Wahl-Eversharp Skyline – Good Flex – (On Ebay)

This is a standard size Wahl-Eversharp Skyline in burgundy body and gold-filled cap. The body of this pen is in nice condition with only very light signs of use. The gold-filled trim is in good condition as well as both the lever and clip are completely without plate loss. The cap also has no plate loss, but there are a few dings. Inside Skyline caps is a light, thin ebonite liner that is bonded to the metal exterior. Part of that internal lining is missing, but the cap threads perfectly. The only way you would know this is if you look inside the cap. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is a beautiful writing wet F (0.4mm). Eversharp is known for making some really lovely writings nibs, and this one is no exception. The flex on this nib ranges from F to BBB (0.4mm to 1.7mm). That’s a good range, but the flex is a bit too stiff for me to grade it “super flex.” Still it has some good flex on a great nib.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F to BBB (0.4mm-1.7mm) SUPER 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

Waterman 52V Olive Ripple – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is the much rarer Waterman Olive Ripple hard rubber on a model 52V (which happens to be my favorite Waterman model). The color of the ripple is quite good with only minimal color alteration. It does not look at all faded. The imprints are worn a bit but mostly readable. There is a very small (2.5mm) scratch right next to the side barrel imprint. There is a little brassing on the top edge of cap band, and a little more on the ball of the clip, but the brassing is not very obvious and the trim still has that silky gold look. The globe on the lever is worn and only partially readable, and there is some brassing on the globe edges. The 14kt. Waterman #2 on this pen is a beauty. If you like soft writing nibs, this is for you. Normal writing is soft, rather wet, and buttery smooth F (0.4mm). The flex on this nib is also soft ranging from F (0.4mm) to BBB (1.9mm). Responsiveness is good as well. This is a fantastic, rare pen.

SIZE:  4 1/2″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.9mm), 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
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman Lady Patricia Ink Vue – Super Flex  (On Ebay)

Here is a 1930s Waterman Lady Patricia with an Ink Vue filling system. The pen has a gray/ green and pearl marble body with a patterned, amber, semi-translucent ink chamber. Part of the pattern and color of the ink chamber has been altered by use and time, but it is still a striking pen in appearance. The ink vue is Waterman’s answer to the Vacumatic. To fill the pen, pull the half lever out, depress the lever, wait a second, and repeat 10 or so times similar to a Vacumatic. Ink is drawn into the ink chamber. I like this system, and the threaded section makes cleaning the out the ink much easier. The grey/ pearl cap and body are in good condition. The chrome trim is also in very nice condition with little wear, which is difficult to come by in this era of pen. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib is a wet writing XF that really feels like a F due to its wetness. Flex comes easily and has a nice range going from XF (0.3mm to 1.7mm). It also has a nice responsiveness to it. It’s a great pen.

SIZE:  4 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.3mm-1.7mm),  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Ink Vue Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

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

Mabie Todd Swan Eyedropper (Wet Noodle) – Wet Noodle ( See Price Here)

Here is a gorgeous made in New York Mabie Todd Swan. The color on this pen is as black as the day it was originally purchased. Chasing is also crisp with little wear. The imprints have no wear and still have much of the original white paint. There is some very light scratching from capping the slip on cap. This is very light and what you would see on modern pens of light use. There is also some on the end of the barrel from posting the cap. It has a Mabie Todd accommodation clip (no original clip was on this pen) that show a little bit of wear but still looks pretty decent for it’s age. On the barrel there is the inscription “Property of N.Y. Telephone Co.” So I guess you can add a nice piece of history to the quality of this pen. The 14kt. Mabie Todd #2 nib is a lovely wet noodle. It writes normally as a soft XF (0.3mm) that is smooth and not overly wet. The flex has a great range going from XF to BBB+ (1.8mm). The flex is not quite paintbrush soft but it’s definitely a noodle, and it has some very nice responsiveness. Overall, this is a stunning, collection quality Mabie Todd Wet Noodle.

SIZE: 5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.8mm),  WET NOODLE (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eyedropper

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
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Conklin Crescent #20 – Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is another great vintage flex pen. This one from Conklin. The classic Conklin Crescent in BCHR. This is a model 20 and about the size of a Waterman 52. A bit longer though. The hard rubber is faded some. The body is a very dark brown. The cap is closer to black. Chasing is also more worn on the body (this is likely due to the body being handled much more than the cap) though it is still visible. The imprints are visible and mostly readable. Patent dates are difficult to make out. The gold-filled trim is in good condition with no brassing. The 14kt. Conklin #2 nib is a needlepoint XXF with a good flex range (going up to BBB or 1.7mm) and nice responsiveness. This XXF is also a very nice writer in my opinion. A bit of feedback as expected for how fine it is, but a soft elegant feel to it. This is a pen you could use for any purpose.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Conklin #2, XXF to BBB (0.2mm-1.7mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Crescent Filler

