Even being new to pens/fountain pens I had of course heard of the almost cult-like following that had developed around the Parker 51 pens. "Best pen ever made", "You will only ever need one pen - this one", etc. The one I got is a 1948 full-size aerometric burgundy pen w/ 1/10 gold filled cap - and let me tell you...it is in gorgeous condition and has been taken apart, cleaned, etc. Won't try it out with ink until tomorrow/Monday but I am very, very excited to do so. Here's a writing sample from the seller - he is thinking it might be a Fine or Medium: And, some photos of mine of the pen today - not too bad for a near 70 year old pen? So, show what pens/pencils you're rockin'
My trio of Harley Davidson's: From left to right - 0.5mm pencil, medium nib fountain pen and a ballpoint pen which takes standard Parker type refills.
I have been looking at buying my first fountain pen. Looking at the Pilot Metropolitan as a starter pen. Seems to get good reviews and several guides recommend them as a good first pen. I've been using roller ball pens for as long as I remember. The price of the Metropolitan is pretty attractive, I must say. Any suggestions as far as a specific retailer? I don't write prolifically, but I do enjoy a nice pen. One of the writing tasks I have involves writing on a carbonless pad, which has one copy per sheet. I've read that stiff nibs have no issues with this, but having nothing to go by, I wonder if the intro Pilot will perform ok. I'm open to other suggestions. I'd rather not buy a pen that is made in china if I have a choice about it. I notice that many retailers don't list the country of manufacture, which is annoying. I'm under the impression that Pilot pens are made in Japan, which is ok by me. Of course an American made pen would be my first desire, but at under $50 budget at this point, I'm not thinking that's likely. I really like the looks of the Conklin Duragraph Amber, but thinking a true starter pen would be a wise choice at this point. Thanks for any guidance!
I've been mildly in to fountain pens for a while now. I don't have any pics handy but the one I'm using most these days is a Pilot Vanishing Point. It's perfect for what I need. Mostly quick notetaking. I've got a Lamy 2000 that's also a great pen.
Still using and enjoying daily my Parker 21s. Now that I've made my own satisfactory blue ink, I rotate between that, the red and the green. I occasionally have to use felt tips or ballpoints...some gel pens are very nice but nothing compares to a fountain.
Ordered a Pilot Metropolitan in silver from Goulet Pen Company today. They are pretty close to me, so figured why not. Also tacked on a Varsity for giggles. I like a medium point sometimes too. Hard to go wrong with 5star reviews on a $4 pen, right?
I like the Varsity too. It's one of the only fountain pens I've found that never seems to leak when I drive back and forth to work. Only a few hundred feet of altitude change but I guess that's enough sometimes.
wowzah....at 1st glimpse of the title, was wondering what the heck was going on here...carry on, some cool P-E-N-S
I have a Parker 51 that I acquired about 1962. The nib is broken though. I would love to get it fixed. Any suggestions?
Might contact this company? http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/ Here's a list that came up with a quick search: http://www.fivestarpens.com/links_to_other_pen_sites.html
I have one of those too. When I was teaching, I used that one to grade tests & homeworks. I love the nib on that one.
Thanks guys. I found some videos on how to disassemble it. I am optimistic. If I can get it apart, I believe I can get a replacement nib.
My two starter Pilot pens came today. I think I'm going to like this little experiment! Didn't do much with the varsity just yet, but the nib seems decent enough. The Metro seems pretty nice. I went with the solid silver, as it matches my watch. Besides, the orange one was looking good, but I decided to gift the rollerball version of the orange metro to my assistant, orange is her favorite color. The metro is very smooth to the touch. Handling it will take some getting used to. Seems like I got lucky on the nib. No skipping and although a bit scratchy, it seems passable. I meant to order some blue carts, but mistakenly got the blue/black. The varsity is true blue, so I guess that gives me some variation.
Here's my getting more and more scarce BIC Clic. One of the finest writing instruments the world has seen. These are no longer sold retail in the US. The only way I've found to get them is by some printing/promo outlets' custom order.
