First Vintage Pelikan

[Firecrest]

I've just ordered a Pelikan 140 with ef nib. This is my first Pelikan and my first vintage pen so I'm really curious as to what will turn up. It's an ebay acquisition, looked in good nick in the pics but I wondered whether I should be doing anything different with it before use only having bought new pens up to this point. Should I be flushing it out, greasing it (if so, what with?), and so on. Also, would I be right in thinking it's likely to be an early 60s instrument in view of its having a nib with Chevron falling short of the centre? All a voyage if discovery for me, anyway!

[OCArt]

Congratulations on your new pen, the 140 is a great model with a wonderful nib. Most likely the pen will function well as Pelikans are very robust and trouble free. You may wish to lubricate the piston with silicon grease by removing the nib and applying a SMALL amount to the barrel's walls with a toothpick. Don't use much force to unscrew the nib-- they are often frozen by dried ink that may need lots of soaking in water to remove. You can let the pen stand in a glass of water overnight (sometimes several nights) but keep the water level below the barrel binde.

[eerestis]

Many vintage nibs I've had have been worn at an angle. If you find the nib to be scratchy, take a look at it under a loupe, you might need to rotate it slightly to the left. Hope yours has worn evenly and works great.

[PAKMAN]

Congrats, hope you love it!

[carola]

As for dating your nib, you can have a look here:

https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Nibs/Nib-units-since-1929/index.html#heading_toc_j_11

 

In my understanding, what you describe is a 1964/1965 14 C gold nib. However, dating a pen by regarding the nib means assuming the nib never got changed. As Pelikans of the same sort tend to have interchangeable nibs throughout the production years, you might not be able to tell how old the rest of the pen really is, especially if you´ve got a colour that has been used from beginning to end of the line.

 

For the pens:

https://www.pelikan-collectibles.com/en/Pelikan/Models/Revised-Piston-Fillers/140-Basis/index.html

 

Which colour is your 140?

[OMASsimo]

Congratulations! The 140 is a great and probably underrated pen, very reliable and balanced in my opinion. Most likely, it won’t need more than a good cleaning. If the piston moves easily without the need to force it, flushing a few times to get rid of old ink might be all that’s needed. Otherwise it might need a longer rinse in water. I always recommend to leave the nib in place and not unscrew it unless it is totally unavoidable. Non of my many Pelikans ever needed the piston seal to be greased.

 

carola is right about dating the nib. The chevron design, introduced in 1954, had lines going all the way to the slit. In 1964 this was changed and the lines stopped slightly short of the slit. In 1965 the 140 was discontinued. I have a number of pre war Pelikans where components were replaced obviously. I did not observe the same with post war Pelikans. So, it seems likely though not guaranteed that your pen is from 1964/65.

 

i hope you will enjoy your first vintage pen and you picked an excellent model to start with. Pelikans got me into the vintage pen rabbit hole.

[Firecrest]

Great advice, interesting observations, and lots of reassuring positives. I'm excited about this pen which will hopefully be with me in a couple of weeks. So far I've just been exploring Japanese pens which I'm very fond of - Sailor nibs seem as good as any I'll ever write with. But I know that Pelikan vintage nibs are a whole different world so I'm very curious to see what I find and whether I'll suit it. What I do know is the aesthetic of those stripey barrels just looks gorgeous! If I like this one I'll soon be looking for a 400 in one of its incarnations. Thanks again.

[ENewton]

My only Pelikan is a 140 with an extra-fine nib, and I hope you will share your experience with your new acquisition.

 

My own experience is that it took me a long time--about a year and a half--to find an ink that would work well in the nib. Probably some preconceived notions came into play. I expected the nib to be smoother and wetter than the nibs on most of my pens and first tried a relatively dry ink, Rohrer & Klingner Sepia, but the line produced with too dry for good legibility, let alone shading, and the nib dragged along the page, making it unsuitable for writing more than a line or two. Next, I tried a fairly wet ink, Waterman Purple, which produced a more legible line but was still not lubricated enough to complement the unique feedback of the nib. Pelikan 4001 Violet, despite being dryer, worked better, being bright and also somewhat lubricated, but still didn't make me reach for the pen very often. Finally, I took the plunge and decided to try the same kinds of inks I use to complement the feedback of my Sailor pens. Kobe Taisanji Yellow was wet enough to provide a pleasant writing experience but not saturated enough to produce a legible line. Finally, I tried Pilot Iroshizuku Kujaku and met with the success that had so long eluded me.

 

All this being said, I was warned by the (very reputable) dealer from whom I bought the pen that the nibs on the Pelikan 140s are very different from one to the next. Many are purported to have some flexibility, producing line variation in normal writing; however, when I read such descriptions, I often wonder whether the nibs themselves are different, or whether the people who see line variation in normal writing style simply apply far more pressure that I do when I write.

 

In any case, good luck with your pen. I hope it takes you less time than it did for me to happen upon the right ink.

[sansenri]

A great pen to start on vintage.

I learned to write on a 120, the 140 is the same size but with the added elegance of the cellulose acetate binde and the refinement of the 14k nib.

On vintage Pelikans each nib is different, so it's difficult to predict how it will behave, before it's in your hands.

