Mabie Todd Swan Self-Filler #3161 – Wet Noodle ( See Price Here)

Here is a torpedo shaped Mabie Todd Swan in black with good trim. The body overall is in pretty good condition with only minor and light surface scratches due to normal use. There is one place on the cap where it looks like someone got carried away with a buffer and created a small indentation (see pics). Side imprints are half worn and only about half readable. The gold-filled trim is in good condition with no brassing. The lever is a little loose but still works very well. The section of these Swans have brass threads, and the cap on this one threads in about a quarter turn. The section also has internal threads which makes removing the section much easier. The 14kt. #2 “Swan” nib is a fabulous “wet noodle.” It writes normally as a wet XF. It does have a bit of feedback mostly due to the fact that it is very difficult to use without causing the tines to spread a little. But I would not call it scratchy. The flex goes from XF to BBB (1.7mm) with wet noodle ease and is nicely responsive. Overall, a nice wet noodle from Mabie Todd.

SIZE: 5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.7mm), 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

Waterman 52 – Wet Noodle  (See Price Here)

This is a very nice example of a Waterman 52 in BCHR. It has near mint level of chasing and imprints. Virtually no signs of wear. It does, however, have some fading to the hard rubber. It’s mostly a dark blackish color with some browning fades. Most people would look at it and say it’s black though. There is a completely unfaded ring on the barrel where a price tag remained for a long while. This probably sat in a shop display unused for many, many years. The nickel trim looks good. Very little signs of use there either. Most impressive of all is the 14kt. Waterman #2 nib that is a highly coveted XXF wet noodle. This isn’t near paintbrush soft noodle. In fact, ease of flex is more like a “super flex” grade. But it has a superbly responsive, dip nib like flex. The range is very good going up to BBB, but you don’t need swells very high at all to achieve some quality flex work. It is also a very pleasant writing XXF that is “wet” and smooth for a XXF. This is a nib you could use for everything from normal writing on poor paper to calligraphy to adding flair to signatures. And in a condition that is very difficult to find in Waterman 52s.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, XXF to BBB (0.2mm-1.8mm),  WET NOODLE (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Bands 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

Parker Lucky Cruve Flat Top (Vest Size) – Super Flex  (On Ebay)

Here a nice Parker Lucky Curve flat top pen in “vest pen” size. The body is still very black with only minimal surface scratching from normal use. The gold-filled trim is in great condition with no brassing. The imprints look good with minimal wear. The button filler mechanism works well.  The 14kt. #2 Parker Lucky Curve nib is a pure delight to write with. Normal writing is a soft, smooth and wet F that we all crave to experience. It has just the right flow to maximize shading. The flex on this is one is a little strange. I would grade this as a high end super flex with certain inks. For example with Pilot Iroshizuku inks (which are known for their superb flow and wetness), the nib works beautifully. With some of my inks which are about middle of the road flow, I would start getting railroading after a few lines of flex writing. So if you are just looking for a great writing pen, then any ink will do. If you are looking for something to flex a lot, you’ll want to put inks in that are known for their flow (Iroshizuku inks, a lot the Sailor inks, Diamine Billbery, etc.). Still, a beautiful Parker that’s a lot of fun to use. 

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. #2 Parker Lucky Curve, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm), SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Button Filler

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished. It already wrote fantastic.
• Hand polished body of pen and gold trim
• New Sac
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Conklin Endura – Medium Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is a great Conklin Endura ring top in a beautiful marbled blue body with gold-filled trim. The pen is in nice condition. The gold-filled trim is in great condition with no brassing. The body looks nice with great color. There is only very light surface scratching from normal use. The thin red paint in the pinstripe lines on the cap and body has mostly worn off. The imprints are a little worn but easily readable. The 14kt. #2 made in Toledo “Endura” nib is a nice and wet to very wet writing F. It’s a “medium flex” nib that has some decent flex but lacks the ease of flex and control of a higher grade flex. But it still does give the flex option. Overall a very beautiful Conklin.

