It is the plain smooth type of feed

Thanks for your input.   I did not think of the Summit / Lang stable so will put that in the mix. 

Hi All

I recently acquired this button filler fountain pen branded HENLEY CABLES  MADE IN ENGLAND.  

It is fitted with a Conway Stewart nib which maybe an after market to a Warranted nib.   On the face of it the pen looks to be quality made with a screw in section, although the gold fittings lack the quality of the Conway Stewart 58.  

It is a rather stubby pen measuring 112 mm capped and has the same cap girth as a Conway Stewart 58 (see photo) and a slightly wider barrel diameter than the CS 58.   

A google search show HENLEY CABLES CO is still in existence in India.  

Can anybody enlighten me the origin of this pen and who the manufacturers of the pen would have been?  

Thanks

Innes

Hi Andy - The Conway Stewart 'Fountain Pens for the Million' has certainly been a good read and this link adds to the story...

Innes

Very nice selection Christof - I too was able to add a Parker 51 Plum and a mint Parker 51 Signet set to my collection..

Innes

I won this fountain pen on a local auction site (equivlent of USD65) - THE LINCOLN PEN by NATIONAL PRODUCTS CO, CHICAGO. It is in a lovely mottled dark mahogany coloured hard rubber which is proving difficult to get a like photo.  

A huge size 8 broad nib which writes a very smooth line.

My research show this to be a hard rubber pen and certainly looks like it, but doesn't exhude the typical sulphur smell?

Innes 

I was in communication with Henry Simpole last night who was most helpful.   After seeing a photo of the broken cap lip he advised that it would be difficult for a successful fix with the broken gap being 50% missing.  Listening to his and Andy's advice I will do the dry polish for the oxidisation and leave everything as is until such time I can source a CS 770 replacement cap.

So if you are out there and know of a spare Conway Stewart 770 cap in smooth black hard rubber (clip not nessecary) - a long shot but you never know!

Thanks again

Innes

Thanks for your comment Christof and the added information from Andy...

The pen is 138mm capped and 172mm posted but not sure where this size fits in the range of the 770 sizes produced.   

For blackening I was thinking of the Deoxidiser product offered by La Belle Epoque Pens which says it removes the oxidation from the hard rubber, rather than the black dying process.   In effect this method should preserve what imprints there are.   I shall make contact with Henry Simpole and weigh the costs up of the repair and the replating versus just polishing the fittings, which would be in keeping it original as possible.

Thanks Andy - this was just the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Innes

I have picked up this Conway Stewart 770 in BHR in a local auction.   Although the cap lip is broken away approx 50% below the cap ring I think it is still a good find for NZD52.50 (approx GBP29.00).   The pen has been well used with weak imprints and plenty of brassing.   The nib, clip and lever are without damage.   The pen sure has a meaty girth at 13.65mm and shapes up well in size against the Parker Duofold Senior.  

My decision is do I leave everything as is with a new ink sac or do a full restoration including reblackening and cap lip repair (if that can be done)?   I'm not sure what its true value would be either as is, or restored?  

Any advice or comments would be welcomed.

Thanks

Innes

 

I would be interested in the references given as to the Blood Red story.  I have heard various versions of this but they are always a bit different.

 

The reference was David Shepherd (Author of the Parker 51 book) via email.

I have tracked down the answer which some help of some well revered pen folk in the UK which I share their information as follows... 

The correct colour name for the English red Parker 51 Aerometric MKI is also Burgundy, although its colour is lighter and redder than the US version.

Rage Red was the name of a colour in the Parker 61 range and the later Parker 51 models i.e. MKIII

Blood Red came about when the wife (who was an artist and well respected) of Mr Kenneth Parker had some input into the final decision of the Aerometric colours. She did not like the bright red colour as she thought it too vivid and reminded her of blood and this was the reason for a more muted Burgundy colour.

I am told there was an experimental Parker 51 set in Blood Red but never went into production.

Great to get that all clarrified.

Innes

I don't know a formal name for it.

 

I was partial to "Bloody British Burgundy.

