Product Description
Type Fountain pen with unique filling system
Product Name Parker 61, Mark II
Manufacturer and Year Parker -- USA -- 1959-62
Length 5-1/2"
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 trim, and pearlescent jewels on either end.
Nib Broad 14k nib. The nib has an interesting shape to it, it looks like an italic cut, and we've got a side shot that shows you what we're seeing. Having said that, however, we couldn't produce any line variation in our testing with a "normal" writing angle. It's entirely possible that your unique writing angle will give you a different experience.
Condition Excellent + condition, in box, with no cracks, chips, dents, or dings. This is a handsome, shiny pen in a classic design. The cap and barrel have light to moderate wear. The barrel shows very little of the posting marks that we typically see, and the band at the end of the barrel is likewise clean. Both jewels are excellent. The clip looks fantastic, no brassing or plating wear. The capillary cell looks great, no marks or damage to the Teflon coating. The imprints are clear.
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 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 teflonon 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 thingey which covers the open end of the capillary tube, but still allows it to vent.
