I got this pen today

[Bo Bo Olson]

The problem is ...the term 'flex'.......

Nail, 1X= no flex.

Semi-nail, 2X when well mashed.,,,could be called a flex nib...could be if one really, really wants. The nib bends and the tines open a tiny bit.......

.....................

And a set of three X flex rates: that have a limit of 3 X tine spread vs a light down stroke.

The semi-&maxi can be over maxed and sprung by many who for some reason believe a semi-flex is a calligraphy nib instead of a flair nib.  Folks that refuse to buy a superflex, stubbed or CI nib.  AS |shown on Youtube and many Ebay abused nib advertisements...nib pre-sprung for your convenience.

Richard Binder wrote a great article on metal fatigue.

 

Regular flex; the once normal Esterbrook**, Wearever, Venus, and the Sub Sheaffer brand Crest nibs.....some Sheaffer pens, in they did have a US made semi-flex in the early '50s.

.....................

Regular flex when well mashed will spread it's tines 3X.........one can't write with it so maxed. Springy like a 200 Pelikan or a '82-97 Pelikan 400 for those with out old classic American pens.

 

Semi-flex one can write with it mashed to max of 3X*. Takes half the pressure to reach 3X  a light down strokethan a regular flex.

 

*As noobie to 'flex', my first semi-flex was a semi-flex Pelikan 140. At first I was so heavy handed I maxed it for a month to six weeks, took me another month or more to get my hand light enough that I could demand 'line variation' and get it.

 

Maxi-semi-flex spreads it's tines to 3 X, with half the pressure needed in semi-flex. Or 1/4th the pressure need to max a Regular Flex.

 

Superflex flex rates have been covered another posts.

 

 

** Esterbrook, had many nibs, and a spread of  from nails, regular flex and a hard semi-flex. I remember the nibs as being springy like Wearever.........of course I got the ugly '60-metal cap ,plain colored Esterbrook.

But later I got a nice lot of pre-and post war Wearvers and an assortment of Esterbrooks.

 

The Esterbrooks with the cap on...didn't have a nib. Ended up only keeping two Esterbrooks and three Wearevers.

 

[pyiyha]

Two more added to my flock.

 

Early 50's Pelikan 400 first gen with 101N nib and a 50's Montegrappa Extra laminated oro 750.

 

 

[Norfolk]

9 minutes ago, pyiyha said:

Two more added to my flock.

 

Very nice!

 

 

[DvdRiet]

5 hours ago, pyiyha said:

Early 50's Pelikan 400 first gen with 101N nib and a 50's Montegrappa Extra laminated oro 750.

Very nice pens! And very nice finds. Hope you are enjoying them!

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think the 400 is a 'seaweed' tortoise...which has been on my wish list for ages. Good that you got that enviable pen.

[The Elevator]

PenBBS 487 magnet filler in Ice Blue with a Med. round nib. It came in late last night actually, so I cleaned and filled it this morning. Magnet filler is a bit finicky, but the ink capacity is obscenely large, so I won’t need to bother with the magnet too often. 
 

[Misfit]

11 hours ago, The Elevator said:

PenBBS 487 magnet filler in Ice Blue with a Med. round nib. It came in late last night actually, so I cleaned and filled it this morning. Magnet filler is a bit finicky, but the ink capacity is obscenely large, so I won’t need to bother with the magnet too often. 
 

Magnet filler? Intriguing. Guess I’ll go search about magnet fillers.  I watched a video, and it’s an interesting filling system. I learned from an Edison draw filler, that the interesting filling system is also the cleaning system.  Depending on the filling system, the interesting ones can be a pain to clean. 

[cat74]

On 3/9/2023 at 8:41 PM, inkstainedruth said:

Cool!  What's the nib on it?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Just came with a steel fine... I have others though and popped in my gold stub!!! I received a steel broad not long ago that I haven't tried out so it may get a turn too!

[amberleadavis]

14 hours ago, The Elevator said:

PenBBS 487 magnet filler in Ice Blue with a Med. round nib. It came in late last night actually, so I cleaned and filled it this morning. Magnet filler is a bit finicky, but the ink capacity is obscenely large, so I won’t need to bother with the magnet too often. 
 

 

Like @Misfit I will have to find out about magnet fillers.

[amberleadavis]

[The Elevator]

20 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

 

Like @Misfit I will have to find out about magnet fillers.

 

It's basically a piston filler, but instead of a screw drive, it's a magnet. The problem is that it's rather stiff, and requires a stronger magnet than the one that came with the pen. Fortunately, I randomly had magnets lying around so all was well 🥳. The other cool thing is that I can stick it to stuff. So far it's just a party trick, but perhaps it will come in actually useful someday 🤷‍♀️.

 

20 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

What is this? ↑

[amberleadavis]

42 minutes ago, The Elevator said:

 

It's basically a piston filler, but instead of a screw drive, it's a magnet. The problem is that it's rather stiff, and requires a stronger magnet than the one that came with the pen. Fortunately, I randomly had magnets lying around so all was well 🥳. The other cool thing is that I can stick it to stuff. So far it's just a party trick, but perhaps it will come in actually useful someday 🤷‍♀️.

 

What is this? ↑

 

Pilot Custom 823 from Pen Sachi

https://www.pensachi.com/products/pilot-custom-823-fountain-pen-transparent

[Penguincollector]

I didn’t mention this one in the impulse buy thread because even though it started out that way- I put in an offer on a green 45 with an octanium nib and gold trim. The seller accepted my offer, I paid, and then they messaged me that the pen that they had accepted the offer for had been sold. They offered me another one with a gold colored nib or a refund. I took the offered pen, which turned out to be a very nice teal 45 with a fine 14k nib and gold trim. I just took it apart and it had the old Parker-Eversharp cartridge in it, the ink was dry, but reconstituted quickly and was so dark that I saved it to try and use, just to see what happens. 

