Waterman 0552 – Wet Noodle 

Here is a gorgeous Waterman 52 with an 18kt. gold filled overlay done by the Italian company Kosca. These were quality overlays that are quite rare and desirable. The body is stamped “18KR,” which refers to 18kt rolled gold in Italian. When my wife saw the pen she said, “Wow. That looks like the pen of someone who wants to make a statement.” The body does have a few dings but not many and not large. The clip is bent out a bit. The lever does show some wear on the nickel plating. The gold filled overlay, however, does not show any signs of brassing at all. It’s a pen with decent weight that sits well in the hand and feels fantastic. I will say that I had very little to do with restoring this pen, which was just recently restored by an historic pen shop in Milan. But as classy as the pen is, the nib is the real star. It’s a 14kt. Waterman #2 that really feels more like a dip nib than a fountain pen nib. This is not a daily writer. It’s needle point XXXF (0.1mm). It’s the finest nib I’ve ever had on a fountain pen. And just like a needle point dip nib, this isn’t going to be that ultra smooth writer. It can make the finest of hairlines. It’s also a remarkable responsive nib that feels almost as close to a flex dip nib as you will find. It’s not a paintbrush in terms of ease of flex, but it is quite easy. A great nib for copperplate.  See Price Here

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, XXXF to BBB (0.1mm-2.2mm),  WET NOODLE  (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Wahl Eversharp Lady’s Size –  Wet Noodle 

Here is a pretty little Wahl-Eversharp in a green, pearl, and black agate. The pen does have some discoloring as is common with these pens. The cap has quite a bit less than the barrel. The gold filled trim is in good condition with little to no brassing. The imprint is only partly readable. This pen, however, has an outstanding nib. It’s a 14kt. Wahl-Eversharp “Signature” nib. It’s quite rare to find a Signature nib this flexible. The nib is right between an XXF and XF at 0.25mm, but you would never know it is that find because it is extremely smooth. An absolute joy to write with. And of course it has great flex. This is a very responsive nib that flex up to 2.1mm (BBB+). A fantastic portable pen with huge potential. See Price Here

SIZE:  4 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Wahl-Eversharp 14kt. “Signature”, XF to BBB (0.25mm-2.1mm),  WET NOODLE  (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

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

Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal Lapis – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a gorgeous Wahl Eversharp Gold Seal ring top in Lapis blue. This is by far one of my favorite styles of Wahl-Eversharp pens. The lapis blue accented by the gold filled trim is stunning. The barrel does look almost like polished stone. This pen has little to no brassing that I can find. The body has some very light scratching, but I’ve buffed and polished a lot out. The black hard rubber ends are still shiny black. Imprint is still pretty good. It has a 14kt. Eversharp nib that is a glassy smooth F that flexes up 2.0mm. It is on the stiffer side of super flex, but it has a great range and good responsiveness.

SIZE:  4 5/8″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F-BBB (o.4mm-2.0mm), SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restoration Work:

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

Waterman 0552 1/2 V – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a Waterman 0552 1/2V. The gold filled overlay is decent condition with a couple of flaws. There is not a lot of brassing. The one exception is that there is some wear and scratching on the end of the barrel where the cap has been posted repeatedly. Also a bit of the overlay has been chipped off where it ends at the section, which is not an uncommon issue with these pens. There is also a hairline crack on the threads. I have shellacked the section to the barrel to provide the strength to stabilize the crack. It should hold for many years. The Waterman #2 nib is a very smooth and wet XF (0.3mm). It is also a super flex nib that flexes quite easily up to 1.8mm. The nib does have a tiny crack coming from the right of air hole that you probably wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t say anything. I’ve been using the nib for a while now and it is quite stable.

SIZE:  3 3/4″ 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 (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Pen body thoroughly polished with jewelers cloth
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl Oxford – Good Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is a Wahl Oxford in some gorgeous green/ pearl celluloid. Wahl Oxfords were a cheaper “student pen.” That, however, does not mean their quality is subpar. On this Oxford it means that the trim is gold plated rather than filled. And the plating on the lever is no longer present and there is some wear on the clip. The band, however, still looks good. There is one small spot of reddish discoloring (probably due to some kind of ink stain) just below the cap. The imprint is worn and only partly readable. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is really from a different (and probably superior pen), but it works well in this Oxford. It is a juicy, ultra, glassy smooth nib that has some good flex from 0.5mm to 1.8mm.

