Wahl BCHR Ring Top – Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is a small (3 3/4″) Wahl ring top made from BCHR. The pen measures at 5″ posted. It still has a nice black color and the chasing is in very good condition with little wear showing. Imprints are all also very crisp. The gold filled lever has little to no brassing, but the gold-filled crown on the cap does have a few spots of brassing. It is also engraved with the initials “E.A.U.” Overall, the pen is in excellent condition. The 14kt. Wahl #2 nib is a very nice super flex with pretty good responsiveness. Ease of flex is also quite good. With a range of 0.3mm to 1.8mm this little pen far outdoes its stature. The XF nib writes smoothly with a 3-4 out of 10 wetness.

SIZE:  3 3/4″ Capped

NIB: Wahl #2, XF to BB (0.3mm-1.8mm) 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

Mabie Todd Swan with Over/Under Feed – Super Flex/ Wet Noodle (To Purchase See Here)

Here is a made in New York Mabie Todd “Swan” 1500 eyedropper dating it to pre-1915 when the company moved entirely to England. The pen is in pretty good condition. The chasing is worn but still visible though having little texture. All imprints are easily readable. The over/under feed is in good condition as well. The 14kt. Mabie Todd Swan #2 nib is a lovely writing F (0.4mm). It is very wet, as many of these over/under feed pens are, and soft and smooth. It has a nice soft flex. Not quite a paint brush and I would say really on the border between super flex and wet noodle. It is surprisingly snappy for such a wet pen. The tip of the nib at first looks to have a bend at its tip. That however is not the case. There is a depression there, but it is part of the grind. I am not sure whether that grind was original or whether it was later added by a nibmeister, nor am I sure what the purpose of such a grind would be. It does not have any effect on the nib performance. A fine example of an early New York made Swan. (To Purchase See Here)

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Mabie Todd Swan, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm),  WET NOODLE (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eyedropper

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Aikin Lambert Eyedropper – Wet Noodle (To Purchase See Here)

Aikin Lambert was a quality pen maker that was eventually bought out by Waterman. This pen, however, would far predate that buyout. This is an early 1900s eyedropper in BCHR. The pen is in fair condition with a couple of exceptions. The BCHR is in pretty good condition. It is still pretty black, though the cap is faded more to a darker brown. The chasing and imprints are still very crisp. The cap fits snuggly on the pen, but I am pretty sure it is no original to the pen. Still it works just like the original would have. Also the gold filled repousse band on the back end of the barrel is split though it feels firmly secured to the barrel. There is little to no brassing on either band. This pen is equipped with a fairly rare Aikin Lambert hopeless nib with the air hole located in the feed. This nib is a very soft, paint brush wet noodle. It’s range may not be huge, but it takes almost no pressure to get the nib to flex. Due to this softness and, for me at least, how thin the section feels in my hands, it is a bit more difficult to control. Probably not the best nib for a beginner. It writes normally as a very wet XF and flexes to 1.6mm. A great example of a very old well made eyedropper. (To Purchase See Here)

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Aikin Lambert 14kt., XF-BB (0.3mm-1.6mm)  WET NOODLE (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Wirt Mini Eyedropper – Good Flex  (On Ebay)

Here is a vintage and unique Paul E. Wirt pen. Wirt made some high quality pens into the early 1900s. This little ring top is not only small measuring at just over 3″ capped, it is also an eyedropper. The pen is made of black hard rubber that has faded to a dark, grey brown. The gold filled band and ring top are in good shape having some light scratching but no brassing. The pen is equipped with a famous 14kt. Wirt nib with no breather hole (the breather hole is in the feed). The nib writes as a nice XF (0.3mm). I have rated the flex as “good flex” due to the small range of flex it has, and the flex isn’t as easy as a typical super flex. Many would call this a semi-flex. However, the nib is snappy and if it had a bit more range it would easily be a super flex. Still, a great little, unique pen to add to any collection.

SIZE:  3 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Wirt, XF to BB (0.3mm-1.5mm),  Good Flex (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eye-Dropper

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Mabie Todd Swan Over/ Under Feed Eyedropper- Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a made in New York Mabie Todd BCHR eyedropper. Since it is made in New York, that would date to pre-1915. It has the more rare metal over feed. The pen has faded to a dark brown. Chasing is worn some but still has a bit of texture. Imprints are all clearly readable. The two gold filled bands are in pretty good shape, but the back band has some wear along it’s back edge. The 14kt. Mabie Todd Swan nib is a lovely writing XF. Not overly wet as many old eyedroppers are and a real pleasure to use. It also flexes from 0.3mm to 1.8mm (XF – BBB). It is pretty snappy and responsive and the tines flex quite easily. A great, not easy to find Swan.

