Great little dive into the Parker 61, and this was a first impressions that I've been waiting patiently for. Pretty much mirrors my experience with the Parker 61 capillary system as well. I've even tested the ink capacity conundrum myself, and the interesting thing is that I have some pens which will do 1ml and some others which will slurp up 1.2-1.4ml on a full fill. These are super interesting pens and relatively easy to live with and use (after the arduous initial cleaning process to bring them back to life of course). Once cleaned and inked, they aren't that hard to wash out either for storage. If you are someone who doesn't need to change inks regularly, the Parker 61 is a quirky pen with an interesting filling system that shouldn't be overlooked.
@@WaskiSquirrel It very well could. The Parker 61 isn't for everyone, but I feel like a bit of an ambassador for these pens because I like them so much. And they don't seem to get much attention at all owing to being totally overshadowed by 51s and the like.
The Parker 61 is a unique pen and you covered most of the issues with this pen. I have more than 10 of them. Why? This was always a premium Parker pen that was priced higher than their 51, their nibs are excellent, and they look fantastic. Throw in excellent writers and you have the perfect vintage combo. Thank you belatedly!
Addendum: Its not uncommon to do tons of cleaning and still find traces of old ink while writing initially. The feed in the Parker 61 is about a mile long, and extends from the back end of the capillary cell to the tip of the nib. Between the ink fissure in the feed and the collector (and the special capillary cell itself which contains a coiled sheet of specially prepared plastic), there are a million little nooks and crannies for dried ink to hide. But don't let that put you off, because once it's clean from the old dried ink, successive cleanings for storage are actually quite painless. Just don't leave a Parker 61 inked up so that it dries out! :)
@@WaskiSquirrel After you write through a few fills of ink, it should be squeaky clean inside. On my own pens, I only had one which had some sort of nasty blue-black dried in it which required more extensive soaking. On that pen I ended up filling it with distilled water and putting it in a cup with paper towels nib down so it would empty slowly overnight. After a few more rounds of that it finally ended up clean in the end....
From where I was from, fountain pen is a great go away present for someone going oversea to continue and advance their education journey. I received my Parker 61 present from one of my relative in the early 70 which has the capillary filler mechanism. I have forgotten about that pen until I recently found it and get interested to restore it. The cleaning process is not easy, short of calling it painful. I used a small nasal cleaning pump device from the drug store to force water through the pen to clean up the dried ink inside the pen. Finally has no ink and only clear water coming out of the nib when trying to write. Let the pen dry for two days, before trying to ink it, the pen magically writes with some blue/black ink. I thought it was a haunted pen!! The ink still not consumed yet but once its used up then I will attempt to do more cleaning before re-ink. I think the ideal of sticking with same colour of ink is the way to go. Today the gold arrow inlaid fell off the plastic cap of the pen and lucky I noticed that and re-glue it back, but its not staying as flush as before. I think the multi warm bath I use to clean the pen did loosen up the original glue! So be careful the consequence with dipping the pen in warm bath for too many times. btw I have two more Parker 61 with c/c mechanism, they are engraved with 'Made in England' without the '61' marker on the metal cap. The size, feel and look of the 61 is quick similar to the 50's era '51' which I inherited from my dad. All these are great writing instruments.
That sounds like a great present, especially for education! Thank you for the tips on the ultrasonic cleaner. I hadn't thought about that when I first go the pen. I have another 61 that I found locally, and I've chosen flushing only. I'll be interested to see how it does. I feel like maybe flushing out the old ink with new ink might not be the right way to go: these pens are very, very difficult to clean!
@@WaskiSquirrel Sadly stated, Jason.....I have been a science nerd my whole life...Worked in , managed and owned restaurants. But, always science was my first love...wanted to be a Veterinarian, researcher and like my heroes, Jane Goodall and Joy Adamson... I read Pippa's Challenge when I was a kid ...but I just loved the natural world.
@@WaskiSquirrel I always wish you the best and easiest path....Because I like you and think you are a fundamentally decent human being...Fountain pens show you have a love for the analog.....which is close to my heart 💚💜 Always wish the best for you. 💜💙
Great review, and glad to see a Parker 61 get reviewed. I agree the capillary filler holds a decent amount of ink. I have the same black 61 as yours, got it in near mint condition at an antique shop. My suggestion for clearing out the old ink is to dip the capillary filler for 30 seconds in water, and then place your lips over the part where the ink goes in and very gently blow into the capillary filler like a whistle forcing the water out of the nib, and keep blowing until the water runs out and only air comes out of the nib. Repeat this procedure about 4 or 5 times until the water runs clear. It took me about 10 minutes to clean out the pen this way. I find my 61 is a very smooth and a nice writer like the 51s.
