First Time Using My P51 .... Not Too Impressed/happy :(

[Darkbulb]

I've had my very first Parker 51 lying around for over a week but today I finally had some time to learn how to put some ink in it...and take it for its maiden spin.

I included some written 'impressions as I write' below but to sum it up;
* Nib felt like a medium and not a fine. It also felt 'wet' often making the letters too 'fat' and bled together,

* If I put the pen away...and then picked it up again 5 mins later I had to draw some dry lines before the ink came (this doesn't happen with my P25 where the ink starts flowing right away (maybe because I'm using a cartridge and not a converter in it?),

* I had expected some luxurious, smooth, buttery feel against the paper..but it was rather firm and some times a bit scratchy as I wrote.

* Based on performance today I don't see myself using it again until I can get a finer/less wet nib fitted on it (one can do that right..?)

* So far I MUCH prefer the Parker 25 as a writing tool to the Parker 51 but we'll see.


I think I had too high expectations of the pen and I also think the nib is 'wrong for me' (too wide a line and too 'wet').
Maybe if I address both of those things (perception and nib) I will join the thousands of P51-lovers out there.
I want to be clear on that this is quite obviously ME and not the pen per se as this pen has a really strong following.
Still...I do have to be honest with myself about how I felt writing with it for the first time.

Page 1 and 2 below w/ the Parker 51. Page 3 w/ the Parker 25.






So...how hard would it be to find and put an EF nib on this pen....?

[Jon Szanto]

Look... there are zillions of P51s. This is one pen. Don't judge the entire line based on one pen.

The bright side is that there is quite a bit you can do, mostly a different nib, but this may not be something you'd tackle yourself. As a rule 51s are some of the finer nibs during that time, so it may be easier to find a narrower nib that it would be to find a wider one. Flow can be adjusted, too, as well as smoothness.

I have two 51s I use somewhat regularly. They look almost identical, but one is full-size and one is a demi, and one has a fine nib and the other a... finer nib. With vintage pens, and ESPECIALLY if you aren't trying them out in person (at a shop or a show), it may take a little time and effort to get just the right one. For most people, it is worth the effort. After all, this may well be the most popular fountain pen ever sold.

Hang in there!

[Darkbulb]

Look... there are zillions of P51s. This is one pen. Don't judge the entire line based on one pen.

I have one more P51 arriving next week that I'm looking forward to trying out. It's an EF nibbed one serviced by Rick Krantz so I do have some expectations of that one. We'll see!

It's really interesting to hear that smoothness and ink flow can be adjusted though. Are there any reputable repair people that can do something along those lines? (I'm in SF).

[Jon Szanto]

It's really interesting to hear that smoothness and ink flow can be adjusted though. Are there any reputable repair people that can do something along those lines? (I'm in SF).

Oh, for crying out loud!!!

You live right in the middle of some of the most knowledgeable 51 people on the planet. Search around on this site for announcements about the Pen Posse, or SF Pen Posse. They meet almost every weekend, usually at a small restaurant, and there are all kinds of pens and inks and repairs happen and... I mean, you are incredibly lucky. Find out when the next one is, get in on the thread, take your pen with you, see if Farmboy will work his magic.

Sheesh. It's like you won the lottery. And, yeah, Rick knows his stuff. It will certainly operate well, and you can always have someone tweak the nib if needed (smoothing, etc).

Lucky you. And start planning for the SF Pen Show in late August. Do. Not. Miss. It.

[Darkbulb]

[QUOTE=Jon Szanto;167588]

You live right in the middle of some of the most knowledgeable 51 people on the planet. Search around on this site for announcements about the Pen Posse, or SF Pen Posse. They meet almost every weekend, usually at a small restaurant, and there are all kinds of pens and inks and repairs happen and... I mean, you are incredibly lucky. Find out when the next one is, get in on the thread, take your pen with you, see if Farmboy will work his magic.

I actually did go to a Pen Posse meetup just this past week - great people.
Seeing that I'm new to all of this I don't want to come across as wanting things 'done' for my pens and take up people's time for this at meetings if that makes any sense.
I've belonged to groups in the past where there have been people that show up..get things handed to them/done for them for free..and then you never saw them again.
I'm obviously not saying I'd do that..but I'd also like to avoid any potential perception of that. Hopefully that makes sense

Anyway, I'm really happy to hear that it can be re-nibbed and/or smoothed out/ink flow adjusted. That gives me some hopes that this pen will not spend the rest of its life in its box
Thanks again

[jar]

Take the pen to the next posse. Casually mention that you have been disappointed in how it performs and ask those that want to help you adjust it to form a queue.

[katherine]

Bring it to the next Posse and give it to me!

Jk, ask Todd to take a look at it. Also, if you haven't, join the FB group.

[carlos.q]

I have 4 Parker 51's (with EF, F, M and B nibs) and I really don't like them very much either.

They seldom make it to the rotation but they are not scratchy at all.
My pet peeves are:
1. I can't see the nib (if you rotate the pen it will feel scratchy)
2. The nib is very stiff (feels like writing with a ballpoint)
3. They are a pain to clean out (ugh!)
But besides that they are well constructed writing instruments that do their thing in a no-nonsense way. They are very practical and I can understand why they became so famous in a country that was dominated by dip pens and lever-fill FPs.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

I'm the same. Obviously personal preferences are just that, but to me the Parker 51 is the ballpoint of the fountain pen world (design aside). I've sold or given away the 5 that I had. Having said that though, I may seek another out just as a representative sample of such an iconic pen. And I'm not even a collector.