[Number99]

45 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

I didn’t mention this one in the impulse buy thread because even though it started out that way- I put in an offer on a green 45 with an octanium nib and gold trim. The seller accepted my offer, I paid, and then they messaged me that the pen that they had accepted the offer for had been sold. They offered me another one with a gold colored nib or a refund. I took the offered pen, which turned out to be a very nice teal 45 with a fine 14k nib and gold trim. I just took it apart and it had the old Parker-Eversharp cartridge in it, the ink was dry, but reconstituted quickly and was so dark that I saved it to try and use, just to see what happens. 

You were very lucky.

The nib is now 14k gold instead of octanium. Remnants of the Eversharp cartridge suggest that the pen has not been used much. (Is the cap top screw a dented cone? If so, this pen is from the 1960s.) And teal blue is rarer than forest green.

Above all, it is a good color!

And I know it is a more vivid color than the image.

 

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

35 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

which turned out to be a very nice teal 45 with a fine 14k nib and gold trim.

That is a very pretty looking pen @Penguincollector

Teal & black with silver & gold trim is beautiful.

 

I really must get my 'Parkers' out of the bottom of the pen box and explore what I have!

The reason I say this is because, of all the vintage pens for sale, half of them would be 'Parkers'!

So I just bought a few random models without thinking too much about them.

 

I like your latest very much!

A happy accident would you say?

 

Cheers, P.I.Tom

[Penguincollector]

18 minutes ago, Number99 said:

You were very lucky.

The nib is now 14k gold instead of octanium. Remnants of the Eversharp cartridge suggest that the pen has not been used much. (Is the cap top screw a dented cone? If so, this pen is from the 1960s.) And teal blue is rarer than forest green.

Above all, it is a good color!

And I know it is a more vivid color than the image.

 

Thank you, I feel lucky! It is a dented cone screw cap top, just like the one my dad bought in 1963.  The March rains are in their glory here in the Pacific Northwest, and while lovely to look out my window at, makes my hobby room very dark. 
 

14 minutes ago, Pale.Ink.Tom said:

That is a very pretty looking pen @Penguincollector

Teal & black with silver & gold trim is beautiful.

 

I really must get my 'Parkers' out of the bottom of the pen box and explore what I have!

The reason I say this is because, of all the vintage pens for sale, half of them would be 'Parkers'!

So I just bought a few random models without thinking too much about them.

 

I like your latest very much!

A happy accident would you say?

 

Cheers, P.I.Tom

Thank you, it was definitely a happy accident, as I was originally going to buy a 45 Custom in Navy for twice the price. Parkers are my favorite, and I bet your pens would appreciate some use!

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

I can't help but think of Tom Robbins when I think of the 'Pacific Northwest' who, I believe, lives somewhere near Seattle? Rainy forests are very familiar here in the 'Pacific Southwest'.

I am very curious about that particular part of North America, which sounds, when described by travelers, very much like a place I might feel at home!

 

Have you read any Tom Robbins @Penguincollector?

I'm not sure if any are based in, or around, Seattle except, maybe part of the story, "Another Roadside Attraction".

 

I'm about to dig out the 'Parker' box although I will have a near impossible job of replacing the current pens on my desk!!

Montblanc 146

Swan, Mabie Todd, SM205/86 Green, Snakeskin pattern

My 2 Kaweco Sports

 

At least I got a good bunch of them while they were abundant here. They are so common though I find it hard to imagine how sought after they actually are in other parts of the world.

But, with vintage pens, once they are gone they're gone for good!

Our collections become the last bastions of a bygone era.

Any vintage fountain is good to have then!

 

 

P.I.Tom

[Penguincollector]

4 minutes ago, Pale.Ink.Tom said:

Have you read any Tom Robbins @Penguincollector?

  I read Still Life with Woodpecker in high school.  I’m more familiar with the real life high jinks he got up to with the McKennas and Leary. 
 Until recently, one of your national team players, Bill Tulioma, was on my soccer team- the Portland Timbers. We just traded him, which was unfortunate, as he was a fan favorite. He loved it here. 
  

 

23 minutes ago, Pale.Ink.Tom said:

At least I got a good bunch of them while they were abundant here. They are so common though I find it hard to imagine how sought after they actually are in other parts of the world.

But, with vintage pens, once they are gone they're gone for good!

Our collections become the last bastions of a bygone era.

Any vintage fountain is good to have then!

   I think Parkers are popular BECAUSE they’re so common, especially in countries that had their own subsidiary factories. The filling systems are also easy to use and low maintenance, for the most part (I don’t mess with Vacumatics). The pandemic gave some new folks the collection bug and now prices are so crazy. I think they’re still abundant, especially here in the US. 

[Penguincollector]

On 3/11/2023 at 10:31 PM, amberleadavis said:

Your 823 is gorgeous!

[AmandaW]

My Greenfield pen with a 1.1mm nib arrived today. I showed the fine nib one previously - it's the pen Steiner students are required to use from mid-primary school onwards. An impressively sturdy pen with a wood barrel, comfortable grip and, so far, my fine one hasn't even thought about drying out. Through several months of summer. Peering into the cap just now I see what appears to be a seriously fat o-ring thingy sitting on top of the inner cap - which probably explains that!

 

I will now go order the 1.5mm and 1.9mm...