Patience Can Pay Off

[chunya]

Over a year ago a friend asked me if I could 'fix her pen' or if I could recommend someone who could .... The main problem was the nib, it had a split from the breather right up to where it disappeared into the feed section where it had been bent backwards and weakened, and it had very little tipping remaining. I told her to leave it with me and hopefully a nib would turn up. I've seen a few for sale on the bay, but for silly money, Finally, last week in a job lot that I picked up, a doner pen turned up, a wreck of a body and with the clip missing, but the #2 nib was perfect.Sometimes things do turn up if you wait long enough.

I have been trying to work out what model it is, nothing at all on the barrel ... and I am sure that I still have a similar/identical one somewhere, but I have a feeling that one wasn't numbered either. Any idea?

 

 

 

[Cob]

Hullo.

 

That one, essentially a 6260 except for the single cap band, is a wartime Swan I am sure. Various atypical models appeared when things were difficult especially in view of the fact that MT's head office and works were destroyed by bombing in 1940.

 

Cob

[PaulS]

apologies - I'd not seen the reply from cob - can delete my post if you wish.

 

congratulations - well done - hope your friend is pleased. I've a very similar pen, and that too is unmarked, but another with the same body shape and very slightly wider cap band is a 6161 - so perhaps example is another from the 6xxx series, or even a 6161 Maybe that forward part of the section is the give-away?

Edited October 21, 2018 by PaulS

[chunya]

Thanks both, and no apologies needed, Paul. I recall looking through the list at the 6xxx series, but as you've pointed out the cap band didn't seem to match ... and I'm fairly sure that I couldn't match mine up either.... I must look harder for it.

 

My friend is over the moon .... it belonged to her husband and he gave it to her when he retired a few years back, he was a very 'old school' branch manager for one of the big 4 banks (think of Mainwaring and you'd not be a million miles out, but was and still is a lovely chap.

[PaulS]

and the deliberate mistake? - this one can't be a 6161 - at least not now, since it has a No. 2 nib - but could be a 6261

[chunya]

My life's road is littered with 'deliberate' mistakes, but it's taken me here, so I can't complain.

If as Cob says this is a wartime pen, I imagine that at times they had to make do with what they had/could get hold of, maybe that is why there are a number of oddities from that period?

[CS388]

Nice work, chunya.

 

It's always a thrill to fix a friends pen, to get it back into writing order.

In my experience, their delight is an unparalleled reward.

 

Congratulations.

[Cob]

My life's road is littered with 'deliberate' mistakes, but it's taken me here, so I can't complain.

If as Cob says this is a wartime pen, I imagine that at times they had to make do with what they had/could get hold of, maybe that is why there are a number of oddities from that period?

Yes that's correct I am sure. Various materials appeared - the "swirly" grey and blue come to mind, they had chrome fittings and No 2 nibs.

 

Your pen appears to be plastic/Celluloid and is not, therefore a 6261 and the 61 would mean that it was made from Vulcanite - "black hard rubber"

 

Cob

[PaulS]

appreciate the correction.

[ssataline]

Lovely! May I ask the brand and name of the purple ink? I like that, too!

[chunya]

Lovely! May I ask the brand and name of the purple ink? I like that, too!

It will be a Diamine ink (I use a wide range of their colours and we have a brilliant outlet here in the UK that sells them at a great price) and probably Majestic Purple, but you can check