M300 Or M400?

[madtowneast]

Hi All,

 

I was given a Pelikan pen recently. It looks like a M300 or M400 with green stripes. It has a 14k gold medium nib (the "M" is italicized). The issue is that there is only one band on the cap and there is no silver or gold band on the nib-end of the parallel. Another hint I have is that the case it came in has "W. Germany" on the bottom, so it was produced pre- or around 1990.

 

Can replace the nib with the currently available fine or extra-fine M300 or M400 nibs depending on the model of pen this is?

 

Thanks a lot for any input!

Edited August 14, 2018 by madtowneast

[blueboy]

I might be being presumptuous but I think you may mean M200 not 300.

 

The 300 is a very small pen next to the 400 and the two can't really be confused. Whereas, the 200 is almost the same size as the 400.

 

The good news is that the 200 and 400 nibs are interchangeable.

 

Here's a link to the full nib compatibility chart courtesy of Indy- pen-dance

 

http://www.indy-pen-dance.com/Pelikan-Interchangeability-Chart.html

 

Have fun.

[chromantic]

Is there a band on the piston knob? If not, it might be a 400, 400N or 400NN from the '50s - pictures here, about 1/2 way down the page http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-pelikan-modell-400.html

 

Also, is the pen a relatively 'normal' size? The M300 is quite obviously 'small', to the point that one might exclaim "wow, this thing is tiny!" on seeing it; its nib is commensurately small and will not fit in any other Pelikan.

[Lam1]

First, welcome to the forum.

 

If it is green stripes with one band and W.-Germany, it must be a M400 from around the 1980's.

It seems that the M300's, besides being very small, only started to be produced in 1998 (so no W.-Germany) and had 2 bands on the cap.

 

this is another good reference site: https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Souveraen-Series/M300-Basis/index.html

 

The monotone nibs in the pens like you have are highly valued, but you can certainly put a modern M400 nib in it.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Lam1

[Bo Bo Olson]

Apologies if you have more pens and experience than your post count suggests.

 

Oh, you are lucky...very lucky, folks pay 30% and more more for a W.Germany 400.

'82-97 had no ring at the piston. The W.Germany nibs '82-90 are very well know to be a tad more springy regular flex than the '90-97 or the Germany 200's.

 

The modern 400/600 are semi-nails (stiffer nibs)...and have a fatter and more blobby nib....IMO a nib with less character than the '82-97 nibs.

I have the luck to have a '85-90 W.Germany 200, and it is true the nib is a tad more springy than the '90's or modern 200 nibs. (Of course one has to have the '90-97 nib to feel and see the tad of difference. )

 

They are not semi-flex but are superb. It would be much a waste to valuable nib like that....modern in this case IMO, is not better than semi-vintage....In 400's '82-97.

1. pre'98-50 nibs are @ 1/2 a width narrower than modern....so that would be a F-M.

 

2. Sooner or later you will use a wider nib, an M; so don't go grinding in away....get a narrow '90-97 instead of grinding away. It has a wider sweet spot than an F, much less an EF.

It is a nib that writes with a clean line, has some character. Gives an even better ride than the '90-97 or modern 200's.

I like the regular flex M&F for two toned shading inks. You can get into them a bit later if you wish. I don't know how many pens and what inks you have.

 

Some folks do like the modern post '98 400/600 nib. I like older ones....more character, thinner, lays a good clean line.

 

A modern 400 nib is butter smooth.....whoopee....It is wider, had a double kugle/ball (a tipping ball on top and bottom).nib with a thicker tip....so those who prefer to hold it like a ball point can write with it.

 

You do have to hold your semi-vintage pen behind the big index knuckle like a fountain pen, in the nib was not made to write like a ball point and laying less ink if held like a ball point and make little grand canyons in the paper. Held like a fountain pen it will glide in a nice puddle of ink, and require lots less pressure and effort.

One can of course hold a modern 400 nib like a fountain pen.

But IMO.........good and smooth gives a good ride and on slick papers, which a butter smooth nib can/has problems of sliding around. As a noobie, one reads much of the 'need' of butter smooth.

I have read posts where a few of those folks after months wanted a less slick, and wanted to know how to do that.

 

Not important right now....something to have in mind for later if needed.

Come back with questions, if it has drag....micro-corrosion/'iridium' rust from sitting in the dark of the drawer for two generations.

I prefer the Brown Paper Bag Trick...which you can look up under my name, for drag. It's not good for anything else and is cheap.

It's harder to ruin a nib, than with micro-mesh...(it's very easy for a 'noobie' to ruin a nib with micro-mesh)...and you do not want to ruin such a grand nib.)

 

A wet ink will make the nib feel smoother.....but Pelikan makes a dry ink 4001, dryish Edelsteine ink, so the nib was a bit wide to match a dry ink. To the pen will write wider with a wet ink.

Waterman had made a narrower nib, to go with their wet ink. Pen companies who make their own inks, match ink, feed and nib to each other.

 

So you have a fine pen, with a grand nib.

 

The better the paper the better ink dances on it. Do look to buy some 90g laser paper. A ream does cost twice as much as common copy paper.......... :gaah:Of course you don't waste that in a printer. That is your scribbling paper. 500 sheets should last a couple of years.

 

Do Not use Laser Jet paper. It is designed for super fast absorption of laser jet ink, so causes ugly feathering with fountain pens.

 

Most start out with lack of knowledge, but that is free here....and it's fun to learn, there is no tests!!!

[sargetalon]

It sounds like you are describing a pre-1997 M400. These will take nibs from any M400, M200, and even old style M600s (not the newer ones). If thats what it is, it would have originally had a monotone yellow gold nib. The newer versions would be a two toned gold so there would be some visual differences with a swap. M200 nibs are gold plated stainless steel but will still fit because those pens are the same size. Pictures speak a 1000 words.

[madtowneast]

Here is an picture:

https://imgur.com/twOkVXe

 

The nib makes me think it is M200, but looking at the info at https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Souveraen-Series/M400-Basis/index.html I think it is an M400 old style. I guess a new style M200 or M400 nib would fit.

Edited August 15, 2018 by madtowneast

[TimeoDanaos]

It is definitely an M400 old style. The precise year is difficult to ascertain. You can be sure that it's not 1982, then it would have had a friction fit nib unit (my only M400 is one of those, to my great irritation). The terminus ante quem isn't necessarily autumn 1990. I believe I have read somewhere that Pelikan used up their stock of W.-Germany caps even after the reunification. Furthermore, my own M400 of 1982 doesn't have W.-Germany on the cap band, only Germany, so I suspect that the specification of "W.-" was only added in the mid-80's.

 

Mine also has a medium nib. Over the last few weeks I have grown to love its smoothness and relative springyness. Enjoy it!