Jump to content

How Common Are Fine Obliques On Parker Vacumatics?


bokchoy

Recommended Posts

I've had this Parker Vacumatic for several years. It was always a little toothy, nothing horrible though. Last month, I finally used a loupe. I should have done it ages ago, haha.

 

http://i.imgur.com/5j9IaGIl.jpg

 

Surprise! I think it's a fine, non-italic oblique. Did Parker offer this nib for the Vacumatic? If yes, how common are they?

It seems like an easy grind to destroy. My eyes are pretty good and I thought I could spot obvious things like obliques. Apparently not. What if I'd smoothed this nib? :yikes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 10
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • bokchoy

    4

  • Chrissy

    3

  • ac12

    1

  • tamiya

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm not so sure it's a fine oblique. Parker Vacs are vintage pens. It could just be the way the original owner always wrote with it that made it wear that way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original owner is my grandpa, who is right-handed. I won't rule out wear but the tipping looks fine to me.

 

Parker offers fine obliques and fine oblique italics for the modern Duofold, so I thought they might've offered them in the past too. Is there a list of Vacumatic nib types somewhere?

 

Edit: Found one mention of a non-italic right oblique, no idea what size though.

Edited by bokchoy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Be VERY VERY CAREFUL with old nibs.

Many old nibs do not have the blob of tipping material on the nib that many of todays pens have. But instead they have a THIN coating of tipping material. And it will be very easy to grind/polish through that kind of tipping.

Once you grind/polish through the tipping, that is it, the nib is ruined.

I would send it to a nib meister for his opinion, before reshaping the tip.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would send it to a nib meister for his opinion, before reshaping the tip.

I don't plan to reshape it! It's very smooth when rotated. But until recently, I didn't know I had to rotate in the first place. Lesson learnt, always use the loupe first.

 

I could've assumed it was a normal fine tip and ruined the shape (if it is an oblique and not wear - scary). Either way, I still don't know.

Edited by bokchoy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it was mine, I think it would be fairly straightforward to carefully smooth a straight line across the ends of the tines, just with a simple nib smoothing board. I don't rotate fine nibs, and would want to write with it as a straight nib.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Be VERY VERY CAREFUL with old nibs.

Many old nibs do not have the blob of tipping material on the nib that many of todays pens have. But instead they have a THIN coating of tipping material. And it will be very easy to grind/polish through that kind of tipping etc.

 

If you look at the picture, there's a hunk of iridium on the tip. More than enough to reshape if needed

 

Many people rotate their pens as they write, so with time and much use the iridium wears more on one side than the other, which is what I suspect happened here. They can be evened out. But the caution about doing the work yourself is valid. If you haven't done nib work before, you may be best leaving this to a skilled nib tech (I eschew the phrase nib meister).

spacer.png
Visit Main Street Pens
A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful vintage pen repair...

Please use email, not a PM for repair and pen purchase inquiries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it was mine, I think it would be fairly straightforward to carefully smooth a straight line across the ends of the tines, just with a simple nib smoothing board. I don't rotate fine nibs, and would want to write with it as a straight nib.

 

I do prefer straight nibs but if it is an oblique, I'd keep it that way. It seems sort of unusual on a Vacumatic. That's why I want to confirm if Parker really produced a fine oblique.

 

I don't want to do anything to this nib, now that I know it's smooth at an angle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If you look at the picture, there's a hunk of iridium on the tip. More than enough to reshape if needed

 

Many people rotate their pens as they write, so with time and much use the iridium wears more on one side than the other, which is what I suspect happened here. They can be evened out. But the caution about doing the work yourself is valid. If you haven't done nib work before, you may be best leaving this to a skilled nib tech (I eschew the phrase nib meister).

 

+1 I also think it's worn more on one side than the other

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not that it seems this has to do with that nib....but nib tipping was perfected in WW2. Before the war, it was often to find lumpy, bumpy nibs where chunks fell off. There is a good thread on that, where they show under magnification how primitive the tipping was then.

And the formulas were changed very often even with in one company, as they searched for cheaper better tipping formulas.

 

 

So one should be gentle in smoothing.

 

 

If ruined how ever today for @$80 you can get it retipped with a more modern tipping that won't be lumpy and bumpy.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...