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Hi everyone, I'm new to FPN and I'm definitely not a fountain pen expert. I prefer ballpoints (gasp) but I've had the good fortune of finding some Parker pens and I need help getting some information. I think their Parker 51's...? If you could provide any information as well as any advice for how to care for them, how to store them, etc. please let me know! Thank you! So here's Pen #1 Doesn't appear to be used; there's no ink inside the pen or anything. Bought it for $38 at a flea market (hoping that was a good deal!) Here's Pens #2-4 They have all been used before, but they still look really nice I bought the red and the black from the same guy for $1 each (yard sale) and the blue one for $20 (flea market) Right now I'm keeping them in a leather case originally intended for colored pencils (another yard sale find). Is that a good way to store them? Should I remove the ink when storing them? Let me know if you need another camera angle to help me. I love these pens and I'm so fortunate that I came across them. Great addition to my collection. Thanks for your help!

Hello P-51 Enthusiasts, I recently got a "1950s black barrel with lustraloy cap Parker 51 aero filler, 14ct gold OB/ITALIC nib, made in UK" from eBay. This is my first P51 and only my second eBay purchase; so when it arrived, I contained the excitement by immediately inspecting the pen with a loupe. I've done some research beforehand, so I would check the marks on the pen and compare it with the available internet info/literature on this pen, including the seller's general description in quotes above. One limitation on my inspection is that I couldn't check the markings on (I believe) its oblique med/broad stub nib, since I just cannot take the risk of disassembling it at this point of my inexperience. Based on what I have seen, I'm bothered by one thing at the moment, about which I just couldn't get credible and direct info - there is no indication anywhere on the pen, where it was manufactured. [i've attached some pics of the pen below.] It's been mentioned in one of the threads here in FPN that one mark of a UK made P51 is a hole at the end of the barrel (which this pen has). It's also been metioned a number of times that there is not much information on the UK made P51s, unlike the US made ones. This, unfortunately, seems true! Would like to ask for your help identifyting this P51's most probable provenance. Please let me also know other technical issues that you may notice about it. Many thanks in advance!

I was trying to get it out for polish, (as YouTube video say) this what happened..I'm sorry

Friends, I'll be flying with my "51" vac in a few days. I admit that I've never flown with a vac before! I imagine that the Vacs were not designed with air travel in mind, but I may be very wrong. Furthermore, I'm tempted to put the pen through check-in luggage (in a case, inside of another box.) Has anyone had any problems or issues? Should I just carry it on? Does the standard "all the way full or all the way empty" wisdom apply to these Vacs?

One of my two Parker 51 Vacumatics is going to need to be sent out, but before I do that, I'm trying to understand better what is likely to be wrong with it. The filling mechanism appears to be fine. Measuring the amount of ink it takes in by filling from a vial, it takes in a little more than a ml. There are no apparent leaks when I carry it around. I have soaked it in water overnight a number of times, and flushed it many, many times with water. When I fill it, it will write well enough, perhaps a bit dry, for four or so journal pages, then it will just seize up and not write any more. Wetting the nib will help briefly, but then it will seize up again and refuse to be restarted. However, the ink is still in there. If I hold it over something and work the plunger at this point, a lot of ink comes out. It's similar to what you will see in a C/C pen sometimes, where there is plenty of ink left in the converter, but an air bubble or something keeps it from getting to the feed, and the pen dries up. But how would that happen with the Vacumatic mechanism? I've had this pen about a year and half. Bought it from an eBay seller who had supposedly restored it himself. The problem did not immediately become apparent, and it's a bit late now to go back to that seller. I'm thinking that he sold it in good faith, but got something wrong with the repair. Before I send this off to Danny Fudge or someone, it would be interesting to read opinions on what could have gone wrong.

I was gifted this pen today by my grandmother, which I assume hasn't been used in quite some time. I think, based off of pictures, that this is a Parker 51 vacumatic. I'm not sure how to get the nib out, or open it up. The top part of the barrel either doesn't or won't twist off, so I'm hesitant to try anything since I don't know what I have here. Thanks in advance for your help!

I have a Parker 51 that I haven't used in a while because I'm not so keen on the steel nib. I wondered about trying to buy a gold replacement nib, and replacing the steel nib that I don't like. I feel reasonably confident that I could follow the steps of the technique on here, to take the pen apart, but while trying to find a nib I saw someone selling Parker 61 nibs on ebay, and he said that you could easily adapt them to fit a Parker 51. Is this correct? So can I look for 51 or 61 replacement nibs?

