Reference Pages
Use the information in these pages to learn more about fountain pens. To assist you in remaining current, the five most recently added or edited articles are listed right here at the top of the page. For revised pages, I include a brief description of the changes.
New and Recently Edited Pages (most recent first)
Section Index
Research Tools
Anatomy of a Fountain Pen
Design Features of Certain Pens
Nibs and Feeds
The following To the Point articles first appeared in Stylus Magazine. They appear here in the order of their original publication.
Filling Systems
The Pen Detective’s Guide
From the Crypt
Pen Model Profiles
Pens and History
Caring for Your Pens
Pen Shows
The Pen Doctor
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I: Lockdown Vacumatic Dumps Ink When Filled; Nib Scratchy After Adjustment
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II: Dealing with Skyline Plastics; Father’s Day Suggestions
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III: Sac Size and Ink Blots; Brand-New Nibs That Aren’t Smooth
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IV: New Pens That Stop Writing; Reducing Ink Flow
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V: How to use Blotting Paper; Restoring Banana-Shaped Pens
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VI: Repairing Metal Caps; Cleaning a Retractable Montblanc Bohème
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VII: Fixing a Parker 45 That Does Not Flow; Old Pens: Fill Them, or…?
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VIII: Finding cartridges for a Waterman C/F; Getting Dried Ink Out of Caps
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IX: Basic Pen Care; INK NIX Revisited; Waterman C/F Cartridge Update
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X: Changing Pelikan Nibs; Flow Problems in Recent Pelikans
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XI: Vintage Aurora Flow Trouble; Fixing a Pelikan Piston?; Nib Tines That Won’t Stay Aligned
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XII: Adjusting Flow in a Parker “51”; Leaking Targa Nibs; Finding Replacement Pen Sacs
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XIII: More on Leaking Targa Nibs; Finding Replacement Pen Sacs; Using Ultrasonic Cleaners; Still More on Waterman C/F Converters!
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XIV: Fixing Parker “51” Cap Clutches (Not!); More on Leaking Targa Nibs; Finding Replacement Nibs for Inexpensive Pens
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XV: Rattling Lever in Sheaffer Pen; Converter Interchangeability?; Pelikan Nib Skips — Easy to Fix?
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XVI: My Dip Nibs Won’t Hold Ink; Tightening a “51” Clip
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XVII: Help for a Sheaffer Touchdown; Why Does My “51” Leak?; I Want a Flex Nib, and I Want It Now!
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XVIII: Parker “51”: Who’s On First?; Front-End Disassembly and Reassembly of the “51”; Using Windex to Flush a Pen
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XIX: Lubricating a Pelikan Piston; Trim Corrosion in Cigar-Box Pen Cases; Drippy Bulb Filler
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XX: Reassembling a Balky Eversharp Skyline; Ink Gets All Over the Top of my Nib; Removing a Broken-Off Converter
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XXI: Resacking with Silicone; Capless and VP: What’s the Difference?; Capless/Vanishing Point Capacity; Pens Gradually Lose Flow
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XXII: C/C Pen Leaks Between Section & Converter; Loose Nib & Feed in a Pelikan 400NN; Adjusting flow in a Parker “51”
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XXIII: Vanishing Point Dries Out; Using Other Inks in Montblanc Pens; Restoring Color in Celluloid That Was Exposed to Hot Water
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XXIV: Pelikan Nib Interchangeability; Other Nib Interchangeability; Pencils in a Pen Pouch
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XXV: Dealing with a Loose Parker “51” Collector; Removing a Waterman’s Lever; Pelikan 120 nibs?; Parker “51” Shell Adjustment
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XXVI: Special “51” Issue: Removing a Stuck Cap Jewel; Aligning the Nib, Feed, and Collector; Cleaning a Collector; Repairing a Softened Sac Nipple
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XXVII: Fixing Cap Threads That No Longer Engage Properly; Are Parker Lucky Curve Pens Easy to Repair?; Sacs for Esterbrook Pens
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XXVIII: Crystallized Pen — What to Do?; Aurora 88 flow Issue; Pelikan Piston Unit Adjustment
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XXIX: Vacumatic Filler Pellet Pops Out; Tines Touching, Poor Flow
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XXX: Vacumatic Filler Collars Came Apart; Removing a Stuck Parker “51” Cap; Identifying Pen Materials by Smell
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XXXI: Was My Pen Made by a Typewriter Company?; How do I Remove a Parker Vacumatic Nib?; Can I Use India Ink If I Just Dip?
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XXXII: What Type of Nib Is This, Really?; Hard Starting with a BB Nib; Removing the Clutch from a Parker “51” Cap
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XXXIII: Repairing a Crack in a Parker 61; Reattaching the Feed and Collector in a Parker Falcon 50; Identifying Eversharp Skylines
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XXXIV: Blobs from a Freshly Filled Pen; Moldy Pens and What to Do About Them; Identifying Mold in a Bottle or Cartridge
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XXXV: Nib Shifted on Feed; Identifying Parker “51” Nib Grades; Pencil Lead Won’t Load
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XXXVI: Black Rod Fell Out of Snorkel Tube; Ink Bleeds When Applied Over Watercolor; Cleaning a Moldy Pen; Questions About Ink Composition
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XXXVII: Inky Fingers from Touching a Feed; Disassembling a Filcao Columbia; Replacing the Retainer Strip in a Vacumatic Filler
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XXXVIII: Ink to use with “Rite in the Rain” Paper; Good Material for Polishing Pens; Removing an Ossified Diaphragm from a Vacumatic
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XXXIX: The Perennial Noodler’s ink Question; Should I buy an Ultrasonic Cleaner?; Sorely Troubled by a Snorkel Tube
Adventures in Pen Restoration
Miscellaneous Articles
Repairer’s Corner Why are there no videos here?