Vintage Pens with Nib Size: SF

A third-tier pen with first-tier semi-flex quality is difficult to find. However, our Hi Writer pen from what looks like the 1920s has just that. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. What will dazzle you most is the smooth medium steel nib that gently flexes to about 1mm wide. Click the headline for close-ups. Yeah, the nib looks rough. If we polished it, it would lose all of its gold plating. Otherwise the pen has some minor marks and stains. The pocket clip is and comes out if you pull it out in a Z shape. 12.7cm capped.

Canadian-made Parker Moderne sets aren't easy to come by, especially when they are in this amazingly good condition. Compared to the matching pencil, this bronze, white and blue fountain pen is only a shade or two discolored from absolute perfection. The colors match so well, it is strange to think that no one has tried to replicate them since the 1930s. No cracks, but heavy brassing on the pocket clip. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. The nib writes a fairly smooth extra-fine line with a touch of flex for some line variation, if you go easy on the 14k gold. The pencil works well. Twist the tail cap to advance and retract the 1.1mm lead. Pen measures 11.3cm capped.

We just learned that the National Pen Company was really the house brand for the major American retailer Montgomery Ward. Made in Chicago during Prohibition, who knows, maybe this pen and pencil set once belonged to a mobster or G-man. Whoever owned it appears never to have owned it. No brassing, minimal wear. The pen cap and pencil have the same green with a hint of yellow. The pen barrel has a shade or two more of blue in it. We did not resac this pen to help preserve its excellent jade color. Its 14k gold nib is a Warranted nib that writes extra fine to about .5 mm wide. A nice, smooth semi-flex. The pencil is in good working order. Click the headline for close-ups. Pen measures 14.5cm capped.

Many of Waterman's pens of the 1940s looked very similar to one another. We think this is the mid-sized Waterman Stalwart. It might be difficult to see in the photo, but it has a beautiful pearlescent sheening. We restored it with a new ink sac and a hand-made pressure bar to replace the missing original pressure bar under the lever. No cracks, a little brassing on the clip and a dark ring around the very top of the cap. The clip jiggles just a tiny bit but is still secure. There's a scratch on the section. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. However, you can flex it to .75mm if you are slow and gentle. 11.6cm capped.

On the surface, there might not be a lot to get you too excited about this Parker Vacumatic. And then you write with it. Wow! With a light touch it is a nice medium nib that leans toward fine, but with a little gentle pressure you can get about 1mm line variation! Not a common trait in a Vac from 1942. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. Its grey pearl design is nice with nickel trim. Dark ambering still permits a little light to see through the empty barrel. It has some wear from use, but there are no cracks or deep scratches. The blind cap-barrel alignment is just a little off. 13cm capped.

We've always admired the simple Conklin Crescent filling fountain pen. Easy to use, great nibs, and as Mark Twain said, it didn't roll off the desk. Our vintage pen is a Conklin P4, which we believe meant it was a pocket pen with a Conklin size 4 nib. Fully restored with a new ink sac, most people will be attracted to its 14k gold nib. You will write an extra fine line with a little feedback, but it can be slowly and gently be flexed to a 1mm wide line! It is semi-flexible, not a wet noodle. Made of ebonite, which sounds so much more exotic than black hard rubber, you will see it still has its chasing design clearly imprinted. The brand imprint is a little weak, but you can still make out the P4. Lovely initials are engraved in the wide, floral cap band. Minimal brassing on the clip and band. The crescent only has writing on one side. 11.1cm capped.

Artistic doesn't always work for product photos, but we like the crisp Eversharp in the clip of this black Eversharp Skyline with a gold-filled cap. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. The cap is dent-free, but the barrel shows some wear from use. Most remarkable is the 14k gold nib. It is a fat, juicy writer that goes from about a medium to an incredible 2mm wide! It is not a wet noodle, but if you go easy on its semi-flex nature with patience, it will deliver great results. This is the short version of the pen at 12.5cm capped. Click the headline for close-ups.

Behold the mighty Sleeve-Filler! Honestly, some days we still have to pinch ourselves to make sure the dream we are living is really not just a dream. This Waterman 12SF in its original box creates a pinch-ourselves moment. Gary Lehrer's Waterman book says these were made between 1910 and 1915. The old hard rubber is fragile. As such, we did not force the section to open to restore this pen. This pen is in far too good a condition to accidentally destroy. It remains without a working ink sac. The sleeve on the barrel has a crisp imprint and can be gently coaxed and wiggled to reveal the squeeze bar filler. It is a little stiff in moving so don't force anything. No cracks! 14k gold nib is a stiff semi-flex. Original box a little faded and ink stained but still nice to have. Additional photos available upon request.