Parker Reflexx

[enchiridion]

last night when sorting my pens I came across one of those buys that never made it into the daily use set. It is a Parker Reflex from about 2000.

the rubber got sticky and gave away.

I dipped it in talcon powder, but I guess it is a proces that cannot be stopped. Anybody the same problem?

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by enchiridion

[Joane]

Coincidentally, I recently inked up for the first time a Reflex given to me as a gift well over ten years ago and never taken out of the box and the rubber grip is intact, like new. It had been sitting in its box in a secretary drawer all that time. It writes great, toowho knew?

 

How was your pen stored? Was it exposed to hot temperatures or other environmental fluctuations? Sorry, I dont have an answer for how to treat the problem. Hopefully the stickiness process may be halted with exposure to air and regular use.

[inkstainedruth]

Back when I started out with fountain pens as an adult, I bought a Parker Reflex to use for journaling. After a while the rubber disintegrated, so I bought another one. The same thing happened. So I went back to Staples, where I had bought the first two -- but the pens were no longer being stocked. In the process of trying to find a replacement (I still had cartridges) I ended up getting a Parker Vector -- which I still have . The Reflexes? They got donated to a "Pick a Prize" raffle.

I had bought the first one partly because of the rubberized grip -- which seemed like a good idea at the time. But it didn't seem to be well-thought out by Parker. The disintegrating rubber was not only unsightly, but was also somewhat uncomfortable to hold. Underneath the section was metal, and whatever adhesive they used didn't hold up well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[enchiridion]

Coincidentally, I recently inked up for the first time a Reflex given to me as a gift well over ten years ago and never taken out of the box and the rubber grip is intact, like new. It had been sitting in its box in a secretary drawer all that time. It writes great, toowho knew?

 

How was your pen stored? Was it exposed to hot temperatures or other environmental fluctuations? Sorry, I dont have an answer for how to treat the problem. Hopefully the stickiness process may be halted with exposure to air and regular use.

 

just sat in a mug on my desktop. I keep my old parkers since primary school like that and ink one for daily use once and again

it's an old oak Lebus American desk (with the typical shutter). So no extreme climatic conditions, by the way the section rubber of a Parker Frontier has not a single issue. I've only seen this on electronic equipment such as my Amstrad Penpad, DataPlay personal digital recorder...

(the synthetic rubber becoming sticky and shifting)

[Joane]

just sat in a mug on my desktop. I keep my old parkers since primary school like that and ink one for daily use once and again

it's an old oak Lebus American desk (with the typical shutter). So no extreme climatic conditions, by the way the section rubber of a Parker Frontier has not a single issue. I've only seen this on electronic equipment such as my Amstrad Penpad, DataPlay personal digital recorder...

(the synthetic rubber becoming sticky and shifting)

Sounds like you’re an innocent victim of sub-par materials.

[inkstainedruth]

Well, remember -- the Reflexx was a low end pen ($6.95 US in a blister pack at Staples). They probably weren't designed to be more than a student grade pen, and FPs are not as prevalent in the US as in other parts of the world. So the model was likely treated as a loss leader/disposable. Unlike something like a 1980s era Pelikano, which was designed for more regular use even in schools (and which DOESN'T have a rubberized grip).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[enchiridion]

the rubberized grip -- which seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

exactly and an ancient company like Parker should know. My Sonnets and Frontier are ok, but they cannot match the 45 (primary school pen that got me through college) and 51 (which I got as a collector). The vectors are also ok. Got my first one at 12 as a floating ball, soon pens followed whenever I got some money not spent on comics, records, cassettes, books or a new pair of trainers. The 45's (I'v added some to the 2 I got (one for my first communion and a second with gold nib at the start of my first year at university) are solid everyday pens. The green lacquered Sonnet I got in Boston on my first professional trip to the USA and my Montblancs I later acquired don't stand the test. Especially the MB's are expensive plastic rubbish with oxydizing metal, drying problem and consequently expensive repairs (the eaten away metal ring at the section).

high fiive for Parker 45, Vector and 51.

Edited August 3, 2019 by enchiridion