Parker 51

Parker 51 được đưa vào sản xuất vào năm 1941 và vẫn là sản phẩm bán
chạy nhất trong nhiều thập kỷ sau đó. Tuy nhiên, phần lớn các ví dụ
đang lưu hành có từ những năm 1950.
Có lẽ không có cây bút máy nào khác được nhất trí hoan nghênh như
một tác phẩm kinh điển. Nó cũng không chỉ đơn thuần là một thắng lợi
về kiểu dáng -- mặc dù nó có một vị trí trong bộ sưu tập thiết kế của
Bảo tàng Nghệ thuật Hiện đại, và Lazlo Moholy-Nagy thấy nó đáng
được khen ngợi -- vì nó cũng là một trong những công cụ viết mạnh mẽ
và thiết thực nhất từ trước đến nay làm ra.

Thay đổi thiết kế tương đối ít. Ví dụ về năm thứ nhất, chẳng hạn như
cây bút ở trên, có một số đặc điểm nổi bật, bao gồm cả "viên ngọc quý"
ở cả đầu nắp và đầu nòng ( nhiều hơn ở những năm đầu tiên ) ; từ đó đến năm 1948,
những chiếc bút có thể được đính một viên ngọc hoặc hai viên ngọc -
mặc dù những chiếc bút hai viên ngọc có niên đại sau năm 1946 là một
ngoại lệ. Hình cắt bên dưới lấy từ sổ tay sửa chữa của Parker từ năm
1947.

Vào năm 1947, kẹp mũi tên đã được đơn giản hóa, loại bỏ dấu Kim
cương xanh trước đó (đối với clip đơn giản hóa, hãy xem hình ảnh ở
đầu trang) và vào cuối năm 1948, hệ thống đổ đầy đã được thay đổi từ
máy bơm nhiều hành trình (lấy từ Vacumatic ; mặt cắt ngang ở trên)
sang bầu bóp ("Khí quyển") với túi "Pli-Glass" trong suốt (xem ảnh
bên dưới). Mặc dù bộ nạp trước đó có dung lượng mực lớn hơn, nhưng
Aerometric đơn giản và mạnh mẽ hơn, với chế độ nạp trực quan hơn và
một ống thở bằng bạc sterling có lỗ thông hơi đặc biệt để giảm khả năng
rò rỉ trong khi bay. Tất cả các cây bút Aerometric đều được trang trí
bằng một viên ngọc quý. Mặc dù vật liệu "Pli-Glass" thường bị xác
định nhầm là nylon, nhưng thực tế những chiếc túi này được làm bằng
PVC (vinyl).

A short model, known as the Demi, was introduced shortly before the
Vacumatic filler was phased out. Aerometric Demis are slightly longer
than Vac-filler Demis, and more slender. The 51 Special was a later
addition to the line, an economy version without a gold nib and with a
simplified Aerometric filler mechanism. Specials also usually have caps
that are polished bright rather than frosted, and a cap jewel that is
black, not pearlescent (note, however, that late-production Specials
from the 1960s resembled normal 51s, with frosty caps, pearl jewels,
and gold nibs).
Other notable members of the 51 series were the Flighter (cap and
barrel in stainless steel), Signet (gold filled cap and barrel), Heritage
(solid 14K gold trim), Heirloom (solid 14K gold cap and trim), and
Presidential (solid 14K gold cap and barrel; 9K and 18K versions in the
UK). Sterling silver and coin silver caps were also available, but were
discontinued before the introduction of the simplified arrow clip and
Aerometric filler. Demonstrators in clear Lucite were made for dealer
use, but not sold to the general public. The great majority of 51s were
made in the USA at Parker's Janesville factory, but 51s were also
produced in Canada and England; distinctively English are the
Aerometrics with caps in rolled silver, along with those with rolled silver
caps and barrels (watch for fakes: if the barrel is not marked "R.
SILVER", it is almost certainly a gold filled barrel that has been
plated). Parker also made 51s in South America at its factory in
Argentina. Although it has often been repeated as fact that 51s bearing
a "T"-prefix date code were assembled in Parker's Toronto plant, there
are strong reasons to doubt this (full discussion here).
Matching pencils and desk sets were offered throughout the 51's
production run. In 1955, a matching 51 Jotter ballpoint was introduced,
along with the so-called Liquid Lead pencil -- a nonretractable ballpoint
using a graphite slurry. Current Parker ballpoint refills fit the 51
Jotters, but the Liquid Lead refills (which reportedly never worked all
that well) have long been unavailable.
Parker also manufactured 51s in Canada and England, and later in
Argentina. Some 1946 and 1947-dated 51s bear date codes with a "T"
prefix, which has led to (incorrect) speculation that the "T" stood for
"Toronto" -- even though such pens are all clearly marked "MADE IN
U.S.A." In fact, the "T" surely denotes pens from Parker's new
Janesville production line, set up to meet postwar demand in the former
Townsend Tractor building.

