Saturday, July 14, 2012

MUST SEE! 1948 Parker 51 Fountain Pen, MKI, w/ custom 1.55 mm Minuskin stub nib!

1948 Parker 51 Aerometric Fountain Pen, MKI, Teal Blue 
This is the first year of the Aerometric 51, and the first year of this color.

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The Parker 51 was disassembled entirely and inspected for failed parts.  Everything that was supposed to be shellacked was also removed and then re-shellacked, including the sac.  The pen was ultrasonically cleaned to take off as many stains as possible, reassembled, and then lightly polished afterward.

The nib recently returned from nibmeister Greg Minuskin with a handsome 1.55 mm stub nib.  This is one wide nib and it goes through a lot of ink!  (If it were a car, it would be a gas guzzlin', tire shreddin' 1968 Oldsmobile 442!)  Those of you who are familiar with Mr. Minuskin know that there are very few people out there that can perform this type of work and at this level of excellence. Please note the perfect spacing of the tines in the first and second photos above and notice how nicely the ink settles.  The feed easily keeps up with this type of performance, so the pen writes neither too wet (maybe around 7 out of 10 on the wetness scale), nor too dry.  Just wonderful!  This pen is perfect for use for writing letters and ready for all your document signing!

The coupler assembly / filler housing / sac were replaced, because the originals suffered corrosion from the previous ink.  The filler housing is inscribed, "TO FILL PRESS RIBBED BAR FIRMLY 4 TIMES HOLDING PEN POINT DOWN, WIPE POINT WITH SOFT TISSUE," whereas the original piece stated instead to "press ribbed bar firmly 6 times."  All other pen parts are original.  Unless Parker 51 Aerometric sacs are punctured, it is rare that I replace them, because they are so durable and may even outlast their replacements!  There are no dings in the cap, and the jewel is intact.  There are no cracks in the section, nor the barrel.  Note the small, round scratch on the right side of the pen's section.  This is visible in the fourth and fifth images below.  There are no apparent inscriptions on the barrel to indicate date, but I was able to find out the year of production, due to the nib inscriptions.  Overall, the pen has seen regular use and has the usual markings throughout as expected.

Please refer to the appropriate photos for the writing samples.  I used MiquelRius paper, where five squares on the writing sample equals approximately 2 cm.  The ink used is Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue.

If you are not completely satisfied with this pen, I will gladly refund you, minus the cost of shipping.  This pen was made to write, not spend its time in a case and it needs to go to someone who will do this!

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$130 + Shipping

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