[Laurie]

Well I havent been around for a while. In the middle of a post graduate diploma so just didnt have much time but I saw this thread and I thought I would get out my one and only Parker 51 to see how it performs. I usually flush my pens before putting them away but I must have missed this one as it wrote as soon as the nib hit the paper. It is just gorgeous. Instant juicy medium lines. I found it is even more smoother when turned a little to the left but it is such a minor turn. I would say it is on the left side of the middle of the nib (if you know what I mean) Apart from the beautiful writing experience it is aesthetically beautiful IMO. And there is something about having something with such a reputation in your hand. I would love another but I will just sit and wait till a wild one comes across my path. Thumbs up for the 51 for me.

[penwash]

Sounds like your P51's nib needs to be adjusted and smoothed.

I have handled 2 P51's, one is a smooth as butter writer, the other one needs attention. But once I gave it some quality time with the mesh pads, it's smooth and nice now.

[pajaro]

Not happy in two forums. Same old same old.

51s have been out there for decades, giving plenty of time for some to have fallen into the hands of the ignorant and damage to have ensued. Nib out of alignment, nib spread out by someone trying to flex it, etc.

I surmise you have concluded that the 51 is a much worse pen than the Parker 25, based on a sample size of one, and then posted it in two forums to prove the case.

[katherine]

Pajaro, that seems a little harsh given that he's mentioned that he has a second one on the way to give 51s a chance.

[Jon Szanto]

I surmise you have concluded that the 51 is a much worse pen than the Parker 25, based on a sample size of one, and then posted it in two forums to prove the case.

Ease up. A lot of people, myself included, post in more than one forum (I'm in four) because they contain different groups of people. I can't get all the answers at just one forum. As stated, also, this is just the first, with another on the way. I'm certain things will even out, so no need to jump on the guy.

[Farmboy]

No one should worry about the reputation of the "51" line of pens. We will Posse this stray into a great pen even if we find it necessary to hog tie a few city boys.

Farmboy

[ethernautrix]

I had a beat-up P51 that I, uh, that rolled off my desk and needed a little fixing, but I fixed it too much, and then I had pieces of a beat-up P51.

With the help and generosity of Pen Posse - notably Todd and Jeffrey for skills and parts - I have a no-longer-beat-up P51. It is one of my cherished memento pens. That I sometimes use, cos it's a sweet lil' writer.

[SteveE]

Hey - Let's not forget the inherent differences between the P51 and all the open-nibbed FP's. When I write with either of my P51's or any other hooded nib pen, I must continually remind myself to be sure I have the pen rotated to the proper writing position. With these pens, those of us who use them rarely often find ourselves trying to write with our pens rotated away from the "sweet spot" of the nib, thus giving us intermittent starts and odd ink flow. For me, this happens because I cannot see the nib to know how to hold it. At least, I find myself doing this. I know that my pens are adjusted to write properly, but all too many times when I put a 51 into rotation I find that I have a difficult time at first getting it to write smoothly. In my case, it is definitely not the pen's fault - it is mine.

The moral of my story is that maybe Darkbulb can try rotating the pen a bit to either side of center to see if the nib performs any differently. Mine do.

P.S. Of all the pens I have, I probably use my P51's the least. I don't mind that they are stiff nibs, but they are smaller pens than I usually use.

[Darkbulb]

Oh man, sorry. I completely forgot about this thread. I had another thread at another forum and I forgot about THAT one as well!
Sorry!

BUT...good news coming.... I'll see if I can post a positive update tonight

[Darkbulb]

OK, positive update (and once again, sorry for not keeping up with a thread I open myself...I hate it when others do what I did!)

So what has happened since I posted this thread?
Well, I "tried to love" the Parker 51 as it was...
I took it with me to coffee shops, wrote and doodled with it..but it never really felt 'right'.

I contacted Rick/Charles Krantz who turned out to be extremely helpful in trying to get me a pen, for a great price might I add, that would write the way I liked.
We probably exchanged 10+ emails over a couple of weeks and...some time ago it arrived...my black P51 with an EF nib that Mr Krantz did quite some work on.

Black one arrived...joining my burgundy one..


The first thing I noticed, even before actually using the pen, was the rather (to me) significant physical difference in nib sizes:


The one on the right is the new EF nib and I am now thinking that the one on the left is not a Fine but maybe a medium instead?

Inked it up...and decided to write half a page with my 'old' Parker 51...and then other half with the 'new' one to get an immediate reaction to any difference between the two...and there was a difference!


Really love the nib! I know EF nibs is not everyone's cup of tea but I really like a finer line and this is near perfect for me!
I can't believe it can write this fine and yet so smooth...

Next thing is I'm having him swap out the nib in my burgundy/gold P51 to a Fine one as I want to experience how that is as well.

End of the day, my personal lessons learnt:
a) Don't judge a line of pens by using ONE pen with a nib that is not right for you, and
b) Don't forget threads that you start

Thanks again all and now I'm off to do some writing and doodling and fill out my Parker 51 FanClub membership application.

[Jon Szanto]

DB,

First, I'm glad you now embrace that bit about "judging by one pen". So important, and it usually takes an event like this to grok it.
Second, really glad you hooked up with Rick. He is one of the unsung heros of the vintage world, I can't imagine how many people new to vintage he has helped out in such a generous and positive way. I really hope I can meet him one day.

Congrats - I was gonna take that wide-ass burgundy off your hands, but I see Rick will get it fixed up for you - great!