90 Year Old Pen Restoration - Parker Duofold Senior

[@markanderson8066]

Love it! Just restored a 1929 Senior streamlined. Just straightened a bent nib and replaced the sac. Was afraid to risk taking nib apart! Imprint is almost worn off so chose not to polish the body. Love the way it writes!

[@edgars.rainesjr.3184]

Thanks for allowing us to watch your work on the very beautiful Parker pen, one of my favorite old pen brands. I really enjoy your videos. You have helped this eighty-year-old Calligrapher since I still like to learn.

[@Doodlebud]

Glad to help my friend 👍

[@SiennaArtsandCrafts]

Me too I'm only 54, but my aunt who is 91 taught me everything about arts and crafts and I just want to say thank you to people in your generations for teaching us folk born from 1955to 1980 for teaching us how to write properly and so much more , how to use film cameras etc and for teaching us to know we do not ever know everything but are always learning. I love my parents generation for your wisdom and humbleness

[@13noman1]

Oh! What a neat trick (bit of plastic)! I've replaced sacs, tweaked nibs etc but pressure bars always stymied me. Excellent restoration! I've got a number of vintage pens (Parker Vacs, Sheaffers etc) and a Pelikan 400NN made the same year as me ('56). One of the many arguments I've always made in favor of fountain pens is that they're ecologically good! Still writing 90 years later is proof positive!

[@Doodlebud]

Yeah it's a slick little way to do it. Just slides in easy peasy.... 😉

[@jaytaylor9232]

A tip for smoothing out scratches on solid gold nibs before polishing and for sensitive parts with thin plating or gold filled parts such as cap bands; I use a highly polished hardened steel burnisher I picked up from a jewellery supplier, I also picked up a small stainless steel highly polished jewellery anvil from the same supplier in Auckland (NZ). I've restored nibs using these tools for years and have since progressed to a nib block. The guts of it - try burnishing the nib to smooth out scratches before removing material via polishing.

[@Doodlebud]

Yeah I've seen those available just haven't gotten them yet as I only do a pen every so often. If I get into it more I'll pick some up. Thnaks for sharing

[@thpeter]

Used this video and a few others to help me restore a Parker Junior! Thanks! Good stuff!

[@Doodlebud]

Glad it helped! Hope you're loving the pen now

[@thpeter]

@@Doodlebud I am! Kinda cool to use a pen that’s about hundred years old!

[@nitina8564]

That is some really impressive work there. Amazing job done on the pen. I hope you enjoy the pen forever. Thanks for this video.

[@antman5474]

Dang, awesome restoration and then I remembered who it was, I'm happy to say youtube didn't troll me with any adverts that time. Happy days! Greetings from the UK and I look forward to more fountain pen related good stuff. ps. sorry about the last comment, I must've been having a bad internet day.

[@eugenborcan]

Nice restauration - nothing more pleasurable than bringing back to life a vintage pen!

[@Doodlebud]

Absolutely!

[@ilikepens]

DB, I’m so glad that you are part of this community! Your vids are the best

[@Doodlebud]

Thx buddy, just having fun with my pens 😁

[@ianallen2]

To get dried up ink sacs out that are hard and broken, I use a crochey hook. I have 2 sizes. I think they are a 6 and a 5 or a 4. Very small hooks. I also made a hook out of a wire coat hanger for the same purpose. Works great. :)

[@Doodlebud]

Yup that's a good idea 💡👍

[@paulherman5822]

Another option is available from Walmart, if there's one in your area. They've got a small, fairly basic set of dental tools for around $7-8 USD. And one of those has a nylon hook that can help not scratch up the inside of the barrel, if you're that worried about it.

[@TheDarivan]

Great reference video for DYS vintage pens users! thanks.

[@Doodlebud]

Hope it helps someone 😁

[@PL70015]

Inspiring! "Don't do what I just did (with that pressure bar)..." (??!) But - that was an *elegant* solution (no blood was shed), and the pen now writes! (Beautifully!)

[@viggenajs3408]

I have a Mentmore Auto-Flow and it's totally similar to your pen. Should I need to repair my pen, now I know how to do it 👍

[@bobhewitt5047]

Great tip with the plastic strip… 60 years of collecting/repairing - and I never thought of that… but I’m doing it now😃

[@Doodlebud]

Good to hear it helps 👍

[@serealbowl]

Amazing video DB. Your engineering background shows. Hopefully modern pens will age well as the vintage ones.

[@Doodlebud]

Due to the material choices in modern pens, they should age even better 🤓

[@philnaunton7181]

Nicely done. I've always been attracted to Duofold Parkers. It is the first serious pen I purchased some forty-five years ago. Certainly not as old as this one. Thanks.

[@Doodlebud]

The newbies just don't do it for me, especially for the price they demand. This pen cost me less than a new Pilot e95s. Couple hours of work later... Awesome pen

[@qvisionstudios]

Success! Great to see a classic given a new lease on life.

[@SiennaArtsandCrafts]

Absolutely beautiful pen!

[@derekdavis5720]

Stunning pen. I’ve really grown to love Vintage Parker Pens. I’m no handyman and wouldn’t touch it myself but found the video really interesting, helpful and delighted it worked out okay. Yes vintage Parker pens I’ve found to be well made and lovely to use. One of my favourite brands. I recently acquired a late Parker 51 with a medium nib and have found it to be a superb workhorse. At the risk of being repetitive that Sheaffer PFM is serious pen eye candy. Thank you again for a great video. Catch ya next time D

[@ichirofakename]

Very entertaining.

