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  1. A very strange Mabie Todd Swan, presumably American: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6698428727_0be79d594a_b.jpg This pen has the right parts, sort of. The clip is right. The cap band arrangement isn't really right (not for a flattop). The stamps on the top and bottom of the pen are right - sort of, they are gold colored. The stamp on the barrel is very incorrect. The section is what is really weird on this pen. The barrel opening is huge - too big for a Mabie Todd 46 section. The opening in the section that is in there for the nib is too small for a 6 size nib. Its marked 46 on the end of the pen, but I'll be damned if I can figure out how to fit a 6 size nib in there.. This is a big fat pen. I've got to think that someone in the factory made it lunchtime with leftover parts (although I'm not sure where this particular celluloid came from - or maybe bakelite?.
  2. A repair box, with a parts pricelist. Not sure of the date. The zodiac stones seems pasted in probably by the repairman. http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/uploads/fpngallery/album_449/gallery_334_449_2415593.jpg http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/uploads/fpngallery/album_449/gallery_334_449_3409270.jpg http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/uploads/fpngallery/album_449/gallery_334_449_4613730.jpg http://fountainpenboard.com/forum/uploads/fpngallery/album_449/gallery_334_449_1458225.jpg
  3. jaredvdm

    Mabie Todd Swan 2

    Hi All, Newbie here. I am a hobby typographer with a love for all writing instruments, but mostly the pen we all congregate for. I inherited a few pens from my late grandmother. A cheap looking Hifra fountain, Tropen Scholar, Wahl Eversharp and a Mabie Todd Swan 2. The Swan is my, as it writes beautifully and looks like it's seen a lot. First thing is, I have no idea how to date the pen, and the second is, it's missing it's original lid/cap. It's such a beautiful pen and I would like to know how I would be able to acquire one and how I would date it. Is anyone able to help? Thanks in advance, Jared
  4. Here's a nice example of this famous model. I have not before seen the herringbone chasing on a Minor nor a cap band. It is stamped on the end of the barrel SM2-60 which suggests that it is quite early; probably about 1932. Cob
  5. So I saw an auction for a NY Mabie Todd Swan - a gold ringtop, but the photos were so bad you couldn't tell anything about the pen. So what one does in the circumstances is ask the seller about the nib (of course). The answer prompted me to bid on the thing, and it just arrived. What a treasure for fifty bucks! Very heavy for its size so I think it's solid gold. Very handsome chasing, and a wonderfully flexy #2 nib. I bought it with my fingers crossed, and I'm very pleased.
  6. Another antique! I think that dating the pen is fairly straightforward. On the barrel is stamped Mabie Todd & Co New York, but the section is stamped Swan 4500 M.T.B. This of course would refer to Mabie Todd & Bard which ceased in 1907, so I can reasonably presume that this pen dates from perhaps 1908 or thereabouts. Stamped also 4572 this represents a 4500 model with a short medium No 3 nib. The pen incorporates a "plug feed" whereby the pen may be filled without unscrewing the section. There is also a gold overfeed, probably an early example. And the pen does what Mabie Todd claimed: it is always ready to write which it does very nicely! Cob
  7. Have a look at this picture: it shows the barrel stamp of a very nice Swan 1060 I have up for sale on eBay at present. I suspect that the curious additional letters are a production error so I suppose this pen must be judged a quality control failure - rare I should say at Mabie Todd before the war. It can be seen that the misplaced letters are made with the factory stamps. Any views on this curiosity? Cob
  8. I've seen something this morning that puts me in a campaigning mood. One butcher by the name of Womble1962 is apparently stripping gold nibs from fountain pens, (and doubtless anything else he/ she can get at) and selling the remains " for parts or repair" I think that this heathen, heid banging philistine, who sells the purist dross, should be bombarded with messages. See: http://www.ebay.fr/sch/m.html?item=351349542960&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%253A80%252Frover%252F0%252Fe11010.m2368.l3160%252F7%253Feuid%253D71a9939dc1a243c59475241194a55afa%2526loc%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.fr%25252Fitm%25252F351349542960%25253F_trksid%25253Dp11010.c100136.m2769%252526_trkparms%25253Daid%2525253D555012%25252526algo%2525253DPW.MBE%25252526ao%2525253D1%25252526asc%2525253D20140212115136%25252526meid%2525253Da76ed1d692014051a70e0f36a9aa1b2b%25252526pid%2525253D100136%25252526rk%2525253D1%25252526rkt%2525253D12%25252526sd%2525253D301561760653%25252F%25253FssPageName%25253DADME%25253AB%25253AWNA%25253AFR%25253A3160%2526srcrot%253De11010.m2368.l3160&_ssn=womble1962&rt=nc What about a "save Mabie Todd" thread that would willingly accept other maker's fans? I think I'll start a thread right now and send this heathen a link.