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed tuned to write smoothly with optimal flow
• Gold trim cleaned and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 52 1/2 V (Near Mint)  – Super Flex  (On Ebay)

Here is a Waterman 52 1/2 V in about as good of condition as you can find them. This pen looks brand new with basically no signs of use. The black hard rubber is just that. Jet black and still with its original shine. The chasing is crisp and vivid with no texture loss. The imprints look as good new. The nickel filled trim also looks good. It’s in pristine condition. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib is a beauty. It’s a a needlepoint XXF (0.25mm). For how fine it is, it writes pretty smooth with just a little feedback. The flex isn’t huge ranging up to BB (1.5mm), but it does’t need to be. The nib snaps back beautifully creating a very responsive action on the nib. It’s a great nib for artists and calligraphers. This pen combines two rare things: a near perfect black chased hard rubber vintage Waterman AND an XXF responsive nib.

SIZE:  4 1/4″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, XXF to BB (0.25mm-1.5mm)  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

Vintage Unbranded Eyedropper – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Outside of the big names, many smaller companies made fine vintage pens. This BCHR eyedropper, which is a near replica of a Waterman 12, is a fine example of such a pen. There is no brand on the pen, but it did have an Aikin Lambert nib. The black chased hard rubber on this pen has faded to a dark blackish gray brown. The chasing on the cap is near perfect. It has faded some on the body from use, but is still in pretty good condition .The name “Jason Reuter” is engraved on the side of the barrel. The 14kt. #2 Aikin Lambert nib is a beauty. It’s a XXF flex nib. The XXF is pretty wet for how fine it is. It does have a little feedback as you would expect of a XXF (0.2mm) nib. The flex on this comes pretty easy, and though it doesn’t get massive, it is beautiful responsive. XXF flex nibs are in high demand, and rightly so. They make flex nib work easy.

SIZE:  5″ Capped

NIB: Aikin Lambert, XXF to BB (0.2mm-1.5mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Eyedropper

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body 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

Sheaffer BCHR Ring Top – Super Flex

This Sheaffer ring top is in superb condition. The black chased hard rubber is as black as the day it was purchased and the chasing looks virtually untouched as well. Imprints are also perfect. The last patent date on this one is from 1914. The ring top and lever are in great condition as well with no brassing (the dark spot toward the front of the lever was just some old ink I have sinned removed). The feed on this is not the original Sheaffer feed but another vintage ebonite feed because Sheaffer feeds of this era were terrible at keeping up with flexing. And this pens feed was no exception. The 14kt. Sheaffer “Self-Filling” nib is a buttery smooth writing F (0.4mm) that is quite wet. The flex comes quite easily and goes all the way to BBB (1.8mm). A great Near Mint Sheaffer.

SIZE:  4 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Sheaffer Self-Filling 14kt., F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm),  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

Wahl Gold Filled Ring Top – Super Flex (On Ebay)

This is a great example of the classic Wahl gold-filled ring tops. Many companies made these, but Wahl seemed to make the largest variety and some of the best quality. There is no brassing on this pen, and only one tiny pin prick ding on the lip of the cap. The initials “H.E.S.” are engraved in the side of the barrel. There is light scratching around bottom of the barrel just above the section from screwing the cap on and off. This is typical for gold filled overlay pens. No other defects to speak of. The 14kt. #2 Wahl nib is a beautiful writer. A very smooth and elegant XF (0.3mm) with good flow but is not overly wet. The flex on this nib is also very good. It’s a bit on the stiff side for a “super flex” grade, as these Wahl nibs tend to be, but it has a great range going from XF to BBB (1.7mm). On top of that it also is very responsive. It’s a great portable and durable vintage flex pen in excellent condition.

SIZE:  3 5/8″ Capped

NIB:  14kt. Wahl #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.7mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body 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

Mabie Todd Swan Ring Top – Wet Noodle ( See Price Here)

Here is a great made in New York Mabie Todd Swan gold-filled ring top. The pen is in great condition. Especially considering it’s age. The gold filled body has minimal wear on it with the only brassing at the end edge of the barrel due to posting. There is one small ding on the cap. It isn’t very noticeable, but you can see fairly easily if you look for it. The initials “V O” are engraved on the side of barrel. The imprints on the end of the barrel are a little faded but readable. The 14kt. Swan #2 nib is wet, lovely writing F that has some nice, soft flex. This is definitely a wet noodle. Not quite a paintbrush, but very soft with some nice responsiveness. A great vintage wet noodle in a durable and portable package by a company that made some great, quality pens.

SIZE: 3 7/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm),  WET NOODLE (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
• Test driven for a week to insure quality