Question about the barrel construction of vintage Pelikan striped pens.

[Megaloblatta]

I know that the striped barrels of modern Pelikan pens are a "bilde" or sleeve of cellulose acetate on top of a transparent inner acrylic tube. Please could someone tell me whether this is how they have always been made - right from the beginning when the striped barrels were first introduced. I was wondering if any of the old pens had barrels of thicker solid cellulose acetate and no inner acrylic tube?

[Nyanzilla]

My oldest Pelikan is a 400 from 1951. Its barrel consists of two layers. But Idk how the very first models from the 1930s were made. But I presume they always were made of two different layers to prevent them from leaking, as the outer binde has a seem which could become a weak point.

[Megaloblatta]

17 minutes ago, Nyanzilla said:

My oldest Pelikan is a 400 from 1951. Its barrel consists of two layers. But Idk how the very first models from the 1930s were made. But I presume they always were made of two different layers to prevent them from leaking, as the outer binde has a seem which could become a weak point.

Yes, I think you are right. After writing my post I looked at my 1950s Pelikan 140 under a microscope and clearly saw two layers. I wonder if they are glued together or, like today, the inner plastic part was injection moulded into the binde? If they are glued I'm surprised they had such good glue in the 1950s!

[carola]

From the Pelikan 100 and 100N models, the coloured binde can come loose, so the barrel clearly has to consist of two components, an inner and an outer one. But on the exact details concerning how those two components hold together, one of the repair people here would have to chime in.

[Megaloblatta]

1 hour ago, carola said:

From the Pelikan 100 and 100N models, the coloured binde can come loose, so the barrel clearly has to consist of two components, an inner and an outer one. But on the exact details concerning how those two components hold together, one of the repair people here would have to chime in.

Oh, not so good. I like the fact that the 'binde' is a handmade cellulose acetate, but I am struggling to love it as it is such a thin layer. It is like whether you prefer solid wood furniture or furniture which has a wood veneer.. 

[carola]

7 hours ago, Megaloblatta said:

Oh, not so good. I like the fact that the 'binde' is a handmade cellulose acetate, but I am struggling to love it as it is such a thin layer. It is like whether you prefer solid wood furniture or furniture which has a wood veneer.. 

Maybe it would help if you see the binde as the "body" and the inner component containing the piston and the ink as the "entrails" of the pen, protecting the body from anything leaking through. 😉

[Megaloblatta]

1 hour ago, carola said:

Maybe it would help if you see the binde as the "body" and the inner component containing the piston and the ink as the "entrails" of the pen, protecting the body from anything leaking through. 😉

I just see the binde as the decoration, like veneer - as it is not a structural component and the pen would work fine without it! Anyway, at least it is attractive and handmade.

[OMASsimo]

The Pelikan design has been a two layer approach from the beginning on but it changed drastically around 1950. At first the pens had a regular barrel like other overlay pens of the period. But Pelikan used a thin coloured plastic overlay instead of silver, vermeil, or gold. This changed with the introduction of the 400 around 1950. A sheet of coloured, stacked, striped material  was cut, rolled up and “glued” together to form the barrel. In a second step, this barrel was injection molded from the inside with a thin transparent layer. I think that increases the stability of the barrel and removes the necessity to mill the barrel inside for the piston to move smoothly. It’s quite an ingenious process in my opinion and has little in common with cheap veneer  furniture. It produces very pretty and extremely rugged pen barrels that stand the test of time. I have a 1953 Pelikan 400 on my desk that looks an works like new!

[stoen]

There is another significant difference concerning the body unit of a Pelikan 400 as compared to the earlier 100N model, manufactured until 1954. Wheras the late wartime and post-war 100N models have a single piece injection-moulded body+binde, the 400 has a separate, ultra-sound welded grip-section, AFAIK.