Aurora Optima - 1939 Vacuum Filler

[angio]

Aurora Optima

1939 vacuum filler

Every now and again a pen arrives on my doorstep that makes me want to share it with the world and this Optima is one of them. I have always wanted to experience the Optima as I have owned several other Aurora pens, mostly 88s, and Italian pens in general are pretty much what I like in fountain pens – beautiful colours, beautiful shapes, beautiful nibs, you get the picture.

I didn’t set out to buy a vintage Optima and this is partly a sumgai story which is another reason for the review. I bought this pen back in December from eBay thinking it was a Mabie Todd Swan with an incorrect Aurora nib, which was how it was described, the listing description HERE. The photos weren’t much better with a discernable red Swan box and a fuzzy pen shaped object that appeared to have a marbled pattern. I like English celluloid pens and I usually have a spare Swan nib or two in my parts drawers so I put a bid in and won it. I paid for it and set about wondering how much time and effort I would spend sourcing the correct replacement parts for it.

It arrived on Christmas Eve and I unwrapped it from the packaging material. Yes, that’s a Swan box; a good start, at least the seller can read the big writing on the front of the box. Right, lets see what’s inside. Swan filling instructions in almost pristine condition, that’s great and oh, here’s the pen underneath. Hmm, odd clip, not seen one of those before and the cap bands are unusual for a Swan too <angio shrugs his shoulders and continues the inspection>. The nib has Aurora stamped on it but hang on, so does the section. That’s VERY unusual for a Swan pen. Also there is a blind cap at the other end with what looks suspiciously like a vacuum fill plunger. Also VERY unusual for a Swan pen.

At this point it hit me that what I had in my hands was not, nor had it ever been a Swan pen and I needed to get on the internet sharpish to figure out what this pen really was. I took about an hour to be certain because of the almost complete lack of information on these pens (the major reason for this review) but when I realised I had a vintage Aurora Optima I almost swallowed my tongue. I might succeeded in doing so if my jaw hadn’t hit the floor first…

And my wife’s comment after giving me the “yes-dear- that’s-nice-dear” look and translating my excited gibberings?

“Not bad for £6.50”.

No kidding.

1. Appearance & Design (8/10)

A short and wide but comfortable pen in an understated pattern material

This pen is quite short at 12.5cm capped especially considering it is 15mm wide at the cap which actually works in its favour. It has the girth of an oversize pen such as the Parker Vacumatic Oversize but its short length capped means it fits very nicely in a shirt pocket.

Posted, this pen is 15cm long so it is really comfortable to write with and as it holds a huge amount of ink, it is not too light and not too heavy.

The celluloid is not the most instantly striking (which is why it is marked down in the rating) but it does shimmer when the light catches it plus the barrel clarity is very good and there is nothing I like more than a visible ink supply on a marbled pen. A nice touch is the one piece barrel and section meaning that the marble pattern runs the whole length of the pen.

I also really like the cap band pattern, especially with the greek key centre band. It's the cap bands that are the identifying feature that mark it as a pen from 1939; the first year pens from 1938 had a wider centre band also with the greek pattern and the pens made in 1940 onwards have three thin cap bands similar to the ones seen on the Parker Vacumatic pens.

2. Construction & Quality (10/10)

A very solid feeling pen that oozes quality

I’m not sure where the Optima sat in the Aurora range but this pen cannot be described in any other way other than premium quality. The threads engage firmly, the cap and barrel feel firm and solid. This pen inspires confidence to use it and show it off.

All this from a pen that is 75 years old.

3. Weight & Dimensions (9/10)

A short oversize

I know summarising it as a “short oversize” is oxymoronic but that really is the best way of describing this pen. It’s not too heavy, not too light, has a comfortable wide girth and is not too long and therefore the right length to be carried in almost any pocket.

Capped: 12.5cm

Posted: 15cm

Uncapped: 11.3cm

Cap diameter: 15mm

Barrel

diameter: 13mm

4. Nib & Performance (10/10)

Absolute perfection

The nib is a #5 14k fine and very flexible point that most importantly (to me at least) is not too wet. I think that this pen also had the option of being fitted with a slightly larger #6 nib. I have had nibs that are this flexible before but just make a mess with the silly amount of ink they put out. This pen writes smoothly and makes the most wonderful job of hiding the deficiencies in my handwriting without drowning out the lettering.

