The Oldest Pen in My Collection

[Shangas]

This subforum is always full of the latest, greatest and most wonderful fountain pens from all the top manufacturers: Visconti, Parker, Sheaffer, Montblanc, Omas, Monteverde and countless other high-end brands.

Here's a little something for a change of pace:



I purchased this yesterday morning, and I think I can safely say that at a possible 130 years old (no exaggeration), this is the oldest pen in my collection of vintage and modern fountain pens. Careful research has led me to believe that this pen was made between 1880-1910, which makes it anywhere between a square 100 and a full 130 years old.

If you're wondering what this historical curiosity is, you are looking at an antique, first-generation Mabie Todd & Co "Swan" fountain pen. It is an eyedropper fountain pen made of black chased hard rubber. It features a slip-on cap with a gold clip and cap-jewel and a gold nib (probably 14kt) which a unique over-under feed, which was a common addition to fountain pens in an age before the modern feed was invented (ca. 1884). This pen has the double feed to compensate for any irregularities in inkflow.

Restoring this relic to working condition (yes, I AM going to write with it once it's working properly) is my current repair-project. I need to loosen the pen up so that I can unscrew the section and fill the barrel with ink so that I can write with this pen. However, some thoughtless idiot filled this pen with ink, capped it and left it alone for several decades.

The result is that the ink dried and effectively turned into glue, jamming and sealing and clogging up the pen, making it totally useless as a fountain pen. It will take hours, if not days of round-the-clock soaking in water, to loosen up decades-old ink so that I can slowly unscrew the pen, wash it thoroughly and then see if it'll write properly.

I thought you folks might like to see something different. This forum concentrates so much on the here, now, new and wow, that I reckoned a look into the very birth of the fountain pen might be an interesting little detour.

[shandy]

Oh my, I really can't wait to see what that one writes like, you just know the nib is going to have the flexibility of a gymnast

I think that is the oldest pen I have seen! I was at a pen club meeting a few months ago and we had this wonderful fellow visit from Seattle, he collects eye dropper watermans with the most delicious nibs, the line variation was astounding!

I have a request! could you do a photo essay of it's restoration and then post it as a thread here please? I think it might be useful to show folks who are new to fountain pens how tough and long lasting they are!

Also. this has made me think about encouraging folks who have not to get into the vintage pen field, as you know some of the best nibs out there, some of the nicest pens, are vintage!

Your pictures have pushed my quest to find an early eydropper up the list somewhat!
Thank you so much for showing us this beauty Shangas, I await the results of your resotration with baited breath!

[sunburst]

130 years old !!
Thanks for sharing with us and good luck on the restoration.
As Ian has requested it will be great if you can do a photo essay.

[JimC]

Shangas, that is an amazing find. While it needs some work and TLC, it looks to be in very good shape, more so for its age.

I would love to see the 'before, during, and after' photos, too. I can only imagine what it would be to write with a real piece of history such as that pen.

Thank you for sharing!

[erwin]

What a lucky man you are finding something like this! Good luck restoring this beauty!

[JBat]

Great pick-up, Shangas!

[1000ftSub]

wow, thats very nice.

[Lion]

Shangas, what a treasure to find and wish you the best in the restoration process. Looking forward to seeing the results!!!

[2careless]

Congrats on this rare find.
Have you at least dip tested it?

[Shangas]

Dear friends,

24 hours of soaking in soapy water has certainly got this pen clean! I tried it again this morning and the pen came right apart! I gave it a quick clean and then filled it up with Parker Quink BLACK with a syringe that I had nearby. I shall post a writing-sample and various photos, detailing the steps of my restoration, soon. Oh and 2C, yes, I did do a dip-test of this pen when I first bought it.

A writing sample of the restored pen:



How to Restore a Victorian-Era Fountain Pen, it Being a Test of Patience, Skille & Careful Application of Force

1. Having acquired the pen, I immediately took it home and performed a dip-test. The pen seemed to write fine. I knew off the bat that the pen had jammed shut, but I was not aware to what degree it was sealed. Standard practice dictates a soaking.

2. Soaking involves immersing the fountain pen in water. Specifically, cold water, sometimes with a bit of soap (this is optional, but soap sometimes helps). I repeatedly dunked the pen in water, soaking the entire bottom half of the pen, from the nib to just above the section. Several such soakings over the period of twelve hours, coupled with repeated, paper-towel-swaddled 'Thermometer shakes' (shaking as if to clear a thermometer for use) yielded an unusually large amount of ink, bright blue in colour. This led me to the conclusion that someone had filled this pen up and stored it away and forgotten about it. If that was the case, this could take DAYS to clean.