SIZE:  5″ Capped

NIB:  Conklin Endura, 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 & trimmed polished
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• New ink sac installed
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 52 1/2 BCHR – Wet Noodle (See Price Here)

Here is a fabulous wet noodle nib offered in a Waterman 52 1/2. The pen is good over all condition. The BCHR is still rather black. A little brown but very, very dark. The chasing has been worn almost completely smooth however, and the imprints on the side of the barrel are mostly unreadable. The nickels trim is in great condition without any brassing. The 14kt. Waterman #2 is a near paintbrush soft wet noodle. It writes normally as a borderline XXF (0.25mm). It’s quite wet for such a fine nib, but the softness of the tines make this nib difficult to use for normal writing as they start spreading on contact with the paper. The flow keeps up well. Responsiveness is quite good for such a soft nib. Probably, not for beginners. Over flexing this isn’t that hard due to it’s softness. An incredible Watermen noodle.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, XF/XXF to BB (0.25mm-1.6mm)  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
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

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

Here is beautiful 52 1/2 V in a vibrant wood grain. Yes, I said vibrant because the hard rubber has almost no fading on it. The imprints are crisp. The gold-filled trim is in superb condition with no brassing and no scratching. This is “Near Mint” collector’s quality. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib keeps up this pen’s impressive qualities. It writes as a nice smooth and wet XF. Just at touch of feedback. The flex on this is wonderful. It’s a “super flex” nearing wet noodle status. The range is great going from XF (0.3mm) to BBB swells (1.8mm). Flow is good and responsiveness is pretty good. It’s just a bit too stiff to be a noodle, but still a top notch quality flex nib. Awesome little pen.

SIZE:  4 1/2″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-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
• Trim cleaned and polished
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Parker Jack Knife “Safety” 20 1/2 Ring Top – Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is a vest size / ring top Parker Jack Knife pen. It comes in BCHR, which is faded to a grayish black. The chasing is present and visible. It’s mostly smooth on the cap, but still has texture on the body. The imprints are worn but readable on the cap, but difficult to make out on the barrel. The ring top looks good without brassing. The 14kt. Parker “Lucky Curve” nib #2 is a fantastic flex nib. It writes normally as a very smooth XF (0.3mm) with medium plus wetness. It’s really a great normal writer. It flexes easily with a great range swelling up to BBB (1.8mm). Responsiveness is very nice, and all that combines to make this a near noodle “super flex” nib. This one is really close and produces quality flex work.

SIZE:  4 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Parker Lucky Curve 14kt. #2, XF-BBB (0.3mm-1.8mm), SUPER FLEX

FILLING: Eyedropper

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
• New pressure bar installed
• Trim cleaned and polished
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

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

Here is a Waterman 52V in the classic “red ripple” hard rubber. I personally love the 52V size as it’s the same bulk as the 52 but shorter, yet feels like a 52 when posted. There is only a little fading of the hard rubber. The color is still really good. Imprints are good. There is only a very tiny bit of brassing starting on the top edge of the band; otherwise, the gold-filled trim looks great. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib is a really nice writing F. It’s wet but not super wet and has a nice smooth feel. It also creates some nice shading for a Fine. The flex is also very nice ranging up to BBB (1.7mm). The ink flow is great putting down a good amount of ink when flexed. Responsiveness is decent but not amazing. Overall, a really nice 52V red ripple.

SIZE:  4 3/8″ Capped (Not including Ring Top)

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.7mm),  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 adjusted for optimal flow
• Trim cleaned and polished
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Conklin Crescent 30 –  Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is the iconic Conklin Crescent size 30 in BCHR. The hard rubber has faded to a dark blackish brown. The chasing is worn with some remaining texture on the cap but mostly smooth on the barrel. The imprints are also worn and only partially readable The gold-filled crescent has just a hint of brassing on one spot on it’s peak. This Crescent is a clipless model (no original clip). The 14kt. Made in Toledo #3 Conklin nib is a joy to use. It is a wet F that has some lovely stubbish character (one of my favorite traits of many vintage Conklin nibs). The flex on this comes with ease and ranges to BB (1.6mm). There is a tiny crack coming out of one side of the breather hole, which is common in vintage flex nibs. In all my experience if you don’t over flex this nib, that crack will not increase. The ink flow is very good and the responsiveness of the nib is great.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Conklin Toledo #3, F to BB (0.4mm-1.6mm) 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