I'm glad I was finally talked into trying one! To be fair, my lips have been around the filler quite a lot. I think the problem in my pen is it has a lot of dried-in ink that just takes time to soak. It was running clear before my first fill, but my second fill is also still blue-black.
Thanks for this interesting demonstration of how to refill a 61! Last time I had to clean out a vintage pen all crusted up with ink, at a certain point I just started using it. It wrote for two weeks in blue-green-black, me just topping up with water intermittently. That would definitely be my MO from the start with a 61. Saves a lot of effort, and provides HUGE savings on ink:-)
@@WaskiSquirrel Maybe you some time earlier mentioned the ”solve-x” that was advertised as an ingredient of some of the old Parker Inks. (I remember in those days being a tad sceptical about putting something sounding like ”solvent” in my pen, but I experienced no adverse effects.)Some of that cleansing power might linger in your recent Parker Quink Washable inks like it allegedely does in an homeopathic medication ?:-)
Thanks, Jason. I really like the 61 and the capillary filler is very interesting and was novel for the time but ultimately like you said they dropped it in favour of a normal convertor in later models but even though its a buggger to clean its is unique and interesting. I loved the chemistry lesson, 'mickey mouse ears' made me laugh but it's a good teaching system to try to show molecules as everyday items & the meniscus you also explained really well with the cohesion and adhesion properties, & the 'I love you' really funny but again a great teaching approach. Stay safe my friend.
I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm always afraid that real scientists and engineers won't like my explanations. Yes, I love the unique filler on this. I promise to take better care of it than the last owner, and feed it an exclusive diet of Parker Quink Washable Blue.
Capillary action has me climbing the walls! Thanks very much for a great description of a phrase I've heard frequently and not really understood. Oh, and the pen is nice, too.
This is the best explanation of capilary(?spelling) action I have heard! Your pupils are lucky. You even got this person who hasn't got a science gene in her body to understand:-)! Your performance is priceless!
This was the most interesting video about fountain pens in a long time! Thank you! The capillary filler means, you can suck the last drop ink out of a bottle. How great is that? Is the 'converter' removable? Because if yes, how about having one per ink color and putting it once here and later there in a pen. No mess with cleaning. One of the most exiting things ever! Would love to see you making more good use out of it!
I had the same thought about this capillary filler. I have a bottle right now that I can't seem to use. Of course, with this pen, I can't just switch colors. As far as I can tell, it's not removable. But, to be fair, I'm afraid of breaking it, so I haven't tried very hard. I know that when Parker repaired some of these pens, they would replace the capillary filler with a converter. So maybe it's a permanent removal?
Got a ‘Heirloom Pink and Green gold cap’ model today.., This is perhaps the oldest of my pens.Before I started to explain the history of 61 and its capillary filling system to my wife, she took a quick glance at the pen and said “Oh.. you got a Hero is it ?” !! All my enthusiasm got busted in no time ! Well.. this looks identical to Hero pens we used during our school days in the eighties (even though it is 50X pricier than those Heroes), so no fault of hers !
Now with added Science. Very interesting overview . Great stuff. I always wondered how you cleaned out one of these and now I know the answer. With great difficulty. Pen seemed like a great writer and a fascinating addition to anyone’s collection.
The 61?it had some problems....the embeded arrow on the grip section often fell out.the plastic around the nib wasnt as sturdy as the dupont supplied on the 51s and 61s are ofen found with this chipped and cracked. The barrels would dent and the jewel in the barrel would fall out. Look at the feed of the 51 and 61 side by side...which looks sturdier. The 51. The 51 is a tad longer and was a couple of dollars cheaper in 1957. So if you were walking into the pen shop in 1957 which would you buy?
I think you have your answer when you see which one gets inked up more often in my collection: the 51. My 61 is in good shape, and I know some of the experimental plastics of that era were problematic.
Jason I read one reviewer some years back who said 51 and 61 not much difference in writing experience...well that is wrong from my experience. I was one of those 55 vintage babies. Mum bought me a green 45 arrow. These were made in Australia and had the black converter with the red tip like the eversharp ones. The 45 was the student pen the adults had the 51 61 and 75. As a lefty my favourite is the vp...these were made for we hook hander writers. Keep up the good work my friend love watching your videos john from sydney
Nice video of an interesting pens. I have 3 Parker 61. Two are cartridge pens, the other belonged to my grandfather and it was a gift he received from the company where he worked. That one is a capillary filler and it was never used. The inside of the filler system is still in a bright orange colour. Although I didn't use it yet I think the concept of this pen is great, I think it is one of the best ideas ever made. A clean filling system... However, high maintenance pens, which neeed lots of work for cleaning and could neve be left inked somewhere were destined to end, in my opinion. And so there was a space to be filled by Parker 75 and 45... Another side note: I have a passion for Biology (although I'm not a Biologist) and I loved your explanation how capillary action works in plants. I think if I was your student I would never forget that explanation for the rest of my life and would remember it in college when we need to bring back those basic knowledges that were often forgot... Thanks!
I did not know the plastic they used inside was orange! Obviously, mine is well used, so I never got to see that. And you are right: the cleaning and maintenance make this less desirable. I do have a Parker 75 video coming.... Glad you enjoyed my explanation!
@@WaskiSquirrel I did enjoy! And if that is the kind of work you do with your students they enjoy (most of them, at least) too and they won't forget for the future. And that is important, in my opinion, to retain the knowledge and not only to keep it until the next exam. I'll try to show the filling system of my Parker 61 on next friday's video.
Quite possibly my favorite Parker pen of all time. I have two of them. The 61 will always be very dear to me because of its virtues - and despite its flaws.
@@WaskiSquirrel ...I especially like and enjoy the capillary filler. I greatly like the look of the nib and the way it writes. To me, the Parker 61 is indispensable.
Have you discovered the UK made Parker 65? It is a practically a 61 with a different section and a very special nib. CC filler, though. I have afw of these and they are fascinating pens.
Thank you for your review. I've had mine from new since the early 1960's. If I remember correctly the filling mechanism was described in the instructions that came with it as an emulsion tube. I seem to remember that later versions were actually converter/cartridge fillers. In fact many wears ago I had it repaired by Parker- the barrel split where it joined the nib section. Parker said when they returned it I could have it converted to cartridge, but I left it alone as it has always worked perfectly- always using Parker Quink Black of course. One thing that has a habit of parting company with the pen is that emblem on the nib section. When It comes to writing, it is indistinguishable with my Parker 51. Evidently the 61, that come out in the 1950's, was a bit of a sales failure. But they are certainly collectable now. Stick to Parker Quink, and you'll never have a filling problem.
The vintage instructions I linked to do not use the term "emulsion tube", but I know I have read that term. I'm glad to hear you were able to retain the capillary filler! And, yes, I'm definitely happy with Parker Quink in this pen!
Nice looking Parker 61! I recently got a Parker 61 with a 1956 rainbow style cap from a fellow in NS. I cleaned it and a little bit of blue ink came out of mine so I filled it with Pelikan Royal Blue and used it until it ran out. I flushed it out with water and switched to Pelikan Brown and it doesn't seem to have the same issues your pen experienced so I wonder if your pen was put away with black ink. BTW great vid!
I think mine had black ink. Cleaning was quite a long process! I've been scared to ink it up again, but I should! Of course, I'll stick with one ink to make the cleaning easier.
Unpopular opinion: The Parker 61 is the 51 done right. I like capillary filling, as it means you don't have to wipe the ink off the section. The 61 is a great daily writer for business purposes: Same ink every time, nothing flashy, just reliable. I'm hoping to get a (rare) CT Flighter capillary version one day, and just run through gallons of Diamine Onyx Black. Bliss!
I'm one of those who is not particularly a fan of the 51. So I'm inclined to like the 61. The capillary filler is an interesting way to fill, and I'm with you about focusing on one ink. It's just not the same ink.
I bought one of these just to experience this unusual filling mechanism (are there others besides this one?) It worked pretty much as advertised, but it was kind of a pain to clean out. I did push a lot of water through it with a bulb syringe (from the back out through the nib), in addition to soaking etc. That seemed to work.
I've had a lot of success using this in a (homemade) pen centrifuge. It forces a lot more fluid out than just rinsing. I followed instructions I found on the FPN forums and made mine out of a salad spinner.
@@archivist17 Here's a link to what I followed for anyone interested: www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/12704-drum-roll-the-salad-spinner-centrifuge/ I saw some pictures somewhere once of a similar, motorized device used by guys at the parker factory for 61s.
A very nice cleaning system. Cleaning it is a bit on a ordeal. How often do you have to do that. Saw some new 51s and 61s recently. They’re a lot thinner than I remember.
