#1, stop dropping your pen.

 

#2, I'd stub the 51. I've got a factory stub & a Minuskin & they're some of my favorite pens. They do take a tad more getting used to than an edged open nib, but if you're comfortable writing with a normal 51, it shouldn't take much to get acclimated. Getting the 51 done will give you something fun to play with while you save up & find the right Pelikan.

Edited December 1, 2015 by NinthSphere

[northstar]

Hello, you mean there no chance of dropping the pelikan?

Definitely parker 51.

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjS_AM0dU8

 

Best wishes.

[KaB]

#1, stop dropping your pen. +1

 

#2, I'd stub the 51. I've got a factory stub & a Minuskin & they're some of my favorite pens. They do take a tad more getting used to than an edged open nib, but if you're comfortable writing with a normal 51, it shouldn't take much to get acclimated. Getting the 51 done will give you something fun to play with while you save up & find the right Pelikan.+1

[zaddick]

Stub the 51. I have one with a custom 1.4 stub and it is the only reason I still have that pen. It makes all the difference.

[Lemony Cricket]

What nib do you want in M400? So we can see, how hard would it be to find it

[Blue_Moon]

Pelikan. It's obvious that it's your preference. Plus, I'm one of those rare individuals that doesn't like the P51.

[vPro]

Hello everybody! Thanks for your wonderful support.

Now I'm not the type of person who drop their pens often, in fact it has only happened twice - and one of those drops was fatal for my Parker 51. I do have a cursive italic ground nib, but that one is an open nib - a lot easier to angle (but I can feel it either way).

The nib I'd like on my Pelikan would be either a medium or a broad nib, a nib that has the potential of being ground to a stub in the future OR an oblique broad. I think you're right about the Pelikan being my preference, although I can't afford one right now.

 

At the same time, if I spend money on the Parker 51, I'll just get even further away from getting my Pelikan.

[sirgilbert357]

Hello everybody! Thanks for your wonderful support.

Now I'm not the type of person who drop their pens often, in fact it has only happened twice - and one of those drops was fatal for my Parker 51. I do have a cursive italic ground nib, but that one is an open nib - a lot easier to angle (but I can feel it either way).

 

The nib I'd like on my Pelikan would be either a medium or a broad nib, a nib that has the potential of being ground to a stub in the future OR an oblique broad. I think you're right about the Pelikan being my preference, although I can't afford one right now.

 

At the same time, if I spend money on the Parker 51, I'll just get even further away from getting my Pelikan.

 

Why keep the 51 and spend even more on it if what you really want is the Pelikan? Sell it for what you can, cut your losses and save for the Pelikan. You'll have the Pelikan either way, right? After getting the Pelikan, will you still want a 51 with a 1.3 stub? If the answer is no, don't do it now either...get the Pelikan.

[vPro]

Good point, thanks!

[Wahl]

Keep the P51, that Pelikan, and others, will come in due time.

[Lam1]

I also think you should go with the Pelikan. If that is the pen you like, there is no way you will be satisfied while you don't get it.

 

Vintage or semi-vintage Pelikans with M nibs are very easy to find, and most of them are stubish (I say most because there is always a chance that the previous owner may have changed the nib . I have a beautiful M400 Tortoisebrown that had its nib ruined this way, so do ask before you buy). OB or OBB are also not difficult to find, but B or BB are indeed not easy in my experience.

 

Those vintage/semi-vintage Pelikan nibs are amazing and I think you'll be very happy with them.

[jabberwock11]

It sounds like you are looking for someone to help you validate the choice that you have already made. You obviously really want the Pelikan and will probably not be happy unless you get it. There is nothing wrong with knowing what you want, but if you settle for a choice that you see as the more sound economical choice, then you will probably still end up longing for the other and wishing that you had waited and saved instead.

 

My advice is this: buy the Pelikan and have a go at grinding the Parker 51 yourself. It is not as hard to grind a nib as you might think. I have done it a number of times and I am the furthest thing from a metal worker. There are a number of excellent articles and youtube videos to help you in the process. All you need is a sharpening stone and couple of emery boards (or lapping film), and maybe some snips (if you are careful and have a steady hand, using a dremel instead of the stone makes things easier, but you may want to wait on that until you try it by hand a few times.). It is not difficult to custom grind a nib if you are careful, and you don't much care about the Parker, so if you do mess it up, it won't be the end of the world.