SIZE:  5 1/2″ Capped

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

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Wirt Red Mottled Eyedropper – Super Flex  

Here is a vintage Paul E. Wirt red mottled eyedropper pen. The pen is in overall good condition. There is some fading the hard rubber. The imprints are worn and readable, though the bottom part takes magnification to read. The cap is missing the clip. The pen comes with the classic Wirt nib without a breather hole. The pen breathes instead through the feed. The 14kt. Wirt #4 is a great super flex nib that writes nicely as a XF/ F (0.35mm)  with just a little feedback. While the range on this pen isn’t enormous (0.35mm-1.5mm), it is quite soft and has very nice responsiveness. It is a quality flex nib that you can do some very nice flex writing with.

SIZE:  5 1/2″ Capped

NIB: Wirt #4, XF/F to BB (0.35mm-1.5mm),  Super Flex (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eye-Dropper

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Mabie Todd Blackbird – Good Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a made in England Mabie Todd Blackbird self filler. These pens were Mabie Todd’s budget line. Nevertheless, they are a great sturdy pen with decent girth. The BCHR on this pen is still very black with minimal fading and the chasing and imprints are still all very crisp. There are some bite marks on the end of the barrel. The lever is in great shape with no signs of plate loss. The Mabie Todd Blackbird nib is a nice and smooth writing F. The flex is decent going up to 1.6mm but it’s a little too stiff be a “super flex.” Still a great, sturdy, vintage classic in pretty good shape.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Mabie Todd Blackbird #2, F to BB (0.4mm-1.8mm)  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

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

Wahl-Eversharp Skyline – Super Flex – (On Ebay) Here is a standard size Wahl Eversharp Skyline in burgundy that is in fair condition. It has no major issues, cracks, etc. However, there is a significant amount of light scratching through the pen. There are also a few small depressions likely caused by over aggressive buffing.  The clip has some plate loss on the edges, but the lever and band all look very good. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is a super smooth F that is fairly wet. A great writer in my opinion. The flex is also pretty good going up to 1.8mm. I have categorized this as a “super flex,” but I would call it a lower grade super flex having good line variation, decent ease of flex, but responsiveness could be better.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Fair

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

Vintage Eyedropper with Gold Filled Overaly – Wet Noodle ( See Price Here)

Here is a well made unbranded vintage eyedropper with gold filled overlay. This pen is in good condition. The black hard rubber is now a very dark blackish brown. The gold filled overlay has little to no brassing that I can see. It is personalized with what I think says “Dr. Malvine Judell.” The Warranted 14kt. nib is a very soft wet noodle. This one feels like a paintbrush. The nib does appear to have sustained some slight damage at some point in its life as you can see in the pic. A slight crease in the end of the tines. It does not affect the writing quality of the nib however. The tipping is thin but present. It writes a very smooth F line. It is such a soft nib that it takes a very light hand not to get at least some flex. The feed is plenty wet and it has very good responsiveness. Lots of fun. ( See Price Here)

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Warranted 14kt., F to BBB (0.4mm-2.1mm),  WET NOODLE (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
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• GF overlay buffed and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 12 Eye Dropper – SUPER FLEX  (On Ebay)

Here is a Waterman 12 Eyedropper with patent dates of 1899 and  1903. This pen has two gold-filled bands on the barrel with some beautiful repousse work. The pen has faded some to a dark blackish brown. Chasing is somewhat faded but still has texture and is clearly visible. The imprints on the cap and end of barrel are all very crisp. The bands do have some brassing in places, but the gold-filled layer is mostly intact. The 14kt. Waterman #2 is an early style and likely the original nib. It writes normally as a soft, smooth and wet XF/F. The flex on this nib is beautiful. It doesn’t have a huge range, but it is almost wet noodle soft and has great responsiveness. Bigger isn’t always or even often better when it comes to flex, and this is a prime example. This is a pure delight to use and allows for fantastic control even on a very small scale where most flex nibs are too bulky to do much. Oh, and normal writing is pretty great too.

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, XF/F to BB (0.35mm-1.6mm),  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
• Clip cleaned and polished
• Inside of barrel thoroughly cleaned.
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• Test driven for a week to insure quality