Interestingly, I have read more and more internet articles about recent pens such as the Sheaffer No Nonsense and Parker Vector. Though I do not consider them Vintage, they are collectible to some, even though Restoration involves little more than cleaning, or substituting nibs. This reminded me that I had started an article on the Esterbrook Safari, a lesser known Esterbrook fountain pen from the late 1950s, and needed to complete it….

The Esterbrook Safari was one of the Company’s attempts at producing a Cartridge filling pen, as fountain pens evolved to this filling system. All previous restorations of Esterbrook pens have been lever fillers, which was the predominant Esterbrook system. For a glimpse back at some previous Esterbrook restorations,  please read these previous articles:

Fountain Pen Restoration 101 – May 8, 2008

Esterbrook Bowling Pen – September 13, 2011

Esterbrook Nurses Pen – August 5, 2011

Esterbrook Pastels -  July 5, 2011

I was going through some old magazines when I ran across this old advertisement from the late 1950s.  It reminded me to be on the lookout for one of these pens. Within the past year, I actually stumbled into two of them, which I will discuss below.  First, the advertisement.  As you can see, the thrust of the campaign is the ease and economy of the cartridges.  One cartridge is in use, and the other fits over the active cartridge, at the ready as a spare.  Add the two together and you have what Esterbrook touted as 40% more ink than other pens.  Clever marketing.  Add the usual Esterbrook removable / replaceable nibs (32) and a low price point of $3.95 in the late 1950s, and you can see where they were headed.

The photos below are of the two cartridge fillers taken apart.  You can see that the section and barrel are an easy screw fit, and the familiar interchangeable nibs are as well.  Not much restoration to be done other than simple clean up.   I cleaned the nib units together in an ultrasonic cleaner.  Then the barrels, sections, and caps followed.  Be careful handling these as the plastic on these is very fragile and prone to cracking.

The proprietary Esterbrook cartridges are, of course, no longer manufactured, so I found an empty extra on ebay, and cleaned it out thoroughly.  This will allow me to use this cartridge in one of the pens.  I will fill it using a syringe, as shown below.  First, I had to clear out the dried blue ink from the cartridge.  Once cleaned, it is ready to be filled with bottled ink of choice.

Below are the completed pens, cleaned and polished.

The pens measure 5 1/2 inches closed and 6 1/4 inches capped.  Both came with 2668 nibs, which are unremarkable firm medium nibs.  Another nice feature of these pens is that any other Esterbrook nibs will work on these, so you can swap out one of your 9000 level nibs on these, if you chose.

Here is one final photo – the cap, which features a unique and attractive clip and shiny slanted cap end. A nice touch for the price, I think.

Safaris were first seen in 1957, the same date as the advertisement above.  They came in six colors – Gray, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Green, Red, and Green.   After a short run with plastic caps (as seen in these two pens), Esterbrook decided to use a sturdier metal cap.  So, you may find these same colors with a later metal cap.  Plunger fillers were also produced, though I have never handled one of these.   Finally, matching pencil sets were available.    An excellent source of information and photos, providing a much more educated and thorough review can be found at Esterbrook.Net, an excellent site maintained by Anderson Pens.

Safari’s are another example of an attractive pen, with a unique design, use standard Esterbrook J/SJ/LJ nibs, that can still be used today.   Keep an eye out for them….

Anyone who has hunted for fountain pens has sifted through many Arnold Fountain Pens. They are very plentiful, and more often than not, in very poor condition. Most have not held up well over the years, primarily due to low quality original parts. Thus, the collectibility is very low and most go unrestored.  These pen/pencil combinations are really no exception, though not without some charm.

I was sifting through a plastic bag of old pens that a local friend had given me as parts and these two jumped out at me due to their bright colors.  I saw they were Arnold’s and had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the plating and plastic.  Getting the sections out of the barrel was no easy task as they had been glued in and they are so small that there was not much to grip to.  Finally, with time and heat, they came apart with no damage to the plastic barrel.  Below are the two combos after I took the sections out.  The blue pen had the old sac caked to the inside of the barrel and the green pen was clean – the old sac simply falling out. Thus, I believe the blue pen had been used and the green was void of any ink remnants.  Both jbars were still in place and I did not remove them as I have no replacement bars this small.   My next task was the section/feed/nib units.  These pens are very small and the nib units are tightly packed and I reached the decision that to attempt to knock them out would be tempting breakage.  So, I simply ran each through my ultrasonic cleaner.  Even doing this removed a bit of the plating on the blue combo nib.

An interesting feed is shown below, from the green combo.  The blue is a standard black feed, but the green pen has a gold feed (it appears to be hard rubber).  Photos are of both ends of the feed.  Fortunately, no ink ever touched this combo, and the gold colored feed survived.

Due to the pencil being on the opposite end of the pen, the sac is an abbreviated 7/8 inches long and will require constant refilling if used.

The Signature nib is of the  cheap gold filled variety.

