Parker 51 Question

[Burtbricker]

I just got a Parker 51 today. I have a question about how it writes. I would say that it's an EF and wet only if I hold the pen a specific way. Just picking the pen up and writing it's dry and skips. I have a to move the pen around to find a sweet spot. I did buy it from a reputable seller. I would call him and see if something can be done but I don't want to bug him if that's normal. Thanks for any suggestion.

Burt

[pajaro]

A pen that might be 60 years old or so might have developed a sort of flat spot where the original owner wrote on his or her sweet spot. Your choices seem to be to use it on its current sweet spot, or send it to a nibmeister to have it worked on to eliminate the sweet spot. Or you could seek out a new nib. You might find an NOS nib for about $40 or so.

[Burtbricker]

Thank you for the response. That does make sense. I think I will write with it for a while and see if I can get used to it.

[OCArt]

I would try a couple of things before making a diagnoses. First give it several good flushes of water with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid to clean out any old ink. You might even need to let the tip of the pen stand in a shallow glass of water overnight. Next you might try a wetter ink. What ink are you using now??

[Venemo]

If this is a restored pen from a reputable seller, definitely contact the seller if the pen is not up to your expectations.

 

If you bought it "as is", unrestored, and want to fix it yourself, then take a look at my thread where I'm dealing with a very similar issue: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/332020-how-to-fix-parker-51-skipping-and-hard-starts/

[siamackz]

FIrst thing I would check is if the tines are misaligned

[Burtbricker]

I would try a couple of things before making a diagnoses. First give it several good flushes of water with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid to clean out any old ink. You might even need to let the tip of the pen stand in a shallow glass of water overnight. Next you might try a wetter ink. What ink are you using now??

I am using Waterman Serenity Blue. I have a few Noodler's inks but wanted to have an easy to clean ink in the pen. After flushing the pen and giving it a soke it's writing better. Still has a sweet spot but not as pronounced. The initial inking was wet but after writing a page its more on the dry side.

[Burtbricker]

FIrst thing I would check is if the tines are misaligned

I did they look correct. Thanks for your suggestion!

[Burtbricker]

FIrst thing I would check is if the tines are misaligned

They look good but may be a little to tight. I have adjusted a few steel nibs but not gold. I might see if the seller can make that adjustment. Thanks for your response!

[Burtbricker]

If this is a restored pen from a reputable seller, definitely contact the seller if the pen is not up to your expectations.

 

If you bought it "as is", unrestored, and want to fix it yourself, then take a look at my thread where I'm dealing with a very similar issue: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/332020-how-to-fix-parker-51-skipping-and-hard-starts/

Thanks for your response. The pen was restored and looks almost new. I think I will contact him see if he can help.

[Venemo]

Thanks for your response. The pen was restored and looks almost new. I think I will contact him see if he can help.

 

In that case, it is expected that the pen should have some warranty given by the seller. You should contact the guy and ask for his help. Don't mess with the pen yourself, as that would void the warranty.

[inkstainedruth]

It could just be that it's an EF nib.

I have an EF nib on one of my 51 Vacs and when I had it restored I found it seemed a bit scratchy, so I had the the repair person (Ron Zorn) open up the tines a little bit for me. That helped *immensely* (I'm not fond of EF nibs normally, but I found the pen in the wild for a good price -- $25 and it has a 1/10 16K gold-filled cap).

Once the flow got increased a bit, with the opening up of the tines, it became a very solid writer -- very good for when I have to take copious notes.

I agree that you should contact the seller and explain the situation. It might be as simple a solution as that, and if you're not comfortable in doing it yourself, see it the seller can do it for you.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Burtbricker]

It could just be that it's an EF nib.

I have an EF nib on one of my 51 Vacs and when I had it restored I found it seemed a bit scratchy, so I had the the repair person (Ron Zorn) open up the tines a little bit for me. That helped *immensely* (I'm not fond of EF nibs normally, but I found the pen in the wild for a good price -- $25 and it has a 1/10 16K gold-filled cap).

Once the flow got increased a bit, with the opening up of the tines, it became a very solid writer -- very good for when I have to take copious notes.

I agree that you should contact the seller and explain the situation. It might be as simple a solution as that, and if you're not comfortable in doing it yourself, see it the seller can do it for you.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Thanks for your response! I bought the pen from Tim Pierson. He has a case at Cooper Street Antique mall in Arlington. I gave them a call and they contacted Tim for me. He called me back and gave me some advice on how to adjust the nib.

 

As you said the pen is a EF and the tines need to be open a bit. He told me what to do and said if I damaged it he would take care of it. He also offered to fix the pen for me but he was out of town and wouldn't be home for a few weeks. I worked on it and it seems to be writing better. I am going to use it all day tomorrow and see if it did help.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for your response! I bought the pen from Tim Pierson. He has a case at Cooper Street Antique mall in Arlington. I gave them a call and they contacted Tim for me. He called me back and gave me some advice on how to adjust the nib.

 

As you said the pen is a EF and the tines need to be open a bit. He told me what to do and said if I damaged it he would take care of it. He also offered to fix the pen for me but he was out of town and wouldn't be home for a few weeks. I worked on it and it seems to be writing better. I am going to use it all day tomorrow and see if it did help.

 

I've bought a couple of pens from him at shows. He's a good guy to deal with.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth