Parker 45 Nib Change

[forumwooster]

Hello everyone,

 

This is my first post in anger so please excuse my total lack of knowledge. I have lately bought a Parker 45 NOS and I realise how easy it is to take apart. Now, in an idle moment, I'm wondering if I wanted to change say a Fine nib for a Medium or vice-versa, would I need to change the whole feed at the same time or do all nib sizes fit into all Parker 45 feeds. I would be most grateful if someone could tell me.

 

Thank you all for your time.

[PithyProlix]

Only the nib has to be changed. 

 

(Anger?) 

[forumwooster]

9 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

Only the nib has to be changed. 

 

(Anger?) 

Thank you for that information.

 

I am not angry. Perhaps "earnest" would have been a more usual word to use 😁

Edited February 19 by forumwooster

[Mr.Rene]

Greetings!

 

[OCArt]

@forumwoosterJust beware that many P45's haven't been used in decades and the feed is "glued" in place with dried ink. If it doesn't unscrew easily let it soak another day.

[VacNut]

Congratulations on the 45.

 

A NOS pen often is more expensive than a restored pen. You can save a little money by buying a restored pen, rather than a NOS if you intend on using the pen. A NOS pen may not necessary write or work better than a restored pen. It may not work at all after sitting idle for 60 years.

 

Good luck on future acquisitions 

[forumwooster]

Thank you all for this help. Much appreciated. I will no doubt stick with the fine nib for a little while, but it is indeed good to know that in the future I can change.

[inkstainedruth]

And for really thorough cleaning, you can actually take the nib assembly completely apart (although you DON'T want to do what I did when I got my first 45, and almost lost the nib itself down the drain -- my husband had to take the trap apart but fortunately was able to find it); you definitely want to disassemble the nib unit over something that can catch stuff if you drop it, because the nibs themselves are TINY! 

There's a video online on how to disassemble the nib unit on a 45 by Tyler Dahl that someone on FPN very kindly told me about (I didn't know anything about the pen, other than it was a Parker).  

http://tylerdahlpens.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-disassemble-parker-45.html

It was my first semi-vintage pen AND my first pen with a 14K nib (found it in a box with some other pens in a little antiques shop on the eastern edge of Corry, PA, on a weekend jaunt through the Northern Tier counties of PA) and didn't even know what it was, other than it was a Parker.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: I need to watch that video again myself!  The nib on another 45 just got borked and I'm going to have to probably dump the ink in the pen (vintage Quink Permanent Blue Black) down the drain in the process of trying to get the pen cleaned out so I can attempt to get the nib unit apart and MAYBE get the nib unbent (or at least make it clean enough for a pro to do that at the  B/W Pen Show in a couple of weeks).

[forumwooster]

Thank you @inkstainedruth for the link. I will watch it shortly. Glad you found your nib and hope your next maintenance works out also 😀

[Beechwood]

Welcome to FPN.

 

Parts for the 45 are readily available and not too expensive. You may want to consider changing the complete screw-in nib as opposed to reusing your current feed with a new nib

 

https://www.penhome.co.uk/collections/parker-45-nibs

 

This is also a useful guide

 

https://parker45pens.com/nibs/