Below are the finished products. The clips, bands, levers, and pencil cones are all light gold filled on the green combo, and silver on the blue.

They measure 4 5/8 inches closed, and 4 7/8 inches posted.

Arnold pens were produced in large quantities for many years in Petersburg, Virginia.  Remmie Arnold started the company in 1935, after working for the Edison Pen Company (see my posts on Artcraft Pens -  Ford Cromer, one of the Artcraft Founders, also got his start at Edison!).  In the years that followed, Arnold became one of the largest producers of fountain pens in the world.  They concentrated in very inexpensive pens (less than $1.00) and were sold primarily in low end stores. As with most third tier pens, there is little to no advertising associated with the pens as well, due to the low price points..   But they did sell lots of them (and eventually ballpoints).  Finally, due to the low price points, they were also not built to last, and as mentioned above, most have not survived in good condition.

I do have one small piece of Arnold memorabilia – this 1937 letter from Remmie Arnold to a potential customer, touting their products.

and a closeup of the colorful address logo

Further information on Arnold Pens can be found at Richard Binder’s Website here and an interesting piece on Remmie Arnold, gathered by Kamakura Pens, can be found here.

For anyone interested in getting started in restoring fountain pens, they are excellent pens to start on!   They can be acquired for low prices and if you make a mistake along the way, the loss is small.  They did make a wide variety of styles over time, both large and small, so one can practice on many different sizes.  Most that I have seen are lever fillers and some can be very colorful.

Finally, a collage including these two pens, another white pearl combo, and an Arnold Ballpoint Street Sign, captured off of the Internet ~

Back in January of 2011, I restored a  Waterman Crusader, with an open nib. Last week, while heading home through the wilds of Iowa, I stopped at an Antique Mall and happened upon another Crusader, this time a Pen and Pencil set, with the Taperite style hidden nib.

Here is a photo of the pen, after I took it apart for restoration.  You will note that it is in very good shape.  The sac was in pretty good shape, though beginning to harden, and showing signs of wear.  It is better to be safe and go ahead and change it out.  There was absolutely no sign of any usage.

I replaced the old sac with a trimmed size 16 sac.  As with other Waterman pens of the era, I decided to leave the nib/section/feed assembly alone, as any attempt to separate them for cleaning will probably invite cracking of the brittle plastic.  Better to just give it a quick bath in an ultrasonic cleaner.   After allowing the sac to dry overnight, I reattached  the section (friction fit) to the barrel.  Water testing proved that the pen was leak free and ready to write.

As you can see, the Pencil required no work – just an insertion of 0.9 mm lead.  The lead is fed in through the tip, then advanced by pusing down the cap.  Very nice and easy.

Below are photos of the completed pen and pencil.

The Fountain Pen measures 5 1/4 inches closed and 6 1/16 inches posted.

From my post of January of this year, Waterman Early Crusader, I discovered that this model of the Crusader, which is the Second Generation, was produced in and after 1948.

Following are photos of the pen next to an open nib model, the Crusader that I wrote about in January of 2011 and referred to in paragraph one above.  This hooded nib was part of the hooded nib craze fueled in part by the Parker 51 and other models of the time.

Finally, a 1953 advertisement from my collection, showing this pen in red, as well as Pencil and Ball Point options. This model is the gray version.  It was available in Black, Red, Gray, Blue, Green, and Tan.  By far, the most plentiful are the Black, Gray, and Blue versions.

When people ask me what pens to start a collection with, I often point them in the direction of the Waterman pens of the late 40s and early 50s.  They are still vintage collectibles, yet not too hard to find and fairly easy to restore.  There are enough models and colors to occupy a collector for quite some time, and (most importantly) they are a pleasure to write with!

Merry Christmas from Fountain Pen Restoration! This is our 7th Christmas post. In the past, I have shared Christmas themed pens and advertisements. This year I will share another Christmas Advertisement – this one from Eversharp in 1948 and a recent addition to my collection. As my posts this year reflect, I became interested in Kimberly ballpoints, both pre and after Eversharp. So, in searching for advertising material, this came my way. Interestingly, it also promotes the Symphony, Envoy, and Reporter Fountain Pens – some of the last lines that they would produce in fountain pens.

So, in 1948, you could spend anywhere from $1.00 (Wahl Ball Pen or Pencil) to $75.00 (an all gold Kimberly Pockette – has any one ever seen on of these? -not the gold filled) for an Eversharp writing instrument.

For additional Holiday reading on Kimberly Ballpoints, feel free to read some of these old posts~

Kimberly Ballpoints – dated March 4, 2013

Humphrey Bogart Ballpoints – dated April 2, 2013

Kimberly Ballpoints 3 – dated April 18, 2013

Happy Reading and look for more restoration in 2014!

Yes, Paper Mate made fountain pens, but they are not common, and the brand is synonymous with primarily Ballpoint Pens.  I decided to try and piece together some sort of Chronology of their first several years of ball points, only because I could not find a comprehensive one in print or on the Web.  That is not to say one does not exist, as I am sure that there are serious Paper Mate collectors out there, but I could not locate a thorough summary.

I have run across several Paper Mate ballpoint pens over the years in my hunts for Fountain Pens, and I recently pulled them together, cleaned them and began to try and organize them by names and dates.  Not as easy a task as I had thought, and I discovered a few holes in my assorted pens.

I started with a web search and a purchase of the most commonly referred to book on the subject: The Incredible Ballpoint Pen – A Comprehensive History and Price Guide (1998).  I was also aided by several print advertisements (models and years) and web searches for early history of the Company.  All print advertisements used here are from my collection and I would appreciate it if they were not duplicated (thanks!).

Patrick Frawley acquired a defaulting pen company (Todd) in the early 1940s to get things started in the Los Angeles, California area.  In 1949 he developed a ballpoint pen ink (Widco) that had quick drying attributes.  The pen name that delivered this ink was called the Paper Mate. (see here for a more detailed history)

Early pens (1950 – 1953) had a unique mechanism for exposing the tip of the pen.  A button was pressed and locked at the top of the pen, exposing the ball point.  To retract the point the button was tipped, unlocking it and the refill returned to the inside of the barrel.  Below are photos of two of these from my collection – blue and green.  I have also seen these in black and red.   I have not seen any advertising for them, and they resembled another California Pen maker’s pens – Blythe.  Here are two:

By 1953, the Frawley Pen Company had grown to the point of spending $2,000,000 per year on advertising, using such Hollywood stars as George Burns and Zsa Zsa Gabor.  One of these advertisements, featuring Ms. Gabor is below.  At $1.69 ( $.49 refills) this pen’s main selling point was its cleanliness.  These retractable pens marked the real beginning of Paper Mate (and its double heart logo) and its becoming a household name for pens, even today.

This 1953 advertisement, and the Tu-Tone advertisement from 1955 below, mark the beginning of the Paper Mate boom into sales and marketing.

Below is a close up of this 1953 ad, as well as two of these retractable pens.

In 1955, Frawley sells Paper Mate to Gillette and a Division of Gillette is formed to produce and market the Brand.  Below is an advertisement highlighting the Tu-Tone ballpoint, a very colorful line of pens along with a couple of examples.  Interestingly to me, these were partially marketed as pens that you could purchase to match the color of your car in these advertisements – a very colorful time in history!  These are my favorite pens of the early Paper Mates – the mid 50s Tu Tones.

During this time the Capri line of Pens commences in 1954 and goes through design changes until the Mark III and IV.

The first Capri Pen was introduced in 1954 is two are shown below, along with an advertisement featuring Art Linkletter.

The black and silver Capri is still in its box and I find the message to be interesting.  I wonder how busy Miss Evans was?

The Capri III and IV followed in 1957 and may be the most recognizable (other than the later Profile) to people who grew up during the mid 20th Century.  Here are five examples of these.

By 1959, numerous advertisements reveal the expanding Paper Mate line of pens. Below is a Christmas ad showing the Holiday Pen, Capri (Mark III and Mark IV shown above) and smaller Lady Capri.  Examples of the unique Holiday Pen and Lady Capri are shown here, above this 1959 Christmas Advertisement.

Another late 1950s, early 1960s model was the 98, which uses the top click button to promote the refill, and then a smaller button just above the clip to return the refill to the barrel.  I have no advertising in my collection, but here are photos of two different variations, three pens with metal buttons and a comparison with an earlier plastic clicker and button in the second photo.

Post 1960

By December of 1966, a Contour Grip and Profile pen appear, along with a gold plated Deluxe model and the continuing appearance of the Lady Capri.  These mark, for me, the entry into a new generation of Paper Mate pens, and even a fountain pen or two.  I will mention a few of these pens, but will not venture to catalog the models and variations past the 1960 date.

The Profile, shown above and below in magazine advertisements is a long running Paper Mate model, appearing in the 1964 advertisement and well into the 2000s.  As you can see below, it came in three sizes – Husky, Regular, and Thin.  Regular and Thin models are readily available today to collectors, but the Husky size is more difficult to find.  Standard Paper Mate refills work for these, are still sold today, which makes them that more desirable.  These refills also fit the Tu-Tone, Holiday, and Capri III and  IV models from the 1950s.

I won’t go any further, but suffice it to say that Paper Mate pens are still produced today in a myriad of styles and colors.  I will leave the post 1960 timelines to someone else, but I have enjoyed placing these extra pens gathered through the years in some sort of time line.  So, the next time you are rummaging through that cigar box of pens looking for a vintage Fountain Pen, don’t pass up some of the vintage Ballpoints….they have an interesting past, and can still be used today.

