Very First Parker Pen

[asegier]

I was relatively new to fountain pens (other then playing with them years ago, I never really got into them). And I just purchased my very first Parker Pen, which was a Sonnet, a while back. I went a little crazy and bought various other pens together with it (and might I say, online, as they were cheaper there. But from a reputable dealer, so no fakes). And I now realize the mistake I made in not actually trying the pens out before buying them. I got a little too excited... hehe. Although I did try out a couple pens to test out the differences between Fines and Mediums so that I'd know what I wanted, the result was definitely quite different from what I expected.

 

I ended up with a Platinum #3776, Waterman Perspective and a Kaweco AC Sport along with the Parker Sonnet. I now have other pens as well, but so far, I don't know if it's just me, but the Sonnet writes like a dream compared to all my other pens. It's got the smoothest feel ever.

 

I wanted to ask.. Is it just my luck? Like, did I just happen to get a good nib or something? Cause I have heard (or rather read here) that many have gone to 'polishing' their nibs to make them 'smooth as glass', so I'm wondering if I could get the same effect, or if the nibs on other pens are just naturally like that.

 

Needless to say I am loving my Parker Sonnet. Are the other pens from Parker similar? I tried my brothers IM and I did not like it...

[OCArt]

Vintage Parkers are generally very nice writers. You might like to try a Parker 45 or a Parker 75-- both very nice pens.

[richardandtracy]

With the Sonnet, it's not entirely luck that it was very smooth.

Parker grind the nibs of their more expensive pens very carefully. Not only are the outer edges ground smooth, but so too are the edges of the slit. That way, if you twist the nib, the tines deflect a little to match the paper and the edge of the tine next to the slit doesn't then present a scratchy edge. This makes the nib feel smooth. However, if it is over-done it's called 'Baby Bottom Syndrome', and the ink meniscus in the slit doesn't reach the paper and so the pen skips. I have had a Sonnet nib where it was over-done and had to grind it back a little to get the meniscus nearer the paper. This made the pen feel less smooth, but solved the skipping problem.

 

As you have surmised, grinding is not done to the same quality level on all Parker pens. The Sonnet seems to be the cheapest model where the high quality work is done (also the Premier and Duofold). The other nibs are ground smooth, but not to the same degree. Furthermore the influence of the rest of the pen seems to affect the way the nib feels. I wish I could quantify it, but I cannot. The IM feels to me like a cheap Chinese pen, as does the Urban, but with a Western price tag. The Vector is equalled by at least one Chinese pen costing less than half what the Vector does.

 

That's the current Parker output generalised in a few sweeping sentences , now onto the vintage stuff. The P75, P61, P51 all were the Duofold quality pens of their day (1980's to 1940's), and have really good nibs - if you are fortunate you'll find ones that make a good Sonnet nib seem like a none too good derivative. The P17 and P21S have nibs that are nearly as good as the P61/P51's in less good pen bodies. Prior to that the Vacuumatics and Duofolds of the 1930's & 1920's respectively were top quality pens, but due to age their nibs may be more abused and it's a bit riskier buying them unseen. Also prior to the 1940's, manufacturing variability seems to have been greater, leading to some good and some less good nibs.

 

Hope this sketchy description helps a little (despite the inevitable generalisations),

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[asegier]

Thanks for all the info Richard.

 

Should I consider grinding down my other pens then? So that they become smoother and more enjoyable to write with? Right now, after using my Parker Sonnet, I find it hard to touch my other pens. Or rather, after I use my other pens, I just give up cause I love that smooth feeling so much more... haha.

 

I've actually just had my first encounter with Baby's Bottom. I bought a new Kaweco Classic Sport and it never starts. I noticed that once I can get the ink flowing, so long as I continue the stroke, it lays down a line. But once I lift, that's all gone, and I have to push a bit or angle the pen a little to get the ink flowing down to the paper again. Not sure what to do with the pen, and considered grinding it as I heard that was a method to surpass this issue. I contacted the seller, but they are located in another country and I don't feel like sending my pen all the way there... haha.

Edited October 17, 2016 by asegier

[richardandtracy]

Initially, I would suggest that you try nib grinding on cheap pens, that way it won't be a problem if you get it wrong.

 

The type of pens to try it on are ideally things like the Jinhao's, Baoer's, Hero's etc. that should be readily available locally (if you are actually in Hong Kong). The type of material to use to grind the nibs back is 'Micromesh'. Start at 6000 grade, drawing figures of 8 and occasionally twisting the pen a little either way. Do this for a short time, say 10-15 figures of 8. Then write on a piece of paper, also look at the nib with a jeweller's loupe if you have one. By doing this you should get a feel of how the nib shape changes and the way the changed shape feels on the paper. Repeat as necessary. Once the nib is ground to shape, then it's time to polish with 8000 grade and 12000 grade micromesh by doing figures of 8 again, short time with 8000 grade & longer with 12000 grade.

 

I made a common mistake when starting, I over-polished the nib. Sounds hard and unlikely, I know, but take it from me, it can be done. If you over-polish, the nib feels as if you are writing on ice, and there is no feedback from the paper at all - almost like a free running ballpoint. You want to stop polishing before this happens, but probably need to go to it on one cheap pen to find out what it's like.

 

Having tried it on a number of cheap pens and got the hang of it, then, and only then, consider doing the mods to your more expensive pens.

 

All the best,

 

Richard.

[asegier]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps I'll try it later on. I'm not familiar with the process yet, though your explanation of the over polished nib piques my curiosity. I wonder what that feels like!

 

I'm actually not familiar with those brands. I mean I know of them and kind of know what they are, but I haven't actually seen them here as I'm usually focused on nicer pen boutiques that sell generally Japanese, European, or American fountain pens. Are they really cheap?

[richardandtracy]

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps I'll try it later on. I'm not familiar with the process yet, though your explanation of the over polished nib piques my curiosity. I wonder what that feels like!

 

I'm actually not familiar with those brands. I mean I know of them and kind of know what they are, but I haven't actually seen them here as I'm usually focused on nicer pen boutiques that sell generally Japanese, European, or American fountain pens. Are they really cheap?

 

Over polished really feels like writing on ice. You have absolutely no idea what the nib is doing, virtually no roughness of the paper gets fed back into your hand, and as a result the nib feels totally dead and unresponsive.

 

I've bought a Parker Vector copy (Baoer 801) for £1.35 inc postage to the UK, though under £2.50 to £5 is more common for cheaper Jinhao's, Hero's and Baoer's, say US$3.50 to $7.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[asegier]

Hmm that sounds interesting indeed. I'll have to take a look into those. With the pens being so cheap, I'm not so sure they'll turn up in the nicer boutiques. So I'll have to find out where I can get them.

[pajaro]

 

Over polished really feels like writing on ice. You have absolutely no idea what the nib is doing, virtually no roughness of the paper gets fed back into your hand, and as a result the nib feels totally dead and unresponsive.

 

I've bought a Parker Vector copy (Baoer 801) for £1.35 inc postage to the UK, though under £2.50 to £5 is more common for cheaper Jinhao's, Hero's and Baoer's, say US$3.50 to $7.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

Your description of over-polished reads like my experience with a Pelikan M1000 O3B. Like writing with an icicle on ice.

 

I like the Sonnets looks, but the writing experience left me with the impression that the best way to use a Sonnet is as an only pen, keeping it in constant use. Having a couple of dozen Sonnets is a hopeless exercise. Some of the early two-toned 18K nibs seemed better than the rest. I still like the Terra Cotta. I used some 3200 grit paper to floss one of the nibs, and it improved.

[rochester21]

Don`t rush into it. There`s a lot more to learn, but your first pens are ok for starters. Each has it`s own character and might be suited for a particular event. I prefer parkers to anything else when it comes to reliability, but they don`t necessarily have the best nibs, although it`s great that you now have a favorite pen.

 

I never tried a Sonnet before, but if you like perfectly smooth nibs, you should also try the inlaid nib from Sheaffer Imperial/Targa series(14k ones) and the Waterman Carene and L`Etalon nibs.

 

There is also a huge array of smooth chinese pens, like the Baoer 388, Jinhao 159, Hero 901 etc that are definitely worth checking out.

 

Remember that every pen is different, and first you have to figure out what you want from a fountain pen. From all the pens mentioned above, i would prefer a parker 45. It`s not glamorous in any way, the nib gives plenty of feedback so it`s not glass smooth but it`s a universal pen pen for me and never lets me down.

Edited October 19, 2016 by rochester21

[asegier]

@rochester21 hmm.. I'll keep those pens in mind. Could you perhaps explain a bit how they are different? And how they may be suited to different events? I mainly use my pens to write letters.

[pajaro]

The Sheaffer Imperials are smooth, but not so much that there is no feedback. The Touchdown filler Imperials are easy re restore, simple sac replacement and O-ring replacement. The C/C Imperials write the same, and you can use the current converter. The Carene is as smooth as a Pelikan, but it's higher priced and the cap doesn't post. The L'etalon nib can fit into a Waterman Phileas or Kultur, less expensive pens than the L'etalon. The L'etalon nibs are comparable functionally to the Sheaffer Imperials. I would price shop among these and buy least costly, unless you want to collect everything. I have one or more of each of these pens. I the Carene is a waste of money, but I have three. EF, F and M, but I sold the broad nib Sea Garden pen. Pretty pens, but best in the pen tray..