OK, I've exercised the aerometric filler on this P51 enough so it should have muscles of steel by now. When I fill the sac with water, hold the pen nib up, give a couple shakes, I can see little floaties falling to the bottom. When I evacuate the pen into the water I see little black flecks of dried ink. Also, the filler sacs "press four times to fill" and I've read here somewhere that you shouldn't be getting bubbles out from the nib after that. But if I keep pressing the pressure bar, I do get little itty bitty bubbles. Are these signs from the Parker gods and goddesses that I should just replace the sac?

Alright, I bought a P51 Aero a while ago, sold it, and now I find out that I can't live without one. I've had to make do with pencils and cheap ballpoints, but writing isn't fun. I've decided to get myself a great P51 that'll last me decades, I'm not selling it this time. I have a few questions though... #1. Aerometric vs Vacumatic This is a common topic, but here are my main concerns. I am looking at refurbished pen sites (not eBay), so the Vacumatics should work fine out of the box. However, my concerns are twofold. I don't want to ever have to experience my pen turning into a sopping inky disaster, or otherwise lose faith in it because it ruined my things. The second is taking my pen on planes, I expect to do this a hell of a lot and I want to know if the Vacumatic would give me any trouble in that regard. In fact, I want to know if the Vacumatic will give me any trouble at all. It's not so much that I don't want to look after it (I'm OK with being attentive to my pen), I just don't want an unpredictable pen. #2. Flighter The Flighter is one of the best-looking pens I've ever wanted. However, I want a date-stamped pen, and one in excellent condition (i.e. frosty with no visible signs of use). How much is this going to cost me? I think buying new old stock is out of the question as I'd like to stay under $300. Is it a realistic goal to find an almost-mint to mint Flighter in this range? If I can't get a date-stamped one, can you at least tell what decade it was made in for certain? #3. Cleaning What's the best cleaning regimen for a P51? I'd like to know what do do with it on recieving it (before first fill) and then any monthly/bimonthly routine I should have to keep it in absolute tip-top shape for many, many years. #4. Nibs Is there such thing as a Medium/Broad nib, that is, neither Medium or Broad? This term continues to pop up and I think it has something to do with UK-made pens. I'm looking for a Medium (again) but I'm open to thinking about a Broad nib (I have small handwriting though). #5. Dealers I've looked through most of the pens for sale right now and I haven't found what I'm looking for. Until an Aero in Midnight Blue or Black, date-stamped and in frosty condition comes along (or a good M-nib Flighter), where should I look? My first P51 was bought from parker51.com, any other dealers that would have what I'm looking for? Is it important to have the nib retouched or no? Thanks!

~ On 20 February, 2014 a pair of fully restored Aerometric Parker 51 fountain pens with gold-filled caps were ordered from Mike McConnell of Mostly Parker 51. As I live and work in Beijing, China, I expected that there might be a considerable delay until they arrived. This evening I finally received the box which Mike had shipped. Both Parker 51s were in superb condition, having been carefully wrapped and packed so as to afford maximum protection during international shipping. The burgundy Parker 51 has the original medium/broad nib, while Mike fitted the forest green pen with an extra fine nib, at my request. Both pens were exactly as advertised, with exemplary craftsmanship restoring them to a very fine condition. With the attached photos, I'll attach a writing sample. The burgundy medium/broad pen wrote smoothly immediately after inking. As the forest green extra fine pen had a slightly irregular ink flow, I followed Mike's advice which resulted in a smooth ink flow for that pen, as well. I'm a university instructor who uses pens to correct student research papers and to write notes about the life sciences. My other fountain pens are four Lamy Safari pens – 1 M, 2 F and 1 EF nib – and four Montblanc 149 Meisterstück fountain pens – 1 M and 3 EF nibs. The Meisterstück 149s have been satisfactory in all respects, setting a high standard. In another post, I've described my pleasure in using a Montblanc 90th anniversary Meisterstück 149 EF fountain pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/264092-montblanc-90th-anniversary-meisterstuck-ef-nib-in-beijing/ Having typed that, it's apparent late this evening that these professionally restored Parker 51s both are the sort of smooth writers which I especially cherish in my work. It will be great fun to use them as ‘workhorse pens’ both in and out of the classroom, as the Montblanc and Lamy pens are used. With gratitude, I'm delighted to heartily recommend Mostly Parker 51 as a trustworthy business of the highest standards, as Mike McConnell deeply appreciates the elegant design of Parker 51 fountain pens. I'll attach several images, the originals of which may be viewed at full size in my Zenfolio Gallery. http://tomkellie.zenfolio.com/p778180542

