Now that I’ve gotten right into pen restoration and photography, it seems only natural to take some great pictures of pens and then give you the opportunity to have those pens! I have spent the past few weeks busily restoring a heap of old pens: polishing them up; straightening, smoothing, polishing, even grinding nibs; and restoring filling systems, from snorkels to sac fillers.
There are a mixture of prices from $15 to $200, so there’s something for everyone!
Let me explain the process I go through for just about every one of these pens:
- Restore them. Polish every metal/gold piece until it shines like new, and painstakingly polish ever other piece by hand (even the pieces you can’t even see.
- Fill it with Parker Quink Blue (a fairly safe ink) and test it to see how it fares with a commonly used ink. I smooth and straighten the nib if need be so it performs up to standard.
- Test the pen by storing it and then using it once a day for 3 consecutive days. This ensures that any adjustments I have made actually “stick”; they don’t just work when I freshly fill the pen, but they work over time too.
- Make any other adjustments, produce a writing sample (where appropriate), clean them up and then photograph them prior to putting them up for sale.
This process means that you get a pen that I consider worthy of being in your hands. Even though I am just starting out with restoring, I have had a huge amount of success in getting these pens to work like they should. For each pen I have detailed what kinds of things I have done to it, so you know exactly what’s been done to the pen.
Just a quick note on shipping:
Worldwide:
- Regular airmail: $15.00 (normal) – $20.00 (heavy) depending on the size (check description)
- Insurance: $15.00 extra
- Regular mail: $10.00 (normal) – $12.00 (heavy) depending on the size (check description)
- Insurance: $10.00 extra
Payment via PayPal only. Prices in AUD.
Click each image for a larger version
PART 1: SHEAFFER AND PARKER TRAY
This is one beautiful pen. The Duofold is Parker’s flagship pen, and this one dates back to around 1949. The pen appears black to the untrained eye, but is actually a very dark brown. In excellent condition!
Notable features include:
- Button filling mechanism, similar to lever fillers, but instead of flipping a lever you press a small button on the back of the pen to fill.
- Arrow clip, gold plated
- Crisp engraving on the body: PARKER DUOFOLD REG T.M. MADE IN ENGLAND
- Very nice, smooth 14k gold MEDIUM STUB nib (thinner cross strokes, thicker up-down strokes)
A wonderful example of a vintage Duofold, this pen has light usage marks, but is in excellent condition. Nib section has been turned so the nib lines up with the body engraving. The only negative is that the nib tip is ever so slightly bent. I have straightened it as best I can without risking any damage, so the bend now has no effect on the function of the pen. In fact, you only really notice the bend if looking right at the nib, closely. I have smoothed it out so it writes smoothly with a wonderful medium-wet flow. No box or papers. The following has been done:
- Barrel and all metal parts polished to a brilliant shine (including underneath the clip, and under the nib)
- Nib straightened, adjusted, and smoothed
- Clip tightened down (clips nice and firm)
- Sac freshly replaced and dusted
- Entire pen ultrasonically cleaned
- Tested for 3 days to ensure reliability
2. CUSTOM BROAD STUB Parker 51 – Burgundy w/ Alloy Cap + Grey Jewel SOLD!!
A gorgeous Parker 51, this one is in essentially mint condition bar a couple of marks.
Notable features include:
- Hooded, 14k gold nib
- Pristine grey jewel on cap
- Aerometric, sac filler mechanism (similar to press bar)
- Excellent, matte steel cap
- Broad stub nib ground custom by myself
This pen is in fantastic condition, only light usage marks. There is a noticeable wearing down on the cap, from the clip swivelling and scratching the matte texture of the cap, but the damage is minor. The cap jewel is grey, and in pristine condition, no matting or cracks at all. Aerometric filler works as it should, and the inside is free of marks. I would suspect very much that this pen was sparingly used by the previous owner. The nib has been ground from a medium into a Broad Stub, very smooth with nice line variation and a medium-wet flow, perfect as a daily writer! No box or papers. The following has been done:
- Barrel and all metal parts polished
- Whole pen cleaned
- Nib ground into broad stub and smoothed
- Clip turned to line up with “Parker” trademark on base.
- Tested for 3 days to ensure reliability
Price: SOLD!
3. Sheaffer Saratoga Snorkel Filler, Dark Red w/ Gold Trim SOLD!!!
- Snorkel filling mechanism. This is the most complex filler mechanism ever designed, with a small “snorkel” tube that extends out past the nib when the rear knob is unscrewed. A piston-like rod gets pulled out the rear; the user dips the tip of the snorkel tube into the ink, depresses the rod, and the pen fills through the snorkel tube. This means that you never have to clean ink off the nib again. This is the beauty of the Snorkel mechanism.
- Absolutely gorgeous deep red colour
- Plastic body, with gold trim.
- Custom fitted, vintage 14k two tone FeatherTouch nib. This is a simply wonderful EXTRA-FINE nib, which has been adapted to work with this larger pen. I have personally smoothed the nib to get the best performance out of it. Very little flex of any kind.
There are light usage marks to the body, but no serious marks or cracks. The imprint has faded slightly, but is still readable, saying “WA SHEAFFER PEN CO. FORT MADISON IOWA USA, MADE IN USA“. The snorkel tube extends as it should, and the pen fills perfectly. I have tested this, shooting a stream of water out the tube that went over 1m away. Simply a beautiful pen worthy of being a daily writer for one lucky owner. No box nor papers. Here is what I have done to this one:
- Filler completely refurbished: Sac replaced, sac protector dings removed, loose snorkel tube securely shellac’d into place, section plug securely sealed into place, new rear o-ring installed, new point seal installed
- Nib replaced, smoothed, and polished top to bottom
- Body and all metal parts polished to a brilliant shine (including internals)
- All stains removed
- Everything cleaned ultrasonically
- Tested over the course of 3 days to ensure reliability
- Note that the tiny ink stain seen next to the clip in pictures has since been polished out.
Price: SOLD!!!
4. Parker 21 in Black w/ Stainless Steel Cap SOLD!
The poor man’s Parker 51, the 21 is actually a very nice pen in itself. About the same size as the Parker 51, but with less of a luxury feel, and less of a luxury price tag. This one here is in excellent condition, with a press-bar, aerometric style filler. I actually had this as my daily writer for a while I enjoyed it so much.
Notable features include:
- Press bar, sac filler design
- Very nice stainless steel cap, posts and caps very securely
- Hooded, stainless steel nib. The hooded part prevents it from drying out whilst uncapped. There are no markings to show nib size, but I would say it’s a MEDIUM. It’s quite a smooth stainless steel nib, very nice!
- Black plastic, glossy body and section
- Polished and cleaned from top to bottom
- Nib straightened and tested
- Tested over 3 days to ensure reliability
- Odd, bilateral nib
- Glossy black, plastic body
- Great stainless steel cap
- Spring loaded clip – very handy!
- Custom ground MEDIUM STUB nib. I ground this one myself and it turned out quite well, writing thicker up-down strokes and thinner cross strokes. The result is a varying-width line that makes your writing look that much more fancy.
General usage marks typical of a pen this age. The cap is in pristine condition, and a polish has made it shine like new. Clip is very sturdy. Will come with an empty Sheaffer cartridge so you can fill it with your own ink. Here’s what I’ve done to this one:
- Completely dismantled, ultrasonically cleaned and polished
- Nib adjusted, polished
- Nib ground into a medium stub, and smoothed
- Tested over 3 days to ensure reliability
Price: SOLD!