Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 33

Thread: Parker 51 Pan American Green

  1. #1
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Parker 51 Pan American Green

    The best way to guarantee someone wants to do something, is to tell them they aren't allowed to...

    On that note...

    Parker "51" Ink Pan American Green

    An ink so deadly to pens, they had to invent a new pen just to handle it!

    Imagine a time when the only writing implements around were dip pens, pencils and fountain pens. It was called the 1930s!

    Ink and Pen manufacturers are in a race to make the fastest drying ink. Everyone is carrying around a blotter, they are so common that they are used for advertising the way match books and ballpoint pens are now. Smearing ink is an everyday inconvenience. To get an edge, manufacturers need a faster drying ink. First, Parker invented Quink (a portmanteau of quick and ink) but then, they invented the fastest drying ink they could. It didn't really "dry" by evaporation so much as it soaked into the paper.

    There was only one little tiny problem... It ATE PENS. Especially celluloid pens... oh, and it also dried out on nibs... Of course, the only OBVIOUS solution was to invent an entirely new pen just to handle this one ink! (available in 4 colours)

    And boy did they. The Parker "51" was so successful that after making the first 12 million or so, they just stopped counting.

    Learn more about the ink here: http://www.richardsp...care/51_ink.htm
    Learn more about the pen here: http://www.richardsp...profiles/51.htm
    Too bad the ink was still semi-deadly to that pen too... so it was only made from 1941 to about 1948. (when it was replaced by the SLIGHTLY less deadly Superchrome MTF on that...)

    That makes the bottle in question at least 72 years old.

    Now then, in Monty Python fashion GET ON WITH IT!

    Obligatory "artsy" glamour shot (yeah... it's no where near PenHero's level, I know. #photographygoals)




    There was some sedimentation... but don't worry, I shook the bottle vigorously to ensure all the dyes got back into suspension (obviously not solution...) After all, we need as true of a representation of it's original colour as possible!


    And now the writing... My handwriting is bad enough that I may as well have just written out the first 6 pages of Lorem Ipsum... legible text typed out below the page
    Rhodia Notebook


    Parker "51" Pan American
    Green 3oz Bottle bought
    on eBay April 2020.
    But the ink is over 70
    years old. "51" ink
    was only made from 1941 to 1948!
    The ink was designed to
    dry quickly. It was so aggressive the "51" pen had
    to be developed just to
    handle it. This bottle doesn't dry especially
    quickly (actually, it's pretty good) The colour is
    not saturated by today's
    standards

    Would buy again? Not Applicable :P

    Shading: OK, not great
    Saturation: Low
    Feathering: Low/Nil
    Spread: Low/Nil
    Bleed: Low
    Cleaning: (not evaluated yet as it is still in the pens)

    Water test Results: Water Resistant to a reasonable degree as can be seen

    I take it back,
    dry time is pretty
    good. Especially in
    dryer pens.


    You can't / shouldn't realistically buy this ink... but but... but what if i LOVE the colour? Well have no fear, a reasonable approximation of it can be achieved by mixing Noodler's Squeteague 7:5 Water:Ink
    Yes, it says 7:1 in BOTH scans... that's a "typo" it should be 7:5 water:ink
    Clairefontaine Notebook

    Clairefontaine Notebook
    Legible text typed out below... Lorem Ipsum caveat from above applies here


    Parker "51" Pan American
    Green
    TWSBI Eco Medium nib
    Wing Sung 601 Fude nib
    This ink is new old
    stock.

    The bottle is nearly full,
    accounting for only a little evaporation

    The ink does not seem
    to be drying at any
    kind of special rate.

    It's not a "slow" drying
    ink by any means,
    but it's not excepti-
    onally speedy either

    By today's standards
    this does not qualify
    as very saturated
    But 70 years may have
    had some effect on that



    Notes:

    I initially put this ink in a Wing Sun 3006 (a cheap copy of a "51"/61 CC). The nib dried out over night... but then again, the cap on these is not great. Still, the irony was not lost on me.

