They are brilliant pens, even if I am completely smitten with flex pens from the teens and twenties - I feel as if I'm living vicariously in that time... It was my grandfather's 21 Special that got me hooked on the 51 family in the eighties. Why he didn't splurge for the 51 is beyond me. I have to say that I was never crazy about the Vacumatic filling system - too many parts, and they take forever to fill. The later Aerometric system is absolutely foolproof and much quicker to use, but I agree, not nearly as sensual as pushing a button. Also, there's something inelegant about having to take the barrel off - it's like having to lift off the body of your car to fill it up with gas. Removing a blind cap is much more like unscrewing a gas cap. But there's no question that the 51 is an extremely elegant (except for the Vacumatic filling system and the reservoir and breather tube - lots of parts) and ingenious design: it's super reliable, super smooth and beautifully made, and an ideal pen for note taking and more scientific writing applications. Appropriately enough, my workhorse pens in school were my inflexible Duofold Jr in Jade from 1928 and my grandfather's 21 Special...
Pier, I come back to this video every few months because it tells the story of Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, and his conversion into St. Paul of the Church. My sainted mother would never let her children so much as touch her 51, and so I grew up hating them. In reaction, I grew up a SHEAFFER MAN. I too had my moment of conversion, and I now look for exciting variants, by such as Ariel Kullock . I do prefer the aerometric models, because they are, as you say, bulletproof. My pride and joy is a Signet - all gold and glitz, and a great writer.
I just got my 50’s burgundy 51 with 14k nib and gold plated cap for €100 (around $120) and I’m utterly in love with it. The design is simply stunning. As a historian and a person who’s interested in fast moving things, you can tell this pen was created in an era when people started to think about aerodynamics, and therefore, to my humble opinion, I firmly believe the 51 should have its place in the Moma Museum, NYC. I always dreamed about owning a Montblanc 149, but the 51 crushed this dream.
The “51” is a perfect pen. In the case of that pen’s overall basic design it almost seems best after the discarded the double jewel at the rear and simplified the clip. The perfect pen got “perfecter”.
Just had my Aha, eureka moment. I’ve watched this video several time and never understood it until now. Have a blue vacumatic and signet 51 but never used them. I took them out after your video with appelboom and lightning struck. Now my 51s are constantly in use. You’re right. The 51 is the perfect pen for long writing sessions; a true thinking persons pen! I’m converted!
I have a 51 squeeze bar from the 1950s on which the sac leaks. More expense. My Swan Mabie Todd lever filler made in England in 1931 is perfect. I prefer my Waterman's 515 with a proper (non-hooded) 14k gold nib with extra bounce. I don't write with them much as my writing looks boring with them. I tend to use modern pens and keep the old ones to admire and wax lyrical over. My favourite is a Pilot custom heritage 912 with the fa wonderful flex nib. Pens for me are for writing with. Mostly stub nibs. My everyday carry is a Pilot Pluminix calligraphy stub that cost me £15. What a beautiful writer. Cartridge converter pens are the easiest to maintain. No piston fillers or hooded nibs for me. You are doing a wonderful job of selling your pens. Think of the money you'll make.
Looking at the few Parker 51's and 45's I have I realized after doodling...that they are all accountant nibs. Yet I don't seem to purchase accountant nibs in other brands. Pier I am sure you have plenty of these moments and then an hour later I realize that I forgot about all other tasks... The simple writing objects sure do have their own power.
J.J. Macak I used to draw with extremely fine rapidographs before discovering vintage fountain pens so a very fine accountant nib is loved and I have many. Sheaffer made many though they didn’t mark them as waterman did.
I was put off by Parker by way of the cheap ballpoints they pushed for a long time. Now that I'm older, I'm interested in them only because of their history: in particular, wartime England or before. My parent grew up there, and I've become something of a anglophile in recent years. I see your point though - flex can be a distraction.
It's too bad that your introduction to Parker was with their modern ballpoints. I was very fortunate to have been introduced to them via the Duofold Jr (mine was from 1928) - an absolutely brilliant pen, just perfect, a fantastic, wet, smooth writer, and very comfortable and generously proportioned and sized, despite its chubby, almost vest length when capped.
The burgundy with lustreless cap seems to be the most common..comments ..it feels very balanced. Post it and it still feels balanced. The nib has been described as applying a hot knife to butter. It doesn't have that steel nib nasty feel unless you bought a special which was octanium. There is no line variation because they were made not for flex but so you could press and make a duplicate or triplicate on your carbon copy..the aerometric holds twice the ink of other 50s pens..they rarely burp and leave blobs on your copy. The mark 2 were made from lucite which means they didn't collect scratches...a great pen along with the vp and 61s of the late 50s and early 60s. The throwaway ballpoint were the death knell. Sales died around 68.the year i went to high school..
I have an well-used old black Parker 51 with a squarish end to the barrel, and no cap. I'm trying to figure out which type of 51 this is, in hopes of replacing the cap. The squeeze bar says only: "PARKER "51" and "To fill press ribbed bar firmly 6 times use dry-writing Superchrome ink. The Parker Pen Co. Made in U.S.A." This pen may have belonged to my father, who died in 1964. Any idea which model it could be?
Orca clearly shows more interest in your 51s than any of your other pens. Once he reacted very strongly to the sound coming from a 51 as well. Not the other pens you where using at the time. Perhaps there is a thing with cats and 51s?
