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Just the other day I discovered that two of my P51s, both English, behaved exactly like Sailor Naginata togi NMFs, that is a broad line at a low writing angle and with a fine line at a vertical angle,and a continuum in between. Sorry I have no pictures at this stage, but if I get a good response on this topic I could possible provide pics during the weekend. Anyone else who has noticed this? Lennart

Good day all! Initiating another 'plum' investigation and seeking all your help for the same As experienced by many, a lot of speculation goes into making up one's mind before that Ebay bid is placed for a "Burgundy" / "Cordovan Brown"/ "Maroon" Parker 51! ' It looks like 'Plum', but is it really so?" ! Similar was my situation and I finally managed to convince myself to go for this lot of 4 Parkers 51s pictured herein...nice colors. One however looked seriously plum especially being placed against a regular "burgundy". Specifically, a Plum demi. But, one can never be sure! I am referrring to the first pen of the set of four pens in pic 1 and the last pen of the set of four in pic 2. Pen is pictured in details in pics 3 & 4. Although I am yet to get the physical delivery of the pens, could not wait to get some opinions, and hence using the seller's pictures for this post! What do you all have to say? Regards, SS

I am in the market for a vintage Parker 51 Empire and Parker 51 First Year in non-black colors. Any recommendations for sellers would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

I am restoring a Parker 51 aerometric. Several members suggest sealing the hood to the ink collector using shellac. I know that for future repair, I can unseal the hood using heat. However, how can I remove the shellac residue? ​Thanks.

Sorry if someone has observed this before me. I haven't the time to check it out. Is it a Parker "51" that Ronald is handing over to Nancy? http://thechristians.com/sites/default/files/styles/front_page_slideshow/public/field/image/20160309-freedoms.jpg?itok=Pox1u9Jy Lennart

Hello, I just finished restoring my Parker 51 and I had a few questions. I was wondering, when screwing the hood back on to a Parker 51 with the O ring in place, how critical is it to use shellac or some kind of sealant on the threads? Is it necessary? What happens if you don't out of curiosity? I kind of like the idea of being able to unscrew it without much difficulty but realize it should be on tight with the O ring properly installed. Also, is it normal for a little bit of ink to collect inside the hood during normal use and carry? Does not sealing the threads of the connector for the hood have anything to do with this? Or should there be no ink on the interior hood surface at all? Finally, I was advised that when installing a new connector/ink sac that one should apply pure talc on the silicone sac (or whatever material it is) to prevent corrosion. Is this also necessary? Thank you.

Hello members, I already made a similar post about this in the Parker forum and realized I should have put it here. I hope I'm not breaking protocol by making another post but this time I'm asking for help specifically about the nib. As you can see from the pictures the tip of the nib is bent to the right and needs straightening and probably some work on the ball(?) of the tip. I've asked two people about repairing it and it seems that it would cost more than to just buy a new one, so I figure I might as well see if I could very carefully try to fix it myself (I can hear the groans of disapproval from here) : ) Is this a bad idea on my part? Any recommendations or tips (heh) on how I could attempt to fix this? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you! ALA

Well, first I would like to introduce myself. I just jointed FPN today. I live in New Jersey, USA. I have always liked fountain pens and used a very inexpensive Waterman I purchased in Berlin, Germany in 1992 while visiting the country. Used it for about 4 years, lost it and never used a fountain pen again. Recently I inherited a Parker 51 from my father-in-law. It is still in the box, never been used, and has a $12.50 price tag still attached to the clip. A very small round sticker on the barrel has the letter M on it which I assume means a medium nib. Pen is black and silver. He said he got it as a sales award back in the mid-1970's sometime. It is a vacumatic with a clear bib used to fill the pen. The printed instruction under the clear bib says: TO FILL PRESS RIBBED BAR FIRMLY 6 TIMES. USES DRY-WRITING SUPERCHROME INK. Couple of questions: 1. Should I use this pen? 2. Is the bib still good? It is made of some sort of cellulose plastic, so I am thinking once I being to depress it, the bib will probably crack and ink will leak everywhere. 3. Should I do anything first, like fill the pen with warm water to re-hydrate it? 4. What kind of ink should I use? Thanks in advance for any recommendations. Flemington, NJ

