Parker Sonnet

[penmainiac]

Hello! So I just recently purchased and 18k fine nib parker sonnet, which was on sale on amazon for $85. J accidently bumped the nib on a desk. So far it looks ok, but i was just wonder is it possible to accident bend the nib that way?


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[pajaro]

I think Sonnet nibs, steel or 18K, are flimsy, which probably makes them springy and soft as well. I have bent these nibs accidentally several times. I find that great care is advisable with them, particularly some of the older ones that might be harder to replace with the same nib type, meaning italic, stub and oblique nibs and some nice two tone nibs.

Some of these nibs are exquisite to write with.

[peace]

[QUOTE=pajaro;256319][COLOR="#000080"]I think Sonnet nibs, steel or 18K, are flimsy, which probably makes them springy and soft as well. I have bent these nibs accidentally several times. I find that great care is advisable with them, particularly some of the older ones that might be harder to replace with the same nib type, meaning italic, stub and oblique nibs and some nice two tone nibs.

Italic / Stub Sonnet nibs are hardly seen in the market. Has Sanford stopped making it ?

[pajaro]

I thought Newel Rubbermaid was the owner of Parker.

Parker made left oblique, right oblique, fine and broad italic and stub nibs that I know of, both in steel and in 18K. I had to look hard for some of them. I think some of the sellers are gone.

[proteus]

peace - what an interesting question.

Have just looked at both UK & USA/Canada websites, they show only fountain pen options for Medium & Fine.

Neither my 2013 nor 2016 Parker catalogues show any fountain pen nib charts.

They were always included before, the last one with the nib chart was 2008.

I am beginning to think the options are now somewhat limited.

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For those interested

( 2003 Parker catalogue – Page 30 Nib Chart )

The Sonnet nibs were produced were :

Extra Fine Fine Medium Broad Extra Broad,
Oblique - Broad & Medium
Reverse Oblique - Medium & Broad
Straight Italic – Medium & Broad

2008 cataloque shows a decrease in Sonnet nib options from 11 to 8

Extra Broad, Reverse Oblique – Broad & Straight Italic were dropped.


Duofold has a few more additional options ( both 2003 & 2008 )

Needlepoint ( XXF ) Extra extra Broad
Oblique - Fine
Straight Italic – Fine

The last of the Parker 45 ( 2003 Catalogue ) made had every nib imaginable including

15 degree Straight Italic – Fine Medium & Broad
30 degree Straight Italic – Medium & Broad

[grainweevil]

For a nib exchange in late 2016 I was sent the following chart of available options by Parker, but who knows what's bitten the dust since then:
parkernibexhange01.jpg

[pajaro]

All of my Sonnets are from 2010 production or before. I quit buying Sonnets when I noticed they dried out too fast and the fever went away. I have since found out that popping the cap jewel and putting a bead of epoxy in the cap jewel recess and then putting the cap jewel back in cures the drying out of older Sonnets.

[proteus]

grainweevil

Many thanks for your valued information.

Wish I had such an interesting profile.

pajaro

A question please.

Can you tell me what inks you used in your Sonnets initially

[pajaro]

Parker Quink black, Sheaffer blue black, Montblanc midnight blue are the inks I used in the Sonnets. The Parker Quink black was the one that dried out the fastest. Probably that's no surprise.

Now that there is a fix, I am enjoying using these pens again.

[proteus]

pajaro - A great many thanks for your reply.

It was a big problem with the Mark I ( 1994 - 1997 )

Parker then developed Penman Ink to correct this.

They actually gave away bottles of it with the Mark II ( 1998 -2002 )

__________________________________________________ ____________________________

A little history of Penman ink

During early 1991 Parker at Newhaven Sussex England hired an ink chemist genius, Leighton Davies-Smith PhD.
It took 7 years to develop it at a cost of over £25,000.
Things were very slow in those days.

[peace]

[QUOTE=pajaro;257902][COLOR=#000080]I thought Newel Rubbermaid was the owner of Parker.

Thank you so much for correcting me. I was mistaken.

You have got an enviable collection of those Stub / Oblique and other Sonnet nibs. congrats !

[peace]

Proteus : your post so informative. Thank you.

[peace]

A good piece of information. Looks like Stub had disappeared even way back in 2016.

[proteus]

peace – many thanks for your comments.

If you are interested - Parker is owned by the Newell Group, Switzerland ( the Rubbermaid appears to have be dropped from their product packing of current pens )

Would be very interested to hear from anyone who has exchanged a standard Sonnet nib to a specialised one through Parker in the last 3 years. ( if fact , any Parker pens nib )

The earlier specialise nibs are out there still, if you know where and how to look.
( It takes vastly more than 10 minutes of looking )

Most fail to get what they want because they forget to bring a big bag of gold – rare things are never cheap.