This 1920 Mabie Todd is a “Jackdaw” Toledo lever-filler in Damascened-inlay overlay on Woodgrain Hard Rubber. Damascening is the art of hand inlaying different metals into one another, typically, 24K gold or fine silver hammered into a darkly oxidized steel background, to produce intricate patterns and designs. The English term comes from a perceived resemblance to the rich tapestry patterns of damask silk. Often called “Toledo” because much of the art comes from Toledo, Spain, a …
What do I do about a crack in the threads of my vintage Waterman pen? Vintage pens (and modern pens) can develop cracks in their lifetime of use. With a vintage pen, It depends where the crack is and how large it is. Assuming it’s on the thread of the section, you may be able to glue it closed and that might help it last a little longer. It may also be possible to have it …
This 1900 Aikin Lambert is the “Poinsettia” #2 eyedropper-fill straight-sided in repousse gold-filled “Poinsettia on hand hammered background” pattern (very rare). Aiken Lambert was a NYC based manufacturer founded in 1864. They started making pens in the late 1880s, all high quality. They supplied gold nibs to Waterman who, in 1915 acquired the company to ensure their continued supply. A wonderful example, with an unengraved barrel indicia and no brassing evident anywhere. Extra-fine, semi-flexible nib. Tiny …
The gold color seems to be wearing off the ring on the cap of my vintage pen. Can I polish it to bring it back? This is called brassing. It’s not tarnished but is actually the gold plating wearing off, as you notice, and showing the brass underneath. It cannot really be fixed easily unless you want to have the part replaced or restored by a professional.
This 1928 Security #5 is Twist-fill in Red Mottled Hard Rubber. Inside the light yellow Bakelite cap-top is the check protector with it’s rotating blades used to perforate the check so it could not be altered. GFT, including the spring loaded clip. Medium, extra-flexible nib. New-old-stock. Mint. Shown with cap on top of cap removed so you can see the check protector mechanism. Item #148 in Catalog #82
How did my vintage pen get clogged?? A pen’s feed can get clogged either by using the wrong type of ink (such as India ink, where the particles clog the channels) or by not cleaning your fountain pen and letting the (fountain pen) ink dry out. A good cleaning is the best next step!
This 1920 Parker 25 Jack Knife Safety BF in Black Smooth Hard Rubber. Before the button-fill, the 25 was sold as both as a “click-fill” pen and an eyedropper-fill “Trench Pen” with a compartment on the bottom for ink tablets. A larger, hard to find size. Fine, flexible nib (rare to find a flexible nib). Some imprint wear (almost all readable), otherwise near mint. Item #162 in Catalog #82
Is there any way to fix a watered down vintage black rubber pen? It’s an old one from a garage sale. Fountain pen restorers can fix the pen up for you but if the black hard rubber is faded and whitened by light and/or water exposure, but there are treatments that can darken the material. Whether you truly want to alter your fountain pen this way is up to you.
This 1928 Parker is a True Blue BF set. Designed as a lower cost market entry than the Duofold, initially named “Three Fifty” and the color called “Modernistic Blue and White,” production lasted only two years. GFT. Almost always found with heavy ambering, mint sets, such as this one, are extremely hard to find and highly desirable. Extra-fine/fine nib. A hint of ambering where the barrel is protected by the cap, otherwise near mint+ (could …
This 1924 La Plume D’Or is a very special pen. The Bibax capillary-fill Taper/Cone Cap in Red Mottled Hard Rubber is extremely rare. While the barrel is a hollow hard rubber tube, it is NOT an eyedropper-filler. How on earth does this pen fill, then? There are four long slots in the back of the feed. The filling design is to put the pen, nib down, into an ink supply, and the barrel fills through the principle …