Hi all, I've got a Parker 51 at home - my father's old one in fact. It works very well, and I have a strong emotional attachment to the 51 - quite apart from its writing qualities. Problem is, I also like writing with an Italic nib. At home, I normally use a Brause dip pen - 1mm. So I'm trying to combine the two, and I'm looking at the below one on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-PARKER-51-FOUNTAIN-PEN-MK-1-BLACK-R-SILVER-CAP-GOLD-ITALIC-MED-NIB-/301160122171?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PensPencils_WritingEquipment_SM&hash=item461e8ac73b#ht_619wt_1153 But I'm unwilling to purchase without a little more knowledge if possible - does anyone on this forum know what width this nib would be - in general I'm looking for something close to 1mm. Also, from the handwriting sample on the advert, this nib looks like almost like a stub, as opposed to an italic. Assuming it's a factory nib (a big assumption, I know), does anyone have any info. on factory Parker 51 nibs in general? Thanks in advance Anders

Hi there, when I am away on business travel, I take my Pilot Custom 823 with me as a pen for taking notes, a role for which it is suited to on account of it being a vacuum filler. However, the pen has a screw-on cap, which I find slightly annoying, and in addition, I would like to take a cheaper pen with me. For this reason, I am thinking of purchasing a Hero 100 / 1000, but only if it shares the same air travel-friendly properties as the pen upon which it is modelled on, the Parker 51. Does anybody of the esteemed members here have any experiences with the Hero 100/0 in terms of air travel? Thanks for the help! Luis

Sorry to bother you guys but I do have a question regarding to my Parker 51. I purchased a New Old Stock Cordovan Brown colored double jewels vac Parker 51 from ebay, it has its sticker on it and everything looks good (pic as below): However, when I put the pen under the sun, I surprisingly found that the hood somehow turns semi transparent and I could see the collector! The pen is dated to the 4th quarter of 1946. And I borrowed a picture from dannzeman.com to show the situation: I have another used single jewel vac parker 51 dated in 4th quarter of 1947 also in Cordovan Brown, and somehow it tends to be semi transparent under the sun too. The weird thing is, however, the New Old Stock parker 51 tends to be more semi transparent than the used one! I did some research and people saying used parker 51 tends to be darker colored. My question is, is it normal? Even for a New Old Stock pen? Thank you guys!

Sorry to bother you guys but I do have a question regarding to my Parker 51. I purchased a New Old Stock Cordovan Brown colored double jewels vac Parker 51 from ebay, it has its sticker on it and everything looks good (pic as below): However, when I put the pen under the sun, I surprisingly found that the hood somehow turns semi transparent and I could see the collector! The pen is dated to the 4th quarter of 1946. And I borrowed a picture from dannzeman.com to show the situation: I have another used single jewel vac parker 51 dated in 4th quarter of 1947 also in Cordovan Brown, and somehow it tends to be semi transparent under the sun too. The weird thing is, however, the New Old Stock parker 51 tends to be more semi transparent than the used one! I did some research and people saying used parker 51 tends to be darker colored. My question is, is it normal? Even for a New Old Stock pen? Thank you guys!

