M-Nos (Mostly New Old Stock) Blue Diamond Black Vacumatic Major

[Malcy]

I, like many others like Vacumatics however I have had some difficulty finding one to my tastes. Why? because I like broader nibs and most Vac nibs seem to be fine. David Isaacson notes on his site that broader nibs may only be fitted to 1 in 100 Vacumatics.

 

 

I was at the Northern Pen Show in Lytham recently and I was browsing the benches when I saw some NOS third gen vacumatics only missing a feed and nib on Peter Twydle's display. I picked one of them and a Vac nib that he had for sale, Eric Wilson put it together and this is the result:

 

 

I realise that most of the attention goes to the earlier vacumatics with the jewelled barrel and the pearl type celluloids and I like them too but I think that the third gen barrel end is neater and I like black with GT pens, so this pen suits me fine in the looks department. An added bonus is that it is a blue diamond major and seems to have been made right at the end of USA production in 1948.

 

 

This pen is of course made of made of celluloid which has a nice feel to it. The quality of construction is excellent. This is a mid sized pen which is slightly shorter than my other 3rd gen vac at 128mm capped and 151mm posted but slight variation is to be expected on these lathe turned pens. It is not a heavy pen, though it is heavier than the similarly sized Pelikan M400. Being unused, the gold trim is perfect, I haven't even cleaned it. The celluloid also shows superb transparency showing the ink inside as all vacs would have done when new.

 

 

Now we come to the best bit, the nib. It was pure luck that the only nib that Peter Twydle had to fit the vac body was just about the perfect nib for me. The nib is of first quarter 1938 Canadian production if I have the dating correct. It is a bit flexy and is somewhere between B and BB in width. How many vacs come up with a nib like this, not a great many as far as I can see so I am very happy to have chanced upon it.

 

 

You can see the comparison with the Pelikan M400 BB nib in the writing sample. The line variation is slightly less than the Pelikan nib. This nib is very smooth and it writes with a good amount of wetness.

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g114/Luminarium/vac_text.jpg

 

What can I say that has not already been said about the filling system, the famous Vacumatic. It is easy to use and the pen holds a huge amount of ink, a good thing with this nib. The only minus points about vacumatics are that they aren't the easiest pens to flush completely if you want to change ink colour and they need expert attention if the filling system malfunctions.

 

 

This pen has cost me a little more than the average ebay Vacumatic, about £65. However, I am getting the pen and nib that I want and it is essentially a new pen. How many new, celluloid, gold nibbed pens can you get for that price these days? So I am more than happy with the cost and it is a pen that I will enjoy using for many years to come.

 

Scores:

 

Appearance & Design 9/10

Construction & Quality 9/10

Weight & Dimensions 8/10

Nib & Performance 10/10

Filling System & Maintenance 8/10

Cost & Value 8/10

 

Final score 52/60

[Guest Subvet642]

Wow! I have never seen transparency like that on a Vac, ever!

[deltree]

I have never seen a pen write that beautifully...even CI's are put to shame...can you please tell me in todays time what nib can replicate writing such as that? For people who cant be as lucky as you are.

[Inka]

Beautiful, congrats, especially on the clarity and wider nib tipping found!

I have one that's NOS, but silver furniture w/ gray stripes, original box & instructions so old that the paper has since yellowed from age.

The clarity of a NOS Vac' is truly something to behold, it's easier to see through the barrels than those of my green or blue striped Pelikans.

Enjoy it, I know I would!

[Malcy]

Thanks for the comments,

 

The clarity is excellent, though no doubt it will deteriorate as the pen is used. At least you can see what a new Vac owner in the 30s or 40s would have seen in their new pen.

 

I have never seen a pen write that beautifully...even CI's are put to shame...can you please tell me in todays time what nib can replicate writing such as that? For people who cant be as lucky as you are.

 

If you want a modern pen that wites in a similar way, the Pelikan nib that I compared it with is close. The version that I used is a 1990's gold BB nib in a Pelikan M400 but they still make the BB nib. These nibs will fit the M200 series and the M400 series as well and are a simple screw in replacement, no tools needed. I am not sure if they make his nib width in steel though.

[Mickey]

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g114/Luminarium/vac_text.jpg

 

 

Lovely photos and discussion. BTW, (and well off topic) Verne got it wrong. Sheridan died in 1816 at 14 Savile Row; the street is named for Lady Dorothy Savile, n.b., one "l" only. (A trifecta boo-boo for Verne.) The house is now occupied by Hardy Amies (clothier). Other than that, great book, fun movie, NICE PEN.

[georges zaslavsky]

awesome pen and awesome writing, thanks for sharing

[reprieve]

What a gorgeous Vac! Of course, the nib is the best part!

[Brian]

That's a nice custom job. Congratulations.

[david1600]

great handwritting and of course pen

[ipse dixit]

I have a Golden Web vacumatic with a broad nib and feed marked with a "W". The nib is similar if not identical to the one in Malcy's post, and get similar results.

[Mr Ink]

I, like many others like Vacumatics however I have had some difficulty finding one to my tastes. Why? because I like broader nibs and most Vac nibs seem to be fine. David Isaacson notes on his site that broader nibs may only be fitted to 1 in 100 Vacumatics.

 

Like you, I prefer medium-broad nibs to fine ones. I haven't had any luck finding a Vacumatic with anything but a fine nib, but am still hoping I eventually will do. That's a wonderful looking pen you have there. The nib and, especially, your handwriting are fantastic. Congratulations!!

[Malcy]

I, like many others like Vacumatics however I have had some difficulty finding one to my tastes. Why? because I like broader nibs and most Vac nibs seem to be fine. David Isaacson notes on his site that broader nibs may only be fitted to 1 in 100 Vacumatics.

 

Like you, I prefer medium-broad nibs to fine ones. I haven't had any luck finding a Vacumatic with anything but a fine nib, but am still hoping I eventually will do. That's a wonderful looking pen you have there. The nib and, especially, your handwriting are fantastic. Congratulations!!

 

While my nib and pen arrived separately, I do see Vacs with broad/stub nibs on ebay UK occasionally. They are invariably of Canadian manufacture, US made Vacs seem to be mostly fine. I think that you could improve your chances by setting up a search on ebay UK and ebay CA. The wider nibs do command a price premium over fine nibbed pens but are still affordable in unrestored form.

 

Having said what I said about Canadian and US vacs, here is a US made example. It is an emerald blue diamond major with what looks like a stub nib:

 

ebay Item number: 110799654539

[mikkolopez]

nice find and the flexed writing on that pen is excellent, my type of broad nib, wish Parker would have B nibs on Sonnet available locally. All I see are M nibs.