Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Hello and welcome to FPGeeks. :) :welcome:
Hopefully someone who knows about Swan Mabie Todd pens will come along to assist. :)
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Welcome! That looks like a really cool pen. I don't know a thing about Mabie Todd pens, though. I had no idea they made pens with ink windows.
Before you do anything learn about the issues of hard rubber pens and discoloration and learn about what is safe to use for cleaning.
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Welcome to FPG. I can't say I know a lot about this pen which is an absolute rarity. I believe it to be a development of the Swan Safety Cap and therefore an eyedropper filler, a little over a century old. The structure over the nib is sometimes called an overfeed but may actually be intended to prevent the nib from drying out. The introduction of the clear inserts to allow viewing of the ink level is a neat piece of engineering and an early example of this feature. I see no reason why you shouldn't carefully clean the pen up and use it. The pen will have value as a collector's item.
A post to the Mabie Todd Special Interest Group in FPN may give you a more knowledgeable response.
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
krasmussen710
...I was also curious about whether or not it should be cleaned, used, left alone, etc. I would love to use it, but I'm a bit nervous....
If it came into my hands, I would leave it alone until I could have a specialist carefully restore it. There are Mabie-Todd collectors who will want your pen in as original condition as possible, and it is too rare and unusual for learning restoration techniques.
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FredRydr
Quote:
Originally Posted by
krasmussen710
...I was also curious about whether or not it should be cleaned, used, left alone, etc. I would love to use it, but I'm a bit nervous....
If it came into my hands, I would leave it alone until I could have a specialist carefully restore it. There are Mabie-Todd collectors who will want your pen in as original condition as possible, and it is too rare and unusual for learning restoration techniques.
It's a simple eyedropper. I see no reason why the OP should not clean and use it if that is his/her wish. That doesn't mean totally disassembling it.
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
A really nice example of an early Swan. As Deb writes, nothing remotely complicated - it's just an eyedropper pen.
I'll bet that the nib is delightful, Mabie Todd is the absolute top as far as I am concerned.
Cob
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Thanks for the nice welcome, everyone! I appreciate all the advice and compliments as well. I'll try to do a bit more research on it as recommended above too. Have a wonderful week! - Keith
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Hello and greetings from your snowy neighbor in the north!
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deb
It's a simple eyedropper....
Oh!
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
The things that are really good about it are the nib, as Cob says, the overfeed and those windows. I've been a Swan enthusiast for longer than I care to admit and I've only seen a pen rather like that once before.
Re: Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
Hi Keith, interesting pen !
:welcome: