2 pens in the mail!

I got two pens from Greg Minuskin recently. One is a Parker 51 with a fine nib. The other is the Metal Pilot Falcon I sent to him to add flex to it. (No regrind as mine is already an extra fine nib).

I got the Parker 51 as a writing pen. It is as smooth as I expected it to be. Very smooth! And the ink flows nice and wet from the nib. I'm using Private Reserve Ebony Blue ink here. Its fine nib is not a flex nib so it just does uniform lines. But still, it can be used for drawings and it can look good depending on how I use my lines. Long continuous lines seem to work well with it so far. But I would still consider it as a very delightful writing pen.

This is using the modified Metal Pilot Falcon. This is similar to the Namiki Falcon but with a metal body (if I'm not mistaken). Here is a test drawing without much pressure. The lines flex only a tiny bit when I'm not trying to think about flexing it. Still, the feel of the pen while drawing this was great. I did add some pressure to the lettering so they have thick and thin strokes. But not as difficult to achieve as before. Had to really make a big conscious effort to do this before the modification.

Here is another drawing with me consciously adding more flex to the lines. But I didn't have to press too hard. Just a small push. With this same amount of pressure before modification, I think this drawing will look similar to the one above (not much flex). But still, this can't compare to a "wet noodle"vintage flex where it's so soft, even the slightest pressure will give you a thick line. I have one of those. But those are a little difficult to draw fast with as I'd be afraid to damage the tines accidentally. Good for writing but not so good for drawing quick. I personally prefer a slightly stiffer flex nib like this one (btw 4-7 on a scale of 1-10) for drawing. I'm happy with this modified Falcon. Though I also wouldn't mind if this nib could flex wider, like a dip pen g-nib or a hunt nib. This one spreads to a maximum of 1mm both before and after the modification. It just flexes more easily now.

This is the size of the picture in comparison with the pen. It's an A5 sketchbook.

And here's promoting my friend, Greg Minuskin - He's one of the best guys to go to for affordable vintage pens or nib modifications. He has great customer service too. Take note that his shipping can be on the high side. (about US$24 on top of the price of the pens.) But that's because of insurance and tracking. Well, better spend more than be sorry if a pen gets lost in the mail. To save on shipping, I got him to ship two pens at one go.