Swan No 8 Safety Screw Cap Fountain Pen

[Cob]

I have just acquired one of these. And I have a question about it...

 

First some snaps - poor quality from me as usual - one day I'll win the lottery and own a Leica, until then...

 

 

 

 

 

The nib is a delightful sharpish flexible stub and the silver band to the cap (which does not conceal damage or cracks is most attractive.

 

My question concerns the peculiar bulb to the feed. After a gentle clean of the feed, I have found that the bulb is a very loose fit into the hole in the end of the feed. Does anyone know anything about these? Obviously the bulb is fitted after the feed is inserted into the section.

 

Rgds to all

 

Cob

Edited July 14, 2017 by Cob

[Greenie]

Is the pen as oversized as it sounds based on the nib? I would be interested to see it next to some "standard" MT pen for comparison.

 

AS for the bulb, I have only seen it in pictures. Unfortunately I don't recall which eyedropper(s) the bulb belonged to.

 

Here is one on another Swan 8 ED.

http://oldfountainpensjustforfun.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-8-swan-black-chased-hard-rubber.html

[Cob]

Hullo Greenie.

 

Here's a snap illustrating the size of the pen; barrel diameter is 9/16".. Left to right: No 2 Safety Screw Cap NY Nib, 2 S-F, No 8 Safety Screw Cap.

 

 

Cob

[christof]

I have never seen this before but I think that the bulb helps to regulate ink flow and prevents the pen from leaking.

How is the outer diameter of the bulb in comparison to the inner diameter of the barrel?

C.

[Cob]

I have never seen this before but I think that the bulb helps to regulate ink flow and prevents the pen from leaking.

How is the outer diameter of the bulb in comparison to the inner diameter of the barrel?

C.

Thanks.

 

I do not understand why the "pineapple's" stalk is such a loose fit in the feed. The "pineapple's" diameter is about 1mm less than the interior of the barrel.

 

Cob

[Cob]

I have just given the pen a bit of a polish reset the nib and feed into the section. I tried with the "pineapple" floating about inside, and then tried without. The pen writes perfectly without the fruit (even if I don't!)

 

 

Incidentally, the maker's imprint is very worn away, but is legible with a glass close up. It reads, interestingly, just "The Swan Pen" - i.e. not "Safety Screw Cap". Even more mysterious, the imprint also reads "Mabie Todd & Co" - note not "Ltd"! and "Made in England" None of this makes any sense to me!

 

EDIT: On returning to the pen I found it had become a gusher: dropping int he pineapple had no effect so I have to research the pineapple factor further!

Cob

Edited July 17, 2017 by Cob

[Greenie]

As for the purpose of the pineapple...

 

So many of the "interesting" oddities on pens do not necessarily function as intended. If this internal solid bulb worked as intended, I would expect to see it on later models. Perhaps like the twisted silver wire that was said to help ink flow, but (in my opinion) only served to wedge the feed in place. Early Eversharp pens have a flat wick in the feed that seems to do little. And plenty of Parker Lucky Curves had the curve clipped off way back in history. I would put this pineapple in the category of internal bits said to regulate ink flow that do very little except to amuse the pen owner.

 

The purpose stated by the company is possibly lost to history, and was likely more of a feature to tell buyers that the pen was somehow innovative.

 

But the pineapple is still a pretty cool looking oddity!

[Cob]

Thanks Greenie.

 

It seems that the pineapple is more than decorative. After posting my last message, I tried the pen again and ink poured out as though form a hose (well nearly).

 

Close examination seems to show that the pineapple originally screwed into the feed - and that mine has been snapped off - hardly surprising given that the spigot is thin black hard rubber!

 

I have tried the pen with the pineapple wedged in place with a bit of blu-tak and it does certainly make a big difference. I believe I can do a satisfactory repair - using a bit of an old Onoto (part of a plunger rod!!) this will mean the nerve-racking drilling and tapping of the pineapple and probably the section too, but that's old pens for you. It is a joy to write with I must say - a really fabulous nib.

 

Cob

[farmdogfan]

Very nice and interesting pen.

[Cob]

Update.

 

Thanks to an expert with whom I have been in touch, I have established that my pen is not broken. However the hole in the section that accepts the "pineapple" is too large. I shall be attempting to address this shortly.

 

Meanwhile with the aid of a bit of Blu-Tak the pen writes nicely!

 

Cob

[Cob]

I have now fixed the feed and the 'pineapple' is now a snug fit:

 

 

Now I am evaluating it further...

 

Cob

 

 

[CS388]

Well done, Cob.

 

Never seen anything like this, before. Intriguing. I like Greenies theory about 'oddities' which didn't catch on, yet still pop up to baffle us today. That said, I like the 'pineapple' and can imagine it distributing the ink evenly into the feed - even if I'm falling for ancient hype!

 

How did you reduce the size of the hole in the feed? (if that's what you did?)

 

And congratulations on a nice find.

[GerseSjaak]

Wow, what a pen Cob! Love it.

[mitto]

A beautiful pen. But the stub flexy nib looks more beautiful.

[Cob]

Well done, Cob.

 

Never seen anything like this, before. Intriguing. I like Greenies theory about 'oddities' which didn't catch on, yet still pop up to baffle us today. That said, I like the 'pineapple' and can imagine it distributing the ink evenly into the feed - even if I'm falling for ancient hype!

 

How did you reduce the size of the hole in the feed? (if that's what you did?)

 

And congratulations on a nice find.

Hullo and thanks. yes it is a fascinating piece and I consider myself rather lucky to have found it - well worn though it is. You are, I am certain, correct regarding the function of the pineapple. Without it there is a great deal of ink indeed - everywhere.

 

As it stands it is necessary to store the pen nib up, as one would normally do with most fountain pens, otherwise there is another wet experience! I may look at adjust things further.

 

As for the hole in the feed problem, well, the spigot on the pineapple measured 2.65mm. The hole in the feed was almost 3mm; I have no idea why that might have been. I filled the hole with epoxy putty, taking care to make a pilot hole with a needle before it set. I then drilled it out in stages: 1.2 mm, 1.5, 2. 2.5 and finally 2.6 mm. The pineapple is now a snug fit.

 

Wow, what a pen Cob! Love it.

Thank you!

 

A beautiful pen. But the stub flexy nib looks more beautiful.

Thanks; here's a snap for comparative purposes - No 2, No 4, No 8. you are quite correct; the nib is delightful to write with!

 

 

Rgds to all,

 

Cob

Edited July 29, 2017 by Cob

[mitto]

Thank you for the comparison picture. Enjoy writing with this incredibly beautiful pen and the monstrous juicy stub nib.

[Cob]

Thank you for the comparison picture. Enjoy writing with this incredibly beautiful pen and the monstrous juicy stub nib.

 

Many thinks!

 

Cob

[Cob]

I hd a great deal of trouble with this pen! It was like a hose - a true gusher. However a friend came up with an excellent suggestion which has worked perfectly. The pen is now a delight to use with its wonderful nib, so I expect that I shall not be selling it for a while anyway!

 

 

Cob

[eachan]

Wonderful pen and I do like the small drawing of a Swan!