Pens and Paper

Well, I couldn't visit China and not buy a pen ...

Or two, for that matter. On a business trip to Chengdu, I had some time to look around, and so naturally I found myself a couple of pen stores.

This is a Parker on the left, although I'm not sure of the model (there's no English on the box). It's very thin and light, and the cap says it's from France. It has a very unusual converter with a sliding function, and when you push or pull the slide, the converter works like a syringe. It writes beautifully. I think I paid the equivalent of about $50 for it.

The other pen is a Kaigelu, which is apparently a phonetic translation of kangaroo, and that animal is on the clip. This one was about $10. It also has a converter which, like the Parker, contains a small ball bearing to improve the ink flow. The tip of the nib curves upwards, which I thought was a defect, but all the other pens in the store had it. I suspect it may be some sort of italic nib, because Kaigelu pens that I've seen online have straight nibs. If anyone's able to shed some light on the mystery, let me know!

And I said I wouldn't ... Parker Vacumatic

The problem with "never say never" is that, eventually, you usually do a 180-degree turn.

I said I wasn't going to get into vintage pens. There are more than enough new pens to keep me occupied, said I. And besides, who needs the aggravation of finding them, wondering if it's a good price, and then looking after them?

Well, gradually, I fell down that hole. It started with a 1923 Waterman that I now use for all my bookkeeping. I bought a Merlin. And now, I own a Parker Vacumatic. A friend called, saying she'd been to a yard sale and there were pens on the table. Not going, I said. Nope, I said, as I got my car keys. Not going there, I said, as I drove closer and closer ...

Anyway, is life complete without a Vacumatic? Of course not, and this one's a beauty. It's a 1943 (with plastic plunger), made in Canada, and a gorgeous shade of emerald pearl. And yes, I'm going back for the Sheaffer Touchdown that its owner is prepping for me ... sigh.

Paging the 70s: Ms. Parker by Pucci!

You certainly have to love the 1970s. While BIC recently tried (and failed) with a "pen for women," Parker was smart enough to run with the Call Me Ms. movement that was just coming into play as women decided that their titles shouldn't indicate their marital status.

A friend gave me this piece of history. The Ms. Parker was styled by Italian designer Emilio Pucci, and featured a gold band that's ribbed on this model (you could get a plain one, too). It would originally have come with a thin leather holder that fit in the large blank space in the box behind the pen. The model was discontinued in 1981.

It used a "floating ball" liquid ink system, but I'm not having much luck finding a replacement, and this pen may have to stay in the collection as a curio, rather than a writer. It's a problem with a few old pens -- I have an ancient Esterbrook pen that will probably never write again, since its refills are long defunct.

It's also one reason why I won't buy the Parker 5th. It's mostly because I prefer a fountain pen, not a fineliner masquerading as one. But beyond that, I'm leery of pens that take refills specific to them. If the pen goes off the market, eventually the refills will, too. And what's a pen for, if not for writing?

More on the Parker 21 ...

I'm glad to say that the Parker 21 I received is back in the saddle again. I cleaned it, let it dry thoroughly, and then filled it with Quink (I figured Parker ink in a Parker pen is the best course of action).

It still didn't want to write, so I stored it nib-down for a few days, and it now works very well. I know nothing about pen repair - other than putting a pen in a box and handing it over to someone who does - so I was glad that this simple course of action got everything moving again. It's a nice pen, but not really worth the cost of repair.

Although most of my pens are new, there is something delightful about writing with an old pen. How many miles of ink did it lay down in its day? What words did it write?

I use a couple of old pens quite a bit. I had a Sheaffer Snorkel desk pen that I used for a few years, but now it doesn't seem to draw ink (that one's worth repair, so I'll have to send it in). I have an old Merlin that was new-old-stock and it writes beautifully. And I do all my banking in a ledger, rather than on the computer, with a 1923 lever-action Waterman. I'm not rich, but writing with such a lovely gold-nibbed pen sure makes me feel like I am.

Parker 21: The 51's little brother

A friend recently gave me this Parker 21, which had been her school pen. I didn't know that much about the 21s, but they have quite the history - designed as a lower-priced version of the famous 51, and selling for around $5.00.

This one's marked Made in Canada, and it's still in very good shape, considering that so many of them have cracked with age. The sac is still supple as well. I gave it a good cleaning, filled it, and then stored it upside down, and after a few false starts, it looks like it's starting to flow and write again. I was hoping it would, because it's not really worth repairing, and also because it's so nice to have something get back into the harness after decades of storage. Thanks so much, Linda!

An amendment: Looking at the photos in Richard Binder's history, I've noticed something a little odd with this one. It has the Super 21 clip, but the underside of the nib looks like his picture of a regular 21. The pen is original, so I wonder if the Canadian-made ones used parts from both, such as to use up extra parts in stock.