My first Parker pen

[jagarpether]

Hello.

Today i got my first Parker pen, a 51 vaccumatic for $25.
I have got it inked up and i don't think it needs a service for the moment.
It writes really smooth and it is a nice complement to my flex pens.
I have read some about the 51 and i think it was a quite nice price for it.

Is it possible to see on the pen what year it was made?
It says Parker Made in USA on the pen and some thing beside it that i can't read.
It is a brown pen with a silver cap with gold clip and a white top "pearl", it doesn't say Parker on the cap. (See pictures on the pen)

/Pether

[tandaina]

Here ya go: you may need a magnifying glass to read the markings that would help date it:

http://www.parker51.com/gpage1.html4.html

[ac12]

GET THE PEN SERVICED !!!

The diaphram in the pen is likely well over 60 years old. If it hasn't failed yet, it can fail anytime; tomorrow, next week, next month ....
The point being, you are well past the expected life of the diaphram, so expect it to fail soon.
And when it fails, then leak could be nasty, depending on what the ink leaks onto and stains.

[welch]

GET THE PEN SERVICED !!!

The diaphram in the pen is likely well over 60 years old. If it hasn't failed yet, it can fail anytime; tomorrow, next week, next month ....
The point being, you are well past the expected life of the diaphram, so expect it to fail soon.
And when it fails, then leak could be nasty, depending on what the ink leaks onto and stains.

While a previous owner might have replaced the diaphragm, a rough rule is that rubber (sac / diaphragm) will last 20 - 30 years. The sac in the aerometric does not seem to wear out...pin-holes and cuts, sure, but dry-out, stiffen, wear-out, no.

[GING GING]

25 bucks is a great price.

[pajaro]

Yes, that's a great deal, especially if it works. The thing you couldn't read next to the Parker Made in USA is the date code.

I usually need a magnifier to read the date code. Given the cap that came with the pen, the date code is probably 6, 7 or 8, meaning 1946, 1947 or 1948. Good luck. If you are adventurous you can probably resac the pen. There are threads about doing it in the Parker forum. You would probably be better advised to have someone else do it, though.

I have a black 51 Vac I got on ebay with a lot of pens. It has worked since, so I have been using it. The ink is held in the barrel. When you push the filler rod in, that pushes the sac or diaphragm forward toward the nib and that pushes the ink out. When you release the filler rod the sac goes back toward the filler rod and the vacuum created sucks ink in. That is my understanding of how these pens fill. No doubt my understanding is deficient in some way.