Parker 51 Help

[roguez]

I picked up this Parker 51 because I had never seen this color before. It looks like a beautiful ice blue color. I put some photos of the filling system. But I have not found any information on a 51 with this color so I am hoping it is not a fake. It rights really well though with a sweet medium/bold nib. It is 5 inches uncapped and a hair over 5.5 inches capped and 6 inches posted. Any information you Parker experts have would be appreciated.

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[FredRydr]

Who made this?

Fred

[roguez]

I was hoping Parker made it. Do you think it is a fake? It seems to be made using Parker components and it works and writes like my other 51s.

[Chrissy]

It looks like a Kullock hood and barrel to me. Does he not make all sorts of different colours of hoods and barrels for Parker 51 pens?

[pajaro]

That looks like one of Ariel Kullock's conversion 51 kits, barrel and hood. The innards of the pen will be Parker 51. The original barrel and hood will have been removed and the new custom barrel and hood will have been installed. Thus, it's a customized 51. Ariel Kullock is from Argentina. Parker had a factory there, and 51s were made there.

[roguez]

That looks like one of Ariel Kullock's conversion 51 kits, barrel and hood. The innards of the pen will be Parker 51. The original barrel and hood will have been removed and the new custom barrel and hood will have been installed. Thus, it's a customized 51. Ariel Kullock is from Argentina. Parker had a factory there, and 51s were made there.

So probably not worth much and I probably paid too much for it. Oh well. It writes really well so there is always that. I will just enjoy writing with it and maybe use it as an every day carry. I guess I won't have to baby it much then. Thank you for the information.

[Chrissy]

I wouldn't say it's 'not worth much'. Ariel Kullock Parker 51 conversions don't come cheaply.

I think it's better than a normal plain old Parker 51.

[roguez]

I paid twenty dollars for it because it was so pretty. I was worried it could have been a fake but I was happy it wrote so well.

[Farmboy]

You might want to examine the hood. It looks like there is an o-ring squished between the hood and the clutch ring. It might be that the hood is not machined correctly to have a hood or the o-ring is to large.

The hood and barrel are not Parker production but the remainder of the parts are.

[pajaro]

I paid twenty dollars for it because it was so pretty. I was worried it could have been a fake but I was happy it wrote so well.

As Chrissy wrote, the Kullock 51s are not cheap items, and for $20 you probably got a great bargain. As Farmboy wrote, it does appear that there is a black O-ring between the silvery metal clutch ring and the hood. To explain this, some 51s came with a recess in the hood for an O-ring, so there would be an O-ring in there if this were the case. This was apparently an amatuer conversion. When the person making the conversion found an o-ring in the original hood, he apparently thought it would be necessary to have it, and jammed it in. The Kullock hoods do not have a recess for the O-ring, so the O-ring should not be used when converting to the Kullock hood and barrel. I have done several of these conversions, and I have discarded a couple of 51 O-rings. If your pen does not leak, I might leave well enough alone. It is possible that the O-ring should be removed, though. If it were my pen I would remove the O-ring, but I have done this before. If you haven't had the hood off of a 51 before, you might want to have someone else look at the pen.

It has to be said that this custom 51 might be from another maker other than Ariel Kullock. There are some other conversions out there, Torrelis and Bexleys that I have heard of. All these custom 51s are usually at least as expensive as a Parker 51. Often they sell at a premium. Sometimes a bargain can be had if the conversion has been botched. The inclusion of the O-ring on this pen could be the reason it was so low priced, but also perhaps the bidding was slow.

[roguez]

I paid twenty dollars for it because it was so pretty. I was worried it could have been a fake but I was happy it wrote so well.

As Chrissy wrote, the Kullock 51s are not cheap items, and for $20 you probably got a great bargain. As Farmboy wrote, it does appear that there is a black O-ring between the silvery metal clutch ring and the hood. To explain this, some 51s came with a recess in the hood for an O-ring, so there would be an O-ring in there if this were the case. This was apparently an amatuer conversion. When the person making the conversion found an o-ring in the original hood, he apparently thought it would be necessary to have it, and jammed it in. The Kullock hoods do not have a recess for the O-ring, so the O-ring should not be used when converting to the Kullock hood and barrel. I have done several of these conversions, and I have discarded a couple of 51 O-rings. If your pen does not leak, I might leave well enough alone. It is possible that the O-ring should be removed, though. If it were my pen I would remove the O-ring, but I have done this before. If you haven't had the hood off of a 51 before, you might want to have someone else look at the pen.

