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Armstrong
March 13th, 2016, 05:28 PM
Well I purchased a Waterman Crusader from Peyton Street pens. My first Waterman and first gold flex / semi-flex nib. Birthday present to myself.

The things that appealed to were the smooth comfortable section area. So many of the vintage gold nib pens have a short uncomfortable looking section with threads hard up against it. The nib has a good amount of tipping material with some flex to it being a requirement. And of course it is a Waterman, a lever filler from the 1940's. Looks are not a requirement for this purchase though it isn't a bad looking pen. Cap has a good bit of plating wear.

I want to get into restoration a bit myself. But first I thought it good to handle and use a working vintage pen to see what I am aiming for in the long run.

Waterman Crusader - Peyton St Pens (http://www.peytonstreetpens.com/waterman-crusader-fountain-pen-black-gold-cap-fine-semi-flex-open-nib-very-nice-restored.html)

pajaro
March 16th, 2016, 09:47 AM
I bought a gray Crusader for a few dollars off of ebay a few years ago. It still works nicely. The gold nib flexes, and the pen is a reliable writer.

Armstrong
March 17th, 2016, 09:11 PM
Good to hear, thanks.

pajaro
March 19th, 2016, 11:19 AM
I think you should try several low cost vintage pens. Esterbrook, Waterman, Sheaffer and Parker, among others. You can then see the feel of each make and get a better feel for what you like and like to work on. Some are easier to work on than others, and some models are tricky.

Armstrong
March 19th, 2016, 01:48 PM
Oh I agree. But money is tight so this kind of thing is strictly occasional. I am an old fart, have a pretty good idea what I like in a pen. So I go with that knowledge. This pen fit those criteria better than most vintage pens.

A lot of vintage pens are not very 'comfortable' looking in their sections or diameter. Having arthritis pushes me to make that a priority. It happens, this time, I was after a gold nib with flex. I tend toward flex nibs and stubs because I enjoy the variation in the written line. Without that I feel I might as well use a roller ball. It is what makes a fountain pen different. Otherwise I would probably tend toward a Schaeffer or Parker because they seem to have offered more pens with a longer, smoother sections. I have a NOS Parker Frontier that I love as far as how it feels in my hand. Great looking pen too with a metal flake, maroon body and a dark brown metal cap. Got it from Peyton St. Pens also.

Have to say Peyton St. has been very prompt with delivery, and does one of the better jobs at fully describing the pen and its condition. I have always had very good experiences with them. They are also approachable and willing to share knowledge with a person.

carlos.q
March 19th, 2016, 03:37 PM
Have to say Peyton St. has been very prompt with delivery, and does one of the better jobs at fully describing the pen and its condition. I have always had very good experiences with them. They are also approachable and willing to share knowledge with a person.

That is correct. :thumb:

Titivillus
March 19th, 2016, 06:11 PM
You don't need arthritis to have a problem with sections. There are a good many that I have tried that I grip by the threads and depending how worn down they are it can be annoying enough to stop writing with it. That might be why the snorkel and Parker 51 are my favorites as the thread/ section is pretty smooth. THen again there are some modern pens with threads sharp enough to rent flesh!

Armstrong
March 19th, 2016, 10:43 PM
LOL yes there are. I don't understand why they don't put the threads below the section. I have seen a few pens done that way and it seems to work well.