Product Description
Type Vintage capillary filling fountain pen.
Product Name Parker 61 Signet Mk II.
Manufacturer and Year Parker, made in England – 1962-9.
Length Just over 5-1/4".
Filling System The 61 has the unique capillary filling system. We fully cleaned and tested the system to ensure that it is working properly. More information on the capillary filler below.
Color 1/10 12k rolled gold body and cap in a pattern of groups of six lines with gold plated trim, a black section, and a pearlescent jewel on either end. There's a gold arrow inset on the black section.
Nib MEDIUM gold nib is smooth with lovely tipping material.
Condition Excellent condition except for a small dent in the upper cap and some very light wear on the upper edge of the tassie-ring. There's some very light microscratching on the cap and barrel. There's a tiny red dot on the barrel's pearlescent jewel. The teflon coating on the capillary cell is in lovely condition with no deep scratches or tears. All of the imprints are very clear, no cracks, chips, or personalization. It's working very well.
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.