3. I left the pen in a cold-water-&-soap solution in a shot-glass, overnight. The way to restore this pen was NOT through force of hand (believe me, I tried so many times I nearly broke my WRIST instead of the pen!) but through virtue of patience. Leaving the pen to soak for such an extended period of time allows the water to get into the pen. Right up into it, and to clear out any old gunk and ink and other crap that's hiding in the seams, threads and crevices.

4. Upon waking, ten hours later, I removed the pen from its bath, cleaned it and shook it one last time. The absence of copius amounts of blue ink indicated that most of it had either already leaked out or had been removed earlier. VERY delicately, I grasped the barrel in my left hand and the section in my right, twisting in a clockwise direction with increasing force until I felt the section move!

5. I continued to twist for some time. These pens have VERY long threads (eyedropper pens had to have such long threads to act as a seal against any possible leaking). I finally removed the section and filled the entire pen with water and flushed it out one last time. After that, I very carefully filled the pen with ink, using a fine-tipped syringe I have. This is NOT as easy as it sounds. Overfill the pen and when you screw the section back in, ink comes out everywhere. Underfill the pen and you won't have enough ink to write with.

I reassembled the pen, cleaned it a bit, and then wrote the writing-sample you see above.

This pen, being one of the first ever made, obviously isn't perfect. It DOES leak. But the only way it leaks is if you hold it completely vertical, nib-down. The ink drips out of the nib via gravity, since the over-under feed isn't advanced enough to trap any escaping drops. But apart from that, it works flawlessly.

Just to show that the writing sample up there is not just another dip-test and that this pen really does work now, here is another photograph of the pen, fully disassembled:



The cap on the left, the barrel on the right, and the nib assembly & section (which screws into the barrel) in the middle.

[shandy]

Thank you so much Shangas for the detailed explanation on the restoring process.
It is also really useful as it shows that even a pen over one hundred years old can be brought back to life and used. Hopefully this will inspire folks to search out vintage fountain pens
Thanks so much once again!

[Shangas]

Hi Shandy, you're welcome!!

And yes, these vintage fountain pens really are indestructable. They were designed to be tough, and they were designed to be simple. That means that really...they'll last forever.

Some research of mine has nailed the production date of this pen to ca. 1908. So that makes this pen 102 years old. That's still over a century, if barely, and yet...this pen writes flawlessly!

You find me something made today that works flawlessly in 100 years.

[2careless]

Nice to see it working again.
Is it flexible, how does the ink flow go? Any nib shots?

[Shangas]

Hi 2C,

Surprisingly, it's hardly flexible at all! This may be due to the double feed. It IS flexible, but nowhere near the "wet noodle" level of flexy that I was kind of expecting from a pen of this advanced age. The inkflow is very consistent and comfortable. It writes between a fine & medium in width without flex added.

Regrettably, no nib shots. My damn camera packed up on me (for the second time in three months), and I think this time, it's permanent. I'll see if I can pinch my brother's camera and use that instead.

[Lion]

Shangas, Thank you for sharing your story with us on your new(old)pen. I bet it would be fun to think about who might have used that pen in another life!!!

[VetteBandit]

Originally Posted by Shangas

You find me something made today that works flawlessly in 100 years.

Very nice post and pen! That was a true craftsman design and high marks to them on quality product!

[Shangas]

Thanks VetteBandit.

One day, I'll find even more of these antique beauties...

[daveathall]

I missed this first time around, glad I caught it this time. It certainly is testament to the quality of a pen that was made over a century ago, great to see its resurrection can provide further pleasure to someone, who has, through patience and perseverance, brought it back to life.

[Shangas]

You're welcome, Dave.

This pen is one of my favourites now. A real Edwardian-era antique. To think that it survived over 100 years in a usable condition...

[Numismatist]

Fantastic find and great story or restoration. Something to be proud of for sure. Congrats!

[JBat]

That's a great tutorial, Shahan. Really fascinating that you could restore something that vintage to perfect working order. I've learned so much in just a couple of months frequenting this subforum.

[Shangas]

In other news, my 1928 Parker Duofold "Big Red" died on me last night. A postmortem examination revealed a severely twisted sac. I performed a sac-transplant and the pen is now fully functional.

[Bisquitlips]

Don't have one THAT old! Nice!!