Found a couple ? early Parker 75s

October 22, 2005

These were my dad's pens, but he's letting me take them. One came from my grandfather. They're both of the silver grid type in great condition except for some tarnishing. Is there a way for me to tell the year they were made? I'm excited to see how they write after a good cleaning!

Edited October 22, 2005 by amin

October 22, 2005

Ok, here is where to look:

Lih-Tah Wong's amazing Parker 75 website

If you click on the "Reference" link and then click on the "Parker 75" link you can choose from various options. There is a wealth of information there!

October 22, 2005

Thank you, that's a great site!

October 23, 2005

When needed, (more precisely, when I felt like it), I found that using a standard silver (metal) polish such as Wenol or Simichrome does a beautiful job of restoring the finish of silver pens such as the 75 or Sonnet.

October 23, 2005

When needed, (more precisely, when I felt like it), I found that using a standard silver (metal) polish such as Wenol or Simichrome does a beautiful job of restoring the finish of silver pens such as the 75 or Sonnet.

Could I perhaps suggest that using a silver polishing cloth (to be had of all supermarkets) might be a little more satisfactory?

One of the charms of the cross-hatch pattern on 75s is the contrast between the bright silver and the dark, tarnished colour of the grooves. IME, using a general-purpose polish like Simichrome tends to clean into the grooves, so you have to wait a while for the tarnish (I suppose the Sales Department would say "The natural coloration that shows that your sterling 75 is a Living Pen ") to come back.

Some might feel that Simichrome is a bit abrasive for silver, too. The minimally destructive way seems to be to rub the silver with a microfibre cleaning cloth, but this won't remove heavy tarnish.

Best

Michael

October 23, 2005

Thank you for the suggestions George and Michael. I did use an ordinary tarnish remover somewhat sparingly since the tarnish was heavy. It got into the grid a bit, but I'll patiently wait for the contrast to become greater . One odd thing - one of the pens cleaned up and became shiny. The more tarnished one appears quite dull after tarnish removal. Maybe one of the cloths Michael mentioned will bring back the polish? Thanks again, Amin.