In general, vintage pens are surprisingly thin! For now, I'll be cleaning this pen after every fill runs out. Some day, when it finally writes properly, I'll get down to cleaning it only when I want to store it.
@@WaskiSquirrel If it proves stubborn I recommend soaking the Nib section in some Monteverde Fountain Pen flush- you can also flush the pen out with this stuff- it’s very good. I also put a a drop on the feed with hard starts.
I've been tempted several times to get one of these but have always been put off by two things: the filling/cleaning/clogging reputation, and the fact that many reasonably priced 61s are missing the arrow insert on the hood. I may end up getting one just for hoarding reasons, but overall it just looks too much work. I'd already concluded what you confirmed: stick to one ink forever. However despite all its shortcomings, I do need to tip my hat to Parker for trying to innovate and do something different. If nothing else, it makes the pen interesting. Edit: one thing I would say in its favour is how this system would appear to be great for filling when the bottle is almost empty & when even hooded nibs would struggle with levels of ink reaching the filler hole. Who knows, it might even have made J Herbin bottles almost useful if it had caught on. Almost.
It is an interesting pen. And, now that it's starting to finally write blue, I'm enjoying it. I used it all day yesterday to fill out ballots at a speech meet. You made me laugh with the J. Herbin comment! Yes, they have a very non-functional design. The pen rest is a nice touch, but not one I use. I feel like the design had dip pens in mind more than fountain pens.
@@WaskiSquirrel Yes, I'd heard that about the pen rest and of course they make dip pens. However it's not really formulated to be dip ink. In any case that doesn't excuse the 1670.& 1798 bottles. Their necks are barely wide enough for a drinking straw, and I'm not quite that thirsty yet.
Nuve video also congratulations now a new parker model is added to your collection which is a materpeice . Well also parker 75 will suit you more as that pen is like some executive user pen . Have a nice day
Thank you! Yes, I'm really happy with this pen. I'll be taking it to a Speech Meet tomorrow to fill out judging forms. Now I know it has enough ink to be a daily writer.
You've gone & done it now i only have one 61 & guess what short of filler it is.Im off to fill it & try it out👍.PS You know you can get a piece of kit that replaces the capillary filler so you can use cartridge or converter.
Good luck on yours! Now that mine is finally writing the right color, I'm happy with it! I don't see myself replacing the capillary filler unless it quits working. It's part of what makes this model unique.
According to the world famous Pier Gustafson, a pair of human lungs beats a bulb any day. Looking forward to future videos featuring your blue lips. Be careful with the ultrasound as it dislodged the arrow from my 61 and it's impossible to get it properly back in the hole it came out of.
I think you should use a black ink in this pen and only black and it will be fine. Having different ink colours in it will take more time to clean it than write with it😁. But doesn’t it leak at the end of that filling cartridge, i can see holes in it 🧐 maybe if you shake it it will leak
I'll be sticking to Parker Quink Washable Blue. This pen is just too slow to clean. I have not found ink coming out of the holes, even when I shake it. I have not tried whipping it like I do when cleaning a pen, so maybe I should try that...
The FP community needs more late night loopy WaskiSquirrel pen science lectures. Thanks for the P61 review and caveats, useful consumer tips!
Glad to help! And it's funny how this pen brought out my teacher side...
You are a great teacher, Jason! We need more like you ☺️
Wow, thank you! I'm only average for my school district, but I appreciate it!
Great little dive into the Parker 61, and this was a first impressions that I've been waiting patiently for. Pretty much mirrors my experience with the Parker 61 capillary system as well. I've even tested the ink capacity conundrum myself, and the interesting thing is that I have some pens which will do 1ml and some others which will slurp up 1.2-1.4ml on a full fill. These are super interesting pens and relatively easy to live with and use (after the arduous initial cleaning process to bring them back to life of course). Once cleaned and inked, they aren't that hard to wash out either for storage. If you are someone who doesn't need to change inks regularly, the Parker 61 is a quirky pen with an interesting filling system that shouldn't be overlooked.
I think this one will hold more ink after I finally get all the dried-in ink flushed out. I'm pleased with it.
@@WaskiSquirrel It very well could. The Parker 61 isn't for everyone, but I feel like a bit of an ambassador for these pens because I like them so much. And they don't seem to get much attention at all owing to being totally overshadowed by 51s and the like.
The Parker 61 is a unique pen and you covered most of the issues with this pen. I have more than 10 of them. Why? This was always a premium Parker pen that was priced higher than their 51, their nibs are excellent, and they look fantastic. Throw in excellent writers and you have the perfect vintage combo. Thank you belatedly!
