Waterma 52 1/2 – Super Flex   (On Ebay)

This Waterman 52 1/2 is faded to a brown. There was no original chasing on the pen. The imprints are a little worn, but still pretty decent. The original clip is no longer on the cap and an Eagle Pencil Co. accommodation clip is in it’s place. The original lever had a a tab under the lever box that was broken, so I have glued the box in place. Looking at it you can’t tell it is any different from any other lever box, and it should stay bonded for perhaps the life of the pen. Certainly a good long time. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib is a nice super flex nib. It is quite responsive and easy to do some crisp flexing. It writes normally as an XF and is smooth with decent wetness.

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.8mm)  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Fair

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Reattached lever
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 14 PSF – Super Flex 

This is a very nice Waterman 14 PSF (the predecessor to the 54). The pen is still quite black with only slight fading. The chasing is a bit worn, but still pretty decent. Imprints are all pretty good. There are some very light bite marks at the end of the pen. There was no original clip on the pen and still does not have one, but the nickel plated lever is in good condition. The design of these pens are interesting because the threads are actually pertruding from the barrel rather than flush with it. The 14kt. #4 nib is a fantastic stub recently retipped by John Mottishaw. It is just a gorgeous, very juicy and ultra smooth stub. Flex on stubs are always difficult to judge because the nib starts with already so broad. 0.7mm-2.1mm is pretty good range and comes pretty easy for this nib, and thus the super flex grade. A very unique Waterman pen.

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #4, Medium Stub to BBB (0.7mm-2.1mm),  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Sheaffer Gold-Filled Ring Top – Medium Flex

Here is a near mint Sheaffer gold-filled ring top with a 14kt. Sheaffer Self-Filling nib. The pen looks to have hardly ever been used. There is brassing or dents anywhere on the pen. It is personalized to an “E.Ptacke.” Other than that, the pen appears to be pretty flawless. The nib writes as a nice XF. The nib really does have the potential to be a possible super flex, but the feed just doesn’t keep up so you have to keep the flexing around the 1.3mm-1.6mm range or you will start getting railroading. A beautiful, nearly pristine pen.

SIZE:  3 7/8″ Capped

NIB: Sheaffer Self-Filling #2, F to BB (0.35mm-1.6mm,  MEDIUM/ GOOD FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Near Mint

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Pen cleaned and thoroughly polished
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl-Eversharp Airliner Doric – Good Flex – (On Ebay)

This is a large 5 1/4″ long Wahl-Evershapr Airliner Doric pen in excellent condition. These high end, premium quality pens were made in the late 30s I believe. I bought this pen already restored. It is a vac-fill, second generation, gold seal Doric with good barrel clarity (see pics). The gold filled trim looks fantastic. There is no crazing on the body, and the color (“green shell” I think) still looks new. The only significant “flaw” in the pen is that someone added a photo on the back of the cap. I would have removed it except the person actually etched in a small square in the cap so that the photo would be flush. The pen comes with a #9 Eversharp Adjustable nib. These nibs are always fire hoses when opened all the way up, and this one is no exception. The flex is hard to judge. It really has an ease of flex that would make it a super flex, but the ink flow is just so immense that it makes flexing a bit messier. The nib closed writes as a drier XF and a wet F opened all the way. And of course everything in between depending on how you adjust it. A stunning and beautiful pen.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Wahl-Eversharp #9 Adjustable, XF/F to BB (0.3/4mm-1.7mm),  GOOD FLEX  (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Vac-fill

CONDITION: Excellent

Restoration Work:

• Bought fully restored
• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body and trim cleaned and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Thomas De La Rue Red Mottled- Super Flex (On Ebay)

This is a huge, near mint Thomas De La Rue pen in red mottled hard rubber. Thomas De La Rue (TDLR) was also the maker of Onoto pens and was one of the dominant quality pen makers in the U.K. This pen is in fantastic condition with almost no fading of the hard rubber. The imprint is still good and the lever is near mint. The pen is 5 5/8″ long with a 12.5mm barrel diameter and a 14mm cap diameter. I’ve taken a few pics of the pen compared to a Waterman 52 just a point of reference. The only downside of the pen is that the nib is not original. It has a 14kt. Conway Stewart nib that is slightly stubbish. It is a wet smooth nib that adds character to your writing. And it is a nice springy super flex with good range and responsiveness.

SIZE:  5 5/8″ Capped

NIB: Conway Stewart 14kt., M/F to BBB (0.5mm-1.9mm)  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Near Mint

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Sheaffer Balance  (On Ebay)

Here is an oversized Sheaffer Balance in Marine Green. It is a 5 1/2″ pen with over a 13mm barrel diameter and 15mm cap diameter. The celluloid is in good condition with only light scratching evident when you look very closely. The gold trim is in excellent condition. I can see just the smallest bit of brassing on the lever: otherwise, the trim is in fantastic condition. The pen is fitted with a factory 14kt. Sheaffer Lifetime fine italic nib. It writes only about a 0.5mm broad line. It is not a wet nib, but it is wet enough that it doesn’t feel terribly dry. It is a beautiful, well kept pen.

SIZE:  5 1/2″ Capped

NIB: Sheaffer’s 14kt. Lifetime Fine Italic

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished.
• Trim cleaned and polished
• New Sac
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl Gold Filled #3 Nib – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a nice Wahl gold filled pen with clip (not a ring top like the pic says). This is a larger 4 1/4″ pen with a #3 nib. The pen is in good condition. There are only two very tiny spots of brassing on the barrel. There is a couple of tiny dings as well as some scuffing on the back of the barrel. The pen has some light scratching throughout that is common with these pens. The monogram reads “Roy W. Walholm.” The 14kt. Wahl #3 nib is fantastic. It is a super flex that is nearing wet noodle status and ranges from 0.3mm up to 2.3mm! Huge variation. It has very good responsiveness as well. If the ease of flex was slightly better, this would be a wet noodle. Great pen for someone who wants almost wet noodle ability but easier to control.

SIZE:  4 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Wahl #3, XF to BBB (0.3mm-2.3mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body thoroughly polished with jeweler’s cloth.
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly.
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality