Mabie Todd Swan Self Filler – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a made in England Mabie Todd Swan Self-Filler in smooth (no original chasing) black hard rubber with a red-rippled hard rubber “crown” on the cap. This pen is nearly identical in size to a Waterman 52. The hard rubber has faded some to a blackish brown. The imprints are faded without a lot of texture, but they are mostly readable in good light. The gold-filled trim on the cap is in good condition with little if any brassing. There is some brassing on the bands of the body and on the edges of the lever. The 14kt. Swan #2 is a wonderful writing XF that has good flow without being a gusher. The nib feels soft and elegant. It also has some very nice flex ranging up to BBBB (1.8mm), though I usually keep it around 1.6mm. Responsiveness is also quite good and springy.

SIZE:  5 1/2″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, F to BBB+ (0.3mm-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
• Trim buffed and polished
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

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

Here is a standard size Wahl-Eversharp Skyline in burgundy with a gold-filled cap. The body of the pen has some light scratching of normal use typical of these Skylines. Much of it I have buffed out with micro mesh and some polish. There are a couple of very small dings on the gold-filled cap but not plate loss. The lever does have some plate loss on the edges of the crown of the lever caused by the posting the cap. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is pure joy to write with. It is wet F / M (0.5mm) that feels buttery on paper. The Skyline design is intended to fit perfectly in the hand, and with this nib you just don’t want to put the pen down. It also has some flex ranging up to 1.8mm. Flex is a bit on the firm side due to it’s wetness, it lacks some responsiveness. I would grade it as a high “medium flex” or a low “good flex.”

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., F/M to BBBB (0.5mm-1.9mm) GOOD 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

Wahl-Eversharp Skyline (Demi) – Good/Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is a beautiful Wahl-Eversharp Skyline in Demi size. This style Skyline with the green pinstripe cap is my personal favorite. The body, derby, and pinstripes are black. The color combo with the gold accents looks sharp in my opinion. The body has only minor surface wear from normal use. No deep or obvious scratches, etc. The gold-filled trim is in great condition with only the top of the lever having just a tiny bit of plate loss from posting. The 14kt. Eversharp nib is a lovely wet writing XF. It’s a bit of a stubbish XF which adds some nice character. The flex is also quite nice ranging up to BBB (1.6mm). Ease of flex is either on the low end of super flex or the high end of “good flex.” Responsiveness is decent. It’s a beautiful Skyline in great condition.

SIZE:  4 7/8″ Capped

NIB: Eversharp 14kt., XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.6mm) GOOD/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

Mabie Todd Swan Gold-Filled Ring Top – Super Flex  (On Ebay)

Here is a gorgeous made in New York Mabie Todd Swan gold-filled ring top. The chasing on this pen is in great condition as is the gold-filled body in general. There is no brassing throughout the pen and only minor wear from light use. No personalizations on the barrel. And I see no dings, which is pretty rare on these gold-filled bodies. The 14kt. Mabie Todd Swan #2 nib is a lovely, smooth writing, XF on the wet side. It’s kind of unusual to have a nib write this wet and still stay within a 0.3mm line, but this nib manages it. If you like wet nibs but also fine nibs, here is the perfect marriage for you. The pen also boasts a very nice flex ranging up BBB (1.7mm). Responsiveness is very good. It’s overall a good, solid “super flex.” This is a great, portable, durable vintage flex pen in superb condition.

SIZE: 3 7/8″ 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: Excellent

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

Mabie Todd Swan Ring Top – Super Flex / Wet Noodle (On Ebay)

Here is a nice made in New York Mabie Todd Swan gold-filled ring top. The gold-filled body is in decent condition. There is some light scratching throughout, but nothing major. It has relatively little patterning on the body, and the smooth gold surface tends to hide very little. I only spot one very small ding on the side of the lever. I couldn’t really even pic it up on camera. There is a bit of wear on the end of the barrel, but that’s about it. Lever looks great. There is no personalizations. The 14kt. #2 Swan nib is a lovely XXF. It writes incredibly smooth for how fine it is. The flex is quite lovely as well ranging up to BBB. Ease of flex I would say really lands more in the “super flex” range, but it’s so fine and very responsive giving it a very high quality flex ability. Ease of flex would be similar to a Nikko G dip nib, if you have ever used one of them. This nib makes flex work much easier if you know what you are doing. And it comes in a nice, durable and portable package.