SIZE:  4 7/8″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F/M to BBB (0.5mm-1.8mm) GOOD FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

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

Wahl-Eversharp Skyline – Medium Flex – (On Ebay) Here is a beautiful Wahl Eversharp Skyline in black with gold filled trim. This is a standard size Skyline in overall good condition. There is some wear on the bottom lip of the gold-filled cap (see pics), a small ding next to the clip, and some plate loss on the lever. There also appears to be a slight ridge that circles the barrel where the lever is. It almost looks part of the design, but I have never seen it on a Skyline. And I am unsure of how or why it is there. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is a smooth and wet F. It has has some great range flexing all the way up to 1.9mm, but is a bit too stiff which is why I’ve graded it “medium flex.”

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F to BBB (0.4mm-1.9mm) MEDIUM FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body buffed for scratches
• Body and trim cleaned and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Moore Ring Top- Medium Flex – (On Ebay)

This is a lovely Moore 72 Ring top in black and bronze swirl. The bronze actually contains tiny reflective flecks that make it sparkle. Its a very classy looking little pen that is also in very good shape. The gold filled trim is great condition with little to no brassing. The Moore imprint and “72” on the end of the barrel are still crisp. The Warranted 14kt. nib is not the original Moore, which was damaged, but it is still a great nib. It is a wet Fine that feels like you are writing on a cloud. Very soft. It also has some flex. It could be a given a “good flex” grade, but it just isn’t responsive enough. Still a great little pen.

SIZE:  4 3/8″ Capped

NIB:  Warranted 14kt. F to BB (0.4mm-1.6mm) MEDIUM FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restoration Work:

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

Waterman 12 Red Mottled – SUPER FLEX  (On Ebay)

Here is a Waterman 12 Red mottled eyedropper with patent dates of 1884 and 1898 placing this before 1903 (the next patent date). This hundred plus year pen is still in very good condition. There is one side of the cap that has a bit of fading (which you can only see if you look closely); otherwise, this is still a shiny red mottled pen. The one flaw is that there was a small crack in the lip of the cap. I sealed it with the best adhesive I know of for hard rubber, and you probably could find with magnification. However, this is a slip cap and could easily be cracked back open if pushed on too hard. The imprints on the pen are very good. The 14kt. #2 Waterman nib is a super flex nib that writes normally as a Fine/ Medium (0.5mm). To me it feels more like a fine than a medium. It’s wet but not excessively so. The nib flexes with ease up to 2.0mm and has some good responsiveness.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, M to BBB (0.5mm-2.0mm),  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eye-Dropper

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Inside of barrel thoroughly cleaned.
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl-Eversharp Skyline – Super Flex – (On Ebay) Here is a beautiful Wahl Eversharp Skyline in burgundy with a gold-filled cap. The pen is in standard size (5 1/4″). The derby has faded a little to a bit lighter shade than the body. There is minimal brassing on the pen. Just a bit on the lever. No dings that I could find on the cap. The lever is a bit loose and doesn’t always stay flush with the barrel. The 14kt. Eversharp nib writes as a smooth and wet Fine/ Medium (0.5mm) and has great range of flex up to 2.0mm. Even with this drier ink, the flow keeps up well with the super flex nib.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F to BBB (0.5mm-2.0mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restoration Work:

• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body buffed for scratches
• Body and trim cleaned and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Conklin Gold Filled Pen – Good Flex – (On Ebay)

This is a 4 7/8″ long gold filled Conklin with a clip. It is in pretty good shape, although there are three dings on the body below the lever (towards the nib). There is some light scratching throughout, but the brassing is pretty minimal. There is a bit of brassing on the end of the barrel, but that is about it. There is no personalization on the pen. The 14kt. Coklin Toledo nib writes normally as a F, which feels just a tad dry. This is a hard nib to grade. The initial flex is quite easy and can give flair to normal writing without even trying hard. However, when flexing it more to it’s potential it is a bit stiff. It’s right on the border between what I would consider a good flex and a super flex.

SIZE:  4 7/8″ Capped

NIB:  Conklin #3 Toledo, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm) GOOD/ SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

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