You're very welcome. And I am currently writing with my second one of these!
Addendum: Its not uncommon to do tons of cleaning and still find traces of old ink while writing initially. The feed in the Parker 61 is about a mile long, and extends from the back end of the capillary cell to the tip of the nib. Between the ink fissure in the feed and the collector (and the special capillary cell itself which contains a coiled sheet of specially prepared plastic), there are a million little nooks and crannies for dried ink to hide. But don't let that put you off, because once it's clean from the old dried ink, successive cleanings for storage are actually quite painless. Just don't leave a Parker 61 inked up so that it dries out! :)
Good to know about the feed. I had a few comments about that. I think a continual use of Washable Blue will eventually clean out all the dried-in ink!
@@WaskiSquirrel After you write through a few fills of ink, it should be squeaky clean inside. On my own pens, I only had one which had some sort of nasty blue-black dried in it which required more extensive soaking. On that pen I ended up filling it with distilled water and putting it in a cup with paper towels nib down so it would empty slowly overnight. After a few more rounds of that it finally ended up clean in the end....
From where I was from, fountain pen is a great go away present for someone going oversea to continue and advance their education journey. I received my Parker 61 present from one of my relative in the early 70 which has the capillary filler mechanism. I have forgotten about that pen until I recently found it and get interested to restore it. The cleaning process is not easy, short of calling it painful. I used a small nasal cleaning pump device from the drug store to force water through the pen to clean up the dried ink inside the pen. Finally has no ink and only clear water coming out of the nib when trying to write. Let the pen dry for two days, before trying to ink it, the pen magically writes with some blue/black ink. I thought it was a haunted pen!! The ink still not consumed yet but once its used up then I will attempt to do more cleaning before re-ink. I think the ideal of sticking with same colour of ink is the way to go.
Today the gold arrow inlaid fell off the plastic cap of the pen and lucky I noticed that and re-glue it back, but its not staying as flush as before. I think the multi warm bath I use to clean the pen did loosen up the original glue! So be careful the consequence with dipping the pen in warm bath for too many times.
btw I have two more Parker 61 with c/c mechanism, they are engraved with 'Made in England' without the '61' marker on the metal cap. The size, feel and look of the 61 is quick similar to the 50's era '51' which I inherited from my dad. All these are great writing instruments.
That sounds like a great present, especially for education!
Thank you for the tips on the ultrasonic cleaner. I hadn't thought about that when I first go the pen. I have another 61 that I found locally, and I've chosen flushing only. I'll be interested to see how it does. I feel like maybe flushing out the old ink with new ink might not be the right way to go: these pens are very, very difficult to clean!
The exterior of the filler is teflon coated so as to repel the ink
Good point. I should have said that!
If everyone that taught science explained it like you.....more kids would pay attention.
Maybe! I don't know if science is particularly valued right now...
@@WaskiSquirrel Sadly stated, Jason.....I have been a science nerd my whole life...Worked in , managed and owned restaurants. But, always science was my first love...wanted to be a Veterinarian, researcher and like my heroes, Jane Goodall and Joy Adamson... I read Pippa's Challenge when I was a kid ...but I just loved the natural world.
@@WaskiSquirrel so sad.
@@stargazer1359 To be fair, maybe rural North Dakota is an outlier...
@@WaskiSquirrel I always wish you the best and easiest path....Because I like you and think you are a fundamentally decent human being...Fountain pens show you have a love for the analog.....which is close to my heart 💚💜 Always wish the best for you. 💜💙
Great review, and glad to see a Parker 61 get reviewed. I agree the capillary filler holds a decent amount of ink. I have the same black 61 as yours, got it in near mint condition at an antique shop. My suggestion for clearing out the old ink is to dip the capillary filler for 30 seconds in water, and then place your lips over the part where the ink goes in and very gently blow into the capillary filler like a whistle forcing the water out of the nib, and keep blowing until the water runs out and only air comes out of the nib. Repeat this procedure about 4 or 5 times until the water runs clear. It took me about 10 minutes to clean out the pen this way. I find my 61 is a very smooth and a nice writer like the 51s.
I'm glad I was finally talked into trying one!
To be fair, my lips have been around the filler quite a lot. I think the problem in my pen is it has a lot of dried-in ink that just takes time to soak. It was running clear before my first fill, but my second fill is also still blue-black.