I am always on the look out for these pens in need of restoration.  Previously, I have written about restorations of two of these pens ~

Moore Fingertip – dated September 6, 2012, and

Moore Fingertip – Generation 2 – dated January 25, 2013

These posts discussed the restoration of two pens, produced in the 1946-1950 time period by Moore.  My terminology of First and Second Generation was my own, and not a description used in any advertising materials or catalogs.  I recently came upon a third variation of the Fingertip, a smaller version of the second generation – pens that do not have the over the cap clip, have a metal cap (in either gold or silver) and a generally cheaper feel.  Speculation is that these  second generation pens were a later version of the Fingertip, towards the end of their unsuccessful production run.

Below is the pen after I took it apart, showing the silver cap and short clip, feed, section, old sac (which was too big and must have been placed there by a later repair job) and barrel. The lever was left in the pen as it was in fine working order.

I cleaned each part individually, leaving the barrel alone, so that I did not compromise the sticker that is still on the pen.  After cleaning, I cemented a shortened size 16 sac on the end of the feed which was reinserted into the section after cleaning.  After letting the sac sit overnight, I reinserted (friction fit) the section into the barrel and tested with water.  A gentle polishing with a jewelers cloth yielded this completed pen, measuring 4 9/16 inches closed and 5  1/2 inches posted.

Interestingly, this seems to be a demi-version of the second generation Moore.  In the photo below, you can see the differences in sizing between the two later Fingertips and the Original version.

For review, here are some of the main differences between the earlier and later versions, copied from my January 25, 2013 post ~

~ The first produced pen had some national magazine advertising, the second has none, as far as I have seen.

~ The first pen was longer and appears to have been produced in more color combinations

~ The second pen only came in metal caps.  Mine has an attractive silver cap with gold clip.  I have also seen examples in all gold.

~ The first pen has an “over the cap clip, whereas the second pen has a mid cap clip, with a decorative bubble on the top of the cap.

~ The silver section is larger on the first pen, though the gold inlaid nib seems to be the same size (not so on the demi model).  The nib on the second generation pen has two breather holes as opposed to one in the first produced pen.

~ The first pen has a screw on cap, the second is friction fit with a clutch ring.

Model numbers appear on all versions on the barrel, and also on price sticker, which was still legible on this demi model.  Both versions of the full size Fingertip were stamped 96B on their barrels.  The smaller second generation model is stamped 77B, but the price sticker appears to read 76B.   I would like to get my hands on some Moore catalogs to see what they indicate.  For comparison, the $8.75 price held for all three of these models.

These Fingertips, no matter which version or size are an interesting pen, marking an unsuccessful attempt by Moore to compete with Parker and Sheaffer in the streamlined pen craze of the late 1940s.   I am pleased to have found these three different examples to restore.

Also, from previous posts, an advertisement for the original Fingertip from 1946, and a grouping of major Pen Company pens, contemporary to the Fingertip.

I know that this is a very specific topic with no actual pens to show, but a pen friend of mine asked if I had any pre 1940s Spors Catalogs that might have Desk Sets in them. As I was photographing my 1935 catalog and its Desk Set references for him, I remembered how many comments and questions I get on various Spors pens.

For more Spors posts from years past, check out these ~

Spors Dice Pen Research – December 1, 2009

Spors Fountain Pens – Live Update – July 1, 2009

Spors Fountain Pen Advertising in 1927 - March 25, 2009

Spors Fountain Pen Entertainment Center – September 17, 2008

Made In Japan – February 13, 2008

So, in answer to John’s question and to share some of these pages – here are the various Desk Sets that were marketed by Spors in 1935…

This Boxer Set is very interesting to me and I must admit that I have never seen one.  One of the pens is, of course, one of the trademark glass-nibbed Spors imports.

A master marketer, Frank Spors sold not only products, but marketing ideas to his catalog subscribers~

These are all of the sets in the 1935 catalog.  I will do a search of an earlier 1933 catalog as I locate it.

I first restored and discussed a Pepsi Fountain Pen back on September 7, 2009 ~ Pepsi Fountain Pen.

Here is another look at Pepsi and Pete touting the wholesome drink.

And a collage of the previous restoration.

This month, I discovered another of these unique late 30s pens, and it was in surprisingly good condition.  As discussed previously, these are often found with very poor clips.  In my previous post, the clip was found in such poor condition, that I simply cleaned it down to the gold plate.  Though not perfect, this pen has as good a clip as I have seen.

Further evidence that it was not used and preserved somewhere fairly secure is the sac, section and general overall color of the pen.  There was no evidence of the pen being used as the sac, section, feed and nib are void of any ink residue.

As you can see, I did take the pen apart, showing the good condition the pen is in.

I simply inserted a size 16 clear sac, and cleaned up the barrel and cap a bit.  The nib/section/feed was clean, so I simply reinserted into the barrel with the new clear sac.

Below is the restored, or cleaned up pen, ready to write.

Here is a photo of the new pen above the pen I restored back in 2009.  Quite a difference, and it is nice to catch a glimpse of the Pepsi Bottle.  The labeling is almost identical to the Post Card Advertisement shown above.

In the time that I had this pen waiting to be cleaned, I ran across a bullet pencil and pen knife from around the same time period.  Not quite as clean, they do show that Pepsi was quite active in promoting their product.