5. Filling System & Maintenance (10/10)

A highly underrated filling mechanism that is efficient and effective

I love the vacuum plunger filling mechanism found on this pen but have always been put off slightly by Sheaffer Balance pens that this filler type is most commonly found in. It’s the stiff nibs which I find a little dull which is a shame because the Sheaffer balance is a great pen is almost all respects.

The vacuum filler when properly restored is faster and more effective at refilling the pen than pretty much any other method ever put out to market. It fills in one stroke and holds an enormous amount of ink in the barrel (around 2.5 - 3ml). Emptying the pen to change inks is really quick too.

Restoring the pen was a bit of a challenge because the packing seal unit blind cap threads were virtually gone, the plunger rod had lost its coating and had rusted badly and the whole of the gasket end of the rod had disintegrated into dust so I had no idea what it looked like originally.

The packing seal unit came out reasonably easily once I figured out it was screwed in with left-hand threads. A bit of heat and turning clockwise got it out and a replacement turned on my lathe. I used Sheaffer parts for the rest of the internals as I had nothing to copy. I put it all back together including some Nishimura "o" rings (what would I do without those!), sealed the packing unit in with shellac and beamed with pride as the pen filled almost completely full.

6. Cost & Value (10/10)

Sumgai find

I’m sure most of you reading this have seen other people post their experiences of picking up pens at a fraction of the cost of what they are worth and thought that it will never happen to you. I certainly did. The best I have managed before this pen was a £4 Parker 61 which is pretty respectable but not in the same league.

I paid £6.50 plus £5 postage for this pen and I may never have the same luck again; I should probably stop playing the lottery!

I have looked repeatedly on the internet and have not been able to find another one of these for sale so I have no real idea of what this pen is worth. Comparing it to its contemporaries such as the Omas Lucens has me thinking that it is worth a lot more than I paid for it but that’s the best I have come up with so far.

7. Conclusion (Final score, 9.5/10)

Fantastic pen, incredible value

There is so much about this pen that I love; the size, filler, nib, material, that I have to keep this one even though I did put it up for sale briefly. It writes well, fills well and it is of such a high quality manufacture that I expect this pen to be writing for many years to come. I currently use it as my daily writer and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon!

If you can find one, buy it. You won’t regret it.

[rhr2010]

Fantastic pen, great review and great luck! I should bet more on pens I cannot even see well in the photos, once in a lifetime you can get lucky and those Aurora nibs are the best!

I think you have the best Sumgai ever. I wouldn't be surprised to see this pen valued in the $500-$1000 range, especially in working order. You can try and ask the opinion of the owner of this site http://www.zona900.it/ no affiliation etc. He is here on FPN too and might reply in this thread too.

[dr saleem ali]

Congrats ! Angio , not only for your lucky find but also wonderful restoration work ,you have a really nice vintage stuff , how much did restoration cost ?

[TassoBarbasso]

 

as we say in Italian... che culo...

[J English Smith]

Beautiful pen! Thanks for sharing the photos and your notes!

[angio]

How much did this cost to to restore? Let's see;

 

O ring and seal ring (bought from david nishimura via eBay) £2

 

Replacement back seal unit made from a 5cm offcut of acrylic rod I paid £25 for a 2 metre length so about 70 pence

 

Parts from a sheaffer balance I paid £10

 

Gasket cut from a 30x30cm sheet of nitrile I bought from ebay for a couple of pounds so 10 pence as a wild overestimate.

 

(Plus my lathe, tool bits, gasket punches, hacksaw, etc.)

 

£15 in parts

A couple of hours in time

[Flounder]

In order of murmured "wow!"s - what a great:

pen

bargain

writing sample

review

repair story.

 

Very interesting that the barrel and section were made from one single piece.

[spotted and speckled]

Very cool! Very jealous!!