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For some time I have toyed with the idea of fitting a Parker 51 nib to a Parker 21.  The issue is, of course, that the price of a Parker 51 nib is very high so the transplant doesn't make much sense from a commercial point of view. Nevertheless, when a very nice red Parker 21 with a damaged nib came into my possession I couldn't resist giving it a try.  The 51 nib I used, dated for 1954, is quite unusual in that it has a broad point. The pen, a Parker 21 Super, was fully disassembled, cleaned and checked...

Of all the Parker 51 colours that can cause confusion the 'reds' are probably the most troublesome.  I include the burgundy colours as red.  The photographs are taken in natural light and havn't been altered in any way so the comparison is as accurate as possible. From top to bottom the colours are: American Burgundy, English Burgundy, Rage Red, and the bottom pencil is also Rage Red but is a Parker 61 not a 51. 1.The American Burgundy looks decidedly brown.  It is often described as Cordovan Brown but this is not carrect as the Cordovan Brown was only used...

The Parker Flighter pens originated with the Parker 51 Flighter in 1949, largely due to Kenneth Parker's obsession with flying.  In addition to the very 'plane like' effect of the brushed steel barrel and cap the pen was also declared to be 'flight-safe', meaning it would not leak ink at altitude. In the ensuing decades just about every Parker model produced included a flighter version in it's range.  Other companies followed suit with brushed steel pens but were legally not permitted to call them Flighters, and would have been certain to lose any law suit had they attempted to do...

The Parker 61 colours, particularly the 'reds' seem to be frequently misrepresented in pen listings.  The 61 only came in two colours that could be described as red, but only one is a true red. Between 1959 and 1969 the two reds co-existed, they were called 'Rage Red: And 'Maroon': There really is only one 'true' red, here are the pencils side by side: These photographs have not been altered in any way, there really is a huge difference in the two colours.  The misrepresentaion usually only occurs one way: a 'Maroon' pen is described as 'Rage Red'.  It is...

The Conway Stewart 560 replaced the 550 in 1963.  As I have both versions, in the same colour, I thought a quick comparison of the two might be useful.  In the photographs the 550 is at the top. The 560 is noticeably longer, about 5mm., than the 550.  The cap is also more streamlined.  It may appear that the difference in length is due to the cap length but, as the next photo shows, this is not the case. The barrel and section are both slightly longer on the 560. As the 560 nib is 'semi hooded' and the 550...