This transparent demonstrator reveals the fine-finned "collector"

hidden under the 51's hood. Its prodigious ability to trap ink makes the
Vac-filling 51 a slow pen to empty.

Many Parker 51s survive in usable condition. Nonetheless, professional

overhaul is a good idea, even for pens that seem at first glance to be in
good working order. Often a "working" Vac-filler which still has its old
diaphragm will begin to show irregular flow, or will even release a
sudden flood of ink as the age-rotten rubber fails. For this reason we
install fresh diaphragms in all Vac-fillers that we sell.

From top to bottom: a Dove Grey 1946 Vac-filling 51 with sterling silver
cap and Blue Diamond clip; a 1947 Vac-filling Demi in Cordovan; a
Forest Green 1949 Aerometric Demi; a 1950 full-size Aerometric in
Navy Grey; a Flighter with stainless steel cap and barrel and inlaid gold
filled cap band, c. 1952; and an English-made Signet with gold-filled
cap and barrel, c. 1964. Unless otherwise noted, the caps are of
Lustraloy, Parker's matte-finished stainless steel. Blue Diamond clips
are normally gold-filled, whereas the later arrow clips usually (but not
always) match the cap's color.

Aerometric 51s used a transparent synthetic sac that is extremely

durable but prone to darkening (new replacements are available here.
Still, Aerometric fillers are by no means entirely foolproof, and are
often found with clogged or corroded breather tubes (see Basic Parker
51 Aerometric Repair). Pens with breather tube problems will only fill
to around 1/4 of their proper capacity, and with their reservoirs filled
with air instead of ink, they will be prone to flooding and irregular ink
flow.
The 51 was so named because development was completed in Parker's
51st year. A number was chosen because it could be used in any country,
obviating barriers of language. The U.S. design patent for the Parker 51
was 116,097.
For more on the origins of the 51, see the article by Zazove & Fultz in
the Fall 2000 issue of The PENnant, now available online here. This
essay should help put to rest the persistent myth of Moholy-Nagy as the
designer of the 51, restoring credit to the designing trio of Marlin Baker,
Gaylen Sayler, and Milton Pickus.
For an older discussion of Moholy-Nagy's actual design work for
Parker, see Abe Schwartz's article in Pen World, 6/5 (May/June 1993).
The Spring 2002 issue of The PENnant contains several articles on the
Parker 51. The most notable is by Fultz, Zazove, & Parker (though it
must be noted that an earlier draft and not the final article was
mistakenly published, while there were also problems with the photos
and their credits -- see the following issue for more on this). Among
other things, this article provides annual sales figures for the 51:
1941: 6,236
1942: 214,163
1943: 384,512
1944: 440,645
1945: 471,904
1946: 1,035,368
1947: 2,109,797
1948: 2,007,025

An important article by Fultz, Zazove, & Hiscock, "The Parker 51

Before 1941: Development and Test Marketing", is found in Pen World,
17/7 (Aug/Sept 2004).

The contents of most of the articles noted above have been incorporated
into the text of an outstanding monograph on the 51, written by David
and Mark Shepherd and privately printed at the end of 2004.
Parker released a redesigned "special edition" 51 in autumn of 2002.
This 51 externally resembles the double-jewel models of the 1940s, but
its internals are considerably simplified. Not only does this 51 use
cartridges, it lacks the sophisticated, ink-trapping collector of the
original 51, and uses a small, conventional nib instead of the original
tubular design. Mechanically, it seems to be closer to the 51 copycats of
the 1940s, such as the Waterman Taperite and the Eversharp Fifth
Avenue, or to the later Parker 45. After numerous reports of cracked
barrels, Parker manufactured a quantity of thicker-walled replacement
barrels. This supply was soon exhausted, however, and before long it
became clear that even the replacement barrels were crack-prone.

Click here for Parker 51s for sale

Further 51 links:
Parker date codes -- Some Notes on Repair of the Parker 51 -- Basic
Parker 51 Aerometric Repair
Parker 51 parts for sale

The Aerometric filling system is shown below in an extract from an

original ad, c. 1948. Note the fine-finned "collector" under the hood and
surrounding the base of the nib. The new filling system was initially
advertised as the "Foto-Fill" filler, with the term "Aero-metric" applied
to the pressure-equalizing venting system provided by the specially-
designed sterling silver breather tube.

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