Dear Enlightened Fountain Pen Friends I have just received the black converter filled Parker 51 Empire State special edition from the turn of the millennium, and apart from saying Parker on the clip there does not seem to be any stamps or writing on the pen at all (which I hope is normal). Does anyone know which materials were used for this pen? To me it looks like black resin with a vermeil cap - that is, goldplated (hopefully gold filled or rolled gold, apparently of a high carat) silver, but who knows? Best regards Ursus

Hello all . New to the site here , I started collecting Parker 51s this year . Sadly I now already have over 12 , and 6 Parker 61's . I have 3 vacumatics and the rest aerometrics , the 61's mostly capillary . I am most pleased with my latest purchase on eBay - an Aerial Kullock fantasy 51 in mandarin yellow . It's a Bobby dazzler and writes wonderfully . Does anyone by by any chance have a 51 special black or vista just laying in a drawer that they may want to trade ?! I use my pens every day . And enjoy them every day .m

Hello fellow FPNers! I purchased this 51 Vac today at a flea market for the grand total of $5. I was super excited to find a 51 (of any variety) for such a sumgai price, but upon closer inspection, I came away with a few concerns. I searched the barrel, even with a loop, and there is no date code or PARKER "51" anywhere on the barrel. However, there is a deeply impressed "5" on the underside of the hood. Does anyone have any idea what the 5 means and why there would not be a date code on the barrel. The pen in question is a dove gray 51 Vacumatic. It is a later model that is single-jewelled with the transitional cap (1947-48) that has the long arrow clip and wide cap lip that has "PARKER" on the front. Here is a photo of the hood: http://i966.photobucket.com/albums/ae149/thefancyman/DSCF5363_zps6lnzd6x7.jpg

Hello all. I recently purchased what I thought to be a NOS Parker 21 on eBay for $20. After receiving it I believe that it may be an areometric Parker 51 demi. The pen came with a Parker 21 cap and a barrel that seems a bit to big for the pen. The picture below shows a Parker 51 at the bottom, a Parker 21 Mark II in the middle, and the pen in question at the top. As a side note the barrel that came with the pen does not fit on the Parker 21 Mark II. It it definitely smaller than both the full sized Parker 51 and the Parker 21 and has the same clutch ring as the Parker 51. On the filler it is just stamped Parker whereas the Parker 51 and 21 both have stamps that say, Parker 51 and Parker 21 respectively. I have since used the pen, it writes very well. Any thoughts as to what it could be? Thanks http://i1377.photobucket.com/albums/ah48/Davide_Borrelli/20150925_130646_zpsnuwpiyfp.jpg

Could not find information how this part of the filler unit is attached to "the rod". Should I use shellac to glue them together? http://static1.keep4u.ru/2015/11/02/IMG_20151102_135724.jpg

I am New to fountain pens but after cleaning up and using some old Parkers that I found at an estate sale, I am totally hooked. I would, however, like to know more about the pens that I have. I have some Parkers and Sheaffer's as well as a waterman. I will be posting pics of the others in their appropriate threads. I would like to know what year they were made, if they're worth anything and also if the correct caps are on the correct pens. please let me know if you have any questions about any of the pens. Thank you!! This one is a parker 51 on the top of the barrel (nearest the cap) it has engraved; "MADE IN THE USA" and then the number "9"

Apparently I got it backwards...? So THIS is a '51' Vac?... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Parker-51-Vacumatic-Pen-Maroon-w-Silver-Two-Tone-Top-/201446893941?hash=item2ee72ba975 and THIS is a '51' Aerometric?... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Parker-51-Aerometric-Fountain-Pen-Pencil-Set-1940s-Canada-/171967097205?hash=item280a09a975 I stand corrected...? Now that there is the World Wide Super Highway, you think that it would be easier to discern these things... LOL-apologies in advance, long day of teaching........

I have a vintage Parker 51 that is button filled (there is no sac, just a little tube that the ink rides up when you press the button repeatedly under the blind cap) and it has decided to act up all of a sudden. This pen has never caused me any issues and has always been a somewhat dry writer. Yesterday I inked it up and the ink ran straight out through the nib - literally ran out of it. I checked under the screw off grip to see if the nib housing had any cracks but there are none. The nib housing is a reasonably tight fit and no ink comes out at the seam. The ink is flowing out from the nib. I can't figure out what is causing it. Has anyone any ideas or, if they have a come across this before, a possible fix?

