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The other brand sections have this kind of thread, and I couldn't believe we don't have one for Parker. So here we go. What Parkers have you added to your collection lately? We have 100 years worth of pens with the Parker name, and some of us are addicted to gathering them up. I have a number of items on order, both vintage and modern, and I will mention those as they arrive over the next few weeks. But to get us started, here's the ebay photo of a P45 I just scored: Burgundy Parker 45, 14k Medium - described as NOS. In fact, that's how I found it. I was searching for gold P45 nibs. I had to grab this one because: 1. I don't have this color yet. (I am hoping it's not the same color as my red one.) 2. A gold Medium nib is my P45 sweet spot. (I do have a 14k broad nib unit on the way, too, to upgrade one of my two steel Fines.) 3. That squeeze converter alone could cost half of what I just paid for this pen, and I only have one of those. My other P45s use carts or one of the modern twist converters. So, now it's your turn. Let's keep this one going, shall we?

Hi. Thank you for reading my topic. I was wondering, has anyone ever tried to convert a parker style ballpoint pen into a pencil? I was interested in buying this Pelikan pen: http://www.penboutique.com/pelikan-k150-black-fs-inl-ballpoint-pen.html But I don't know for sure if it will fit. Has anyone bought a Pelikan ballpoint and converted it into a pencil with the Schmidt DSM 2006 Pencil System Mechanism? http://www.go-authentic.com/shop/ink-refills/parts-and-accessories/schmidt-dsm-2006-feinminen-pencil-systems If it ends up not working, apparently modifications need to be done to it. Does anyone know a source on how to convert it if modifications are necessary? Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

Pen Pit Stop : Parker 25 Flighter MK I Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time. The fountain pen that arrives at the pit stop today is the “Parker 25 Flighter” in blue finish. The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of luxury pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. The 25 model was introduced in 1975. It was designed as a cheap but very functional entry-level pen. I won’t go into the history here – excellent discussions can be found at: • Parker Pens Penography: PARKER 25 • Parker 25 Review – Collectablepens • Parker 25 I obtained my pen sometime during my pre-university years, so the only thing I’m sure of is that it dates from before summer 1979. I also clearly remember that it was part of a ballpoint / fountain pen combo set, and that I used the ballpoint most. A little bit of research confirms this: it clearly is a first-model MK I pen – with the breather hole and the “Made in England” inscription. These MK I pens were produced in the 1975-1978 timeframe. I didn’t even know I still owned this pen. It’s only after a summer cleanup of old stuff in the basement that I re-discovered it at the back of a drawer. Unfortunately, I was totally ignorant about fountain pens in my youth, so the pen disappeared in the drawer uncleaned with a half-full ink cartridge still in it. It was in pretty bad shape: a rusted nib, caked & dried ink in the feed. I did some extensive cleaning, even using sandpaper to remove rust from the nib. I also cleaned the feed as best as I could. With this crude cleaning job, the pen is presentable again, and writes really smooth. It's not 100% yet – I still experience a minor ink flow issue at times. So probably the feed needs more cleaning… might be a good excuse to finally get me that ultrasonic cleaner 😉 Pen Look & Feel The Parker 25 Flighter is a bit of an odd-looking pen, with a body that tapers near the end. The cap posts securely onto the tapered end, with the inner plastic cap gripping the end-section of the barrel. The grip section and clip ornament are made of blue plastic, with some scratches on it, but fortunately undamaged. The body is built like a tank: it’s made from brushed stainless steel. This is a genius choice by the Parker engineers: the brush pattern is fairly irregular, and seems to absorb dents and scratches. These aging signs feel totally natural, and don’t feel like blemishes at all. It’s like the pen is specifically designed to age gracefully. The pen has a push-cap mechanism, and can be used unposted or posted (and it posts securely). I typically use the pen posted – it’s well-balanced and looks more elegant with the cap hiding the tapered body-end. The pen is a cartridge-convertor that uses proprietary Parker ink cartridges. Not really an issue, because these cartridges can be found everywhere. The Parker 25 has a rounded nib with a distinctive look. I didn’t find a size designation on the nib, but since it was a regular item in a stationary shop, it’s probably an F or M. Anyway – after the extensive rescue operation, this nib has probably a unique size of its own. The pictures above illustrate the size of the Parker 25 Flighter in comparison with a standard Lamy Safari. The pen is somewhat smaller in length, and a lot smaller in girth. Due to its steel construction, it’s also a bit heavier, but not too much so. The pen feels really well-balanced in the hand, and can be used for extensive writing sessions. Pen Characteristics Build Quality : this pen is built like a tank. After over 45 years and ending up rusted and caked-up with dried ink, it was still possible to revive it without any training or experience with pen restoration. The brushed steel body absorbs dents and scratches, and the pen still looks really good for its age. Given its history, I would say that the pen has aged gracefully. Weight & Dimensions : a bit smaller and much more slender than a Lamy Safari. The pen also has some heft to it, due to the steel body. It feels well-balanced in the hand, both uncapped and posted. Filling System : this is a cartridge convertor pen, that uses Parker proprietary cartridges. Parker sells convertors, but I never use them. I find it much more convenient to just syringe-fill Parker Quink cartridges. Nib & Performance : a rounded steel nib of unknown size (and with all the polishing it needed during restoration, it now has a nib size of its own – somewhere in the neighbourhood of a western F). The nib now writes really smooth, but the feed needs more cleaning to improve ink flow. Price : I didn’t buy the pen myself but got it as a gift from my parents. But it was an entry-level student pen, so not at all expensive. A similar entry-level pen today should probably be comparable in price to a Lamy CP1 or Kaweco AL Sport – so in the 30-40 EUR range. Conclusion My Parker 25 Flighter now has a special place in my collection. It certainly is my oldest pen, with a lot of personal history. And I was totally amazed to get it working again, given the mess I found it in when I rediscovered it. Kudos to Parker for building this pen like a tank!

