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Parker 25


arvadajames

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Hi,

 

I recently bought a Parker 25 (stainless steel and black finishing), it looks like a very nice and sturdy pen. It writes nicely, but somehow, after a few lines, the line becomes more and more thin, untill it eventually stops. It didn't came with a converter, so I use a Parker cartridge. When I squeeze the cartrigde firmly, untill I see the ink coming out of the nib, it will write. But then the whole process starts from the beginning.
So either the ink can not pass, or something is wrong with the breather hole (is there any?)
Does anyone have an idea what I can do about it?
thank you! Nele
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  • 3 years later...
On 2/3/2022 at 3:07 AM, Arkanabar said:

I'd like to get myself a c/c Parker, and the 25 and 45 are the top contenders for me.  How wide is the 25's section?


For comparison, here are some pictures of my own 45, 25, and some other c/c Parker ‘Flighters’:


The first one shows (L-R):

a first-type Parker Jotter;

a Parker Vector;

a Parker 45;

a Parker 25;

a Parker Frontier;

a first-type Parker Urban.

 

The squeeze-converter at the top of the picture is of the sort that was designed for the original 45 - it will fit in to the 45, but NOT in to any of the other pens shown in this picture - or, afaik, in to any Parker pen that was designed after 1980.

It is too-girthy or ‘wide’ for the barrels of pens other than the 45.

I believe that Parker also used to make an early ‘twist’ converter that is also too wide for modern Parker pens’ barrels, but I don’t personally own one of those.

 

 

large.54134C88-4655-4912-A878-243DEBD43F18.jpeg.0a113e27b0a95af8094ac993b36b33d0.jpeg

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

mini-postcard-exc.png

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My second pic…

 

large.729A4166-D331-4F6F-A125-7A16B613BF58.jpeg.647cb884c71074e3c1b7772e2d3543a9.jpeg

 

…shows (L-R):

the original 45 squeeze converter (some people call it the ‘robot’ or ‘Buck Rogers’ converter);

my steel-nibbed 45;

my 25;

a 1970s/80s Parker aerometric/squeeze converter;

a 1990s-present Parker ‘slide’ converter;

a 1990s-present Parker ‘twist’ converter.

 

These latter three converters have external dimensions that are the same as a Parker ‘long’ cartridge.
They will therefore work in ALL Parker c/c pens except for the 1990s short Duofold and one other short-lived model from the 2000s whose name currently escapes me. Those pens will only take Parker’s ‘short’ cartridges.

 

Edit to add:

The other Parker pen that can take ONLY Parker’s ‘short’ cartridges was called the ‘Esprit’.
It had a collapsible barrel.

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

mini-postcard-exc.png

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My third pic…


large.C5139222-44B8-45AF-81B7-9408B9F35CA5.jpeg.48d305ae8114d22b43b69748e9c6f80f.jpeg

 

…shows the 45 and the 25 with their caps off.

 

Just to showcase the ‘boxy’, 1970s-‘Futuristic’ shape of the 25 when uncapped.

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

mini-postcard-exc.png

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My fourth pic…

 

large.FA386794-9755-4F96-8EED-E664982A04B9.jpeg.46473670fb497d1a03e4088d0743707f.jpeg

 

…is an attempt to show what @Arkanabar actually asked for - the widths of the two pens’ grip-sections.

 

As you can see, where the grip-sections meet the steel of the pens’ bodies, the widths are very similar, about 9-10mm.

But, the grip-section of the 45 is longer than that of the 25, and it is a smoothly-tapering cone that is much more narrow near the nib than is the almost-cylindrical grip-section of the 25.

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

mini-postcard-exc.png

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Other factors that could influence the choice between a 25 and a 45:

 

45s were made in huge numbers, and with a wide variety of nib grinds. Finding one that is ‘right’ for you should be only a matter of patient hunting.

45s were available with 14k gold nibs in various grades. Some of those are reputed to offer a bit of ‘flex’.

The 45 is very easy to disassemble completely if one wishes to swap its nib for another one, or to clean it out thoroughly. Its nib/feed unit simply unscrews, so it is far easier to ‘restore’ to full working order if it has become gunked-up with dried ink.

E.g. my own pen in the pictures above came to me gunked-solid and containing a cartridge of Quink Blue/black that appeared to have been inside the pen for over thirty (maybe over 40) years. After thorough soakings I was able to get the nib and feed out of the section, re-soak the ‘collector’ unit that is inside the grip-section, and to then scrub the caked-on ink off its nib. My 45 now writes very reliably.

45s are available with plastic bodies, with steel bodies, with chrome trim, and with gold trim. Some were made with gold caps.

One potential down-side of the 45 is that its hard plastic grip section can become deformed (possibly by hot water?).
If one is trying to buy a 45, one should first check to make sure that its grip-section has the same smooth curve as that on my pen in the pics above.

I own two; both are all-steel ‘Flighters’. I preferred the robust construction offered by their steel bodies over the choice of colours offered by the plastic-bodied pens.

 

25s are only available with steel nibs, but they were also offered in a wide variety of grinds.

The nib of the 25 is tubular. It is a very rigid nib. Don’t buy a 25 if you want a ‘flex’ nib.
The 25 was designed to be a robust pen for High School students, university students, and adults.

None were made with gold trim, or with gold nibs.

25s are available with blue trim, black trim, or with white-epoxy-coated bodies, or black-epoxy-coated bodies.

Rarer still are ‘Flighters’ with green plastic trim, and rarest of all are ‘Flighters’ with orange plastic trim (they were produced for only one year).

 

The build-quality of the 1970s 25 feels higher than that of my 1990s plastic Vector, and that of my 2004 steel-bodied Jotter. The materials are thicker, and they feel more robust.

My Luxor-made 2019 Vector feels very robust - but it is all-steel (apart from its feed).

I cannot say how a 1990s 25 feels in comparison to an all-steel 1990s Vector, because I own neither.

 

That said, the cap of my 25 rotates freely when it is capped.

I will add that its closure-action feels subjectively more-definite than does the push-closure on both of my two 45s.
I suspect that the 25’s click-closure action might wear out over a very long time, and also that the push-closure action of the 45s would - but I must add that I have never seen anybody report that it has on either type of pen.

The grip-section of the 25 is made of a hard plastic that feels ‘thicker’ and somehow ‘softer’ than the ‘hard’-feeling shiny-polished plastic used for the grip-section of the 45, although I’d happily bet that they are exactly the same type of plastic 😁 I expect that my subjective experience of a ‘difference’ between the plastics is influenced by the soft-click of the cap-closure of the 25, and by having seen photos of distorted grip-sections on 45s.

 

The 25 posts very securely, and it feels very ‘right’ in my hand when posted.

The 45 posts fairly securely, and it looks far more ‘elegant’ than the ‘boxy’ 25 does.

Both pens are very well balanced when writing with the cap ‘posted’, or with the cap off the pen.

 

Both pens are well-made but still very light-weight.

Speaking subjectively, I slightly prefer the feel of the greater girth of the 25 over the slimmer and visually-more-elegant dimensions of the 45 - but I am a 6’1” tall man who has commensurately-sized paws. If your hands are smaller or finer than mine, you might prefer the feel of the 45.

 

I would happily use either pen all day long.

 

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

mini-postcard-exc.png

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