Friends, I have taken to writing with a fountain pen with more gusto than I thought would be the case. After cleaning and testing the first Parker 51 I bought online, I purchased a Nussbaum Jon Ross pen. (So many FPN folks had nice things to say about the pen and the seller...I couldn't resist getting a pen I wouldn't have to fuss with. The Jon Ross in black cherry has been very good to me; I'm writing a novel in longhand--as I usually do--and the pen lets me write more legibly than usual and is a good workhorse. I'll be doing a full "review"-type piece at some point for my writing craft web site; I'll let you folks know when I do that.) Some of you were incredibly kind in responding to my introductory thread; I love that this is such a friendly community. I'm sharing with you again and slowly but surely seeing what I can do to restore my new (old) pens to order. Here is where I am at the moment. My first Parker 51 Aerometric (I might be snobby and start writing "51" at some point) seems to be a regular, but came with a Special cap. It is Teal Blue, I believe. (The pen doesn't say "special", but the cap has a blue plastic jewel...that isn't very jewel-y.) I followed the instructions on the amazing "What to do with a Parker 51" thread. After soaking, I practiced sucking water into the bladder and was able to fill the bladder to a little more than 3/4, which seems to be the norm. I walked around with the pen filled with water for a week to make sure it wouldn't leak...it didn't. So I filled it about 1/4 with Diamine Bilberry and took it around with me. (In a sandwich bag, just in case.) My goodness, it writes so beautifully. And it seems to use a lot less ink than the Jon Ross with the medium nib. (I think this 51 has a fine nib.) So after a few days of writing with it, I filled it to the same 3/4 full. When I took it out to write with it, the blind cap had a line of ink where the cap seals everything in. (Please forgive me if I don't yet know and use the correct terms for everything...I'm trying.) So I'm a little bummed that something is probably wrong. I've taken the pen apart and cleaned it so I can try and decide what to do next. (Hopefully, with your help!) I'll call this Parker 51 #1. Just today, I got another Parker 51 Aerometric that I picked up. It is, I believe, Midnight Blue. (Don't worry; I won't be buying any more pens in the near future! I just really want a good-to-go Parker 51.) This pen has a 12K gold filled cap. It doesn't say "Special" and the cap has the pearly jewel that Parker 51 #1 does not. I can't get the blind cap off with "normal" force. And I don't want to force it. I had the same thing with #1; I will ask a little later, but I'm guessing that you kind folks will advise me to remove the blind cap after the 36-hour soak/rinse. Friends, I have some questions that I hope you will be kind enough to answer. As I said in my first thread, baseball cards are my primary hobby interest; I must rely upon the kindness of others when it comes to fountain pens. After describing the current state of my Parkers, I ask: Do you have any theories as to why #1 had problems after I filled it to 3/4 with ink, but not when I walked around with it filled 1/4 with ink? Is this a usual problem? The ink collector looks unbent and "normal" and it came off fairly easily along with the nib after soaking. Is this just a problem that must be solved by a professional? I would like to start soaking #2, but, as I said, I can't get the blind cap off. Will the plain ammonia/water mixture harm the plastic in the blind cap for the 36 hours of initial soaking? Would the plain ammonia/water mixture hurt the gold or white inscriptions in the barrels of my #2? Is it smarter to just buy a fountain pen cleaning/polishing product to clean the barrel and blind caps? (Especially because I might like to polish up the already beautiful gold-filled cap a little.) What if I accidentally went too heavy on the 90/10 ratio? I don't think I did; the plain ammonia I bought was already diluted and I only put in a bit of a splash, but I can't help but ask anyway...the mixture smells terrible. Like ammonia, obviously. The ink bladder in #2 is FAR clearer than the ink bladder in #1. I have to hold #1 to the light and squint to see how full the sac is. The sac in #2 would IMMEDIATELY show you much ink is in the bladder. Is the dark sac an indication that #1 should be re-sacced? In my research on fountain pens and Parkers, I've been wondering what the heck people were referring to when they mentioned "numbers" on the pens to identify the years in which they're made. #2 has very clear letters at the bottom of the large section of the barrel: "MADE IN USA 8" I guess that the numbers on #1 were simply rubbed off from repeated use. Does this make sense? Thanks to all of you kind members in advance! I really appreciate the vibrant community that you have all built here.

Curio alert! Anyone seen this on eBay? The hood is metal too. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sterling-Silver-Vintage-Parker-51-Fountain-Pen-WORKS-EXCELLENT-/331155249668

Hello dear FPN community! I am still on my way in assembling my "perfect" writing instrument.. And recently i received the replacement for my burgundy parker51 hood. But i found its color being different from barrel. Please explain me, what can be the reason of that and also if i will order barrel in future, how do i specify the color so it will match the new hood. Some clarification: the barrel doesnt have any imprint, the hole is at the back. On photo you can see the old barrel with a new hood and color difference is well shown there (spent 1 hour making photos).

