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Frequently Asked QuestionsThis page contains answers to your questions. Please send new questions to me by email.
Table of Contents
Do the earliest Parker 75 sterling grid pens have the flat end tassies?February 26, 2001 A lot of people think that the flat tassies were placed on the 75s only during the first year of production. I believe this to be a mistake as these flat end tassies were used through the 1960s. Only around 1970 did Parker drop these flat tassies in favor of the dished tassie, which was indented and filled with a flat gold-washed disc. At around the same time, Parker also replaced the section collar so that it omitted the zero reference inscription, changed the clip to have the larger arrowhead, and widened the cap band. As proof, just take a look at the advertising picturing the 75s. Even in early 1970s, there were still ads showing 75s with the early clips, smaller capband, and presumably the flat end tassies. Also the great numbers of such flat-top 75s refute the theory that these were from the first-year of production One thing is certain, however. The earliest 75s had sections with metal threads. This was quickly replaced with an all-plastic section, probably sometime after 1965. They are so scarce. Back to Top
Why does the coin looks different from the original 1715 Spanish treasure cob coin?April 29, 2001 From what I understand, the reason why the Parker Pen Company got involved with this silver treasure was because Ken Parker was an investor in Mel Fisher's salvage efforts. When a portion of that treasure was recovered in the early 1960s, the silver coins were of such poor quality that its value to collects was very low. The coins were not really recognizable as cob (abbreviation for "cabo de barra" which literally means "slice of the bar") coins since the strike impression had degraded beyond recognition. Leave it to Ken Parker to cook up how to make up for its lost historical value as a coin! In what we now see as a marketing coup, Ken Parker took his investment in the poor quality silver and used it as the base material for the special edition Parker 75. The FP sold for three times the normal price! As far as the cob coin is concerned, Parker commissioned another company to use the remain silver to make into the sterling silver coins. I am not sure if the original pattern came from a gold or silver coin, but I think they took the one with the best strike impression available. Back to Top
Do Spanish Treasure Fleet 75s exist without the appropriate inscription on the cap band?July 23, 2001 No, all Spanish Treasure Fleet 75 FP and BP have the special inscription indicating they are that. I have heard of such items being offered, but I believe it is a misconception the seller has. Apparently the salvager Mel Fisher who found the sunken silver treasure gave his investors a Parker 75 and may have given this impression to the recipient. He might have stated that Parker used his salvaged silver to make into pens like these normal 75 and such statements were misinterpreted. That's just my conjecture and I have no hard evidence of this. Back to Top
Are the Spanish Treasure Fleet pens numbered?July 23, 2001 No, these pens were not numbered. Often the 1715 that is inscribed on the cap band is mistaken by the owners as a serial number. This is the year the treasure fleet sunk off the coast of Florida. Back to Top
What are the nib adjustment tools?July 23, 2001 These are simple plastic pieces that were packed with the Parker 75 and Premier FPs and allowed one to turn the angle of the nib relative to the grip without getting one's fingers dirty with ink.
The Parker 75 tool is the shaped like a stirrup and shown on the left. The Premier tool is more elegant in its appearance and appears on the right. Back to Top
What are the differences between the old felt-tip and newer rollerball sections?August 7, 2001 First, know that both these sections may be used in place of the fountain pen section. But the older felt-tip section (shown on the right) has a chrome ring around a tip that has a larger opening than the newer rollerball section due to the relatively thicker felt tip refill. Also notice that the rollerball section is slightly longer at the tip to accommodate the rollerball refill..
With the proper plastic shim the felt-tip section can also take a BP refill. This shim was once used in the plastic orange "Big Red" BP. The same cannot be said about the rollerball section fitting the BP refill.
When this shim is inserted into the felt-tip section, the fit is perfect in appearance.
