Pens in the Wild - a first for EoC!

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Happened across a gentlemen in my current city who had some pen related items for sale. Arranged a meet up and ended up buying a few things, as one does. So, what did I get...



From left to right:

• A presumably Art Deco inkwell :it's quite heavy, the cap seal area looks to be made of brass and needs a clean (not sure what with yet). The surfaces look like enamel paint, and while there are marks and scratches it has cleaned up quite nicely. The reservoir is built in, unlike some inkwells that have a glass liner, and has no leaks (I tested it after I cleaned it).
• A possibly BHR pen with chased longitudinal lines. This is a lever filler and is inscribed as "The Tip-Toe Pen" and "Made in England". More on this a bit down the page.
• A Parker 51, looks like a MK1 from the filler - which is marked with "To fill press ribbed bar firmly 4 times holding pen point down. Wipe point with soft tissue". The filler has a black end piece. Obviously the cap is incorrect, and appears to be a 61 or 65 Consort cap.
• Another Parker 51, again looks like a Mk1 from the filler - same inscription as above. Almost illegible stamp on the barrel, though I can discern that it was made in England. Very nice overall condition. The barrel has a discrete owner's name written thus " - W. H. K. Scott - "
• A cap actuated Parker 51 clutch pencil. Same colour as the previous 51 pen, but presumably not part of a set given the cap differences.

The Tip-Toe Pen when uncapped looks like this:



Yes, it's a glassed nib! The lever was stuck. I managed to coax the section out, to find a petrified sac inside. Some of this I got out by gently inserting a watchmaker's screwdriver, enough to free the lever, which is nice and springy. However, I cannot reach deeply enough, not know how exactly to extract the rest of the detritus from the end part of the barrel.

The Consort cap (I guess this is what it is), looks like this, if anyone wants to identify it better:




Overall I quite pleased with this little haul, and to the tune of $100 it seems like a reasonable deal. However, there are some issues.

1. Getting rotten sacs out of pens - how is it done?
2. Where can I get a correct cap for the 51.
3. If I do go for a new cap, is it better to just get any design of 51 cap for the grey pen, or swap the cap from the red pen and find a new cap for the red pen that matches the pencil (then I could call that a set!).


The inkwell I am going to use for my dip pens!

Any comments, suggestions, advice is greatly appreciated.

ps. If anyone knows anymore about the "Tip-Toe Pen" please share!

[fountainpenkid]

Tip-Toe--what a fun name! I'd love to see how they did that imprint.
I know where a North American might find P51 parts, but I think you have a shipping issue iirc.

[Lloyd]

The barrel of 51s has a date code. I think the Mk1 has 6 presses, too.

[christof]

...If I do go for a new cap, is it better to just get any design of 51 cap for the grey pen, or swap the cap from the red pen and find a new cap for the red pen that matches the pencil (then I could call that a set!).

This sounds like a good plan.

[eachan]

The Tip-Toe Stylo, which is what you have, was made by Kagan & Co Ltd from 1930 to 1939, selling at 2/6d. It featured the "crystalline" nib. I use a dental pick to remove stubborn bits of sac. They are usually available from several sources in eBay and often in Amazon.

What a beautiful inkwell!

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Thanks! I looked and found precisely nothing about the Tip-Toe, so it's good to be able to tie it to a company. The inkwell is surprisingly charming, wasn't sure what it was going to look like in person, then it was irresistible!

He has another double inkwell with a blotter decorated in Japanese art style. Not sure how old it is. Will have to ask to see it next time.

[manoeuver]

That mismatched cap is awesome!
I personally would never swap it for a boring-ass stock 51 cap.

nice haul!

[Ray-VIgo]

To remove a petrified sac, I use a long, slender metal tool with a sharp hook sold by Pentooling. It's like a dental hook but is straight with a 90-degree bend at the hook (no double bend). The other thing you can do is take a bamboo skewer and poke at the sac fragments, breaking them and them dumping them out of the barrel. The hook-and-pull method is better, but if you are persistent you can eventually break up the sac pieces and empty the barrel that way. Be patient - you'll get a lot of pieces if it's really ossified.

Once it is clean (I use a very small light to check), make sure your J-bar is good still. If the lever springs right back after pulling, it's probably fine. From there you replace the sac and reassemble. It looks like a nice project pen.

[Fermata]

That mismatched cap is awesome!
I personally would never swap it for a boring-ass stock 51 cap.

nice haul!

There would also be a great temptation to then try and find a P61 without a cap,

[mizgeorge]

What a fantastic haul - I'm very jealous of the tip-toe and I love the inkwell

If you want to have a go at the sac replacement, pendragons have everything you could need. Though if it's only for one pen, you may find it more expensive to get set up than to just get someone else to do it.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

That mismatched cap is awesome!
I personally would never swap it for a boring-ass stock 51 cap.

nice haul!

I get it, but unfortunately the cap is not a good fit.


On other advice: Will look for a dental pick type tool. Replacing a sac is easy enough, I have shellac and talc, but will need to measure for sac size (I have used Pendragon for parts).

Thanks guys/gals.

[Skwerlmasta]

Beautiful pens.

[mizgeorge]

Not all cheap dental picks are strong enough these days (unless you have a tame dentist/technician friend) as the mass produced versions found on ebay are rubbish. Look for a small set of wax carving tools, which will usually have just the right shapes for this particular job.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Understood. I have some connections in the Dental School over the road from my workplace. Will see what I can source.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Now I need to convert these two 51s into a single midnight blue 51. A near impossibility I suspect.

[lsmith42]

Or not...


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[Empty_of_Clouds]

Just took a closer look at the burgundy 51 and note that the nib looks a bit weird - which is about normal for my luck.

Imagine a large blob of iridium (or whatever the tipping is), and now imagine that blob being ground to a circular flat surface that cuts that blob at about 45 degrees, such that if you write at 45 degrees the entire flat surface is on the paper. Makes it write quite broad.

Is there anything that can be done with such a nib? Or is it a bust? Obviously I cannot sell it like this, conscience and all that, but also cannot use it.

The rest of pen is in nice condition. I cannot get the hood off, so changing nibs may not be an option.

Advice, as always, welcome.

[Sandy]

Just took a closer look at the burgundy 51 and note that the nib looks a bit weird - which is about normal for my luck.

Imagine a large blob of iridium (or whatever the tipping is), and now imagine that blob being ground to a circular flat surface that cuts that blob at about 45 degrees, such that if you write at 45 degrees the entire flat surface is on the paper. Makes it write quite broad.

Is there anything that can be done with such a nib? Or is it a bust? Obviously I cannot sell it like this, conscience and all that, but also cannot use it.

The rest of pen is in nice condition. I cannot get the hood off, so changing nibs may not be an option.

Advice, as always, welcome.

It sounds like a stub nib, rather than a bust. 45 degrees is the angle the pen is supposed to be held to the paper for calligraphy - so it sounds like the right dimensions - and it will be broad. So, you can sell it on as a Parker 51, stub nib.

The hood may be shellaced on. I had to loosen mine with some gentle heat from a hair dryer (don't over do it) to get mine loose.

It took a lot of patience to get the hood and the nib realigned when screwing them back together.