Hi Everyone. I found today, while looking through some items from my parent's estate, a Parker 51 fountain pen, and was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to provide me with any information about it. Here's what I know about it: Burgundy, 5 3/8" long The cap reads "PARKER" and "1/10 12 CT R. GOLD" "MADE IN ENGLAND" The inside reads "PARKER "51"" and "TO FILL PRESS RIBBED BAR FIRMLY 4 TIMES HOLDING PEN POINT DOWN, WIPE POINT WITH SOFT TISSUE"Does anyone have any information about this pen they'd be willing to share? Among other things, I am interested in the value, but had difficulty determine equivalent versions online. But any information on the pen would be most appreciated. Thanks, Greg P.S. I'm trying to upload pics and am having some difficulty so we'll see how this turns out... http://www.flickr.com/photos/72893233@N07/sets/72157639673113313/

...judging by the final price. $80 is a bit steep for a standard unrestored 51 on eBay these days, even if prices have crept up a bit. Can't blame you for thinking the P-word, given the distinct purplish tone in the photos and the (formerly) chromed filler sheath. The only thing that has me worried a little is the description of "dark brown". We'll see in a couple days I guess!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Parker-51-Fountain-Pen-And-Pencil-Burgundy-Set-/111238148446?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=J3PSDZfOyOlgKobwF2p1RnxGPto%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt

I have a Parker 51. In it's cap, one clutch finger is slanted to the left, which slightly inhibits capping performance. If it isn't too much of a bother, could someone tell me if and how can one go about fixing this in a sane, moderately safe way? Many thanks, Edvin

Hello all, My name is Greg Scott and live just north of Dallas in Denton, Tx. I have been collecting/learning to repair/selling vintage fountain pens for around 10 years with a couple of years off for other stuff. I have gotten back into the hobby and looking forward to the vast information I hope to find on this site. My most recent restore was a 1947 Parker 51, Blue Diamond Vacumatic with a Lusterloy stacked coin cap, which I was able to get working again after a few parts purchases on eBay and a diaphram. I love this pen. I started with Estie's and have quite a few that I use and a few that will hopefully find new homes. On the to-do list are a few Parker Vacs that need to be restored. I'm still in the proccess of acquiring all the tools I need but I've been called a tool maker so I usually can come up with something that works. I also enjoy doing woodworking with hand tools. Also a long time journal writer. I'm kind of an anachronist. That's enough for now. Looking forward to meeting some of you on the board through the forums. And specially those I've watched your videos and have purchased from online. Thanks, Greg gscott92

I have a 1948 Parker 51 Vacumatic that I have recently restored to perfect condition (including super smooth NOS fine nib), except for one persisting flaw: It writes very well and smoothly, but when passing over any kind of paper at a particular speed, I hear a rather loud and incredibly annoying resonance that has a low pitch and sounds more like a rattling/scraping noise. I took everything apart, used hot water to set the feed tightly against the nib (I thought that would be the problem), straightened the breather tube so it wouldn't rattle against the side of the barrel and used cyanoacrylate ('super') glue on its outside surface to change the mass (and ∴ Resonant frequency), used a little bit of rubber wedged between the breather tube and collector to make sure it wouldn't resonate there, made sure nothing was loose or shaking. Put together and sealed the clutch-ring and hood. And . . . it still rattles. -It's not the filler mechanism that makes the sound. It doesn't sound anything like a singing nib, and doesn't atomise any ink, puts down a really smooth sharp fine line, but I'm not ruling out the possibility . . . The noise drives me mad and spoils an otherwise ideal (for me/IMO) pen. I am at wit's end as to what the problem could be; the only thing I can think of is a resonating nib or the breather tube, by some miracle is rattling. My only other conclusion is that it is a design flaw, but my Hero 110 (every day knock-about pen) is 100% solid and quiet (but it does have a rubber/silicon sac, not solid barrel where breather tube is). So, has anyone else encountered this problem, is it a part of all Vacumatic 51s? Any solutions?

Which one of these sets are real and which are counterfeit (or are they all the same)? What are your experiences with them if you have bought them in the past? Anyone here who can read Chinese? What do the packs say on the front?

Hello. I am wondering if a true Parker barrel could be without a stamp? In short: I have a dove grey barrel with a nib dated to 1946, US; it also happens to be a black band. I can post photos tomorrow when I have daylight, if needed? Thank you kindly in advance, Jay