Dating A Vintage Pelikan?

[carlos.q]

None of my Pelikan 100N pens have nibs that indicate their size. Some of the pens identify the (original) nib size on the ring above the filling knob.

[praxim]

My 100 has the nib size marked on it, not the 100N.

Edited May 26, 2020 by praxim

[Christopher Godfrey]

If you have flexibility in this nib, you are likely not going to have the same experience with any M101 that you order, Pingu: these moderns tend to have rigid 18kt nibs...by all means, go out and get more Pelikans: they have that effect on some of us. The vintage nibs are best, though, as many here will attest (but not all).

 

It looks like a lovely pen, by the way!

[Pingu]

Thanks Christopher. Im loving the nib - its a great writer! i cant figure out if it has a corked piston seal, difficult to see through the opaque green window. I might just use it as a dip pen.

 

The M101N is on its way tomorrow I should have it. It looks quite faithful in its shape to the vintage pen. I will update this thread with a comparison of the two.

[carlos.q]

Thanks Christopher. Im loving the nib - its a great writer! i cant figure out if it has a corked piston seal, difficult to see through the opaque green window. I might just use it as a dip pen.

 

I would suggest you try to get the piston working. You won't regret it. Sometimes it's just a matter of changing the seal and many pen repair persons can do the job.

 

Not using that pen the way it was intended is like not driving a Porsche because it has flat tires...

[OMASsimo]

Is the piston stuck? Or why aren't you trying to fill the pen with water, also to clean it of old ink? Sometimes the old cork seals can be revived by moisture. For that you need to fill the pen with at least a little bit of water and store it nib up in a cup or glass. If the water runs through the seal, you might have to repeat this procedure a few times. It can take up to a week to revive an old dry cork seal by watering it. I have rescued many old seals this way but, of course, some are just shot and need to be replaced. Your pen is definitely worth the effort, especially if it's an early black version, which is quite rare and valuable besides being a wonderful writer and classic pen.

[christof]

According to your pictures of the ink window, the pen is probably fitted with a black plastic seal. To find a replacement is not easy but possible.

[Pingu]

Thanks guys!

 

Yes the piston turns up and down absolutely smoothly. I never thought about trying it with water - I’ll do that. If it seems ok then I will fill it with ink. I never appreciated what a difference vintage nibs can be, and always wondered what the fuss was when FPN’ers wax lyrical about them. The nice thing about an old pen is that I don’t have to worry about coddling it for fear of cosmetic damage. I can just use it with not a care - which for some reason will probably make me bond with it more. I now feel slightly guilty for hiding it away out of sight out of mind.

[Pingu]

Yippee my M101N has arrived! 🙂

 

Its quite faithful to the vintage in design with the curvy clip and cap.

 

Btw I think my pen is a 100N not a 100, because of the smooth knob instead of a knurled knob according to the expert guides,and it measures around 120mm. I am guessing it must be quite an early one ?1938 because of the nib not having 585 like Ive seen in pictures of some others. The modern M101N is a tad longer. I am going to try out & compare the nib flexiness.

[mana]

Hi, it is a 100. Based on the filling knob and the green (acrylic) barrel it is a later gen pen made from 1940 onwards.

 

You can read more about the 100 from here > https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Historic-Pens/100/index.html

 

And hey, congrats on the growing flock! Do post a pic of those to the https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/342611-adding-to-the-flock-2019-2020/ thread!

 

I've had my eye on some of the M101N for a while (that and the first green/brown one) but they are a bit too pricey for me at the moment. Btw. the M101N is pretty faithfully modelled after the post war 100N.

[Pingu]

Thanks mana. I love your vintage tortoises there! 😃

[sansenri]

Thanks sansenri You are absolutely right - on dip testing the nib it definitely writes Fine.

 

Im scared to fill it up though as advised re caution in case its corked.

 

Edited to add:

I was wrong! You are absolutely right! On peering under the collar, I can see M beneath the star, exactly the same as the one in manas picture. Im confused because it writes like a Fine to me. Or like a Japanese Medium. Do vintage nibs tend to be finer? Or maybe a previous owner had it grind?

yes, vintage Pelikan nibs tend to be finer, certainly if you compare with today's Pelikan nibs. So I don't think it has been modified in any way, it is just like that (also consider that vintage nibs had a greater grade of variability nib to nib even when same size).

[Bo Bo Olson]

If you want to Zombie a cork, remove the nib unit to make sure some water gets to the cork.

Soak the nib unit section first to loosen up any old ink. Take a paper towel and fold it over your left forefinger's last joint, place the three feed combs gently there in, place thumb flat on top and twist the pen towards your self....gently.

Pull the cork back, so you can apply water to and in the barrel so the barrel is full of water. Stand upright for a week.

A Day is Not enough time to Zombie a cork....one needs a week and can never ever let it get dry again....stored with water in it.

 

Normally that 100n would be a plastic gasket 1.0......the Plastic Gasket 2.0 came in @ 1955.

 

Pingu I don't know where in the world you are, but properly prepared cork (boiled in paraffin and beeswax is the best smoothest of all gaskets, according to 'The Repair Book' by Marshal and Oldfield.

Fountainble a member here, one of the inventors of the Conid fountain pen, is whom I send my pens to be recorked.....including a MB 2341/2 that was Plastic Gasket 1.0. He also slathers the cork with silicon grease......even before that, a properly prepared cork should last 70 years if you don't put it in the dark of a drawer for a generation or two.

 

If you don't tell us which continent or subcontinent you are on, makes it hard for us to direct you to local help....tell you about good local papers or inks.

[Pingu]

Thanks Sansenri & Bo Bo

 

Well Ive filled the 100 with ink without any problems - and oh my gosh the nib is absolutely stunning. Id never quite understood before why folk rave about vintage nibs - now I do. It may look old with faded looks, but it performs like a veteran maestro.

 

ps. Bo Bo - I currently live in the UK - moved to England almost 6 years ago

[Bo Bo Olson]

Good, now that I know you are in GB, then I can tell you Oxford Optic 90g spiral notebooks are a great cheap paper....same paper as in the Black&Red case bound notebooks. A very nice shading paper.

I'll be picking some up next week. There had been none where I live in Germany, I'd had to drive an hour to Frankfurt to get some.

I actually had a pal send me some from England.

It matches Clairefontaine velout** 90g spiral notebooks, both are the same great.

** A tad less slick than Rhodia or Clairefontaine Triumph, but still great shading papers.

 

I have Germany as a location, so folks can tell me about things in Germany, like pens from Fritz down in Frieberg; or DA or R&K inks.