Thanks for this interesting demonstration of how to refill a 61! Last time I had to clean out a vintage pen all crusted up with ink, at a certain point I just started using it. It wrote for two weeks in blue-green-black, me just topping up with water intermittently. That would definitely be my MO from the start with a 61. Saves a lot of effort, and provides HUGE savings on ink:-)
Glad it was helpful! And that might have been a good way to write this pen clean. But I think the Washable Blue (plus flushing) is working.
@@WaskiSquirrel Maybe you some time earlier mentioned the ”solve-x” that was advertised as an ingredient of some of the old Parker Inks. (I remember in those days being a tad sceptical about putting something sounding like ”solvent” in my pen, but I experienced no adverse effects.)Some of that cleansing power might linger in your recent Parker Quink Washable inks like it allegedely does in an homeopathic medication ?:-)
Thanks, Jason. I really like the 61 and the capillary filler is very interesting and was novel for the time but ultimately like you said they dropped it in favour of a normal convertor in later models but even though its a buggger to clean its is unique and interesting. I loved the chemistry lesson, 'mickey mouse ears' made me laugh but it's a good teaching system to try to show molecules as everyday items & the meniscus you also explained really well with the cohesion and adhesion properties, & the 'I love you' really funny but again a great teaching approach.
Stay safe my friend.
I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm always afraid that real scientists and engineers won't like my explanations.
Yes, I love the unique filler on this. I promise to take better care of it than the last owner, and feed it an exclusive diet of Parker Quink Washable Blue.
Capillary action has me climbing the walls! Thanks very much for a great description of a phrase I've heard frequently
and not really understood. Oh, and the pen is nice, too.
You're very welcome! Capillary action seems almost like magic when you see the water climb an enormous tree.
Solid, informative video review, as always! Thanks, Waski!!
My pleasure! It was fun to make this!
This is the best explanation of capilary(?spelling) action I have heard! Your pupils are lucky. You even got this person who hasn't got a science gene in her body to understand:-)! Your performance is priceless!
I'm glad you enjoyed. Sometimes my students get annoyed with my strange voices...
Damn, you are a good teacher!
I'm average, but I do try!
This was the most interesting video about fountain pens in a long time! Thank you! The capillary filler means, you can suck the last drop ink out of a bottle. How great is that? Is the 'converter' removable? Because if yes, how about having one per ink color and putting it once here and later there in a pen. No mess with cleaning. One of the most exiting things ever! Would love to see you making more good use out of it!
I had the same thought about this capillary filler. I have a bottle right now that I can't seem to use. Of course, with this pen, I can't just switch colors.
As far as I can tell, it's not removable. But, to be fair, I'm afraid of breaking it, so I haven't tried very hard. I know that when Parker repaired some of these pens, they would replace the capillary filler with a converter. So maybe it's a permanent removal?
Got a ‘Heirloom Pink and Green gold cap’ model today.., This is perhaps the oldest of my pens.Before I started to explain the history of 61 and its capillary filling system to my wife, she took a quick glance at the pen and said “Oh.. you got a Hero is it ?” !! All my enthusiasm got busted in no time !
Well.. this looks identical to Hero pens we used during our school days in the eighties (even though it is 50X pricier than those Heroes), so no fault of hers !
I think Hero modeled some of their pens after this one. But they don't have the capillary filling!
Now with added Science. Very interesting overview . Great stuff. I always wondered how you cleaned out one of these and now I know the answer. With great difficulty. Pen seemed like a great writer and a fascinating addition to anyone’s collection.
Thank you! And, yes, cleaning is the Achilles Heel of this pen!
The 61?it had some problems....the embeded arrow on the grip section often fell out.the plastic around the nib wasnt as sturdy as the dupont supplied on the 51s and 61s are ofen found with this chipped and cracked. The barrels would dent and the jewel in the barrel would fall out. Look at the feed of the 51 and 61 side by side...which looks sturdier. The 51. The 51 is a tad longer and was a couple of dollars cheaper in 1957. So if you were walking into the pen shop in 1957 which would you buy?
I think you have your answer when you see which one gets inked up more often in my collection: the 51. My 61 is in good shape, and I know some of the experimental plastics of that era were problematic.