One thing that is common to all 140s though (and other vintage Pelikans) is the unrestrained ink flow. That you will feel. I just love it. 140s are usually difficult to put down.

[ENewton]

 

One thing that is common to all 140s though (and other vintage Pelikans) is the unrestrained ink flow. That you will feel. I just love it. 140s are usually difficult to put down.

 

Mine is very restrained in its flow, but the Iroshizuku ink compensates for that quality.

[Firecrest]

Thank you so much for these reflections. I generally use Sailor inks though one of my favourites at the moment is Iroshizuku Ama Iro though I use that in a Faber Castell Loom and generally for marking students'work. I don't know much about wetness or dryness. I recently bought a bottle of Aurora Black which works well though I find most things do in my journal and letter writing paper both of which are Tomoe River which I've just fallen for completely over the last year or so. Lots of variables in store so probably a bit of experimentation- which is all part of the enjoyment...if I end up with a happy result!

[sansenri]

 

Mine is very restrained in its flow, but the Iroshizuku ink compensates for that quality.

I did read your post and it sounded slightly odd in my experience.

Although the dealer advised you correctly, with vintage nibs there is a huge variability from nib to nib, both because reproducibility was much lower time ago, and also because used nibs can have been modified by use itself.

 

My 140s are free flowing even with Pelikan 4001 which is notably not a wet ink, although I do not have an EF (3 Fs and an OBB).

With vintage pens I usually start with an easy ink, Waterman Serenity is a good test, more modern inks can influence flow, and not allow you to precisely understand your pen on first try.

 

[ENewton]

Thank you so much for these reflections. I generally use Sailor inks though one of my favourites at the moment is Iroshizuku Ama Iro though I use that in a Faber Castell Loom and generally for marking students'work. I don't know much about wetness or dryness. I recently bought a bottle of Aurora Black which works well though I find most things do in my journal and letter writing paper both of which are Tomoe River which I've just fallen for completely over the last year or so. Lots of variables in store so probably a bit of experimentation- which is all part of the enjoyment...if I end up with a happy result!

 

I'm sure you will find the perfect ink for your pen! I have Sailor inks that I suspect would work well, but they are dark purple, and the dealer suggested that I shouldn't use purple in my pen.

[OMASsimo]

 

Mine is very restrained in its flow, but the Iroshizuku ink compensates for that quality.

I’m sure you are aware that vintage nibs tend to have a lot more “personality” and character than modern ones. The variations between individual nibs of the same model can be quite significant. My experience with many vintage Pelikans is that they usually are in the middle between dry and wet. But I tend to nibs M and upwards where friction and flow isn’t an issue usually. What I love about them is that they work with basically every ink even on crappy paper. My only fine/extra fine Pelikan nibs are early ones, a 100N from the late 1930s and a 400 from early 1950s. The first is rather dry but very “controlled” with a lot of flex capacity. Very easy to write with if you don’t mind the feedback. I love to use this one for proof reading corrections and whenever I need to write small and very precisely. The 400 nib is much wetter but has less flex capacity. It still isn’t a fire hose exactly.

 

I’m looking forward to hear how this XF is going to turn out. And last but not least, the nib flow also can be tuned if desired.

[chromantic]

My only vintage Pel is a beautiful black 140 from '54 or '55. Great condition overall (someone spent a lot of time with carnuba wax shining it up), nib is semi-flex, very EF, just a teensy bit scratchy. I first used Kana-cho in it and that worked pretty well, but there's a tiny nick in the inner ring on the piston that let a little ink into the space behind. I managed to clear it through repeated flushing then put in a little silicon which seemed to do the trick. Have had MV Sapphire in it ever since.

[Christopher Godfrey]

Perhaps Firecrest doesn't know we are back up and running yet; but I wish he/she would let us know how it goes with the new pen...curious minds want to know!  I suspect that we'll have another new convert?  ☺️

[Firecrest]

Hi again,

Just realised fpn is up and running.  I had to send my 140 back because the finial wouldn't screw in.  This was fixed and now I have a fully functioning piece of kit.  I was worried about the breadth of line but curiously I don't mind it as much as I thought I would.  I'm used to fine Japanese nibs and this ef is certainly thicker but somehow I'm just drawn to it.  It should be a little small for my hand but, again, I seem to gravitate towards it anyway - such a comfortable and pleasing writer.  I'm so glad I took the plunge as it's a very different experience to what I'm used to.  I have it filled with Iroshizuku Kon Peki which just looks beautiful in my eyes.  I now want a 400 of one sort or another when I can justify the expenditure. 

[chromantic]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the new pen, welcome to the club!

The M400s are wonderful pens but you may be in for a shock with a Souveran EF. The gold nibs on modern Souverans generally lay down a wider line than comparable-sized steel nibs of the M150/200 series. Even the EFs on my M3xx's lays down a heavier line than my 140.

[inkstainedruth]

I have a few Pelikans from the 1980s, but the only truly vintage one is a 1950s era 400, with an OB nib.

Someday I'd love to be able to afford a vintage 100, but at the moment they're way too expensive for me.  Congratulations on your 140, Firecrest.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Nethermark]

On 12/8/2020 at 4:18 PM, Firecrest said:

I now want a 400 of one sort or another when I can justify the expenditure.

That's how it started for me too. These birds have a tendency to multiply. Now you're warned 😃