Parker 51 Vacumatic

[tenurepro]

I know the P51 has been done to death, but I just couldn't resist doing a mini review on this pen given its age, and the odd circumstances leading to its acquisition.

 

I was on vacation last week, when my wife dropped a little clear plastic bag on my lap – "I got this fountain pen for you – it was only $2"; my wife has a habit of finding gems in 'junk' sales. I could tell from the arrow on the clip that it was a Parker, and a well used one, but I wasn't sure about the model (Iam still a newbie). Upon a closer inspection, I found PARKER "51" MADE IN CANADA stamped on the barrel, and a quick google search confirmed that I have the storied P51 in my hands.

 

The pen was not in the best shape – it had dried ink, and the nib was misaligned. The good folks on this forum helped me clean and align it (see post on the subject). It became quickly apparent that this pen was very old – the vacumatic version of the p51 was only produced between 1941 and 48. The number "6" was stamped below the country of origin, indicating that the pen was produced in 1946, at the Toronto factory.

 

 

 

This pen is nearly twice my age !!! and it was made in my hometown. Very neat. I spent the day dreaming about who owned this pen, and how it traveled around the city and country. This also made me think of Toronto in 1946. A very nice connection with the city and its past (hey… didn't the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley cup in 46/47 ).

 

 

 

Anyways, after a good cleaning, I loaded up the pen with Mont Blanc Royal Blue, and spent about an hour writing…

 

 

 

Appearance & Design – dove grey, with a lustraloy split arrow cap with a greenish stone, and a goldish clip (blue diamond on the arrow is missing). The pen is light and easy to hold. It bears many microscratches, but no major dents or cracks. The tip of the nib looks slightly bent back [see more pics here].

 

 

 

Weight & Dimensions – I've decided to compare this pen to a Mont Blanc Boheme (which is also a medium), and my new benchmark for comfortable FPs, the Nakaya Long cigar (soft medium with flex). TheP51 is about the same weight (uncapped) as the Nakaya, both are lighter than the MB Boheme (capped). The grip width is smaller on the P51 (but you can get a wider grip if you hold the pen closer to the barrel ring).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nib & Performance – I am extremely impressed with how well the P51 writes – very smooth and good ink flow… no startup problems or skipping – did I say that this pen is 66 years old! Amazing. It lays a healthy medium line, which is very similar in width to my medium MB Boheme. The P51 also show some subtle but very welcome line variation (see pics, variation is highlighted with arrows). In comparison, the MB Boheme shows no line variation (but glides on paper a bit more quietly). The Nakaya, originally a soft medium, was customized for added flex and obviously shows the greatest line variation.

 

 

 

Filling System & Maintenance – Vacumatic… lengthier to clean than CC pens. I don't have a good handle on how expensive it will be to maintain this pen. I've heard that the diaphragm on the vacumatics need regular replacement, but it seems like spare parts are fairly inexpensive.

 

 

Conclusion – This is a very comfortable pen and is a very good writer. The fact that this pen writes so well after 66 years is a testament to how well it has been designed and made – hats off to Parker.

 

 

 

I'll leave you with a few words scribbled with the P51 -

 

 

[mark e]

nice to see another p-51 convert---i have a handful of 51's--vacs, aeros, even a canadian demi aero, among others---i think they're the ford f-150 of fountain pens, only more streamline-stylish--easy-writing, dependable, mostly indestructible workhorse, and more easily maintained than most people think

 

my first 51 was a gift from my mother 3-4 yrs ago; it was a gift to her from my father in 1946---it's a vacuumatic, and it sucked up water, and then ink, and wrote immediately, with no problems---but on the second ink fill (6 months later---holds a lot of ink!) i could tell the diaphragm was losing suction, so i replaced it---from what i can tell, if you replace the one in your pen, it wont need to be replaced until your grandson/daughter uses it for the first time 60 yrs from now

 

good review, thanks

[georges zaslavsky]

this pen despite its age is a very durable writer. thanks for the review

[tenurepro]

Thanks - great to see that the diaphragm has a decent life span. I've been writing with it for 3 days now and its still writing extremely well. I do like the idea of passing along the pens to future grandkids [but i'll have to keep it on lock for now - my 4 year old has a habit of braking valuable things ]

nice to see another p-51 convert---i have a handful of 51's--vacs, aeros, even a canadian demi aero, among others---i think they're the ford f-150 of fountain pens, only more streamline-stylish--easy-writing, dependable, mostly indestructible workhorse, and more easily maintained than most people think

 

my first 51 was a gift from my mother 3-4 yrs ago; it was a gift to her from my father in 1946---it's a vacuumatic, and it sucked up water, and then ink, and wrote immediately, with no problems---but on the second ink fill (6 months later---holds a lot of ink!) i could tell the diaphragm was losing suction, so i replaced it---from what i can tell, if you replace the one in your pen, it wont need to be replaced until your grandson/daughter uses it for the first time 60 yrs from now

 

good review, thanks

[Frank C]

You have a great collection going. Parker 51s are real workhorses. My mother still uses one she purchased new in the 40s. Never had a service or even a flushing until I got ahold of it. Just a few gallons of Sheaffer Skrip Peacock blue ink. A great pen!

