Help With Identification And Advice?

[cherylmarie]

Can anyone tell me if this is an Eversharp or a Frankenpen?

It has a piston filler, but the cap band doesn't look like a Doric.

It's small - only 4.5 inches capped, 5.5 inches posted.

The clip says "Eversharp", the nib says Waterman.

The barrel is translucent.

The blind cap matches the barrel.

 

I've searched the internet, but I can't find one just like it.

The nib is a very nice flexible Waterman's #2, but if it is a legitimate Eversharp, I might have a Skyline Demi nib that will fit.

Would that be close to correct for this pen?

 

As always, I thank you for sharing your knowledge. Love this forum!

 

[Estragon]

Looks correct to me (except for the nib, of course). While it's sometimes referred to by collectors as a "Round Doric," Eversharp's name for this pen was simply the Vacuum Model. So called because it has the same vacuum/plunger filling system as those used on the 2nd gen Dorics. A period advert:

 

 

A Skyline demi nib would indeed be close to correct, assuming that it fits. Mine has a plain 'Eversharp' nib (no banners, loops, etc.), distinguished only by the word 'Flexible' at the bottom. These are very nice pens that hold a lot of ink when restored. Both Green and Burgundy Pearl colors were prone to crystallization, however, so you might want to inspect that bright green spot at the top of the cap first to be sure it's worth the trouble.

[cherylmarie]

That's it! It's exactly like the"vacuum model" at the top.

 

The top of the cap looked good until I got out a loupe. Indeed there are 2 cracks, but it hasn't gone any farther. Is there anything I can do to protect it from crystallization?

 

The clip has some greenish oxidation or tarnish on the edges that touch the pen. Generally, I wipe clips with a sunshine cloth, but this doesn't come off easily. What's the best way to approach this?

 

I do my own repairs, if they are easy. Is this as difficult as a Sheaffer vacuum-filler? It's not filling, but the rod does move grudgingly.

 

I don't see any for sale here or on eBay, are they rare? I would like to have some idea of the value before I pay for repairs, but don't see any sales data anywhere. I'd likely keep it, and I don't mind if my pens aren't perfect, but I would like it to be usable.

 

Thanks again for the ad!

[crescentfiller]

"The top of the cap looked good until I got out a loupe. Indeed there are 2 cracks, but it hasn't gone any farther. Is there anything I can do to protect it from crystallization?

The clip has some greenish oxidation or tarnish on the edges that touch the pen. Generally, I wipe clips with a sunshine cloth, but this doesn't come off easily. What's the best way to approach this?

 

 

 

OP, I think Estragon was referring to what appear to be bright--luminous--areas on your pen (one at the top of the cap and another on the barrel near where the plunger enters). In the second photo, those areas appear very bright--much bright than the rest of the pen--and if they are, then crystallization has begun. As for repairing the filling system, it is rather complicated.

 

 

Here is a post by Wahlnut on the topic (from this site) that should better explain things:

 

From my own experience, there are 3 stages of plastic deterioration (with my own eyeball test arbitrary applied in deciding on the dividing lines between them) that can help collectors/users with selecting pens that are more likely to survive the longest. And there are storage/handling tips that can help as well. Also, as Marc points out, certain plastic colors are more likely to deteriorate, but not all of that color do. In the first generation Dorics, Cathay, Kashmir and Morocco are the more likely to deteriorate (in that order). And yes, Black is almost never seen in deteriorated condition. Burma is also a very stable color.

The 3 stages are 1) pens with obvious deterioration already under way. These will show cracks, really bright discoloration and obvious crystallized condition. Obviously such pens should be parts donor pens and not considered collectible or usable for any length of time. Stage 2 is where the plastic is showing the very beginning signs of breakdown. These pens are harder for the inexperienced collector to identify, but with some experience the signs become more obvious. The easiest sign is a slight translucence of an area of the plastic. The tell-tale area will show some clearing of the plastic pattern matrix and appear to be a single color with some less opaqueness in the plastic. Such pens might take another 10 to 20 years to develop the signs of stage 1. Stage 3 is where there are none of the aforementioned symptoms. Stage 3 pens could last indefinitely, but usually well beyond 20 years. There are no absolutes here just generalities, I admit, but to a collector, knowing a pen will be usable and tradable for that period of time may make the "investment" worth it.

Storage conditions are important, too. Bright sunlight, low humidity, and wide fluctuations in storage/usage area temperature ranges are the worst conditions for these plastics. Too frequent cleaning with de-fatting solutions like ammonia, or alcohol, or petroleum ingredient containing cleaners and waxes are also bad. The thing to remember is that plastic is a polymer. Polymers are chained. Breaking the chain causes the chain links to fall apart/lose integrity. Anything that hastens the breakdown of the polymer chain must be avoided. The key ingredient in many nitrocellulose plastics that aid the polymer process in manufacture and durability is camphor. You have probability smelled it when working on these plastics. Camphor leaches/evaporates from the surface of plastic and the camphor inside the plastic can work to the surface (internal or external surfaces are equally involved). Anything that allows the camphor to escape will accelerate the deterioration of the plastic. When I "stabilize" crystalizing plastic, I use some camphor in the mix. In my experience and in discussions with them, most restorers I know don't use it or don't know about it. So while keeping these early plastic pens in optimum storage conditions will help, stabilizing the sicker pens can also let user grade pens stay in the game for an extended time frame.. Also keep away from cedar fumes.

The collector must be certain to pay the kind of money that Marc is talking about in his post only for the best specimens where the remaining life of the pen is probably a long one. Avoiding pens that show any of the warning signs is key, and the value/cost of the inferior pens should be only a fraction of a premier pen. I mean that the discount off of the premium price for a pen with issues should not be 10 or 20 percent...more like 70 or 80 percent.
Syd

Syd "the Wahlnut" Saperstein
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