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How can I clean my sterling silver 75s with minimal damage?September 4, 2001 I have found that using an inexpensive jeweler's silver polishing cloth does the job quite effectively without the need to resort to using more abrasive methods. The cloth is impregnated with jewelers rouge which will remove the silver oxidation that tarnishes the sterling silver 75s. For more stubborn tarnished areas, simply wet the cloth slightly when using it. Just remember to use the cloth lightly as it is safer though it may take a bit longer to remove the oxidation. This polishing cloth is readily available at any Sears store in the jewelry department for $5.88 (as of 2003). It is called the "Connoisseurs UltraSoft Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloth". If you were a bit over-aggressive in cleaning your pen, especially if you didn't use the above suggestion, and removed the dark color in the grid lines, here is how you can restore it. Back to Top
How can I safely clean the inside of my FP cap?September 4, 2001 Many 75 FP caps have an inside slip clutch spring that appears as four 'fingers' that grab the FP section allowing the pen to be closed with that distinctive click. This can be seen by the reflection at the 6 o'clock position with a shadow hint of two more at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions in the in the picture below.
To clean the cap, do not make the mistake of using a rolled tissue paper as this may catch one of those four 'fingers' and bend it away from the inside cap. Should this happen, you may catch this finger and bend it to the point of destroying it when you next try to close the FP. If you are careful, you can try to use a cotton swab so long as the cotton tip is tightly wound without any loose strands. When inserting it into the cap, do so at the center so as not to catch any of those 'fingers'. Pressing against the inner cap wall, gently extract the swab out of the cap. Just be gentle and take some care! Back to Top
Where can I return my pen for repairs by Parker?Updated June 7, 2006 According to an email from a Parker customer service representative, Parker USA and Canada no longer have any spare parts for the 75s as well as the 51’s, 61’s and Vacumatics. This has been the case since 2004. Please check here for parts that I still have.
Parker will also suggest that you contact the following repair folks.
How do I restore the dark grid lines on my sterling silver grid 75 pen?February 1, 2004 Parker used two different approaches in darkening the grid lines on the sterling silver 75. One was by using some black material, and the other by aging the sterling silver in the lines. You can restore by using the second method which is simpler. A compound called as "liver of sulphur" is available in powder or solution form from art stores. It is an oxidizer for silver that is commonly used to give metal collectibles an antique appearance they call patina. You can do the same on your Parker 75 pen. Be forewarned, this working solution stinks so you should use it in an open area or you may be overcome by the fumes. To use it, apply it over the entire pen cap or barrel and allow the solution to oxidize the surface and lines until it is as dark as you want the lines to appear. Depending on the strength of this solution, it may be very quick. Once the desired color is attained, quickly rinse off with water to stop the oxidation process. The next step is to polish the surface using the silver polishing cloth suggested earlier. Be gentle when polishing so that you may leave the dark color in the grid lines. One last suggestion. The solution of liver of sulphur has a shorter shelf life. Given a choice between powder or solution for the same price, choose the powder form since you can mix it whenever needed. Just follow the instructions to dissolve the powder in hot distilled water to make your own solution. Update of February 7, 2004 I received an excellent suggestion from a contributor to this website . He wrote to say that you can also accelerate the oxidation if you simply put the sterling silver cap or barrel in a new rubber sac of an appropriate size. Apparently the sulphur in the rubber is enough to oxidize the silver but at a rate that is a bit more controllable than using a liver of sulphur solution. Also, for a bit more aggressive polishing than the silver polishing cloth you can use a 6000+ grit micro- surface micromesh but do so very gently. Update of July 15, 2006 Sam Fiorella from Pendemonium wrote to me about the sac sizes:
From what she wrote, perhaps the best way is to use three 23 1/2N sacs as she suggests and put the pen with sac into a sealable plastic sandwich bag. Write to her if you want to place an order for these sacs by clicking here. Back to Top
How do I remove the nib assembly from the section?April 29, 2004 It is simple but you need to be gentle to avoid breaking the unexposed portion of the nib assembly. Here are the steps.
Keep in mind to be gentle!
Replacing the nib assembly is even simpler. Just insert
and use a gentle back-and-forth motion as you push it into the section.
Revised: July 15, 2006 . |
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Copyright © 2000-2008, Lih-Tah Wong. All rights reserved
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