Here is a close up of the pristine “Signature 6″ nib.   Gold plated, and with no tipping material to speak of, it is still a good example of the nib that originally came with this pen.

As mentioned in my earlier post in 2009, no other soft drink maker appeared with promotional pens that I have seen as early as this one, which is probably from the late 1930s.  Speculation is that Eagle was the manufacturer, but I have not seen any advertising or documentation prove this.

Merry Christmas from Fountain Pen Restoration!  2014 has been a slow year at the old workbench.  It’s not for lack of projects, which are piling up as I write this.  Some times, however, family and job do take priority status.  I have been cataloging projects for 2015 and look to get started shortly with repairs, photos, and research.

In the past seven years, my Christmas post has often shared a photo of vintage Christmas Advertisements featuring various pens.  This years is a simple Sheaffer pitch from probably the late teens or early 20s.  The Solid Gold set would certainly be nice to find under the tree this year!

To all of you who communicate with me through the year, and to those from year’s past – have a Happy Holiday Season, and a wonderful 2015.

Webster Pens, best known for being a Sears brand, were produced by several manufacturers throughout the years.  These pens were sold both through catalogs and in Stores for years.  An early Black Hard Rubber example appeared here way back in December of 2007 (Store Pens) and again in March of 2008 (Webster Pens).

Much later, perhaps in the late 1940s or early 50s, this Webster Skyrocket appeared on the scene.  Below you can see the restoration.  It is a simple lever filler, with a nice visible ink window.  I found this one lightly used and a thorough cleaning in the ultrasonic cleaner (section, feed, and nib) revealed a healthy dose of left over black ink.  The sac was nothing more than powder, but the lever was intact.

Here is the before photo.

After cleaning the feed, nib (14K Webster) and section, I proceeded to polish up the cap and barrel.  As you can see from the photo above, much of the cheap gold plating has worn off of the cap end, band and barrel end.  However the clip and lever have retained their gold.  I attempted to clean the rest of the pen’s plastic, while leaving all of the plating in it’s original, imperfect condition.  I replaced the old sac with a size 16 clear sac to provide for a nice look through the section window when filled with ink.  After the sac was attached, I let it sit overnight and tested with water for any possible leaks.  The resulting pen is below.

The Pen measures 5 5/16 closed and a very long 6 3/8 inches posted and was probably produced by National Pen Products of Chicago for Sears.  It is a burgundy, or I have seen it described as Dubonnet Red in other Webster models.  I have also seen it in black, and a Ballpoint pen, similar in design, can be found.

I find these later fountain pens with names such as Skyrocket, Sky Writer, Skyline, and Skyboy,to be interesting to the times that they were produced.  The era of Air Travel and Rockets was just in its early stages and the Pen Companies were no different than the Auto Companies or any number of consumer and entertainment businesses in capitalizing on their popularity and allure.  Please take a moment, if you haven’t already to visit a few that I have written about in the past ~

Waterman First Generation Skywriter – December 3, 2012

Silver 1950s Skywriter – May 14, 2012

Waterman Third Generation Skywriter – April 19, 2012

Waterman Skywriter – March 1, 2012

Sheaffer Skyboy Surprise – March 21, 2008

This pen is quite heavy in relation to many of its contemporaries and as previously mentions measures a long 5 5/16 inches capped and 6 3/8 inches posted.  Much attention to Webster Fountain Pens is directed to the earlier models and the Parker produced models, but for a user pen, this one shouldn’t be overlooked.

Post No. 218

One of the fun things about restoring and collecting pens is the subsets that some fall into.  In my last post, the Webster Skyrocket fell into interesting categories of Webster Pens, Sears Pens, and Pens that capitalized on the surge and excitement of Air Travel.  This restoration is similar.  The pen is a recently found Macy’s Pen.  Both its lineage and genre are interesting.  First the pen..

As you can see below, it was lightly used in its day.  The plated nib is ink stained and the sac is hard, though still in one piece.  The exterior of the pen is spotless, making for an easy restoration.

I cleaned the nib and feed in the ultrasonic cleaner.  I left the section to be cleaned by simple swipes with a q-tip and water.  Eventually the section and feed were completely cleaned.  The problem was the nib.  As you can see above, much of the plating of the “Iridium Tipped USA” nib (more on these below) had already worn off from a combination of time and ink.  Gentle ultrasonic cleaning just highlighted the washed out cheap finish.  So, I searched for a replacement and found a perfect fit.  I had a steel Parkette fine nib in my parts bin and it fit the feed and section perfectly.  Combined with the silver cap and lever, it makes a decent pairing.

Below is the completed project, a nice Macy’s branded pen from probably the 1940s or 1950s.  The pen measures 5 7/32 inches closed and 6 3/8 inches posted with the Parkette nib.

The Manufacturer on the barrel of the pen is the Morrison Fountain Pen Company.

