Product Description
Type Fountain pen
Product Name Parker 61
Manufacturer and Year Parker, made in USA – 1962-69
Length 5-1/4"
Filling System The fountain pen has the capillary filling system which is unique to this model. See further details below. We guarantee the filling system for a year from the date of the order.
Color Dark grey body with a satin-finished Lustraloy cap, chrome plated trim, and pearlescent jewels on either end.
Nib MEDIUM gold nib.
Condition Excellent condition, with no cracks, chips, dents or dings. This is a handsome, shiny pen. The section has scratches from the cap. The barrel has slightly yellowed (as compared to the section) but looks good, with light scratching, especially towards the end of the barrel. The cap has a nice satin finish, though there are light to moderate scratches and shiny marks. the barrel end jewel has some mottling, and the tassie there has scratching and brassing. The cap jewel looks fantastic. The clip looks excellent. The imprints are clear.
A few words about the Parker 61 Capillary Filling System. If you are not familiar with this unique design, you should read this.
Here is how you fill a Parker 61, and an insight into how the pen actually works. Unscrew the barrel and stick the back end of the pen (aka the capillary cell) into a bottle of ink. Wait a few minutes (probably more like a half hour when you first start one of these older used ones), and let the ink wick up into the capillary cell. The cell contains a sheet of perforated plastic that has been given a 3-D pattern resembling tire tread, and rolled up. The perforations allow ink to seep between the rolled-up layers, and the tread pattern maintains space between the layers. In the middle of this tube, which runs the entire length of the capillary cell, is the feed. To keep things clean, the capillary cell has on a coating of Teflon on the outside that is intended to shed ink as the user withdraws the pen from the ink bottle, leaving very little ink to be wiped off. The end of the barrel contains a spring-loaded thingy which covers the open end of the capillary tube, but still allows it to vent.
