Custom "51" From Ralph Prather

[JimStrutton]

As you may be aware, I sorta like Parker "51"s

 

Anyway, I got into corespondance with Ralph Prather who lives in New Mexico, but his ancestors way back lived in Withshire, just a little way from where I now live in fact. He also fixes and customises pens as a business.

 

As you may be aware, there were any number of early Parker "51"s made with solid sterling silver caps, great idea, but over time the protective plating wears off, they tarnish, look horrible and end up as little more than spares as you can almost argue that the silver content is the greatest value of the cap. Anyway, Ralph does an very interesting restoration and he offered to do a pen for me. First I had to find a donor pen and I found a reasonable restoration candidate on the GB. This was a cedar blue vac with a GF cap in need of restoration. Ralph took this photo of the pen as it arrived:

 

http://www.strutton.free-online.co.uk/Pictures/Pens/51-Cedar-Custom-SJ.jpg

 

He swapped the GF cap for a sterling silver he already had. What he does is remove the plating and then turn it into a highly polished cap, he then serviced the pen fully, replaced the diaphragm and made a new copper clutch ring and a further copper spacer ring for the vac filler blind cap. The newly restored silver cap has an alumium jewel that he also made, and he restored and fitted the GF clip. Before he sent the pen to me he took the following picture:

 

http://www.strutton.free-online.co.uk/Pictures/Pens/51-Cedar-Custom-SJ-1.jpg

 

This now looks like a NOS pen as it has been almost remanufactured. Now from a purist point of view it is nothing like anything Parker made, but I like to think that it is a pen that Parker should have/could have made. The only slight downside is that I have to wipe the cap over with a silver polishing cloth once in a while just to keep it bright.

 

From a practical point, it writes like any good "51" does and I believe that it looks good. Cost wise, what with buying the original donor pen and paying Ralph for his work plus shipping, it cost me less that buying a 51 SE or a 100 for example. So this is part of my self convincing not to buy new expensive pens :blink:

 

Anyway, that is my story and it is all thanks to Ralph who does this more as a labour of love I am sure. He has made lots more custom pens and he has a project to make somethig really special, but it is not my place to reveal what it is just yet.

 

Jim

 

All photos credit to Ralph Prather, but I got the pen :bunny1: :bunny1: :bunny1:

[acfrery]

I'm not a P51 fan, but your pen is gorgeous. I loved the extra ring!

 

Congrats!

[Apollo]

Wow! It is gorgeous. Jim, I'm a 51 fan myself and yours is a Parker to be proud of.

[Ray]

A superb pen. I'm absolutely green.

 

Ray

[TMann]

Wow! That is really neat. He...uhh...didn't happen to have made any MORE of those did he? Actually, don't answer that question. My pen budget has already been used up for the month, (or is that for the year?)

 

TMann

Edited January 11, 2006 by TMann

[JimStrutton]

To not answer the question posed by TMann, Ralph makes these special pens to order. Some of them he makes for himself as he experiments with various techniques. I know he made another pen like mine, but a double jewel in a different colour that he auctioned off for the Hurricane Benefit Fund to help the folks in New Orleans.

 

I count myself very fortunate to have been made a pen by Ralph as it is a true work of art. In fact since I received it just over 3 months ago I have only taken it out of my rotation once when I went to Cyprus. It is sitting in a wooden single pen case on my desk as I write this today.

 

Getting a pen from Ralph is an experience in itself, you discuss materials colour and then he just goes away and works his magic. Must be something in the water down there, but what he produced just blew me away. I saw the same picture as I showed here, but when the pen arrived I just could not believe it. Still don't for that matter. Anyway, I must take it out of rotation sometime soon as the other "51"s don't get a look in. (And no Ray, TMann et al, I am not planning on selling or shipping them out any time soon!)

 

Glad you liked it guys, thanks for the comments.

 

Jim

[Blade Runner]

Wow!

I share your enthusiasm Jim.

Thanks for sharing the story and photos of a gorgeous pen.

J

[chupie]

That is really pretty!

[Carrie]

Has he got a website for the work that he does or are there any photos online anywhere of other examples? As you've no doubt worked out, I like 51s and 61s too. I do think that one of yours looks very nice indeed.

[JimStrutton]

Has he got a website for the work that he does or are there any photos online anywhere of other examples? As you've no doubt worked out, I like 51s and 61s too. I do think that one of yours looks very nice indeed.

Carrie,

 

Here is a link to Ralph's web site : http://www.la-tierra.com/prather/rp/

 

Not that it is going to tell you too much I am afraid. But if you want a custom "51" then you could write to him and tell him that Jim has been bragging about his "51" on FPN

 

Regards,

 

Jim

[southpaw]

Beautiful pen. Enjoy it!

[chris burton]

Great looking pen. Makes me wish that I hadn't sold off all of my 51's! Very cool.

[JimStrutton]

Thanks for the note Chris,

 

With your skills with the Pelikan Bindes, you could maybe do a really special custom "51" I would think.

 

Jim

[Maja]

Wow, that is a beautiful "new" pen, Jim!

 

I always thought P51 caps were very attractive (well, the most attractive part of the pen to me! ) but the barrels rings look great on it! Thanks for sharing it with us..

[RyanL27]

Mike McConnell at WetInc has a couple Vacs that were spruced up by Ralph Prather for sale. Thought I'd point them out since people seem pretty interested. Wish I could afford one at the moment.

 

WetInc

 

 

Usual Disclaimer with Mr. McConnell though I am a very happy customer.

Edited January 24, 2006 by RyanL27

[georges zaslavsky]

I am not a fan of 51s but this one really stands out and has a touch of high class.