I’m attempting to restore this beauty and I’ve gotten the nib/feed knocked out to clean/polish and reposition. When I got the nib section off- there was no breather tube. I purchased one from pendragons. Now- looking at this feed and the tube- there’s no way it’s fitting in there. questions- does this feed need a tube? Did all Vacumatic come with tubes? how do I get this in there?! (There was no size option when buying the tubes from pen dragon) thanks for your help/advice!

I have a few Parker 51's (vintage) I was noticing that one I had cleaned up was having an issue with the nib drying out overnight. I read up and there was a lot of information about why this might happen. I was pretty sure the feed and breather were cleaned well as I had the pen apart completely. I decided to switch the cap with another pen and see. Sure enough the nib no longer dries up. If I blow into the wide end of each cap the one that was drying overnight is easy to get air through. The other is solid and no air passes. If I blow from the cap jewel side it is easy to isolate the leak is under the clip. It looks like the cap repair requires some tools to get it the parts out. Any advice on a solution? I only have one inked at a time so I could always just play musical caps but I'd prefer to have the original caps with each pen.

Hello everyone, I got this Parker pen from a flea market few months ago and forgot about it. I found it today and tried to identify it but without success. I can't find any info on this particular model (i tried the DB that's in this category without any success, also Google didn't return much). All I know so far is that is a Parker, made in 1932 (at least that's what was written in a piece of paper inside the box). Also the tip is marked with 14k (gold plated would be my guess) mark, "Parker Vacumatic". The cap is marked with "18ctR", i guess carats (?), and the number 784404. I did found some similar models but not like this one (with "X"s on it), anywhere on the internet. Can you please help me get the full info and also an appraisal/price? I hit the wall with all my searches so far. I added some photos also. Thank you in advance.

Hi, I recently purchased a Parker Classic with a date code of YC (= 2nd quarter of 1986). Please see the photos. Is this the Laque Sapphire? To me it looks more like a matte colour but according to https://parkerpens.net/classic.html they only came in black. Is it strange that there is no country of manufacture mentioned on the pen although the converter says "TC", "Parker Japan". Eric

I recently bought a Sonnet Cascade Gold, date code A.III, which would place it in the first quarter of 2002. But it's a fake. No harm done because the vendor has agreed to refund the price, but I thought it would be worth describing the diagnostic points and showing some photos. I have seen a couple of poor quality fakes but this one is much better quality. The first thing is that the cap does not fit very well. It feels as if it is rough and grating - I have a genuine Cascade Silver, and the cap on this slides smoothly on and closes with a satisfying click. Completely different. The photos show some points. Superficially they look pretty similar. But the lettering on the cap band is cruder, it is offset and not central on the band, the 'III' in the date code are smaller than the 'A', the symbol before PARKER is the curly P and not the oval with an arrow - and the serif on the S in Sonnet is horizontal not vertical. The feathers on the top of the clip are different. On the real pen they are incised, deeper and wider in the centre and tapering to nothing at each end. On the fake they are cruder, and the 'gold' has been applied after the feather were stamped, so they look more blobby and rounded. Finally, on the other side of the band the P and W stamps are larger and cruder in the fake. And the waves in the cascade pattern are subtly different. In the fake the tops are pointy, but in the real one they are more rounded and assymetrical. This varies a bit depending on angle of view but there are definite differences. I hope this helps others not to make the mistake I made. Good luck!