Jason I read one reviewer some years back who said 51 and 61 not much difference in writing experience...well that is wrong from my experience. I was one of those 55 vintage babies. Mum bought me a green 45 arrow. These were made in Australia and had the black converter with the red tip like the eversharp ones. The 45 was the student pen the adults had the 51 61 and 75. As a lefty my favourite is the vp...these were made for we hook hander writers. Keep up the good work my friend love watching your videos john from sydney
Nice video of an interesting pens. I have 3 Parker 61. Two are cartridge pens, the other belonged to my grandfather and it was a gift he received from the company where he worked. That one is a capillary filler and it was never used. The inside of the filler system is still in a bright orange colour. Although I didn't use it yet I think the concept of this pen is great, I think it is one of the best ideas ever made. A clean filling system... However, high maintenance pens, which neeed lots of work for cleaning and could neve be left inked somewhere were destined to end, in my opinion. And so there was a space to be filled by Parker 75 and 45...
Another side note: I have a passion for Biology (although I'm not a Biologist) and I loved your explanation how capillary action works in plants. I think if I was your student I would never forget that explanation for the rest of my life and would remember it in college when we need to bring back those basic knowledges that were often forgot... Thanks!
I did not know the plastic they used inside was orange! Obviously, mine is well used, so I never got to see that. And you are right: the cleaning and maintenance make this less desirable. I do have a Parker 75 video coming....
Glad you enjoyed my explanation!
@@WaskiSquirrel I did enjoy! And if that is the kind of work you do with your students they enjoy (most of them, at least) too and they won't forget for the future. And that is important, in my opinion, to retain the knowledge and not only to keep it until the next exam.
I'll try to show the filling system of my Parker 61 on next friday's video.
That was an interesting lesson and congrats on this beautiful writer!
Glad you enjoyed it! And I still love this pen!
Quite possibly my favorite Parker pen of all time. I have two of them. The 61 will always be very dear to me because of its virtues - and despite its flaws.
They're great pens. The filler is fun, and it is a good daily writer.
@@WaskiSquirrel ...I especially like and enjoy the capillary filler. I greatly like the look of the nib and the way it writes. To me, the Parker 61 is indispensable.
Have you discovered the UK made Parker 65? It is a practically a 61 with a different section and a very special nib. CC filler, though. I have afw of these and they are fascinating pens.
I have not yet. Interestingly, here in the US, the 61 switched to a CC system because the capillary filler was not popular.
Thank you for your review. I've had mine from new since the early 1960's. If I remember correctly the filling mechanism was described in the instructions that came with it as an emulsion tube. I seem to remember that later versions were actually converter/cartridge fillers. In fact many wears ago I had it repaired by Parker- the barrel split where it joined the nib section. Parker said when they returned it I could have it converted to cartridge, but I left it alone as it has always worked perfectly- always using Parker Quink Black of course. One thing that has a habit of parting company with the pen is that emblem on the nib section. When It comes to writing, it is indistinguishable with my Parker 51. Evidently the 61, that come out in the 1950's, was a bit of a sales failure. But they are certainly collectable now. Stick to Parker Quink, and you'll never have a filling problem.
The vintage instructions I linked to do not use the term "emulsion tube", but I know I have read that term.
I'm glad to hear you were able to retain the capillary filler! And, yes, I'm definitely happy with Parker Quink in this pen!
Nice looking Parker 61! I recently got a Parker 61 with a 1956 rainbow style cap from a fellow in NS. I cleaned it and a little bit of blue ink came out of mine so I filled it with Pelikan Royal Blue and used it until it ran out. I flushed it out with water and switched to Pelikan Brown and it doesn't seem to have the same issues your pen experienced so I wonder if your pen was put away with black ink. BTW great vid!
I think mine had black ink. Cleaning was quite a long process! I've been scared to ink it up again, but I should! Of course, I'll stick with one ink to make the cleaning easier.
Great review as always, and as a student I appreciated the chemistry lesson
Me, too!
You're welcome! And I'm glad you enjoyed the Chemistry!
Unpopular opinion: The Parker 61 is the 51 done right. I like capillary filling, as it means you don't have to wipe the ink off the section.
The 61 is a great daily writer for business purposes: Same ink every time, nothing flashy, just reliable.
I'm hoping to get a (rare) CT Flighter capillary version one day, and just run through gallons of Diamine Onyx Black. Bliss!
I'm one of those who is not particularly a fan of the 51. So I'm inclined to like the 61. The capillary filler is an interesting way to fill, and I'm with you about focusing on one ink. It's just not the same ink.
@@WaskiSquirrel Ha! Each to their own, Mr Squirrel!
I bought one of these just to experience this unusual filling mechanism (are there others besides this one?) It worked pretty much as advertised, but it was kind of a pain to clean out. I did push a lot of water through it with a bulb syringe (from the back out through the nib), in addition to soaking etc. That seemed to work.