 

Here are some excellent articles to help you grind the nib yourself:

 

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/aboutpens/ludwig-tan.html

 

http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/10567-So-you-wanna-grind-yer-own-nibs

Edited December 1, 2015 by jabberwock11

[ac12]

On the 51, the question is, what is broken about the nib? More description please.

Is it simply bent, or has one of the tips been cracked off? Depending on the damage it may be somewhat easy or quite difficult to repair by yourself.

- The cylindrical nib on the 51 can be tricky to support properly, to straighten the nib.

- If the nib is cracked, write it off as scrap.

- Also the specific model of 51. The early 51 are somewhat easy to remove the hood to get at the nib, the later Mark 3 pens are more difficult (I have not pulled the hood of a Mark 3, I have had to CUT them off because they shrank.).

 

I do not think you can convert a stock 51 nib into a 1.3mm stub.

- One problem is, I doubt the tipping is wide enough. If so, the nib meister will have to remove the tip of the nib to get it wide enough. When that is done, you would be writing on the base metal of the nib. This is OK if it is an octanium (SS) nib, but not if it is the softer gold nib.

- Second problem is that the feeds of the 51 were not meant to flow a LOT of ink. So a 1.3mm stub could end up being a dry pen. Some will flow, some won't, so this is a roll of the dice.

 

But all this is going to cost you money.

So, I think as others have said, sell the 51 "as is" to help fund the Pelikan.

Edited December 1, 2015 by ac12

[vPro]

The gold nib of my Parker 51 has no iridium. It broke off upon impact, so it needs a retip. It is this nib I wanted to have retipped. I replaced that nib with an octanium nib (from Tom Heath, thank you sir) and it writes OK. The Parker 51 is Danish import, has original papers and its original box.

As of right now, I'm leaning more towards getting the Pelikan than having my Parker 51 retipped.

Edited December 1, 2015 by vPro

[Runnin_Ute]

I don't have a M400 - but I do have a couple of M200's. I also have a P51 Special. The 51 isn't my favorite pen. Not by a long shot. But I lost one in June. Replaced it. The other one I liked better for some reason. I would choose the Pelikan in a heartbeat.

[sirgilbert357]

I just got my blue striped Pelikan M405 yesterday and it blew my mind. Exceeds my expectations. Again, I have to vote Pelikan here. I've seen multiple P51's in person at a pen show and none of them had the visual appeal that a Pelikan has. Plus, you can get BB nibs for Pels and have them made into stubs or cursive italics if that's what you want...

[owend]

80-120 Euro for a M400 is a good price; if you can get one at 80 Euro it's only 20 Euro more than getting the P51 repaired.

 

Then if you can sell the P51 for 30 Euro, you've even made a profit! I think.....

 

Seriously, you sound as though you want the M400, so get it and don't spend out on the P51. You could then try grinding the nib of the P51 as jabberwock11 suggests; if it's broken you haven't much to lose - I don't think a damaged P51 would sell for much?

 

 

Owen

[inkstainedruth]

Wow. Talk about being on the horns of a dilemma.

I love my 51s. I also love my M400 brown tortoise. But you'd have to be able to score one at a tremendously good deal to get one for as cheaply as Owen said. I sure didn't -- I paid more than twice that for mine on Ebay a little under 2 years ago and then had to -- patiently -- explain to the husband what a great price it was compared to a *new* M400 (plus that Pelikan no longer made them in brown tortoise...).

Actually, though, Owen is possibly wrong about what a damaged 51 would sell for. After all -- it *is* a 51.... And stubbing it might actually *add* to its value. I've only seen one in person -- it belongs to a friend of mine. Had to explain to him, "No, it really *isn't* a Plummer -- it's Burgundy. But the nib is still pretty awesome...."

I think I'm going claim that I'm a Libra and that you *can't* get me to make up my mind about which option to take -- because both options have their pros and cons. Sorry. Any other pairing might be a no brainer, but in this case I really would not be able to decide. Other than be glad it's not me having to make that decision....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sandy Fry]

I'd fix the 51. I don't own any Pelikan pens as I find them rather boring. Each to their own though.

 

David