Some Old Fountain Pens - Questions, Help, Suggestions...

[das323]

Hi

I have 3 old English fountain pens that were given to me a while back. They've sat in my desk drawer for a few years.

I've attached a photo with some call-outs and close ups. As you will see, there are 2 "Wyvern Princess" fountain pens and 1 "Onoto The Pen"

I have done a few searches here and I've learned a bit about these brands, but I'm wondering if anyone has any comment on these specific models.

I'm most intrigued by the Onoto, as it has a good feel and weight to it. I'd like to clean it out and see how it performs, but I'm out of my depth with an old pen like these. Any suggestions on how to clean? I don't know how the ink system works or if there is any special way to clean the pen.

Is there anything I should do given the pens' age? Again, the Onoto is the main interest.

What about values? Is there a way to determine what these pens are worth?

Thank very much in advance.

[kazoolaw]

Onoto is an excellent English brand. They were made by the De La Rue company, which is still in business, though not the pen business.

 

It is a plunger filler, for which refer to :

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/00_refp.htm

 

 

I don't do any of my own pen repair, but understand that refurbishing a plunger filler is not for the novice.

 

Nice pen!

 

gary

[peterg]

Playing with the Onoto is not for the feint hearted, especially one as good as yours.

 

The filling system works on a reverse vacuum. The plunger is pulled out and creates the vacuum as it is pushed down. At the end of the stroke the barrel is wider and the vacuum sucks the ink in. In addition the plunger screws down further to seal the ink chamber when not in use, so it needs to be unscrewed a little before use.

 

I would date the pen as the mid 1930's and is a top of the range model.