  9. I often see Mabie Todd nibs with a letter stamped on the nib below the size number. The most common examples seem to be D, G and H. Is it known what these letters designate? Examples: http://i.imgur.com/IzQiBvd.jpg http://i.imgur.com/VkefZtW.jpg http://i.imgur.com/8g0UJCD.jpg
  10. Hello all I am new to the forums. I have an antique Mabie Todd dip pen and would like to find other nibs that fit the pen. The Mabie Todd nib that is currently in the pen is expensive and difficult to find. I would like to write with the pen a lot but all the nibs I have don't fit this pen. I recall seeing another post on the forums discussing nib and holder matching. The posted stated that Victorian dip pens had smaller nibs. If anyone could suggest a nib that would fit the pen I'd really appreciate it. I have attached a picture of the pen/nib you should be able to see the nib if you zoom in. Thanks in advance.
  11. I was given a rather lovely Swan pen yesterday, of a sort that (in my limited experience) I haven't seen before. So I would very much like to know more about it. This is a long post, but I'm putting as much detail in as I can to increase the chances that someone will be able to help. I didn't find anything on FPN that might help - but if I've missed something, please just point me in the right direction. It looks like a good quality piece, and there are no leaks or cracks. An overnight soak of the nib revealed lots of gunk, and it needs further cleaning, but it is unblocked enough that water flows through. I guess it's pre-WWII, given that it's an eyedropper. But it has clearly been reasonably well looked after, so I doubt the nib is a replacement. It also seems likely that the box is original to the pen. Pictures follow, but I don't have a good camera with me, so please note the following details (all writing on the pen is in CAPS, and / indicates a new line): * Cap: feels like solid metal, and is gold coloured (rolled gold?), with the Swan logo at the top of the clip. No finial 'jewel'. It's a screw-cap. * Barrel: deep green - can read as black in poor light. No evidence of fading. Smells a bit funny - if I had to guess, I'd say it isn't plastic. Barrel imprint is slightly faded, but still reasonably crisp. It has the Swan logo with "trade mark" written underneath. The imprint says, "'Swan' Safety Pen / Mabie Todd & co. Ltd / Made in England" * Section is black and has an imprint: "Swan" * Nib appears to be fairly rigid - much less flexible than the thin Swan eyedropper (e.g.) and Blackbird lever-filler (e.g.) pens I have (EDIT for clarity. It's not a nail - you can get some line variation out of it, from what I can see when it is filled with water - but it differs markedly in feel from the other Mabie Todd pens I have tried). The nib seems to be a number 1: it is marked, "Swan / 1 / 14ct / Mabie Todd / & Co Ltd * Feed is black, smells a little like the Noodler's pens and is marked "Swan". I haven't yet removed the nib and feed for cleaning. The box is as shown in the first picture - pretty standard. The end of the box is marked "Safety" in black and "Fine" in red. I'm including a picture of a bottom side of the box which quotes postage costs in both then-standard and imperial denominations, in case that helps to date it more exactly. Finally, the pen came with an eyedropper in the box. The rubber feels a little old and slightly inflexible, but it works fine. I don't imagine it is original. Pictures: Entire ensemble Pen: nib, barrel & cap Nib close-up (to the extent that my camera does close-ups) Finallly, instructions on exchanging nibs, including postage prices
  12. I could use some help. I'm having difficulty IDing a Mabie Todd NY, flat top, wide cap band, lever fill. No model # on barrel end. Nib has heart breather, "SWAN 14ct Mabie Todd & Co made in USA" barrel has a light imprint. SWAN Self Fill Pen, MABIE TODD& Co NEW YORK Pats Jan 23.34 May 23.13 Pat. P3" 4.75" capped 4" uncapped. Thanks in advance for your help.
  13. I know that the BHR has faded to a horrid colour on the cap, but it does have the 1920 bling feature of an 18ct gold band on the cap! Never mind all that nonsense: it is fitted with the lovely Mabie Todd New York No 2 stub, a little bent and writes like a dream. Funnily I just sold my first No 2 Safety Screw Cap a week ago! They are lovely pens. Cob