It has to be said that this custom 51 might be from another maker other than Ariel Kullock. There are some other conversions out there, Torrelis and Bexleys that I have heard of. All these custom 51s are usually at least as expensive as a Parker 51. Often they sell at a premium. Sometimes a bargain can be had if the conversion has been botched. The inclusion of the O-ring on this pen could be the reason it was so low priced, but also perhaps the bidding was slow.

Thank you Pajaro. That is some great information. If I get a chance to take it to the Arkansas Pen show I will see if I can get Danny to take a look at it. It really does write well so I would like to continue to write with it. It was another estate sale find. Love those estate sales!

[Chrissy]

I paid twenty dollars for it because it was so pretty. I was worried it could have been a fake but I was happy it wrote so well.

As Chrissy wrote, the Kullock 51s are not cheap items, and for $20 you probably got a great bargain. As Farmboy wrote, it does appear that there is a black O-ring between the silvery metal clutch ring and the hood. To explain this, some 51s came with a recess in the hood for an O-ring, so there would be an O-ring in there if this were the case. This was apparently an amatuer conversion. When the person making the conversion found an o-ring in the original hood, he apparently thought it would be necessary to have it, and jammed it in. The Kullock hoods do not have a recess for the O-ring, so the O-ring should not be used when converting to the Kullock hood and barrel. I have done several of these conversions, and I have discarded a couple of 51 O-rings. If your pen does not leak, I might leave well enough alone. It is possible that the O-ring should be removed, though. If it were my pen I would remove the O-ring, but I have done this before. If you haven't had the hood off of a 51 before, you might want to have someone else look at the pen.

It has to be said that this custom 51 might be from another maker other than Ariel Kullock. There are some other conversions out there, Torrelis and Bexleys that I have heard of. All these custom 51s are usually at least as expensive as a Parker 51. Often they sell at a premium. Sometimes a bargain can be had if the conversion has been botched. The inclusion of the O-ring on this pen could be the reason it was so low priced, but also perhaps the bidding was slow.

I could see that black piece between the hood and the band and I wondered what it was, as I knew it should not be there. It looked quite odd. Now I know . Thank you for this explanation

I've never had a problem removing the hood on my 51. However, I've never removed it until after it's had a run in the USC.

[roguez]

I paid twenty dollars for it because it was so pretty. I was worried it could have been a fake but I was happy it wrote so well.

As Chrissy wrote, the Kullock 51s are not cheap items, and for $20 you probably got a great bargain. As Farmboy wrote, it does appear that there is a black O-ring between the silvery metal clutch ring and the hood. To explain this, some 51s came with a recess in the hood for an O-ring, so there would be an O-ring in there if this were the case. This was apparently an amatuer conversion. When the person making the conversion found an o-ring in the original hood, he apparently thought it would be necessary to have it, and jammed it in. The Kullock hoods do not have a recess for the O-ring, so the O-ring should not be used when converting to the Kullock hood and barrel. I have done several of these conversions, and I have discarded a couple of 51 O-rings. If your pen does not leak, I might leave well enough alone. It is possible that the O-ring should be removed, though. If it were my pen I would remove the O-ring, but I have done this before. If you haven't had the hood off of a 51 before, you might want to have someone else look at the pen.

It has to be said that this custom 51 might be from another maker other than Ariel Kullock. There are some other conversions out there, Torrelis and Bexleys that I have heard of. All these custom 51s are usually at least as expensive as a Parker 51. Often they sell at a premium. Sometimes a bargain can be had if the conversion has been botched. The inclusion of the O-ring on this pen could be the reason it was so low priced, but also perhaps the bidding was slow.

I could see that black piece between the hood and the band and I wondered what it was, as I knew it should not be there. It looked quite odd. Now I know . Thank you for this explanation

I've never had a problem removing the hood on my 51. However, I've never removed it until after it's had a run in the USC.

I see it now too. It does not leak and I don't really have the pen doctor inclination so I might let it be until I can get a pro to look/disassemble it. Thank ya'll so much for the information!!!

[Hawk]

I enjoy Parker 51's and have three going on four conversion pens. You didn't go wrong on the price. Your pen could be from another customizer as mentioned in pajaro's post.

[FredRydr]

Yes, a Kullock is more valuable than a common color and cap 51. Don't compare it to rare OEM colors and caps, though.

Fred

[ppmiranda]

Stunning pen. Also very informative topic.

[Flounder]

A bargain at the price paid. Fairly nice acrylic pattern, and the cap frosting is very fresh.

[pajaro]

It was a spectacular bargain. A very pleasant pattern in the plastic, and the pen was all together, the buyer didn't have to buy the parts and assemble it.