I have previously restored a few Morrison branded pens~

Morrison Flat Top – August 27, 2010

Morrison Battleship Grey – January 20, 2010

Morrison Wartime Pens – May 4, 2009

Morrison Fountain Pen Company, and some of its sub brands can be found dating back into the 1920s.  This Macy’s pen is a much later example.  I would surmise that this pen dates to the late 40s or 50s, towards the end of Morrison Company Fountain Pens.  I have also restored a few Morrison brands that date from the same time period, and they are photographed below.  Two are Roxy’s and on is a Morrison.  All have steel nibs similar to the original (replaced) nib on the Macy’s pen.

Here is a close up of the Parkette nib used as a replacement.  It’s silver color fits well with the cap and lever and is commensurate in quality with the “Iridium Tipped USA” nib that was damaged and discolored.

The photo below is of the Macy’s pen and a Morrison Ballpoint that I recently restored and use with a new refill.  While not a perfect match, it makes a nice set.

The second collecting subset that this pen falls into, as alluded to in the first paragraph above, is the Retail Store Branded pen group.  My suspicion is that this was a pen sold at R. H. Macy’s, produced by Morrison, and available to the general public.  Macy’s has a long history of having quality pens produced for them by Fountain Pen Companies bearing their name.  Other Store branded pens that I have restored and written about in the past are the Filene’s and Buettell Brothers pens.  These were of lesser quality, ring tops, and earlier models.  My guess is that they were used by employees and not sale items, though again I have no written proof.  If anyone has any evidence, I would love to hear.

These pens, such as the Macy’s do show up from time to time.  In this case, they appeal to both the collector of Morrison Pens and Store Named Pens.  An excellent summary of R. H. Macy Pens has been written by Richard Binder and should be read here.

Whether these areas of focus appeal to the collector, or not, this is a nice user pen, representing the later stages of Fountain Pen production and usage.

Edit:  After completing this restoration and the writing of the above, I obtained a Roxy Fountain Pen (Morrison), that was identical to this Macy’s Pen except for the clip imprint.  Below are before and after photos of its subsequent restoration and a photo next to the Macy’s Pen.  An interesting example of  rebranding by Morrison to bring in some additional income.

Edit:  Oddly enough, as I finished restoring the Roxy, a third pen arrived, a Morrison.  I won’t go through the restoration, but though not identical to the Roxy and Macy’s pens, it is close. My guess is that it is from about the same time, but is an attempt by Morrison to imitate some of the popular hooded pens such as the Waterman Taperites and Parker 51s.  Note the same barrel, lever, imprint, similar cap, but section that contains a hooded nib, and a shorter length.

Finally, below are all three together.  Interesting look into later Morrison products, and some of their last fountain pen models.

All good things must end, and so it did for Moore Fountain Pens in the Mid 1950s.  Their last fountain pen line was an aerometric filler (similar to the Parker 51, which had already been out for several years, making its debut in 1949).  It was named the Specialist.  It was produced by Moore (after the failed Fingertip) during the early to mid 1950s.  Here is a photo of the pen after I took it apart.  As you can see, the sac is shot and much of the internals were very stained.  The aerometric filler bar was loose and the sac was in pieces.  Not a pretty picture….

I began by cleaning all of the pieces, being very careful with the brass cap, which I correctly suspected was covered with a very thin gold plating. I attempted to clean the nib, a very cheap “Iridium Tipped” steel nib which was stamped as a Moore Iridium Tipped Medium USA. These old steel nibs never clean up very well, but this one was in fairly good shape and remains writable. It very much reminds me of the nibs on the Waterman 2nd Generation Skywriters, which were contemporary to these. In fact the pen designs are very similar, though the Skywriters were lever fillers.

I continued by cleaning out the inside of the section and feed using water and a q tip.  Next for the rebuilding of the aero filler.  I trimmed a size 16 sac to fit exactly from the section to the end of the aero unit.  Using a new pressure bar (I used a large button filler pressure bar), I trimmed it to the size of the aero unit and attached it to the sac and the end of the section.  It now is visible through the aerometric window and compresses the sac with a gentle push.  The cleaned barrel was then threaded back on to the section after applying a bit of silicon grease to make a nice smooth connection while filling and cleaning. The cap was cleaned only on the inside, and the clip was polished.  I am not certain if it was originally silver, or if gold plating wore off over time.  Farther below, you will see a mint example of a Specialist that has a gold cap and clip.

Below here is a photo of the aerometric filling system before covering up with the barrel.

Below are photos of the completed pen which measures 5 1/32 inches closed and 5 9/16 inches posted.

I have also obtained an unused and stickered ($2.00) example of a Specialist.  Interestingly, it has a Waterman Taperite type section, different from the open nib above. It is also the blue color and as I mentioned, the clip is gold, matching the cap. The internal aero filler is the same as is the open nib I have restored. I do not know why they sold different nib styles, but it is the same concept as the Waterman late 1940s and 50s Crusader.  Below are photos of the New Old Stock Specialist, and the restored pen, together.