  14. I have been very fortunate to acquire a very nice Swan SM1/57. Apart from its prettiness, it has a most interesting nib which I assume is quite unusual: it is a broad oblique italic. Writing with one of these is quite discipline-inducing! Cob
  15. I know a little about the Mabie Todd brand, but haven't been able to find a single go-to page for information on their models over the years, and am wondering where this one fits in. I just cleaned it up and put a new sac in it, and it's a pretty nice little pen except for a pronounced tendency to nib creep. Might be better with a different ink (I'm using Namiki Blue), but never mind that now. Here's what it looks like. http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt221/mapn/Pens/MTS37_zps020e6de6.jpg http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt221/mapn/Pens/MTS41_zps04d256a4.jpg On the flat end of the barrel, the number 54 is visible above the letters ETN. Along the barrel, their are three lines of text. "Swan" Self Filling Pen Mabie Todd & Co., New York, Pats Jan. 26 04 May 21 18 Pat Pdg The word "Eternal" also appears at right angles to the above, part way around the circumference of the barrel. The nib has the writing "Swan" Eternal 4, 14 Ct, Mab Todd & Co. From the 1918 patent, I'm guessing that this is from the years of decline of the U.S. company, but it's a pretty nice looking pen. The only real manufacturing flaw I can find is with the cap. There are three breather holes, two of them are not punched out completely, and there are still nubs of plastic (celluloid) left in the middle. This is the first lever filler I've seen without a springbar. The pressure bar hangs on a pivot from the lever. The lever has a hook on the other end that latches it into place when closed. It works quite well. I filled this from ink that had been transferred to a vial in order to get a rough measurement, and it took in a milliliter. The nib writes a line somewhere on the border of fine and medium, it has no particular flex. It's writing a bit dry, I may try spreading the tines a little. It's a fairly short pen; I have to post it to write with it comfortably. Anyway, I'm curious to know about when this pen was made, and anything else interesting about it. And if somebody knows of a good reference page for Mabie Todd models, that would be good too.
  16. A thorny one this - and probably a hardy perenniel for all I know. Does anyone have Stephen Hull's WES piece concerning Mabiie Todd's colour codes? I have done a search without any success. I know a few of them, but am a bit puzzled with a recent purchase. It is a Calligraph stamped 3250. Now 50 was always green (or at least I thought so) until this one arrived; it is brown. For example, I have a late 1920s/early 1930s 230/50; this is jade! 20 was dark blue, 30 was grey, 60 is black, 70 is light blue. A few more: 52 early is Lapis, later blue/black marble, 42 is blue marble, 45 grey marble, 53 blue/bronze marble, 58 marine bronze, 59 Italian marble, and 64 amber mist. And that is more or less the lot off the top of my head! My two "64s": Rgds Cob
  17. I'm probably going to get a replacement nib for my Mabie Todd pen. It has a cracked Eternal nib, but writes wonderfully smooth. So, how are the regular nibs in comparison? How is the writing experience?
  18. Hi, There is a long hairline crack in one of my eyedropper pen. How to repair it? Though I do not use this pen very often is it possible to have a silicon grease coating at the inner surface before filling, or need to have some glue? With Regards Tapan
  19. Dear All, I have the following two pens that I am trying to get into working condition. The first is marked "Swan" self-filler Mabie Todd 7 Co. Ltd. Made in England on the barrel, with S-F 210 C at its base and SF2 on the part the nib sits in. The nib is marked Swan 2 14Ct Mabie Todd Co. Ltd The second, which appears to have an italic nib is marked "Swan" self-filling pen Mabie Todd and Co. Ltd. Made in England on the barrel, with 2 S. F-MBRD at its base and also SF2 on the part the nib sits in, while the nib itself says Mabie Todd and Co. N.Y. 2 Neither has a sac and one is missing its cap. Can anyone advise me on where I might buy sacs for these pens, and what size? Is there any chance of finding a cap? Is there a particular way they ought to be treated on reassembly? Both are also quite faded. Many thanks for your help and sorry if these questions are ignorant or have obvious answers already presented (I did a bit of a search, but couldn't quite find what I was looking for). Sorry also for the wretched picture. regards, Ben
  20. neila452