SIZE: 3 7/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, XXF to BBB (0.2mm-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)

Here is a Waterman 52 in BCHR in good condition. The BCHR is in great condition for a Waterman, whose black hard rubbers are notorious faders. The chasing is also very good. There is minimum wear on the lever and clip. Unfortunately, it looks like someone pulled the lever on a fossilized sac and caused a little bit of bending on the lever box. The box works fine and I don’t see any damage other than a little bending. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib on this one is phenomenal. It is a beautifully smooth and very wet writing F. The nib has some brilliant flex that is ultra soft nearing paintbrush feel. It’s so soft that if you have experience with flex nibs, it’ll still probably take some getting used to. The down side is that the feed has some trouble keeping up with some inks. I’ve run untold adjustments on this nib and feed, but can’t totally remove the railroading. So, for example, with Diamine Turquoise I can get about three lines of flex writing before I need to re-prime the feed a bit so it’ll keep up well. However, with wetter inks such as Pilot Iroshizuku, like Asa Gao in the example, the ink keeps up without any issue. This is a very rare, near paintbrush nib that still works as a soft, smooth, and deliciously wet normal writer.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.9mm),  WET NOODLE (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

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 Curve / Jack Knife Ring Top – Super Flex – (On Ebay)

Here is an early Parker “Lucky Curve” Jack Knife Safety 20 1/2 pen in BCHR. Latest pat. date on this button-filler is 1912. The black hard rubber is still pretty black with only light fading. The chasing is also quite good with minimum wear. The imprints are very crisp on the cap and a little worn on the barrel with the “Lucky Curve” mostly worn off. The “20 1/2” on the end cap is a little faded but still easily readable. The top of the ring top has some brassing. The 14kt. “Lucky Curve” #2 is a beauty of a nib. It’s a soft and rather wet fine that works great as a normal writer, but it also has some great flex. It ranges quite easily up to BBB+ (1.8mm), has pretty decent responsiveness, and the Lucky Curve feed does well keeping up with the nib. It’s a fantastic hundred year old Parker with great flex. Plus, it’s portable and makes a great writer.

SIZE:  4 1/2″ Capped

NIB: Parker Lucky Curve 14kt., F-BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm), SUPER FLEX, (See the Willowstrong Pens site for more info on how I grade 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 52 Red Ripple – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a very nice Waterman 52 in Red Ripple hard rubber. The pen is in very nice condition. There is only moderate fading of the hard rubber. The gold filled trim is in good condition, but there is some brassing on the band and some wear to the lever. The clip has one little scratch on it below the rivets. Imprints on the side of the barrel are almost completely worn off. The “52” is still crisp, however. This pen also still has the original red ripple feed. The 14kt. Waterman #2 is a beautiful writer. Normally, it writes as a smooth, slightly stubbish XF (0.3mm) with moderate wetness. With little pressure the nib flexes and can create swells up to 1.7mm (BBB). It is also a fairly responsive nib when flexed. The red ripple 52 is an iconic pen and this one is fantastic writer with nice flex abilities.

SIZE:  5 3/4″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.7mm),  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 54 – Good Flex (On Ebay)

This Waterman 54 comes in BCHR. The 54 is about the same length as the 52 only slightly larger in diameter and of course having the larger #4 nib. The hard rubber barrel is still pretty black, though the cap has faded a bit more to a dark brown. Imprints are still good and crisp. The chasing is worn some but still visible with some texture left. The nickel-filled trim is in overall good condition. There is very little wear to lever. The clip looks pretty good as well but lost the original ball at the bottom. The 14kt. Waterman #4 nib is a lovely. For normally writing, it is superb. It has excellent flow with a soft buttery feel. A pure joy to use, and well worth purchasing just for that. Additionally it has has flex that comes easily with good responsiveness and nice range. From XF (0.3mm) it can swell up to BBB (1.6mm). The feed however lags a little behind at times causing some railroading, and it is for for that reason alone that I graded this as a “good flex.” This is another superb Waterman nib on vintage BCHR 54.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #4, XF – BBB (0.3mm-1.6mm), 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
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl Gold-Filled Vest Pen – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a larger size Wahl Gold-Filled vest pen with clip. This is a good size gold-filled pen. There are only a few small dings here and there on the pen. I only counted 4, and they aren’t very noticeable. You have to hold the pen at the angle to see most of the them. The edges on the end of the barrel have some brassing, but otherwise its free of plate loss. There is no personalization on the pen. The pattern etched on the pen still looks great. The 14kt. Wahl #3 nib is a rare XXXF (0.1mm) nib. It writes pretty smooth for how fine it is. The flex on this pen is also quite nice. It doesn’t need much swell due to how fine the nib is, but it goes quite easily up to BB (1.4mm). I would say ease of flex is on the lower end of “super flex,” but the XXXF makes it feel very responsive. These XXXF flex nibs are not easy to come by, and this one comes on a durable, gold-filled Wahl.

SIZE:  4 7/8″ Capped

NIB:  14kt. Wahl #3, XXF to BB (0.1mm-1.4mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

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