Funny Goings On Inside My 51

[ralfstc]

Hello,

 

Just got a 1948 Q4 Canadian Parker 51 Vacumatic set, with gold caps, transition clips and so forth. When I opened the pen up I found a couple of interesting things. The first was that the pen had probably never been inked. There was no sign of any ink in the interior, just evidence of dipping. Then I pulled the filler to find what looks like an original diaphragm (of course, I have no evidence of this) still in perfect condition. And the feed has a metal breather tube.

 

So a couple of mysteries. Is the diaphragm in such great shape because it's never been inked? Why a metal breather tube? Usually this is explained as the result of a repair, but could it be that a small number of late vacs used a metal tube before the aeros came on line?

 

Anyway here's a couple of pics, and I look forward to your theories!

 

Best,

 

Ralf

[mitto]

Perhaps thoroughly cleaned and restored.

[ralfstc]

Hi Mitto,

 

That's a possibility, though the sealant on the hood looked like original factory sealant. Interestingly, this is the first grey set I've seen where all the parts-- including the pencil-- actually match!

 

Anyway, just offering a data point . . . .

 

Cheers,

 

Ralf

[FarmBoy]

The pen has been repaired using a feed from a later pen. What is the date code on the nib...

[ralfstc]

Ooooh, and now I found a lateral hole in the breather tube. It's a Vacaero! Vareo? Aeracumatic? It's a really neat job, totally convincingly original looking . . . .

 

The nib is 1948.

 

Ralf

[mitto]

The pen has been repaired using a feed from a later pen. What is the date code on the nib...

The metal breather tube says it all.

[mitto]

And the collector looks ink stained as well corrosion can be seen on the metal breather tube. So one cant say the inner guts have never seen ink.

[ralfstc]

Hello Mitto,

 

There are signs of dipping, but nothing more. Look at the diaphragm-- that's not washed, it's just as it came out of the pen. I don't know if it shows on the picture, but it was clean and dry. The fins have a very light blue staining, but the upper part of the collector is clear. I'm not seriously claiming an unknown variant here, just a curiosity. Somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to make the breather job neat and professional.

 

Ralf

[mitto]

One may put a NOS replacement filler unit in an old pen.

The feed and breather tube certainly belong to a later production aerometric 51. I would have put a correct vac feed and breather tube in the pen were it mine.

 

I bought a 1946 cedar blue vac that came with a brand new replacement filler unit like in your pen.

 

Congrats. Enjoy writing with your pen.

[pajaro]

I think I have read that some of the Canadian pens have oddities.

[mitto]

I too have heared that. I would like to have a few Made In Canada 51s.

[KLscribbler]

Could this have been the result of a pen sent back to Parker for repairs at a time when vac-filling P51 parts were running out? I'm wondering if the repair department might have simply used whatever off-the-shelf parts they had in stock that worked effectively together.

[ralfstc]

Hi KLscribbler,

 

I have come to the same tentative speculation myself. The repair was too well done to be easily homemade--the shortened breather tube was cleanly cut and smoothed at the end. The pen works very nicely indeed, with the bonus that it might leak less easily on planes. I'm very happy with my Vareo!

 

Ralf