Moore Fountain Pens eventually ceased operations in 1956 after this line of pens.  Unlike some of their competitors at the time, they did not jump into the ballpoint pen marketplace.    The Specialist, their last fountain pen, is an interesting glimpse into the end of one of a fine Company that produced many classic and highly collectible pens throughout the early half of the 1900s.

On January 6th of this year, I wrote about the restoration of a burgundy Webster Skyrocket Fountain Pen. A week or so ago, I came upon a similar pen, but a ballpoint. As it was the same burgundy color, I snatched it up and worked to produce a nice set.

Below, you can see the pen after I took it apart.  Ballpoints are fairly simple, just the cap, barrel, section, and ornamental ring, and the refill.  However, as with all vintage ballpoints, the refill is long from being functional.  If you have looked at enough of these old ballpoints, you can start to note which current refills will work and this one looked similar to a Cross refill.

I have used these Cross / Penatia refills before in the restoration of my collection of Eversharp Kimberly Pens, and have a supply on hand.  I measured one next to the original refill and crimped the end of the Penatia by about one quarter inch, after removing the black plastic end piece.  The only remaining problem was that the original refill was a tad bit thicker as it sat in the section.  I solved this by gluing a small piece of sac to the end of the new refill and it sits perfectly in the section now.

Below are photos of newly restored Skyrocket set, both closed and posted.  You can see that the design of the ballpoint makes it’s cap longer, though the barrels are the same size.

The ballpoint is an interesting addition, and is actually very comfortable to write with if you like a larger pen.

I have previously written posts about the Moore Fingertip ~

Moore Fingertip – September 6, 2012

Moore Fingertip Generation 2 – January 25, 2013

Moore Fingertip Variation – February 25, 2014

The Fingertip was one of Moore’s final Fountain Pen Products, produced in the late 1940s.  The first post above covers the standard Fingertip model and the second two cover a variation, which I call the second generation, but is simply a variant of the first with a metal cap. The third post focuses on a smaller size of the metal capped variant.

This restoration is of a Pen and Pencil set of the smaller variant metal capped Moore Fingertip.

As you  can see below, the pen is pretty clean and just needs a new sac.  These smaller Fingertips take a size 14 sac and the small barrel size makes for a very short cut and not a lot of ink.

I cleaned the section/nib in the ultrasonic cleaner and attached a new sac, trimming it to the correct barrel length.  Remember that the sections on Fingertips are friction fit.

After polishing, here is the resulting set, in black with silver and gold cap.  The  pencil is actually very well made and cap actuated, clutch style, and takes 0.9 mm lead.

The pen is 4 9/16 inches closed and 5 1/2 inches posted.  The pencil is a short 4 1/2 inches.

The pen imprint ~

The pencil imprint ~

And finally, the Presentation Box for this small, but attractive set.

As you may have noticed, I have a soft spot for the Fingertip. I have recently come across a few different colors that are in pretty rough shape and will get to their restoration soon!

I recently received a very nice long short pen from Pen Maker Darrell Eisner, from Nova Scotia. It is shown here both open and closed.  It is a cartridge filler and made of solid metal. I have been carrying it in my pocket due to its durability. After receiving it and putting it to use, it reminded me that I have a couple of vintage long short models that need restoration and have been  sitting on the workbench for far too long.

First, here are some photos of Darrell Eisner’s pen.

Below are the two vintage long short pens in need of restoration. The top group is an unbranded black bulb filler and the second narrative is a Diamond Point, a brand known by many collectors. As you can see, the unbranded bulb filler has a transparent barrel which had discolored quite a bit.  The Diamond Point had a hardened sac as well, and the usual nib – section – feed stains.

I made the decision to leave the bulb filler’s section alone. Separating the section/feed/nib from the barrel would have probably damaged the transparent barrel and I did not want to risk this. So I just ran the whole piece through the ultrasonic cleaner and left well enough alone. The breather tube was fortunately still in good shape and water tests showed that there was no leaking from the barrel, which did clear up a bit after cleaning.  I used a size 14 sac, trimmed to exactly one inch to complete the bulb filler by using sac cement to anchor it to the barrel, just below the clear threads. I then placed silicon grease on the clear threads to assure a smooth fit.  After finishing this, I cleaned out the inside of the cap and barrel end.  Finally, I tested the pen by filling with water overnight and testing for leaks.  None were found and it is ready to go.  Directly below is a close up of the completed filling system.  To fill, squeeze the sac (bulb) while the nib is submerged in your ink of choice.

The second pen, a Diamond Point is shown below after being taken apart.  It is a standard lever filler, and these can be found in various colors.  You can see that it is a simple lever filler that has lost its sac and has severe staining issues.

I cleaned the 14K nib in the ultrasonic cleaner and it is a very nice Warranted 5 nib.  I trimmed up a size 14 sac to about 1 inch and cemented it to the section.  You can see the resulting filling system below.  The small lever was still in great shape, and the barrel and cap needed little cleaning other than some polishing.

