Vintage Pens in May

[Deb]

You got it! I do Duofolds, not Dallas.

Hon, that is the precise reference that popped into my head when you made your list of "Debbies", but I swore I wouldn't post it! Anyway, my selections for the month are 33% Duofolds in your honor.

I tried to resist. I fought the good fight but I lost.

[azkid]

Starting off Vintage May with these two.



1930s Sheaffer Balance, hump clip, #3 posting nib. Marked 350. Decent imprint. Had to smooth the scratchy nib and I felt like giving it a polish to bring out the luster more. The pen is way prettier than my pics convey. Anyway it is a joy to use now. Inked with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black.

Next is an Arnold pen (1940s? Not sure), fine nib, that I got in trade for some pen work. It was pretty rough when I got it with a rotted sac, weak lever system that flopped around due to the slot having stretched open, scratchy nib and very scuffed exterior.

After sorting the nib is is a really enjoyable pen to write with. Then I reworked the pressure bar and got the barrel back in shape and did some light polishing. The blue stripes have a lot of depth and really stand out and distract from the many flaws.

I was going to patch it up and sell it but then, stupid me, I went and made it so nice I can't let go of it.

[silverlifter]

Since we are doing the full lineup

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Blues and blacks because this is primarily a work rotation, and I am also a traditionalist :P

[BamaPen]

OK, I'm in. I would normally have two out of three pens in use that fall into vintage, but I'll try to do 100%, providing that I can use my Sheaffer Compact I from about 1960-61, which is a cartridge filler. Here's my lineup:

Sheaffer Comp I, dark blue with ink-vue windows
Eversharp Skyline Demi gold cap, brown barrel
Sheaffer Triumph (first generation) 1942-45 marine green with silver(y) trim
Parker 51 Aerometric Demi ca 1949 Lustralloy cap, green barrel

I may add more, but these will be a good start.

[amk]

I thought I might add some vintage (ish) ink to the equation. Waterman 1980s, I think, and the Quink unknown but came in a box with quite a lot of 1970s stuff.

I'm sure someone on here can beat me hollow for real vintage :-)

[Voiren]

What I've been finding is some of my vintage pens are great at longform writing, but not so good at stop-and-start note-taking, and I'm doing a course at work which needs that. I think my Vacumatic should be able to handle it, or I can ink one of my older Pelikans.

[gbryal]

My vintage pens in May lineup:
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From bottom: MB 146, Waterman 94, Sheaffer Balance, Pelikan 400nn, Esterbrook J, Hoover Typ Standard, Wearever Pennant, Sheaffer Balance

The MB 146 is very iffy. I don't actually know the year, but I think at least parts of the pen are 70s. That still makes it younger than I am, but such is the march of time.

The Esterbrook has a Relief nib, which is kind of fun.

[Sagebrush64]

Since I'm going to Japan for 3 weeks here in a few days, I've just kept the pens from April inked and am continuing to use them for now....Sorry for the awfully uninspiring pic, but it's all I could muster at the moment.

[penwash]

I just restored this vintage Pilot lever-filler from the 1930's.

Notable is the flexible nib (super nice), and engraving on the body that says "PILOT" then underneath: PILOTPEN (P) MFG. CO. LTD. MADE IN JAPAN

[Voiren]

Another pen - here's the Parker Vacumatic. (Also found this at LWES in March at the same stall as the Typhoo Tea pen - I was very happy that day!)

This is very fine and pretty firm, and is an excellent note-taking pen as it always writes straight away. Here it has the rehydrated remains of a mystery grey-blue-black ink that it had been filled with. I later did some dilution tests of all my blacks and decided it was probably Parker Quink black, or if not, that's close enough. So I refilled it with a slightly diluted form of that once the leftover ink gave up the ghost. (I was also very surprised that the Quink was giving me blue, a bit of orange and then yellow haloes on the paper towel, until I realised that Nick Stewart has known this for some time and it's the reason his Instagram name is quinkandbleach...)

It is a 1953 Made in Canada version, so comes from the very end of when these were made, from what I've read. It has a USA nib.

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It has had a lot of use alongside the Conway Stewart 759 for my note-taking for my course. That's been behaving far more reliably too - I think when it got close to empty but not entirely was when it was refusing to start. It has been fine since refilling.

I was travelling for part of last week - here are some train notes! Only a little wibbly.

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[gbryal]

I've inked up a few more since we started, another Waterman 94 and a Lady Duofold.
Some of my pens have needed a couple taps to start but all in all I've used them every day and they've been lots of fun -- haven't needed any other more modern pen to get the job done.

[azkid]

Before my trip I inked up the Parker 51 and 45, a Skyline, and an Esterbrook SJ. But I mostly used the 51. My nib regrinding has worked out nicely. Been using this pen with Quink Black since I got back.

[Voiren]

I've also been using my Pelikan 100N - I put this in the mystery ink thread so here it is too. I have a series of photos of this disassembled I need to get around to posting as I had to reattach the piston knob to the rest of the assembly as it had been twisted all the way off, but other than that it is in really nice condition. (Also a very reliable writer). The nib is a CN OB with some flex.

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[amk]

The Pelikan crew today:


Though I must admit I am not being too diligent in sticking to the rules: my Edison Collier with a nice fat stub is also getting used.

My favourite of the Pelikans is the one I got cheap because it didn't have the original Pelikan nib. It has a nice vintage Waterman nib instead :-)

[azkid]

Those vintage pelikans sure are nice looking, you two!

[azkid]

Using the Montblanc 221 (60s or 70s?) with the current Mystery Ink, #25, to make a list of things I need to fix or improve before my next four wheeling trip.

[Butthurticus-VIII]

I decided to bust out my trusty Montblanc 244 with a flexible OM nib. I love how bouncy the nib on this pen is and the over all design is one of my favorites. I will be my EDC for the month of May along with some others.




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[azkid]

Today I'm using an early Sheaffer Balance Lifetime, inked with Quink Black, after resac to attempt fixing excessive drippiness.



Currently inked and ready to go, top to bottom, are: Sheaffer Balance Jr., In Rose Glow, 5280 Vineyard Burgundy Red ink (MI #24); Parker 51 and 45, Quink Black; MB221 with R. O. Carbon Fire (MI #25), and the Balance.

[gbryal]

It's almost June! Thanks to everyone for sharing their vintage pen pictures for a second May, and showing once again that vintage pens are useful, enjoyable, and fun to look at and fun to write with.

I acquired a few during the month, and ordered a couple that didn't show up. I expanded my accumulation of Wearevers. I ran out of ink on a couple, and rediscovered some that were enjoyable, like the Esterbrook "J" 9314-M Relief. I managed to use nothing but vintage except for addressing envelopes (I usually use a rollerball for that in an abundance of caution about water making the address illegible.)

I got to the bottom of a bottle of Waterman's Mysterious Blue which is my go-to ink for my vintage pens.

The last pens standing are two waterman 94s, two sheaffer balances, and a pelikan 400nn, and not for lack of use; some of my other lever fillers ended up with partial fills and ran out sooner.

Thanks again, let's do it again next year. And as always, any month is a good month for your vintage pens!

[FreeLance]

Sorry for my being late but I would like to show you some of my vintage pens that I have and used in May. Thanks.

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