I've had a lot of success using this in a (homemade) pen centrifuge. It forces a lot more fluid out than just rinsing. I followed instructions I found on the FPN forums and made mine out of a salad spinner.
@@zank_frappa That's just crazy enough to be cool!
@@archivist17 Here's a link to what I followed for anyone interested: www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/12704-drum-roll-the-salad-spinner-centrifuge/
I saw some pictures somewhere once of a similar, motorized device used by guys at the parker factory for 61s.
I think this one will be easier to clean out once I clean out all the dried in ink.
The centrifuge is a good idea. Maybe safer than my method of "whipping" the ink out of the pen!
A very nice cleaning system. Cleaning it is a bit on a ordeal. How often do you have to do that. Saw some new 51s and 61s recently. They’re a lot thinner than I remember.
In general, vintage pens are surprisingly thin! For now, I'll be cleaning this pen after every fill runs out. Some day, when it finally writes properly, I'll get down to cleaning it only when I want to store it.
@@WaskiSquirrel If it proves stubborn I recommend soaking the Nib section in some Monteverde Fountain Pen flush- you can also flush the pen out with this stuff- it’s very good. I also put a a drop on the feed with hard starts.
I've been tempted several times to get one of these but have always been put off by two things: the filling/cleaning/clogging reputation, and the fact that many reasonably priced 61s are missing the arrow insert on the hood. I may end up getting one just for hoarding reasons, but overall it just looks too much work. I'd already concluded what you confirmed: stick to one ink forever. However despite all its shortcomings, I do need to tip my hat to Parker for trying to innovate and do something different. If nothing else, it makes the pen interesting. Edit: one thing I would say in its favour is how this system would appear to be great for filling when the bottle is almost empty & when even hooded nibs would struggle with levels of ink reaching the filler hole. Who knows, it might even have made J Herbin bottles almost useful if it had caught on. Almost.
It is an interesting pen. And, now that it's starting to finally write blue, I'm enjoying it. I used it all day yesterday to fill out ballots at a speech meet.
You made me laugh with the J. Herbin comment! Yes, they have a very non-functional design. The pen rest is a nice touch, but not one I use. I feel like the design had dip pens in mind more than fountain pens.
@@WaskiSquirrel Yes, I'd heard that about the pen rest and of course they make dip pens. However it's not really formulated to be dip ink. In any case that doesn't excuse the 1670.& 1798 bottles. Their necks are barely wide enough for a drinking straw, and I'm not quite that thirsty yet.
Nuve video also congratulations now a new parker model is added to your collection which is a materpeice . Well also parker 75 will suit you more as that pen is like some executive user pen . Have a nice day
Thank you! Yes, I'm really happy with this pen. I'll be taking it to a Speech Meet tomorrow to fill out judging forms. Now I know it has enough ink to be a daily writer.
Does this have a fiber feed like the pilot varsity since it has a capillary ink system?
Not a fiber feed. I understand it is a more traditional feed.
@@WaskiSquirrel interesting. If the patents are public, it would be fun to learn how they transitioned between the systems.
You've gone & done it now i only have one 61 & guess what short of filler it is.Im off to fill it & try it out👍.PS You know you can get a piece of kit that replaces the capillary filler so you can use cartridge or converter.
Good luck on yours! Now that mine is finally writing the right color, I'm happy with it! I don't see myself replacing the capillary filler unless it quits working. It's part of what makes this model unique.
According to the world famous Pier Gustafson, a pair of human lungs beats a bulb any day. Looking forward to future videos featuring your blue lips. Be careful with the ultrasound as it dislodged the arrow from my 61 and it's impossible to get it properly back in the hole it came out of.
True: My lips spent enough time around this pen to make a date jealous!
I think you should use a black ink in this pen and only black and it will be fine. Having different ink colours in it will take more time to clean it than write with it😁. But doesn’t it leak at the end of that filling cartridge, i can see holes in it 🧐 maybe if you shake it it will leak
I'll be sticking to Parker Quink Washable Blue. This pen is just too slow to clean.
I have not found ink coming out of the holes, even when I shake it. I have not tried whipping it like I do when cleaning a pen, so maybe I should try that...
An address to send to repair a parker 61 pen in usa, thank you
Sadly, I have no idea. I repaired my own.
I think the water supply in your town is connected to some laughing gas or something! Send some to me.
I definitely was showing the effects of filming later in the evening!
Think you may have been channeling Jim Nabors a little...
Hah! Or at least one role of his!
"Under the hood" - ha!
It's interesting!