Here are both pens completed and ready to write.  The Bulb Filler measures 3 11/16 inches close and 5 7/16 inches posted.  The Diamond Point measures 3 13/32 inches closes and 5 11/16 inches posted.

This photo shows how the Diamond Point cap screws onto the cap the second set of barrel threads when posting.

Just for fun, and comparison, below are photos of a few additional long short pens. There are many more, but here are a few that I could find in my collection.

The Bexley Long Short – a cartridge filler that come in many colorful variations and is solidly made.

A previously restored c1941 Sheaffer Vacuum-Fil Tuckaway.  Note the threads on the back of the cap again, similar to the Diamond Point and Bexley.

And finally, a contemporary Pilot (Japan) Elite Fountain Pen. Pilot has made numerous long short pens throughout their history. This is a current model.

Way back in May of 2011, I wrote about Sheaffer Lady Skripsert Pens. They are an interesting collectible, easy to clean, restore, use, and it is easy enough to find some of the common variations and patterns. Well, as has been the case since fountain pens came into existence, once a style of pen becomes popular, you can count on someone else to duplicate it.  This is the case of the Sheaffer Skripsert.

At some point Wearever Pens produced a very similar model called the Lady Fair.   Very feminine sounding and clearly directed at the female pen user, as was the Skripsert.

I have come across four examples in orange, pink, maroon, and light blue-green.

The orange pen, comes in a nice presentation box as well.

Apparently there were also sets.  Here is the pink version with a matching pencil.

Here is a close up of the steel nib.  Nothing to write home about, but Wearever was never focused on high end pens, simply on mass produced, affordable pens.

I do like the clear feed which appears on all of these.

As with the Sheaffer Skripsert pens, these are cartridge filled, using the proprietary Wearever cartridges.

Here are two Wearevers surrounding a Sheaffer.  Note the similarities.

Here are two links to December 1958 advertisements from a department store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin showing that these retailed for$1.95 at the time and that they came in the five colors shown above – Plum, Black, Harvest, Aqua, and Shell Pink.

Lady Fair Adverisement

and a few weeks later, the same newspaper and department store advertises (on Christmas Eve) the pens using different, and simpler, names for the colors – Black, Gold, Wine, Pink and Green.

Lady Fair Advertisement II

As with most Wearevers, not the highest quality, and built to fit a lower price point, these Lady Fairs present a small and unique corner of the fountain pen hobby.

For those of you who have followed this blog since it started eight years ago, you will know that one of my favorite topics is George Kraker and his colorful career in the fountain pen business in the 1920s.  Just click on his name in the Blogroll to the right and there are many posts regarding his pens in Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, Grand Haven (MI) and Libertyville (IL).

One pen of his that has always eluded me is his bi-color, Libertyville produced, Flat Top lever filler.  The are not extremely rare, but seem to get snapped up quickly if they hit the market.

Speculation is that these were produced and marketed for the School market.  They come in several color variations and the thought is that they targeted various educational institutions  and their school colors.  This would have targeted black and gold schools.  Coincidentally, my oldest daughter is a current college student at a Black and Gold University and this will be an easy one to pass along.  I have another in college – did Kraker make an orange and blue?

Below is the pen after I took it apart.  Like all of his brands of the period (late 1920s), these were solid lever fillers.

I spent quite a bit of this restoration, as one does with light colored pens (white, yellow etc..) cleaning the body and threads.   For the threads, I have been using a toothbrush and ink remover.  It seems to work very well, as you can see from the photo below.  I also cleaned the section and feed with gentle water and qtips, and made sure to clean the grooves in the feed with an x-acto knife.

The nib (photo below) is a nice Forever No. 3, common in many later model Kraker products.  It polished up nicely and the fit was perfect when inserted back in the barrel.  This one took a shortened size 16 sac.

The completed pen measures 4 1/4 inches closed and 5 3/4 inches posted.

Here is a close up of the crisp imprint.  As a refresher, George Kraker used his first and middle names reversed as the name of his pen company when he was in Illinois and Michigan.  His full name was George Michael Kraker – thus the Michael-George Company name.  Also, Libertyville was his last stop as a major pen maker.

Here is a close up of the Forever No. 3 nib. His various models of the period – Dixie, Yankee, Pencraft, Monogram, Minnesota, and a few others – had many different nibs – Warranted, Yankee, Dixie, Everlasting, and Forever (similar to this one).

Finally, this pen seems to be built on the same platform that he used for many of his other pens which can all be accessed from the menu on the right.  Go Black and Gold!!

Happy Holidays from Fountain Pen Restoration. This is our 9th Annual Holiday Post and most have either been centered around Holiday themed pens or Vintage Holiday Advertisements. I thought I would mix it up this year and add a tree decoration that has already been placed on our family tree this year. Though the sentiment is a bit too commercial for my tastes (a pun on tire manufacturers) it is quite cute.  And no, it has not been restored….

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Healthy New Year to all!