    So then I put it in a TWSBI Eco, it was fine.
    I wrote with it for a couple of days. Today I refilled the TWSBI and then eyedropper filled a Wing Sung 601 with a fude-esque nib (not wanting to stick the pen in the ink and risk contaminating it, and not having a decent sized sample vial... I pulled the hood, and collector from the 601, dumped some ink in and reassembled the pen.) That was a couple of hours ago.

    The 601 is now experiencing hard starts and general dryness at the nib. The irony of this happening to a pen that is a VERY VERY faithful reproduction of a Parker "51" is, again, not lost on me. It should be noted, I think this particular pen writes relatively dry in the first place. But still...
    I will leave it capped, horizontal on my desk overnight, and update this thread WRT dry out.

    The Eco is fine. Seems to really like this ink, Most of the review above was written with the Eco.

    Conclusion:

    So there it is. the Colour of Parker "51" Pan American Green.

    It's like a pale Noodler's Squeteague that will kill your pen in the long run and cost you a ton of money for the privilege!

    My curiosity is satisfied... for now

    The bottle of Tunis Blue is already on it's way ...
    Last edited by INeedAFinancialAdvisor; May 5th, 2020 at 11:33 PM.

  2. The Following 13 Users Say Thank You to INeedAFinancialAdvisor For This Useful Post:

    + Show/Hide list of the thanked

    Ahriman4891 (May 7th, 2020), amk (May 6th, 2020), azkid (May 6th, 2020), catbert (May 6th, 2020), da vinci (May 24th, 2020), elaineb (May 6th, 2020), Fermata (May 6th, 2020), fountainpagan (May 9th, 2020), FredRydr (May 6th, 2020), grainweevil (May 6th, 2020), junglejim (May 10th, 2020), penwash (May 23rd, 2020), Yazeh (May 6th, 2020)

  3. #2
    Senior Member azkid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    2,016
    Thanks
    3,725
    Thanked 1,703 Times in 822 Posts
    Rep Power
    9

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Fascinating. I wonder how it would work in a period correct "51" Vacumatic.

    I'm really curious about the saturation. Seems like the handful of old writing examples I've run across are similarly faded-looking.

    I assumed that the writing had faded over time but maybe inks a lot less saturated then? Or did the ink somehow fade in the bottle? Hmm.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to azkid For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 6th, 2020)

  5. #3
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by azkid View Post
    Fascinating. I wonder how it would work in a period correct "51" Vacumatic.

    I'm really curious about the saturation. Seems like the handful of old writing examples I've run across are similarly faded-looking.

    I assumed that the writing had faded over time but maybe inks a lot less saturated then? Or did the ink somehow fade in the bottle? Hmm.
    I have considered loading it into a REAL "51", but the ink is known to rapidly ossify vacumatic diaphragms, and Superchrome (the slightly less deadly version) eats silver breather tubes from Aerometrics... Neither of which is likely to happen quickly/from a single filling, but still...

    If I do try it, I will update this thread

    I think generally inks were much less saturated back in the day. Although inks have been known to lose some vibrance even in the bottle. From what I've read, the extreme saturation is what made Parker Penman inks different from any before and that was in the 1990's. Now of course we have Noodler's and Private Reserve and Diamine.

  6. #4
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    UPDATE on the Wing Sung 601

    This morning the nib was considerably dryer. to the point of not writing reliably.

    Then I accidentally left the cap off for 10 mins or so... the nib completely dried out.

    The pen has now been cleaned.

    CLEANING: Not Bad. A little residue left that a quick wipe got rid of. It helps that a WS 601 can be easily completely disassembled.

    The TWSBI Eco remains unaffected and writing perfectly

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to INeedAFinancialAdvisor For This Useful Post:

    Ahriman4891 (May 7th, 2020), azkid (May 6th, 2020)

  8. #5
    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    8,352
    Thanks
    9,832
    Thanked 6,098 Times in 2,213 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Fascinating review. Thanks a lot. I assume it works well in TWSBI because it's well sealed unlike the other pens....