Hello everyone, first time poster here! Recently I fell in love with the Parker 45 and its huge range of models and nibs. I am particularly fond of the oblique nibs and I acquired a few of them. I hope some of the Parker 45 experts can help me The nib sizes seem to vary a bit. I have two 14k "O" nibs. These are supposed to be extra broad oblique nibs. The first one I got is made in England and in a Parker 45 Insignia (no tassie, mid 1970s) It is akin to a oblique italic. I would also not call it a double broad yet it is quite broad. The second one is an American-made, in a Flighter CT (black tassie, 1964-1969). This one is very broad and has a lot more tipping. It is way broader than the first nib and the imprint on the collar is closer to a "0" insted of the "O" on the first one. I attached pictures. The English one is on the right, the American on the left. Additionally, I also have a 14k "Z" nib (made in England) that is supposed to be a broad oblique. It is smaller than the American O nib, so that checks out. My freshly acquired "R" nib (14k, made in USA), supposedly an medium oblique, appears broader than the Z. Do the American Parker 45 nibs run wider? Or did the way Parker ground their nibs change during the decades-long run of the 45? Or is it simply variation that has to expected of these nibs? I know that nibs can be changed easily and so it is possible to have mismatched nibs and collars. However, I find it unlikely to have so much mismatching going on. Do any of you have similar experiences or know anything about it? Thanks in advance

What is this pen? What is the brand / producer / origin? What model is this? This is a pen given to me by my father in early 80-ties. I used it for a couple of years as my every day pen. I cannot identify the producer nor the model. Must be produced somewhere in 1970-ties ot late 1960-ties? Much likely to be from China ? Maybe Japan? Maybe someone is able to read the signature on the nib?

Hello I have both a Parker Victory MKIV and a Slimfold, both with Newhaven nibs. I took them completely apart, cleaned the nibs, feed, and section... Resacked both. Both of them squeak when writing, it not quite annoying and actually amuses me for the most part but is this normal for these nibs? Thanks

For the Parkers using the pliglass sacs, I have seen two different adhesives recommended when replacing the sac, Shellac or clear nail polish.... Which is correct, or better if either can be used? I have a slimfold that well best non technical term for the sac is gooey. No idea what caused it to be that way but when I took the pen apart I peeled that sucker right off and chucked it... and a Parker 21 that looks like they used some sort of permanent black ink in it, so for esthetic purposes I wish to replace. Thanks

I have a Parker 65 whose cap was extremely tight to put on and remove, and looking inside, I couldn't see the traditional metal clutch prongs, so with the help of a Dycem sheet, I took it apart only to find a rather interesting clutch mechanism: The inner cap has slits towards the opening and there's a spring wound around that "waist," creating the pressure needed to secure the section when the pen is capped. To adjust, I simply took the spring off, wound it around the barrel of another pen and stretched it with a letter opener: I ended up overdoing it a bit, but it's still usable: Sharing in case someone else runs into the same problem. Alex

Hello everyone! I recently acquired my first vintage fountain pen from a family friend. After some research, I found it was a Parker Challenger Deluxe and needed a new sac. I've managed to replace the sac, however upon reinserting the nib section into the barrel, I found it did not fit in all the way. The cap can still screw on, and the filling mechanism seems to be working fine (using water to test!), however I cannot get the section to go down all the way. It seems very stuck, and even after heating did not budge upwards or downwards. Any advice on how to get it unstuck would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I have a Parker Vacumatic from 1944. The cap jewel is metal (stainless maybe) The clip is lose but I can't get the jewel to come out. Is it possible this isn't the original cap jewel? I see references to a parker 51 with a stainless cap jewel. Is this jewel supposed to be black and perhaps that's why it's so difficult to get out? I have seeped some of the Pensbury PENatrate potion in the space between the clip and the jewel and will let that seep for a bit. Then Ill retry some heat and see if it helps.

I've been at a few vacumatics lately. Some have been as easy as can be. I have this one however that has been quite the battle. I can not for the life of me get the nib section to thread out. In fact I gave up and soaked the back end in naptha so I could get the pump out which was its own battle. I did get it out and cleaned up when what happens next? I since out the barrel and in doing so the breather tube has decided to drop out. Or it's broken off but I think it's just slid out. Next step is to tap out the nib and feed and get that back together. If it isn't broken off then I suspect that's my only choice. Second question though. In the picture of the pump (which is a straightline as I understand it) I think that the flat price is intended to be right through to the other side so it shows on both sides. Can anyone correct me on that? I'll be pleased once I have this one back together and working. Thanks everyone for your help on this and the other questions I have had on these vacumatics In then pictures below you won't see the breather. It's soaking in pen flush at the moment