Unknown Pen Identification + Help

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Picked this up at a flea market recently and I am wondering what it is. It looks vaguely Parker 51 inspired but has a plastic button filler. No branding whatsoever, and it has the strangest nib/feed I've seen in a post-1950's pen. It is a 14kt gold nib sandwiched in-between two halves of an ebonite feed. Have a feeling this is of European make but other than that, no clue.

 

 

 

And as part of this - does anyone if this has a glued in section or pressure fit? I've tried for several hours to get it open and have had no luck. I opened it from the other end (button assembly comes off) and unfortunately slightly cracked the hood of the nib when I pushed the nib out. 

 

Also, any ideas on how to put the nib back in welcomed. I am assuming the feed needs to be placed through the back, it will not fit from the front. And the nib will need to be fit through the front once the feed is placed?

 

[kestrel]

That looks like somebody slit the feed lengthwise perpendicular to the feed channel.  Then the nib was shoved into the slit.  There appears to be an awful lot of carving type damage to the feed.  Why anyone would do that I have no idea.

 

The pen looks like a Wearever.  I have one of their button fillers with the plastic button you describe and the same clip and same blind cap.  My pen has a Wearever nib with a plastic feed but the rest of the pen has no manufacturer identification.  A previous owner of the pen you have might have tried to install a replacement nib and feed.  A picture of the front end of the barrel with section would be helpful.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Most definitely not a Wearever, the nib and feed appear to have been designed that way on purpose. It's far too regular, and it's strangely long. The nib is also 14kt gold and Wearever did not make any hooded 14kt nibs. Also I bought this from a guy who I've purchased a Bulgarian pen from before so he seems to have some old European pens.

 

I have a few Wearever button fillers as well but they have a very different feel to them. The blindcap is different (Wearever made cheapo hubcap covers during WW2 and used the same parts for their button fillers) - it's a fair big longer. Also, it's a fairly heavy and solid pen, feels very similar to a Parker 51 in build quality.

 

 

I wish I took some more pictures before I accidentally pushed the nib out. Unfortunately I can't reassemble it and take proper pictures unless I can get it apart.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Took some more pics of the nib and feed:

 

 

The nib itself reminds me a tiny bit of the Waterman Taperite nibs but the shape is completely different. Plus the lack of Waterman imprint.

 

 

 

The feed has the "channels" on both sides, and holes drilled in the middle (for gripping the nib better maybe? or flexibility so it doesn't crack when the nib is inserted?). It's also a little hard to tell from the pics but the central channel thins down in one orientation, so there is a "top" and a "bottom" to the feed and the nib will only go in one way.
 

In general the features appear too finely done and too regular to be a one-off type of thing. But I am curious because I've never seen a nib/feed like this. Closest thing probably being turn of the century fountain pens with the ebonite over/under feeds, but this probably has four or five decades on those.

[es9]

Interesting. It’s like a normal feed and overfeed in one. Can you safely tell whether there are ink channels on both the top and the bottom of the inside part of the feed? 
 

Hard to imagine the likes are for anything other than preventing cracking. I’d think heat will be pretty critical when resetting/reinserting everything to prevent cracking. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

2 hours ago, es9 said:

Interesting. It’s like a normal feed and overfeed in one. Can you safely tell whether there are ink channels on both the top and the bottom of the inside part of the feed? 
 

Hard to imagine the likes are for anything other than preventing cracking. I’d think heat will be pretty critical when resetting/reinserting everything to prevent cracking. 

 

It's completely smooth on the inside from what I can see, just the four circle cutouts. I am guessing the design is that the ink flows through the "side channels" (which widen into the space where the nib goes). The circular cutouts might serve to hold the ink?

 

Really interesting and I am curious how well it will write... I feel bad that I chipped/broke the hood. It's still hanging on but I have a feeling when I reinsert everything (if I ever get it open), it might snap off.

[kestrel]

Now you have me really curious.

[VersoFolio]

On 5/8/2023 at 3:25 PM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Most definitely not a Wearever, the nib and feed appear to have been designed that way on purpose. It's far too regular, and it's strangely long. The nib is also 14kt gold and Wearever did not make any hooded 14kt nibs. Also I bought this from a guy who I've purchased a Bulgarian pen from before so he seems to have some old European pens.

 

I have a few Wearever button fillers as well but they have a very different feel to them. The blindcap is different (Wearever made cheapo hubcap covers during WW2 and used the same parts for their button fillers) - it's a fair big longer. Also, it's a fairly heavy and solid pen, feels very similar to a Parker 51 in build quality.

 

 

I wish I took some more pictures before I accidentally pushed the nib out. Unfortunately I can't reassemble it and take proper pictures unless I can get it apart.

 

My experience tells me that this nib has been fitted in the wrong position!  Needs to be twisted 180 degrees.

Feed appears to be a homemade modification to accommodate wrongly positioned (upside down) nib.

To my eye this looks jarring and asymmetrical which suggests it is lacking some basic pen design and construction principles.

P.I.T

 

 

[I-am-not-really-here]

In my opinion -

 

Somebody who does not know how a fountain pen works messed with the feed.  Those holes drilled to alleviate pressure when the slicing was done or a guide of sorts to keep the cutter straight (thinks the amateur).  That there are no other channels to bring ink to the nib tells me this is NOT as manufactured. Consider: if it WAS manufactured why are there no other examples?  That the pen was purchased from a seller who deals in better pens is not particularly relevant.  It is the type of (bleep) I expect shows up in pen lots purchased for refurbishment.  Outwardly it looks like an over/under but taking the pen apart exposes the truth.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

No disrespect to anyone who shared their thoughts here, but I don't think you are right. Have you seen this pen before? If not, how can you say it wasn't designed this way? I am not a betting man but I would be willing to bet that this is not a US-made pen, it's likely foreign-made by an obscure maker.

 

The way the section is designed, the space for the feed is very narrow and does not have space for the nib to sit on top of the nib in the usual way. The curvature of the nib is incorrect as well. So unless the entire section was custom-made, along with the feed, it was designed this way. Why does it have two feed channels, for example?

 

Anyways, the whole point of this was identifying the pen so I could know if there are any weird irregularities with how the section is on there, like reverse threads or if it is usually glued in. I still can't open it after several days of trying (heat, soaking, etc. everything) and I am close to just giving up and putting it in my parts box.