Product Description
Type Vintage fountain pen with a unique filling system.
Product Name Parker 61.... Mk 1 with the thin clutch ring.
Manufacturer and Year Parker, made in USA – circa 1956-62.
Length 5-7/16"
Filling System The fountain pen has the capillary filling system which is unique to this model. See further details below.
Color Black body with a brushed stainless steel cap, chrome plated trim, and a pearlescent jewe on either end.
Nib FINE 14k fold nib. It's smooth with nice tipping material.
Condition Excellent condition. There's some light wear and very light scratching on the cap and barrel, and a little pitting on the chrome plated arrow inset on the hooded section (see photos). There's just a tiny bit of wear on the teflon coating of the capillary filling system where there was too much teflon coating. No cracks or chips, dings or dents, or brassing. You'll need to be patient when you fill it the first time, as it takes about a half hour for the capillary system to suck in enough ink to get started.
A word or two 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 pre-owned pens), 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 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.