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Yazeh For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 6th, 2020)

  10. #6
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by Yazeh View Post
    Fascinating review. Thanks a lot. I assume it works well in TWSBI because it's well sealed unlike the other pens....
    Thanks!

    Glad you liked it

    Yes. I think the TWSBI is OK for the same reason: An excellent sealing cap

    I AM surprised that for as faithful of a copy as the WS 601 is to the Parker 51 that it dried out. I may try it in another one. One I use more regularly and know the performance of better.

  11. #7
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by azkid View Post
    Fascinating. I wonder how it would work in a period correct "51" Vacumatic.

    I'm really curious about the saturation. Seems like the handful of old writing examples I've run across are similarly faded-looking.

    I assumed that the writing had faded over time but maybe inks a lot less saturated then? Or did the ink somehow fade in the bottle? Hmm.
    do you have pictures of old writing samples that you KNOW to be Pan American Green?
    If so, PLEASE, add them to this thread! I would LOVE to see them!

  12. #8
    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    8,352
    Thanks
    9,832
    Thanked 6,098 Times in 2,213 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by INeedAFinancialAdvisor View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Yazeh View Post
    Fascinating review. Thanks a lot. I assume it works well in TWSBI because it's well sealed unlike the other pens....
    Thanks!

    Glad you liked it

    Yes. I think the TWSBI is OK for the same reason: An excellent sealing cap

    I AM surprised that for as faithful of a copy as the WS 601 is to the Parker 51 that it dried out. I may try it in another one. One I use more regularly and know the performance of better.
    I don't know much about Parker 51 or its clone... I'm not a fan of hooded nibs...
    Try it with different nibs and pens, you'll be surprised

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Yazeh For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 7th, 2020)

  14. #9
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Posts
    65
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 18 Times in 12 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    That is a beautiful ink and it reminds me of Kyo-No-Oto's Hisoku. It's a very popular ink because of it's unique shade. I would love a bottle of the Parker!

  15. The Following User Says Thank You to sfarkhan For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 7th, 2020)

  16. #10
    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    8,352
    Thanks
    9,832
    Thanked 6,098 Times in 2,213 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by sfarkhan View Post
    That is a beautiful ink and it reminds me of Kyo-No-Oto's Hisoku. It's a very popular ink because of it's unique shade. I would love a bottle of the Parker!
    I guess you meant Kyo No Oto Urahairo?

  17. #11
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by sfarkhan View Post
    That is a beautiful ink and it reminds me of Kyo-No-Oto's Hisoku. It's a very popular ink because of it's unique shade. I would love a bottle of the Parker!
    You can get a bottle of the Parker on eBay but it will cost you. And given the deadlines of the ink, it makes more sense to use or mix a look a like. I did this out of curiosity of the colour. There were NO colour swatches of it on the Internet. And part of me NEEDED to know what this ink looked like.

  18. #12
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Posts
    65
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 18 Times in 12 Posts
    Rep Power
    7

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by Yazeh View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by sfarkhan View Post
    That is a beautiful ink and it reminds me of Kyo-No-Oto's Hisoku. It's a very popular ink because of it's unique shade. I would love a bottle of the Parker!
    I guess you meant Kyo No Oto Urahairo?
    No, I meant Hisoku - The second picture from the top with the swatch card next to the box, in clear light, looks more blueish than the faded green of Urahairo. The images further down are more green in hue but so is the rest of the image.

    https://www.jetpens.com/Takeda-Jimuk...ottle/pd/22345
    Last edited by sfarkhan; May 8th, 2020 at 12:46 AM.

