Parker Vacumatics Photo Thread

[Lazard 20]

A RINGED VACUMATIC WITH WING FEED "51" PROTOTYPE

click here for more images and info

(OPTIONAL)

A Christmas Tale

Once upon a time I acquired from Ebay a Parker vacumatic golden pearl simply for completing spectrum of this color. There was no other argument that encouraged the purchase decision, although a priori, as an avid reader of Parker imprints that I am, the inscription “22” in the barrel was a small incentive contrasted with the inconvenience of the feed which, discarded that it was a VS model, I thought that it was an odd addition; a frankenspen perhaps, but in any case, an inconvenience that should be replaced by a more adequate one. The section did not even claim my attention because it did not show transparency in Ebay photos and, apparently, it was one normal section of any other vacumatic.

That's how things were when I dipped the pen in the obligatory soak before I take it apart for unscrewing the filling unit in order to install a new diaphragm.

I will reflect the process - - if in the future we find a similar case or, simply, if someone wants to smile reading it with a good coffee, during this Christmas dessert.

After I put the pen into the water and the following morning it had diluted some of the dry ink from the section and it was faintly transparent. I will be honest; I did not like it. A Parker vacumatic with a visulated section! They put one over on me! You see now, Ramon, I said to myself, adding the occasional thick exclamation; this section is going to be from a Sheaffer'S or another similar one that has been put in a vacumatic forcefully! I did not see humor in any way because, although as I have said I had spare vacs feeds, much to my dismay, it was not so with sections.

Well, go to the point: extract the section will not be easy but I'm not going to stay with that doubt!, I said myself, so I put a drop of oil, I passed the hot air of the dryer, I took the tongs and then a pleasant surprise came to me! the section came out smoothly and what was more striking also threating. From here a process of amazement is triggered because I started to consider the section as an original Parker.

In order to clean it properly and leave it transparent, the feed should be removed. This operation seem to be like a tricky question since the lower part of the feed ends with a larger diameter than the inside diameter of the section - now I know that the feed are two pieces and I could introduce the outer piece by the upper part of the section and the inner part , from the lower part of the section although with a lot of risk of splitting the inside part in two or breaking some "disk" of the cylindrical comb.

Should I extract the feed from the bottom of the section? How to push the section down by hitting the top of the feed, still gently, without damaging it? The lower part of the feed has a longitudinal slit of about 3 or 4 mm in length that made me think that maybe it was there to compress its circumference when it was introduced so, after putting oil on all sides, giving heat and not being clear if I would have to regret in the next few minutes (because I could broke it), I managed to extract it in the usual way, after of course removing, the tube-breathing siphon and gently hitting the feed from the face where it is inserted.

Once the feed was out it was not transparent because the embedded inner dry ink. It still had not occurred to me that it could be two pieces, nevertheless, I leave it in warm water and I prepared to dismantle section.The section, once crystalline and showing its real color, gave me another delightful surprise and confirmation; it was certainly visulated and a really Parker; because if someone, alien to Parker´s, could have made the thread, which is not easy, could not have made it with celluloid Parker, because this is the same as Parker used in the transparent rings of the barrel; so, definitely the section was a Parker one and therefore satisfied with the success that resulted from the decision to open it, I went in search of the feed.

Then, I extracted the feed from the water to clean it properly; brush, hot / warm water and soap. It is already clean and seems to be composed of two elements. It would be necessary to extract one from the other, at least partially, in order to document it and record that the feed consists of two pieces. prudence warned me that the luck I have had until then, may not accompany me in the nexts steps of the process. In the other plate of the balance was to think about the difficulty of being able to affirm, in absence of a graphic proof, that they were two pieces and this quality could not be appreciated on its absence. I told to myself, you know why, that if I had gotten there, I would have to continue. A drop of oil on top, a drop of oil on the bottom , some heat and with rotary motion, I extracted part of the interior piece. Below the water jet to remove rest of oil and to photograph..

After assembling, once reintroduced the delicate prototype feed, and fountain pen completly mounted, an expresion came to my mind; D´oh!

Edited December 26, 2018 by RamonCampos

[Lazard 20]

This is a Parker Duofold vacumatic Senior bears Blue Diamond in striped Maroon laidtone celluloid (a combination of carmines, silver, and black strips). Its full-vision barrel shows the ink supply. The 14 k. gold point is tipped with osmiridium. These models in laidtone celluloid, Senior and Ingenue, both BD and Duofold Major, Duofold Debutante non BD were also available in striped blue and striped green and Sacless Duofold and Sacless Duofold Subdeb, non BD too, additionally was avalaible in black. This 5 1/4 inch long pen is dated coded 1941. The pen and pencil price of this Senior model was $10.50 and $4.80, respectively.

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by RamonCampos

[VacNut]

A transparent feed and section, amazing! I am going to have to take a closer look at all future vacumatics. Thank you for sharing.

[JonSzanto]

A transparent feed and section, amazing! I am going to have to take a closer look at all future vacumatics. Thank you for sharing.

 

Just don't hold your brreath.

[Lazard 20]

As you know, in August 1937 Parker decided to change the style of the vacumatics and started to commercialize a more streamlined version of the vacumatic in three sizes of their high range; Major, 14 mm. diameter cap band and 131 mm long, was $ 8.75, (set with pencil at $ 12.50) and Senior Maxima, an oversized of 16 mm diameter and 139 mm long, and Maxima, a "full length" of 14,0 mm diameter and 135 mm long, was $ 10.00 (both Maxima set with pencil at $ 15.00). But not only a new streamlined shape but also a new filler mechanism, so the lockdown was replaced with a new style plunger named "Speedline"; it did not lock down so the blind cap was more stylized to fit the new plunger.

 

The new streamlined pen was launched with a luxurious band, wider in the two Maxima, engraved in sunken relief with the Parker´s arrow and the distinctive word "VACUMATIC". They were hardly publicized only for a few months because in December 1937* Parker was already marketed these pen with a simple chevron band ///\\\///\\\ that will last in the ringed vacumatics until second half 1947, coinciding its disappearance with the Blue Diamond that guaranteed them for life.

 

They were presented in colors laminated jet black and shimmering silver pearl, golden pearl, emerald pearl and burgundy pearl.

 

(*) We´ll see VACUMATIC bands later in the time. But that's another story...and maybe not exactly the same VACUMATIC band.

 

¡¡Feliz 2019 a todos!!

 

 

Edited December 31, 2018 by RamonCampos

[nsalvut]

Your pen reminds me of this prototype I saw online a few weeks ago. That's an incredible find you have.

 

Edited December 31, 2018 by nsalvut

[JotterAddict62]

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPz9tZGIBwzZ_ywYpRFZh2BWiMPu6A6NzLMUsub

 

Sorry for the glare.

Edited January 2, 2019 by JotterAddict62

[Lazard 20]

@nsalvut, in the Vacumatic Book there a some others similar experimental prototypes, like this single jewel attached, combining ringed barrels with clutch ring for "51" caps. The truth is that I would have paid for being employed in the hyperactive Parker Product Development Dept. of those years -smile-.

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by RamonCampos

[nsalvut]

@nsalvut, in the Vacumatic Book there a some others similar experimental prototypes, like this single jewel attached, combining ringed barrels with clutch ring for "51" caps. The truth is that I would have paid for being employed in the hyperactive Parker Product Development Dept. of those years -smile-.

 

Yes I agree, it would be amazing to see some of the incredible prototypes they made.

 

I remember the first time I saw a vacumatic online, I gasped at how beautiful it was. Some of these prototypes are just breathtaking in beauty and design in my opinion. My first vintage pen was an Azure blue SJ Vac. I don't like blue, but when that pen arrived in the mail I was shocked at its coloring in person. Ever since then I've been a fan.

 

Some of the cooler prototypes like the one from ebay that I posted sell in the thousands, but what I wouldn't give to own one.

 

Just curious, was your pen featured in a Ripley ad? The photo looks edited but if it was from 1940 it would make a lot of sense why the photo looks a little off.

 

Edit: just kidding. I saw the brass case in your second post. Obviously not an ad, though I guess maybe you should look into marketing school

Edited January 3, 2019 by nsalvut

[VacNut]

I came across this great Azure Vacumatic Max Set recently. The imprints are gone from the pen -almost as if some purposely removed the imprints or were never on the pen, but there is almost no brassing on the gold trim. The Azure Pencil has been on my want list for quite some time. The flexible American Vac Nib is the best part.

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Golden Pearl (brown) date coded 1946. It's just over 5 inches long capped. The plunger is black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel clarity is excellent. The barrel is stamped GEO S PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticBrown_1280_02.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

A throwback photo from 2004!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Azure Blue Pearl date coded 1945. It's just over 5 inches long capped. The plunger and the cap top jewell are black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 5 with three dots. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over MADE IN U.S.A. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticBlue_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[Freddy]

I like Parker Vacumatics...Grabbed a few and made this scan a while ago...???

Fred

[Buzz J]

Here's an interesting pair recently seen on ebay!

 

[PenHero]

Here's an interesting pair recently seen on ebay!

 

 

 

WOW - when?

[Buzz J]

 

WOW - when?

Yesterday.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174077424111?ViewItem=&item=174077424111

[PenHero]

Yesterday.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174077424111?ViewItem=&item=174077424111

 

Thanks and again - WOW

[PenBuyer1796]

Wow is right. Nice prototype material in fantastic condition!!!!

Edited October 28, 2019 by PenBuyer1796

[Brian-McQueen]

Yesterday.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174077424111?ViewItem=&item=174077424111

 

Somebody got a bargain.

[Brian-McQueen]

Here is a 1947 Junior in Black with a Purina logo printed on it. These were presumably done in the factory, and I have seen a couple, but not too many.

 

Purina Vacumatic by BrianMcQueen, on Flickr