I have found my first Parker 51 Vacumatic! Or at least that 's what I think it is . I'm just wondering: if the connector is missing a fin near the middle will it still write right? Just wanted to check before putting a bunch of time and money into it and then having ink flow issues. Thanks!

I want to like that pen. I really do but I have tried them and I can't seem to get by the tiny nib that looks like a needle to me. Am I the only one who is not a fan of the Parker 51? Please let me know as I hate to be the only guy on the planet who can't seem to warm up to that pen.

I've seen a lot of P51's auctions ending between 50 and 80 USD so I don't understand why this particular one reached that price. What's diferent, the cap? The color? http://www.ebay.com/itm/301719924092?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&autorefresh=true I got curious. http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/nhkAAOSwLVZV1-sF/$_12.JPG

I have just finished restoring a Parker 51 Special demi in navy blue to writing condition. All it needed was a clean, nothing was broken so it was a perfect restoration for a newbie like me . It writes really well for being 60 years old. I can definitely see what all the hype is about. Currently using it with Noodler's HOD, but sadly no writing samples because I don't feel comfortable enough to show my terrible handwriting http://i.imgur.com/zMes6C0.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/rMjYrBU.jpg?1

Um...Really?... Maybe the economy is really doing better, or there is something here I don't understand (which is certainly possible), but, really... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parker-51-Empty-Set-Box-/351490257332?hash=item51d673b1b4 At least it does say that it is in "better than average condition". Maybe that justifies the price? I think I'll let someone else get this one-

Hello! I recently got a Parker "51" Special that I am now in the process of restoring. So far everything has gone really well but I'm a bit stuck. I have the pen completely disassembled except for the nib/feed/collector unit. The problem I'm having is the nib is stuck pretty tight to the collector. I've been soaking the assembly in 1/12 part ammonia/water solution since last night to get rid of ink between the nib and collector and I'm leaving it in the solution until tonight. Does anyone know of anything that can assist me in removing the nib and feed from the collector or should I keep soaking it until I can pull the nib out?

wehere ca i ger parker 51 in mumbai what would be the price

I just picked up a pair of vacumatic 51s which seem to be in great shape but haven't been used for a while. I've flushed them a few times using first a mild ammonia solution and then some distilled water, but what's the best way to empty the water from the pens before inking them? Nothing is expelled no matter how many times I pump the filler. Thanks...

I'm not sure if this should go in the Parker forum or the repair forum, but it's here now. My friend gave me a bunch of fountain pens that she found after her father passed away. She says none of them are worth a lot, because he wouldn't have had much money to spend on pens. Some look like Frankenpens, and some have been tinkered with. One of these is a Cedar Blue Parker 51 Vacumatic. The barrel, shell and blind cap are in good condition. The cap has no clip. The shell screws off easily, no heat or anything, and I've managed to clean the nib and feed in the ultrasonic with no problems. The feed has no colour tint to it at all. So the pen wasn't used much. The main problem is with the other end. He's obviously tried to unscrew the pump at some point. The threads are a bit 'mangled'. I've also seen pumps, and the threads should be black. These ones are aluminium coloured. I got out my Pen Repair book and see that you need a special tool to unscrew this pump, and I don't have one. Even if the pump came out, I also don't have a 'pellet pusher' or a sac. So I have worked out that in order to get this pen working again, at the bare minimum, I need a special pump removal tool or C Clip to unscrew the pump, then I need a 'pellet pusher' plus a 51 size vacumatic sac. I forgot to mention that the first thing that happened when I removed the blind cap was that the plunger fell out, so I don't know if that means I need a new pump, or whether this one can be repaired. I suppose that I might know more about that if I got it out. I have read that putting a new pump in can sometimes mean the blind cap will no longer fit properly, so I'm not sure about buying a new pump. So I've searched for these parts and I've priced up repairs. I have included the price of clip, as well as a new pump, just in case. Here's the thing: I can buy a restored Parker 51 Vacumatic on ebay for about the same as the cost of having this one repaired, or buying the parts to repair it myself. I can't imagine that I will ever need to repair another 51 Vacumatic, so buying the tools may not be the best way forward. Besides anything else, I have emailed Laurence Oldfield and asked him a price for the items I need, and haven't received any reply. So what would you do?