What to look for out in the wild?

[catherix]

Evening gents of the nib! Hope you all are doing well.

I may be doing some antiquing in a couple days and plan to keep an eye out for pens. I will be mainly looking for straights but would love to happen upon a pen as well if possible. I am completely new to antique pens though and I have no idea what I should be looking for. Are there any things to keep my eye out for? Or any specific things to avoid? Any help would be very appreciated. And a picture is welcomed if you happen to have it.

And FWIW, here's my current collection:

Parker Vector M nib
Platinum Plaisir M nib
TWSBI Diamond 580 Demonstrator with F and EF nibs
Lamy Alstar with no nib (hope to fix that soon)

 

[syngent]

Anything with an intact nib, most repairs are easy to do, but a busted Nib, well not much you can do about that.

really if you like the looks of it, and its cheap, its probably worth it

 

[Slivovitz]

You never know what you may find. Most of it will be junk, but there's always that chance...

Pens with fill levers on the side will almost always need a new sac, and sometimes other internal parts. The sac is actually pretty easy to replace in many lever fillers, less so in other pens. Other filling systems may call for an expert, or at least for more investment in tools. If you can get a lever filler for very little, it can be a fun project to restore it, but you'll need to buy some sacs, and they don't all take the same size. Sometimes you may need an internal part called a J-Bar.

If you find a cartridge filler pen made by somebody who's still in business, there's a reasonable chance you can find the right cartridges for it, old Sheaffer School pens, for example. But don't pay too much for these. Cartridges can be refilled with a syringe, but will wear out eventually. You may be able to get a cartridge converter for some old models, but don't count on it.

Esterbrooks are popular, particularly the J series. One advantage is that the entire nib and feed unit screws out for replacement, and you can sometimes find a nib that suits your writing style better than the one that comes with the pen.

There are lots of Parker models worth looking for. You might find a 45, a Super 21, even a 51.

Wearever was a "cheap" brand that made some pretty decent pens, and some junk. If you can pick up a Wearever cheaply, it could be a good one to practice sac replacement on. You might even get a good pen.

Sheaffer is another brand to look for, but I have less information on specific models. There are many others of course, but maybe James' advice above is the easy version. If it's inexpensive enough and seems to have a decent nib, then it may be worth taking a chance on.

This is only skimming the surface, and don't take it as expert advice, but it may help you get started.

 

[Snargle]

All good advice so far. As far as filling systems, the lever-fillers (or their close relatives, button-fillers) are generally easy repairs. If you don't want to do them yourself, professional repairs are pretty inexpensive. Other filling systems may not be so cheap. I just had a nice WASP vacuum-fil pen repaired, and the repair cost twice as much as I paid for the pen. The pen was worth it to me, but be aware that filling systems other than cartridge or lever-fillers may require a significant investment to get them up and running. Many of the more exotic systems may require tools and parts that aren't generally available in the home handyman's workshop.

 

[nemo]

Look for name brand pens -- Sheaffer, Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, and even Esterbrook. Keep your loupe handy and eyes open for gold nibs.

Watch out for broken barrels, cracked cap lips, missing clips, bent nibs, and like with razors - metal brassing. I don't have much luck in antique stores these days, shopkeepers are charging nearly full price for broken-down unrestored pens if I'm lucky enough to find anything.

Having a general idea of vintage pen prices and restoration costs goes a long way in making a smart decision. For example, a restored user-grade Vacumatic Major roughly sells for $100 but will cost $35 or so to send out for repair. Lots of stuff to keep in mind so be careful and good hunting.

 

[Snargle]

Some other thoughts...

Things to avoid:

• Broken or bent nibs
• Cracked barrels (or cracks anywhere)
• Broken or missing pocket clips
• Broken or missing end caps/jewels
• Caps that don't screw on straight
• Bulges or deformation in the barrel
• Heavy tooth marks (Some people treated their pens at teething rings!)

When checking lever filler pens, don't try to force the lever! If there's any significant resistance, it probably means that the ink sac is petrified and trying to force the lever against it will only damage or break the lever. As mentioned above, replacing the ink sac is a simple repair. Don't make it more difficult by ruining the lever.

Take along a strong magnifying glass or loupe. They're very helpful in examining the nib for damage, reading any faint inscriptions or markings, and checking for damage that may not be easily visible to the naked eye.

 

[catherix]

Wow! This has been incredibly helpful so far. Thanks so much guys for taking the time and all the great replies. I was going to ask if should bring along my loupe and it looks like that question has been answered. I'll keep it handy. Never would have thought of half of what's been said so its all very helpful.

 

[catherix]

Well I found lots of things out at the stores. More than I would have assumed. However, most everything had bent and broken nibs, and were priced very high. I did however find one little pen worth picking up. I'm having my tires looked at now(they're brand new but I'm having problems) and I'll be home after that. And then there will be a "what the heck do I do now?" post.

 

[catherix]

Started a new thread to ask for some help. It's over here.

Thanks again for all the help guys. I'm saving this thread for future reference. Lots of great information here and I really appreciate that.