A Burnham Or Two

[penwash]

I particularly like the colour combination of the marbling on the pen from Penwash - it's an attractive pen, and nib. Nevertheless, despite the beauty of the livery from this brand, it does seem to be the case as commented by Northlodge, that Burnham are also one of the under represented makes. Not always easy to define quite what makes a brand desirable or not.

 

From a restorer perspective I like Burnham pens because of it's threaded section. Maybe this is common among British vintage pens, but it's less of a struggle to open the section to replace the ink sac.

[PaulS]

I too prefer threaded sections. Vintage pens, assuming they've spent several decades sealed and with the ink forming a good adhesive, don't necessarily come undone any easier than push fit joins, but re-assembly IMHO is safer since the action is rotary and not a frantic pushing, which can induce slightly out of true pressure - with the consequent potential 'crack'

Without undoing most of them …….. I think Swans are threaded - Waterman are push fit - Mentmore are threaded - I think CS are mostly push fit - but guarantee there are exceptions within most brands.

[eachan]

I too prefer threaded sections. Vintage pens, assuming they've spent several decades sealed and with the ink forming a good adhesive, don't necessarily come undone any easier than push fit joins, but re-assembly IMHO is safer since the action is rotary and not a frantic pushing, which can induce slightly out of true pressure - with the consequent potential 'crack'

Without undoing most of them …….. I think Swans are threaded - Waterman are push fit - Mentmore are threaded - I think CS are mostly push fit - but guarantee there are exceptions within most brands.

Some Swans are threaded. I'm quite happy with friction fit. Use heat to disassemble and reassemble and you'll never hear that crack.

[PaulS]

quite true of course, and getting some of them undone would be impossible without the hair dryer ........ but suspect it's laziness when re-assembling ........... you've cleaned the section stub and smeared with a little silicone grease - ditto inside the barrel, and then with care they normally do just push together. Think I've only cracked a couple, but they were good pens

[eachan]

With heat you can avoid using grease. It isn't really a good thing in a friction joint which is meant to hold firmly when dry.

[MercianScribe]

They are gorgeous!

 

I've had a Burnham 55 (I think it is, can't remember off the top of my head), a mini thing, that I've never been able to open, that came from my Granny when she died about two years ago, which has a lovely 14CT full flex nib. But I've been after a 48 to complement my Osmiroid collection... I was after just a plain black one, as a fan of black pens and as they're a helluva lot cheaper, but having seen your pic, Paul, I might have to be tempted to one of these fantastic colours!

 

I also have a gorgeous later green-marbled Waverley, (almost? completely?) identical to the 48, which was obviously made by them.

[darazs]

Just bumping into that thread - so many beauties!! Thanks for all the good pictures!

[northlodge]

They are gorgeous!

 

 

 

I also have a gorgeous later green-marbled Waverley, (almost? completely?) identical to the 48, which was obviously made by them.

Mat, that is an interesting comment. I have seen the B48 branded Harrods & Boots, both of which had friction fit nibs rather than the standard B45 / B48 screw in type. I have never seen a M&C Waverley based upon the B48.

 

Any possibility of a photo?

[MercianScribe]

Mat, that is an interesting comment. I have seen the B48 branded Harrods & Boots, both of which had friction fit nibs rather than the standard B45 / B48 screw in type. I have never seen a M&C Waverley based upon the B48.

 

Any possibility of a photo?

 

Yes, I'll take one later (although I suspect I promise photos on most of the threads I chip in on, and seldom deliver... )

 

And I'm afraid it will be an anticlimax; I was confusing my M&Cs. The one I was thinking of has a domed cap, not a jewel, and looks more like another Burnham model I forget... but the marble pattern is pretty much Burnham all over. The 48-style jewel is present on the last of the M&Cs hypothesized in various places online as being for the Indian market in the 50s, and the shape is more reminiscent too.