    Need Mabie Todd Nib

    I have a Mabie Todd Swan pen model #3150 that needs a nib. The pen itself is ca. 125mm or 5 inches capped. 1. What model number Swan nib am I looking for? 2. Do any members know where I might find a nib to fit this pen? -Neil Anderson
  21. Centopar

    Mabie Todd Swan 1500

    This dropped through the letterbox an hour ago. I haven't had much time to play with it, but I couldn't wait to show it to you all. Here she is: a BCHR Mabie Todd Swan 1500 eyedropper, with a pretty gold-filled band. Big thanks to Deb from Goodwriters, who, as always, was an absolute joy to deal with. The cap is friction fit and posts very comfortably - the lack of a clip is actually something I always rather like in a pen (1500s with after-market clips are quite common, and I am pleased to have found a pen without one), but your preference may differ! Uncapped: Of course, the really interesting thing about the 1500 is the nib and feed setup. The 1500 was made in the 1910s, when most companies had abandoned the fiddly over/under feed for ladder feeds. Mabie Todd carried on with the over/under, and it's a wonderfully reliable mechanism - at least when Mabie Todd are making it (some vintage pens with this setup can be quite blobby). This nib is beautifully flexible; it's not the most responsive nib I own, but it feels very brush-like to use. Here are some pictures of the nib and feed, because I know that's what you're all interested in: I didn't take a picture before I filled the pen, but the feed's long back and accompanying twist of silver wire is interesting, and Deb has a picture from a different 1500 on her blog. I've owned this pen for all of about 70 minutes, so this is a very perfunctory look (and Tanzanite is too wet an ink to use in it, in retrospect - apologies for the scrawl). I've not written much with it yet, but I have a feeling we're going to be firm friends. The nib is smooth, wet and painterly, and the slimness of the barrel suits me perfectly.
  22. Hello, I am looking to purchase a Mabie Todd Swan Eternal with a No 8 Nib. Information on this pen seems to be quite scarce. I would be grateful if informed members of the forum could shed some light on the best place to look for it and pricing etc. Thanks. Regards
  23. This is my Vac 700 with a custom section sporting a vintage 14kt Mabie Todd “Swan” no.6 flex italic nib. The Pen Holder: I am sure many of you here have already seen quite a few reviews of the TWSBI Vac 700. Like many others out there I was impressed with the looks and quality of this pen. The clear EF nibed pen I received directly from TWSBI wrote perfectly out of the box, but my personal preference is for flexi nibs so I immediately began searching for an adequate replacement. The Custom Section: After a long tedious search I was unable to source an appropriate nib that could be easily transplanted to the TWSBI section. As such I decided to go custom. I had a fantastic Mabie Todd Swan no.6 nib and feed without a matching body so I thought they would be a great match for this pen. Our own Appleman here on FPN was the gentleman who did the wonderful work shown in the attached photos. The custom section is made out of black ebonite. Appleman did a great job creating a girthy section with a nice curvature which is extremely comfortable to hold. As you can see in the images, there is also less of a step from the barrel to the section when compared to an unmodified Vac 700. This was a huge plus as well! The ebonite feels warm to the touch and due to its solid construction moves the balance of the pen toward the front of the pen which I prefer. I find that if I remove the clip to the pen from the cap then the pen is actually quite reasonably balanced when posted. I am sure the very large chunk of gold at the front end helps as well Although I do not have a Vac 20 yet, I hope that this pen will still be compatible with TWSBI’s Vac inkwell. The Nib: Before this project I had the nib in a Noodler’s Konrad which wrote well. However a nib of this quality needs a pen holder which offers the sense of luxury. So I was not happy with that set up. When it was in this pen body, I had the tip customized to a rather sharp cursive italic by Mr. Pendelton Brown. He did fabulous work. In the TWSBI pen holder the Swan writes an amazing M (western) cursive italic that can easy flex to a glorious 3+mm downstroke. Whether or not this is a “superflex”, “wet noodle” or otherwise is beyond my experience as I have only used a handful of flex nibs. I will say that the force required to flex this pen is small enough that flexing on every letter can be done without fatigue. The cross strokes can be hairline thin when a light hand is used. The nib is very responsive, but the flood of ink that comes with the flexing can sometimes puddle up if the stroke is not followed through on. None-the-less, the full flex writing experience is smooth and quite enjoyable on higher quality papers. The matching vintage Swan ladder feed manages to keep up very well considering how much ink is laid down. After long sessions of flexing the flow does require some time to catch up (as you can see by the time I get to “jumps”), but honestly I am surprised these vintage feeds can supply as much ink as they do. The Rhodia dotpad paper crinkles under the stream of ink… Of full flex writing the pen only manages to write about 5 pages of text (single stroke fill-60%ish full). This is quite surprising considering the Vac 700’s large ink capacity. However I do not anticipate writing pages of flex writing so this is not an issue. Under normal writing conditions the ink supply will last a long time. When writing with a light hand the nib handles with ease. The pen is smooth and flow is generous but not uncontrollable. I would be comfortable using this pen on cheaper printer paper for unflexed writing. On some 30% recycled copier paper the pen writes without feathering, but the line is a more stubish M-B line. Most of my inks are of the Iroshizuku line which to my understanding are quite wet. I will need to try some dryer inks. (any recommendations?). I have been considering some iron-gal inks but am unsure if R&K Salix or Scabiosa will react with the steel plunger rod. If anyone has some experience with these inks and Vac 700’s please let me know. Conclusions: This pen has blown away all my expectations and it is truly going to be my prized pen for many years to come. This mix of vintage and modern has created a sweet spot for me personally. I am left wondering if I will ever need another pen again. The balance of the pen leans toward my preferences, the looks are stunning and eye catching and most importantly the writing experience is heavenly. Thank you all for looking! ~Hanryy





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