 

-d

I'm smiling ..... I guess that is with tongue in cheek

Hi All

I recently won this Sheaffer's Balance 1000 in a local auction.   I was drawn to it for the Military Clip.   However when restoring it and cleaning the section, nib and feed I saw the feed start turning white.   My immediate thoughts were Oh no, the water!  

On closer examination the feed looked to be made of a white material, probably plastic.   So off to Google to find that Sheaffer's white feed was a factual event around 1940, but with no definitive answer as to whether it was a factory experiment or a rubber saving decision due to the war.

Apparently either rare or very uncommon?

Hi All

For the benefit of correctness what is the correct colour name for the red English Parker 51 MKI Aerometric (not the burgundy).

I have read a number of articles that refer to it as "Blood Red" or "Rage Red".

Perhaps the UK folk may have an English advertisment or reference that states the colour name?

Thanks

Innes

A lucky and pleasing win from our local auction site - a WAHL SIGNATURE OVERSIZE in red & black mottled hard rubber.  Price converts to US$105 paid.   In original and excellent condition with no brassing to the gold fittings.  

It is a large pen at 140 mm capped with a barrel diameter of 14 mm but well balanced in the hand with or without the cap.  A very nice addition to my small WAHL EVERSHARP collection.  

Innes

Parker made a clear version...

Is that a demonstrator or something else?

Thanks Greg  

That demonstrator example is something I have not seen before, a great find for sure!  

I have the exact same No.5 nib on a Wahl Tempoint and like you say - super flexible

Innes 

A very nice set Jon.    Tom has now found me a mint Forest Green which will be coming to me later on.  Eliminates the risk of uncertainty of buying through auction on these less common colours.

Innes

I have finally put together a mini collection of the Parker 51 Aerometric MKI colours and I think I have captured the difference in the darker colours quite well.  To complete the collection will be the Insignia/Signet and Flighter and add a full size Forest Green.

Thanks to Tom Heath who was able to source for me a very nice first year 1948 hard to find 'Plum.  

Innes

Left to right - Black, Forest Green (Demi size), Midnight Blue, Plum, Blood Red (English model), Burgundy, Teal Blue, Navy Grey and Cocoa.   

My contribution...

Mabie Todd & Co.Ltd - Swan Visofil VT 340/60 in round top case.

Parker 51 Aerometric Set in Cocoa

Wahl Eversharp Gold Filled Pencil in mint or unused condition

H Innes,

 

I had always assumed that a 5 and a 5N nib were formed from the same flat blank, but the 5N was formed with a tighter curvature so, as you say, it was designed for the smaller diameter pens, hence N for narrow. However, checking the nib price lists, the 5N was always cheaper than the 5 nib, so that may not be the case after all. It shouldn't be too hard to find a spare, you could try a CS specialist such as Barry Rose at Writetime, or a good repairman such as Henry Simpole.

 

Andy

Thanks for the leads Andy

Innes

Hi 

I am restoring a couple of Conway Stewart 388's.   Pen One is in original condition and I don't have the need to knock out the nib so cannot identify it size number.   Pen Two 388 does not have a nib.   Checking with the Jonathan Donahaye site it states the nib is a CS5N.

I have a spare CS5 nib that looks to be the same length as Pen One's nib but a lot broader and would be too wide for the feed.     I am thinking the N perhaps stands for 'narrow' which would explain the difference?

If anyone could clarify this for me would be most helpful. 

Innes

I should have mentioned that both the jewels are burgundy stripped and both sit low in the cap clip and tassie (which both are three tiered).

Innes

Not sure I have it sorted yet, but I have seen some seemingly late Canadian Vacs that have OS barrels (short blind cap, OS threads at front) with caps that look tapered like Maxima, but still have OS threads where meet the barrel. I'll have to think on this...

 

regards

 

d

Thanks David - appreciate your help on this one

I've got 2 Duofold vest pocket pencils that have a small "D" stamped near the top of the barrel.  The "D" is sideways so that it faces toward the tip.  Does anyone know what it means or have any other letters to report?

I have a black PARKER DUOFOLD vest pen/pencil set - other than PARKER DUOFOLD on the pencil there is no isolated 'D'.

Innes