Pelikan 100 + Rick Propas Barrel

[Jeph]

A long while ago I snagged a nice looking Pelikan 100. The hard rubber was in great shape, as was the trim and the nib but a name on the cap put it into my price range. The F nib was an absolute joy. Unfortunately, as is common, the piston unit threads were crystallized and cracked. But they were still functional. Until I took it apart one time too many (to take a measurement for another FPGeeks member) and I over tightened it during re-installation due to inattention and the threads shattered. I put it is a box (but not The Box) and considered it a learning experience and spare parts for some future acquisition.

The thing about the pen was that it wrote so wonderfully. I put the date as mid 1933 transitional, so it is one of my oldest pens. And I liked that the 100 has a longer section than the later Pelikans. Also, the cap posts on the piston housing instead of on the piston knob like on the 100N. (Ask my mother’s carpet how good of a design that is!) Plus, the 100’s had a nib similarly sized to a modern M600 and that extra length gives the nib a nice, soft feel. And, while it is not a wet noodle, it does have some nice flex. So a super pen that I destroyed.

Over a year passed, and I had toyed with the idea of one of Rick Propas’ replacement Pelikan barrels. Over the course of a lengthy e-mail exchange I learned that he had some specialty light and dark yellow barrels made that were not on the website. Then, he added that for a nominal fee he would do the barrel swap for me retaining the rest of my parts. That was an offer too good to refuse. So I procrastinated for no good reason and then finally sent the pen off to Rick.

It arrived back today and I could not be happier. Not only has the barrel been replaced, but the fit is perfect. Plus the pen was cleaned, tuned and I even got a new cork seal!

Now I just need to select the proper christening ink for it!

Pelikan 100 Barrel Guts sm.jpgPelikan 100 Capped.jpgPelikan 100 Posted + Bits.jpg

PS. Some notes as to how I dated the pen, more to have a back-up record somewhere, obtained from various sources. Further input welcome.

Size = Pelikan 100
Pelikan 100 = 1929- March 31, 1944 (EOP)
Black Cap + Green Marble Bind = June 1931 to EOP
Later version 4 chicks = 1932 - 1938
Twin cap rings = after Nov 1930
Conical Cap top = after June 1931
Celluloid barrel and hard rubber section = after June 1931
The section is tapered = after mid 1933
Transparent Green barrel = after 1934
14K nib with round hole and “14” style imprint 1930 - 1937
Middle feed fin trimmed = 1929-1937
The nib unit collar (”bush”) is 12mm long = after June 1931
Cap has 4 air vents = between end of 1930 and Mid 1933
No nib size stamped on feed = before 30 Aug 1935
No nib size stamped onto piston cone = export or before 09 Sep 1936
Cork seal = before 29 Oct 1942

So best guess is a transitional 1933 model with the 4 hole cap but green barrel.
A Frankenpen is also always a possibility.

PPS I hate when I leave cleaning debris on a pen before a picture but I am too lazy to fix it.

[rick propas]

Jeph, Glad I could help. These new barrels are a real treat, since they look and feel much more like the real thing. Since they are acrylic they will last a good long time, and no one should be able to confuse them with the original celluloid. A perfect solution!

[tandaina]

I'd only seen them used as demonstrators, not with the binde put back on over them, nice, just looking at it I'd never tell it wasn't original!

[RuiFromUK]

That pen looks gorgeous. Congratulations on Rick's quality of work.

Best of luck with it and your choice of ink.

[mustud52]

Very nice. Lovely job by Rick.

Regarding the cap posting on 100Ns. I have 6 of them and have found that not two of them post the same way. I think that either the German elves were playing with us when they made them or else there has been a heck of a lot of cap and pen swapping over the last 70 or so years. I even thought I may have had a 100 cap on one of them at first until I did a side by side comparison with a ridgy didge 100.

Perhaps Rick could comment? He will be able to make a definitive judgement. Elves having fun or cap swapping?

[Tony Rex]

Nice, Jeph. I'm glad you've got it sorted out.

I think David Nishimura also sells 100 barrel replacements.

[rick propas]

Yup, in my experience no two post in quite the same manner. Apart from mischievous elves (a theory not to be discarded out of hand), I assume it has to do with shrinkage and the complexity of the interaction among captube, cone and filler knob.

When I get a pen that posts poorly and I am working on it, I swap cones and that usually solves the problem. If I am not otherwise taking the pen apart I use a shim on the inner bore of the captube to allow it to post if it is loose. Conversely, if the post is too tight I can open out the inner bore of the captube, carefully.

A properly restored pen should post properly, however.

Very nice. Lovely job by Rick.

Regarding the cap posting on 100Ns. I have 6 of them and have found that not two of them post the same way. I think that either the German elves were playing with us when they made them or else there has been a heck of a lot of cap and pen swapping over the last 70 or so years. I even thought I may have had a 100 cap on one of them at first until I did a side by side comparison with a ridgy didge 100.

Perhaps Rick could comment? He will be able to make a definitive judgement. Elves having fun or cap swapping?

[mustud52]

Yup, in my experience no two post in quite the same manner. Apart from mischievous elves (a theory not to be discarded out of hand), I assume it has to do with shrinkage and the complexity of the interaction among captube, cone and filler knob.

When I get a pen that posts poorly and I am working on it, I swap cones and that usually solves the problem. If I am not otherwise taking the pen apart I use a shim on the inner bore of the captube to allow it to post if it is loose. Conversely, if the post is too tight I can open out the inner bore of the captube, carefully.

A properly restored pen should post properly, however.

Very nice. Lovely job by Rick.

Regarding the cap posting on 100Ns. I have 6 of them and have found that not two of them post the same way. I think that either the German elves were playing with us when they made them or else there has been a heck of a lot of cap and pen swapping over the last 70 or so years. I even thought I may have had a 100 cap on one of them at first until I did a side by side comparison with a ridgy didge 100.

Perhaps Rick could comment? He will be able to make a definitive judgement. Elves having fun or cap swapping?

A shade OT from the original post so I hope Jeph does not mind.

Rick, how do you go about opening up the cap tube? I can hypothesise, however if you could elaborate it would be much appreciated. Yes, I have one pen particularly in mind.

[BMG]

Looks mighty nice! (In fact, I thought that was the "before" photo.) I too didn't realize that the binde could be put back on.