Restoring a Parker 75

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Feb 24, 2018

Update Feb 24, 2018
-Clip and cap plated in 24k gold, hopefully 3 microns will hold up well. The center of the cap wouldn't plate for some reason. the casting place (Bilanti in the jewelry district) figured that it was a magnet and some epoxy that keeps it in place probably overflowed and covered the metallic surface. I finished alright and I'm not too fussed
-The grip part does not hold very securely in the screw threads to the pen bottom. Twisting it tight will tend to jump the threads and prevents a really secure assembly. I may try to model the design in 3D and get it case or something. I'm told it breaks a lot. That said, I think the black plastic is actually the exact right look/material to use. It plays exactly as it was intended aesthetically (classy mid-century).

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Luke5403

177

Jan 19, 2018

From my own experience I need to tell you that the lastbit of thin tail that completes the feed system, is notoriously fragile. Break it off as I have done and you will have a parts search on your hands that won’t be fun..lol...Best Regards ...Old Salt.

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Luke5403

177

Jan 19, 2018

Ive never seen a clip come from the factory with a whole like yours has. I suspect that the pen originall had a company logo attached there that your grandfather removed. Many were made like this to give away as corporate gifts. I never liked having someone else’s name on my stuff either...lol.. clips come up occasionally on eBay, but yours looks fine to me as itadds character. This is the “encyclopedic” Site many of us use for dating Parker Pens. You might find it interesting. http://parkerpens.net/ you can easily restore the blackened lines between the chiseled squares by slipping a new latex rubber pen bladder over the barrel and letting it sit. Try vintagepens.com for the bladder. After a bit, the high spots can be cleaned with a simple Jewlers cloth In short order. seriously, get over to the fountain pen network and do your homework, maybe ask around in the Parker section. Very nice people. No cost to join. I’m listed there as Old Salt should you have any other questions. i think you are really going to like this pen once you get it writing.

Luke5403

177

Jan 19, 2018

Oh my. What have you done to that beautiful pen? Find your way to thefountainpennetwork.com dig into the Parker repair archives and educate yourself on how to repair one of these Before you do damage. ‘Parts are still available for these , but they are getting scarce. So try to preserve as much as you can. Need to watch on eBay. I have 20+ of these silver p-75’s and lots of spare parts for them . i’ve been collecting them over the years. next to the Parker 51 the 75 is my favorite writer. I hope you get this figured out and get to enjoy your pen. By the way, parker ink is crap. You do need to use bottled ink to fully enjoy writing with a fountain pen. your pen seems to have a serviceable squeeze converter. It will also take modern Parker piston type converters. That pen will write beautifully with most any good fountain pen ink. I would stay away from Asian Inks for now, they can react with some inks. Since you don’t know what ink was in this pen, best to be safe. Good luck.

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Jan 7, 2018

Update Jan 7, 2018...
0. Silver polish (I used goddards silver cleaning foam) does work much better than mechanical polishing to remove the tarnish. Now all grid crevices are tarnish free and an even silver color.
1. The clip CAN be easily removed. Just unscrew the cap on the top (will take some delicate silicone/high friction rubber gloves to get a grip). this lets you separate those parts and do any maintenance on the cap just by itself without the assembled parts getting in the way. This will also let me undo my very big mistake of stripping the gold plating off the clip.
2. when you unscrew the cap and clip, the internal snap-in parts will come out, which is helpful for cleaning and maintenance
3. The nib assembly and feeder tube (breather tube?) come straight out of the gripping section, no screw action. Took some rubber gloves to get enough friction on the portion of the nib I could grip. Helpful for cleaning, but probably something to avoid too much of.
Next steps for me: 1. Refinish (very lightly) the tarnish free grid surfaces 2. Replate the clip and cap in 24k gold 3. Cast the gripping section in silver and gold plate (just for kicks, we'll see if it works)

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Thw1990

209

Feb 11, 2018

MassTypeIn the future, do not polish the pen with any kind of polish—use a sunshine polishing cloth. The tarnish inside the checks is supposed to remain.

Dec 31, 2017

Nicely restored set...

Dec 30, 2017

Sometimes its a good idea to talk to folks who restore pens professionaly. I’m not sure what can be done now but I’d be happy to give you a recommendation.

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Dec 30, 2017

aawillis1956Please do give a recommendation. Restoration is the whole point of this.

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Dec 30, 2017

MassTypeJohn Foreman, penguy.net. He has done some work for me on several pens this year. He’s very reasonable and his turn around time is very good. Good luck.

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RayF

22219

Dec 30, 2017

All that was needed was a mild cleaning. Whatever you used to polish it was overkil—it’s a Parker 75, not a damn hubcap! The dark coloration below and between squar pattern on the surface is a Feature, not a bug. Cartridges are for sissies, by the way. Real men use the Converter that came with the pen. If yours isn’t working (unlikely), you can still find them online.

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RayF

22219

Jan 3, 2018

No shortage of Parker 75 parts available on eBay! Lots to chose from: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=parker+75+pen+parts&ul_noapp=true

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Jan 3, 2018

Thank you, good information.

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Theroc

2318

Keyboard Club Member

Dec 16, 2017

Well first things first: see if you can get it writing. I don't see any damage to the nib itself. And there is no need to replace the feed if it writes. You should start with a thorough cleaning. The best fountain pen cleaning solution is Rapidoeze: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KNNI24/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Soak it in the solution overnight. I recommend using the sac filler (which seems in pretty good shape) to repeatedly flush and expel the solution through the section. If you have a sonic cleaner even better. After that clean with clear water to completely get rid of any traces of cleaning solution. To test it, if you don't have an ink bottle or do not want to use one, any Parker ink cartridge will do. They are ubiquitous. So clean and insert a cartridge and my guess is it will write. Get to that point and we'll see.

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Dec 28, 2017

TherocI don't know why my previous comment didn't stick. trying again. 1. Getting rid of the grim/tarnish with red rouge is NOT easy. thinking about kicking it up a notch and hitting it with green ZAM 2. I thought the pocket holder was 100% brass. I was wrong. It was a plated gold and I completely tore off the gold plating in my polishing. very not happy about this. 3. tarnish trick with baking soda, hot water, and aluminum foil does not work here. 4. Novus plastic polish works fantastic on the black finger area. I started with #2 and finished with #1.

Theroc

2318

Keyboard Club Member

Jan 8, 2018

MassTypeYou got yourself a pretty decent outcome. I am a bit surprised removing the tarnish required such an effort. I would have thought a few Connoisseurs wipes would have done the job. Anyway, disregard comments about how to treat a vintage pen. This is not a one-off 1960's Ferrari, it's a Parker 75. Some people prefer fully restored pens. Others think the "patina" is something to be valued, as it took years to develop. My answer to that (in the case of silver at least): boiled eggs and a jar. I do recommend you get yourself a Parker piston converter,though. Cartridges may seem convenient but they won't do your pen justice. You miss out on a whole world of ink if you stick to cartridges.

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