[vondauster]

Great review and story, another sumgai deal!

 

I am also a late convert to 51s, and never thought I'd care for one. First I stumbled onto a nice Super 21, loved how it wrote, then bit the bullet and now am up to three 51s and 2 Super 21s. I'm still not a huge fan of the looks of the pen, heck, I like Pelikans, but boy what a writer!

 

Enjoy a great pen...

 

Will

[tenurepro]

I know what you mean - not the greatest looking pen, but an excellent writer. I had the pen sitting in my drawer for about three days without use, and i picked it up today, and it danced beautifully on paper - no skips or start-up problems whatsoever. I still can't believe it is 66 years old!

Great review and story, another sumgai deal!

 

I am also a late convert to 51s, and never thought I'd care for one. First I stumbled onto a nice Super 21, loved how it wrote, then bit the bullet and now am up to three 51s and 2 Super 21s. I'm still not a huge fan of the looks of the pen, heck, I like Pelikans, but boy what a writer!

 

Enjoy a great pen...

 

Will

Edited August 17, 2012 by tenurepro

[dst207]

Thanks for the review. I see a P51 in my future.

[akrishna59]

unfortunately i have never seen a p 51 in person, though i dont care for hooded nibs, i have always been fascinated by the durability as claimed by members here. a pen which lasts fifty years seems to be incredible to me and that too without any repair.

 

someday i hope to see such pens in person and try them out. but alas other than useless hero pens which are almost an exact copy of these, i have never seen p 51s in india. in fact people will mistake p 51s for hero pens here, if available. perhaps real collectors will be having them.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

[terminal]

I really enjoyed this review. It's very easy to read and has just the right tone given the pen and the existing reviews. Great story.

[tenurepro]

Thanks terminal!

I really enjoyed this review. It's very easy to read and has just the right tone given the pen and the existing reviews. Great story.

[fitzharry]

Very nice review. I just spent two days gently flushing the ink from my 1945 Parker "51" Vacumatic because it hadn't been flushed in over a year of steady writing. I don't think it really needed it, but I thought the old girl would like the cleaning anyway...

 

To me, the Parker "51" is the pen to carry when you don't need to make a statement or impress others with bling. I do indeed enjoy my Montblanc Writers Editions and Waterman Edson Sapphire Blues, among others, so I like bling, too. But the Parker "51" allows me to use a wonderful and historic fountain pen, with whatever color of ink I choose, that writes EVERY time I apply the nib to paper, and doesn't look out of place when signing credit card receipts. And being obsessive-compulsive about clean open nibs (I can't stand nib creep or finger prints on open nibs!), using my "51" takes that worry away!

Edited August 20, 2012 by fitzharry

[humsin]

I just got a P51 in perfect condition; the cap and body is still shiny!!

[Penman222]

Very nice pen, I am sure it will easily provide another 60 or 70 years of use.

[dst207]

I guess I am going to have to get a P51. Nice review. I need to get my wife looking for one for $2 too, I guess.

[humsin]

Hey!! I have a 1946 P51 too!! The nib is very smooth but very dry...any ink recommendations?

[tenurepro]

she should go shopping with my wife This is not the first time that she has struck gold with some nice vintage FB for awesome prices; There was this other MB 144 with a monotone gold nib that she picked up .........

I guess I am going to have to get a P51. Nice review. I need to get my wife looking for one for $2 too, I guess.

[tenurepro]

Mine is fairly wet. I have actually only had MB royal blue in it... the ink capacity of the pen is very impressive - i actually haven't had to change the ink since I filled it for the review (I've written a few lines pretty much every day since).

Hey!! I have a 1946 P51 too!! The nib is very smooth but very dry...any ink recommendations?

[tenurepro]

curious to see some pictures and a writing sample?

Hey!! I have a 1946 P51 too!! The nib is very smooth but very dry...any ink recommendations?

[PenFan95]

Hey!! I have a 1946 P51 too!! The nib is very smooth but very dry...any ink recommendations?

 

Get some Private Reserve Tanzanite for your '51'. I've heard that it makes pens that feel like they're clogged flow like fire hoses