  19. #13
    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    8,352
    Thanks
    9,832
    Thanked 6,098 Times in 2,213 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Quote Originally Posted by sfarkhan View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Yazeh View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by sfarkhan View Post
    That is a beautiful ink and it reminds me of Kyo-No-Oto's Hisoku. It's a very popular ink because of it's unique shade. I would love a bottle of the Parker!
    I guess you meant Kyo No Oto Urahairo?
    No, I meant Hisoku - The second picture from the top with the swatch card next to the box, in clear light, looks more blueish than the faded green of Urahairo. The images further down are more green in hue but so is the rest of the image.

    https://www.jetpens.com/Takeda-Jimuk...ottle/pd/22345
    I see what you mean

  20. #14
    Senior Member carlos.q's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    On a hill in Puerto Rico
    Posts
    1,698
    Thanks
    2,217
    Thanked 1,820 Times in 797 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    I just looked at my ink stash and found a bottle of Hisoku which I got as part of a lot. Didn't like it as it looks washed out. Maybe I should try it on a wetter pen.

  21. #15
    Senior Member INeedAFinancialAdvisor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    636
    Thanks
    885
    Thanked 671 Times in 277 Posts
    Rep Power
    6

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Comparing my coloring card to that jet pens swatch, its VERY close. Pan American Green is maybe just a tiny tinge greener. i think if you mixed that with a little of the undiluted Noodler's Squeteague you'd probably end up with a near perfect match.

  22. #16
    Senior Member welch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    1,031
    Thanks
    1,504
    Thanked 510 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    EBay should have some of the mid-40's Parker advertisements for their Parker51 inks. I don't remember the equivalent of swatches, but Parker explained that 51-ink had three or ten times the dye concentration of normal inks, giving brilliant colors. I suspect that the ink from INeed's sample must have lost much of its color. I've seen that in old Art Deco bottles of Quink Royal Blue. For another example, I found a half-full bottle of Cart's American Blue, but it was a thin washed out blue.

    Best target pen is probably a living and breathing Parker 51. The ink and the pen were made for each other, and Parker would have immediately withdrawn the ink if it had immediately damaged their flagship pen. That must have taken a few years, since Parker kept Superchrome on the market until 1956.

    http://www.richardspens.com/ref/care/51_ink.htm

    Be careful, of course. Richard shows an example of what prolonged use of Superchrome did to a silver breather tube. Somewhere else, he says that if you use Parker 51 Ink or Superchrome, your pen will lead an exciting, but short, life!

  23. #17
    Senior Member welch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    1,031
    Thanks
    1,504
    Thanked 510 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Ah! Here is that advertisement saying Superchrome has a "dye content 3 to 10 times greater" than ordinary ink.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1947-Parker...e3de4d1b006817

  24. The Following User Says Thank You to welch For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 22nd, 2020)

  25. #18
    Senior Member welch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    1,031
    Thanks
    1,504
    Thanked 510 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Over on the right-hand side of this Parker ad is a more detailed explanation of their claim that Superchrome dries faster and lasts longer than ordinary inks.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-194...wAAOSwAThb8F-C

  26. The Following User Says Thank You to welch For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 22nd, 2020)

  27. #19
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Dallas, as in the 80's TV Series
    Posts
    3,662
    Thanks
    3,364
    Thanked 6,703 Times in 1,972 Posts
    Rep Power
    14

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Wow, a very informative thread without anyone getting wound up and becoming toxic.

    How refreshing!
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

  28. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to penwash For This Useful Post:

    carlos.q (May 23rd, 2020), INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 23rd, 2020)

  29. #20
    Senior Member welch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    1,031
    Thanks
    1,504
    Thanked 510 Times in 344 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: Parker 51 Pan American Green

    Well, I blame everyone here because last night, while "EBaying after midnight", I must have bought a half-bottle of Superchome Blue. Will put it into an aerometric P-51 and see what it looks like. (And then flush it). A 51 aero is pretty easy to squish clean, and, best I can tell, Superchrome only hurt silver breather tubes, and then only over time. Might also be a good excuse to disassemble the 51.

  30. The Following User Says Thank You to welch For This Useful Post:

    INeedAFinancialAdvisor (May 24th, 2020)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •