Conklin Nozacs

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac V-Line piston filler in Grey Pearl in the larger size, c. 1937. The V-Line Nozac has a single color herringbone pattern in Royal Blue, Burgundy, Pearl, Black, and Nile Green. The V-Line has a fourteen facet plastic body with no Word Gauge, a plain single wide cap band and the Conklin clip. The pattern alternates direction with each stripe. Large (wider) fountain pens sold for $7.50, slim fountain pens sold for $5.00, and matching twist action pencils were $3.50. Shorter Ladies pens were $5.00. This one is 5 ¼ inches long. Conklin offered 14 karat gold Cushon Point nibs with the Conklin Crescent logo or circle stamping with platinum plating in the circle. Nib grades offered were extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacVLineGreyPearl_1280_01.jpg

Thanks!

[Flaxmoore]

7,000 words? That's a crazy amount. Typically handwritten text is about 250-500 words per page, depending on word size and density. They seriously claimed it could write 14-28 pages on a fill. Maybe with my eyedroppered Ahab, but not with any other filler I've ever seen- including a full-fill Vac700.

[PenHero]

7,000 words? That's a crazy amount. Typically handwritten text is about 250-500 words per page, depending on word size and density. They seriously claimed it could write 14-28 pages on a fill. Maybe with my eyedroppered Ahab, but not with any other filler I've ever seen- including a full-fill Vac700.

 

Sounds like one of these needs a test run to prove it! I would imagine the write out was tested with a fine or extra fine.

[Flaxmoore]

 

Sounds like one of these needs a test run to prove it! I would imagine the write out was tested with a fine or extra fine.

Fine or EF and a phenomenal ink miser of a nib to boot. Using a Preppy 03 and Noodler's 54M, I managed to get 3000 words out of a 2.4ml eyedropper fill. 7000 would require this thing would have about a 6ml capacity.

[Estragon]

Beautiful pens, Jim. The Nozac was one of the first vintage pens that piqued my interest when I first started collecting – thanks in no small part to the excellent profile of the model on your website. By way of contribution to the thread, below are some of the Nozacs I've managed to gather over the years, representing all the patterns available with nickel trim. Highlights include the two-tone nib on the Chevron pen and a rather scarce lady-sized lever filler (not all Nozacs had no sacs!). The sticker indicates that this latter pen was priced at $5.00.

 

L to R:

1. Lady Penline (grey checkered, lever-filler)

2. 5M Penline (grey marble)

3. 5M V-Line (grey)

4. 5M Chevron set (grey)

Edited January 14, 2018 by Estragon

[PenHero]

Very nice! I'm working on a Nozac book that I hope to complete by the end of the year. The photos I've taken will be in it.

[Estragon]

An exciting development – you can count me in for a copy! I read Mur's admirably comprehensive Conklin book but found myself wishing for a more detailed treatment of specific models like the Nozac. For instance, Conklin adverts/catalogues I've seen are a bit imprecise with regard to nomenclature. Am I correct in assuming that Conklin used 'Penline' to refer to the checkered and marbled pens without using specific names to distinguish these two different patterns?

[PenHero]

The Penline models are distringuished by the striping as shown on the two you have in your photos. The checkered look appears in documents I have (catalogs/ads) dated 1937. The marbled look appears in documents dated in 1936. No clear idea if they were made at the same time.

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac model C-59 7M Word Gauge Jet Black piston filler c. 1936. This 5 1/8 inch long model is an interesting combination of a ten faceted cap and lower barrel and a rounded clear ink view upper barrel. The two barrel pieces are threaded and sealed together. The C-59 Nozac was also available in marbled Red Pearl and Green Pearl and sold for $7.50. The markings on the ink view window indicated how many thousands of words of ink was left in the pen. This pen features the 14 karat gold two-tone Toledo nib shown in advertisements in 1935 but with the 1936 new patented clip. There is no inlaid crescent on the cap as on earlier models. Nib grades offered were extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacBlackWordGauge7M_1280_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac Foliage Pearl piston filler fountain pen c. 1932. It features a decagonal or ten-sided faceted cap and barrel where the top piece of the barrel is transparent, though it's heavily ambered on this example. It has the gold filled Crescent inlay in the cap. All trim is gold filled. This 5 3/16 inch long pen has barrel stampings "Trade Conklin Mark, Toledo. Ohio. U. S. A. over NOZAC D. 84394" on one side of the barrel and "PAT PENDING" on the other side, as the piston fill patent was awarded in 1933. It has the April 28, 1918 patented Conklin clip. It uses the 14 karat gold Conklin Toledo U.S.A. nib.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacGreenMarbleFacetPending_1280_01.jpg

Thanks!

[Estragon]

Is this a particularly unusual combination, Jim? I don't know if I've ever seen foliage green on a faceted Nozac before. Based on the inlaid crescent above the clip as well, it appears to be one of those early Symetrik/Nozac hybrids, but the facets really set it apart.

[PenHero]

Is this a particularly unusual combination, Jim? I don't know if I've ever seen foliage green on a faceted Nozac before. Based on the inlaid crescent above the clip as well, it appears to be one of those early Symetrik/Nozac hybrids, but the facets really set it apart.

 

Conklin introduced faceted Decagonal, ten sided, models in 1932, side by side with round models. The Decagonal pens included Foliage Pearl and Black as celluloid colors. There was never a "hybrid" Symetrik/Nozac, just a marketing name for about a year. The original name of the pen was Endura-Graph in 1931, followed the same year by Endura Nozac, and by September, 1931, Nozac Symetrik. The Nozac was always a streamlined pen like the lever fill Symetriks. The Nozac Symetrik name lasted only about a year, and by 1933 the pen was called simply Nozac.

 

Thanks!

[Estragon]

Thanks for the great info!

 

By "hybrid" I simply meant a Nozac that exhibited some features of the lever filler Symetrik (e.g. same inlaid crescent placement, imprint, earlier nib as on the pen above).

Edited March 17, 2018 by Estragon

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a different Conklin Nozac V-Line piston filler in Royal Blue in the largest size, c1937. The V-Line Nozac has a single color herringbone pattern in Royal Blue, Burgundy, Pearl, Black, and Nile Green. The V-Line has a fourteen facet plastic body with no Word Gauge, a plain single wide cap band and the Conklin clip. The pattern alternates direction with each stripe. Large (wider) fountain pens sold for $7.50, slim fountain pens sold for $5.00, and matching twist action pencils were $3.50. Shorter Ladies pens were $5.00. This one is 5 ¼ inches long. Conklin offered 14 karat gold Cushon Point nibs with the Conklin Crescent logo or circle stamping with platinum plating in the circle. Nib grades offered were extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacVLineBlue_1280_03.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac Black Ruby piston filler fountain pen model 49BRC c. 1932. It's the round version with the "opaque ink chamber," effectively a one-piece non transparent barrel. It has the gold filled Crescent inlay in the cap above the clip. All trim is gold filled. This 5 3/16 inch long pen has barrel stampings "Trade Conklin Mark, Toledo. Ohio. U. S. A. over NOZAC" on one side of the barrel and "PAT PENDING" on the other side, as the piston fill patent was awarded in 1933. It has the April 28, 1918 patented Conklin clip. It uses the 14 karat gold Conklin Toledo U.S.A. nib. It sold for $6.00 and the matching pencil was $4.00.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacBlackRedMarble_1280_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac Black piston filler c. 1936. This 5 1/8 inch long model has an opaque ten faceted cap and barrel. This pen features the 14 karat gold Cushon Point nib shown in advertisements starting in September, 1936 and with the 1936 new patented clip. Nib grades offered were extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacBlackFacet_1280_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Conklin Nozac Word Gauge Foliage Green Pearl piston filler fountain pen c. 1936. This 5 1/8 inch long ten faceted cap and barrel model has a two piece barrel with a transparent upper ink view section and an opaque lower section barrel. This pen features the 14 karat gold Cushon Point nib shown in advertisements starting in September, 1936 and with the 1936 new patented clip. Nib grades offered were extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, stub medium, stub broad, left oblique, two way and Recorder in extra fine, fine and medium.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacWordGaugeFoliageGreenPearl1936_1280_01.jpg

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

When is a Nozac not a Nozac? When its a lever filler! Conklin made Penline lever fill pens with the same celluloid as the Penline Nozac, making some collectors think, hey thats a lever fill Nozac! This was actually a regular production model and not called a Nozac.

 

This is a Conklin Penline sac type lever fill fountain pen in Green Pearl celluloid c. 1936-1937. The lever fill Penline models were round instead of faceted and came in two lengths and four colors, including Black, Grey Pearl, Red Pearl, and Green Pearl, selling for $3.50. A matching pencil sold for $2.50. All trim is gold filled, though this example is heavily brassed. This 5 inch long pen has a gold nib stamped CONKLIN over TOLEDO over U.S.A. over 14K. The nib has the Conklin Crescent at the top, which appears on Cushon Point nibs, perhaps indicating this nib was made just before their introduction. The clip is the 1936 patent clip.

 

 

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

This is a large size Conklin Nozac Penline Red Pearl faceted piston fill fountain pen c. 1936. The Nozac Penline was introduced in 1936 and came in rounded and faceted versions. Nozac pens use a piston filling system Conklin introduced in 1931. The pen fills by twisting the end cap while the nib is in ink. The ink level could be seen in the translucent barrel. These 5 3/16 inches long pens were offered four colors, including Black, Grey Pearl, Red Pearl, and Green Pearl with the new 1936 patented clip and had 14 karat gold nibs stamped CONKLIN over CUSHON over POINT over 14KT over U.S.A. At the top of the nib is the Conklin Crescent logo. Large size Nozac Penline pens like this one sold for $7.50 and the matching pencil was $3.50.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ConklinNozacPenlineRed_1280_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

[Estragon]

 

 

The lever fill Penline models were round instead of faceted

 

Were there not exceptions, such as my lever-fill, faceted Penline model (posted above)?

 

And have you come across any evidence (e.g. from adverts/catalogues) that tells against the idea that the lever filler pens (particularly the faceted models) were Nozacs? Mine bears an imprint sans 'Nozac', but it's identical to the imprint on my V-line piston-filler Nozac.