[@Keepitsimplesilva]

That was enjoyable! Thanks for recording this, I have a Parker duo-fold that needs a little TLC. Your video helped immensely.

[@Javi_C]

Enjoy these restorations 😊

[@Roberto__Skar]

Very stylish pen, and enjoyed the restoration journey, your 'amateur,' enthusiast perspective is appreciated, and all part of the fun . . .

[@ibpopp]

What a lovely pattern. The firm nib seems to be an awesome writer. Thanks for a most interesting post. Cheers from Oz.

[@Doodlebud]

Stiffest nib I own, but writes so well

[@ibpopp]

@@Doodlebud Typical of most novices, I used to crave for more flex, but later discovered that many firmer nibs (e.g., Sheaffer's nibs of 1930-60 period) are better suited to my handwriting. And then there's Conway Stewart's 'Duro' nib...melt-in-your-mouth glorious.

[@oscarmedina1597]

Nice job, Doodlebud. I bought and restored a Parker Lucky Curve for my wife. I’m an amateur like yourself in that regard, but I did a defendable job. The pen writes well and has a super flex nib. Having watched your video, I’m thinking maybe I should do one for me.

[@Doodlebud]

Absolutely grab one for yourself 👍. Love seeking out a great find then brining back to life. Enjoyment factor goes way up!

[@irvintepper5]

Good job for your restoration. I have not tried restoring my vintage pens especially vacumatics and button fillers, thanks for the encouragement

[@Doodlebud]

The process is even more enjoyable when you're not trying to make a video out of it 😂

[@FalloutVault]

Awesome video! I think the original pressure bar might have been okay, those things are surprisingly resilient. AFAIK the earlier (I think?) Parker button fillers didn't have that little additional tab that sticks out the side which is why the replacement might be a little tight. I'd love to see more videos like this! You did a really great job. If you want a challenging recommendation, Sheaffer vac-fillers were really cool little pens that are kinda tough to restore. There aren't a lot of good videos out there about those so seeing an instructional video of your quality would be great.

[@Doodlebud]

I have a Sheaffer vac filler in the queue. I did a PFM video a little while back & that was fun. I possibly could have salvaged the old bar but for the $5 what the heck 😁

[@FalloutVault]

@@Doodlebud Awesome!! Looking forward to seeing it.

[@davecharvella4854]

Sweet! 👍👊

[@Doodlebud]

Such a lovely writer now

[@johnlopez3996]

Your engineering skills are amazing! When I saw your home grown shellac in the jar, I was thinking of bourbon. Doodlebud the Distiller? It is a wonderful feeling to write with vintage fountain pens.

[@andykellens7237]

The pen looks gorgeous! I own a 1920s Waterman 52 that also has vent holes in the cap. None of my modern pens have that, so I guess worrying about the pen drying out wasn't much of a thing back then. I guess they added the holes to prevent the pen from 'squirting out' ink during uncapping?

[@ichirofakename]

I heard that the hole is below the sealing point, so it does not assist the drying-out process.

[@andykellens7237]

@@ichirofakename Interesting point. Will have to check that out with the Waterman.

[@Doodlebud]

Hmmm if that's true that they are below the sealing point, then I figure they're there to help balance the pressure within the pen. If you're constantly equalizing the pressure balance between the air in the sac & the surrounding atmosphere it should eliminate (or reduce) leaking. Just thinking out loud..... 🤔

[@andykellens7237]

@@ichirofakename @Doodlebud I checked it out on the Waterman and hole indeed appears to be below the seal!

[@zank_frappa]

@@Doodlebud The inner cap presses against the end of the section to seal the pen. The vent holes are below the inner cap and aid in equalizing pressure when uncapping, thus reducing the chance of unwanted ink escaping.

[@UncleScotty]

I think you're supposed to remove the button and the pressure bar from the end before you remove the section so the pressure bar doesn't get damaged. Best Wishes.

[@RobinRhyne]

Great video. I'm going to need to look into older pens. I'm laughing at myself because, I watched you installing the bladder with a squeeze bar, I was thinking "how quaint and outdated". Then I remembered most of my current Pilot pens ...😂

[@Doodlebud]

Have to get at least one really nice vintage pen. Something that is unique and different from anything else you can get today. Vintage material, vintage filling system, and interesting nib if possible. Even if you only get one, get a good one. They are very unique and write different from modern pens.... in a good way.

[@charlesmarks1241]

I have exactly this pen which was originally owned by my Grandfather (his in the 1930's). Only difference with mine is that my clip only has the word Parker on it (nothing else at the top) and my nib says Canada (not USA). I think that means mine is a few years younger (after the patent expired perhaps?). Anyway, love the pen, still use it (recently serviced) and love that it has changed colour on the body from use by my grandfather. My rings around the cap have lost some of their plating which is a shame but it is really hard (perhaps impossible) to re-plate them. Thanks for the video though, next time I will replace the sack myself (if I ever need to).

[@santauxia]

Nice job DB, pen looks great and writes

[@Doodlebud]

Writes perfectly every time now 😁

[@rubenbajapantydj]

Try Chris Rapseik he restores vintage pens too

[@MrGyges]

Your devotion deserves a knighthood.

[@redemissarium]

never like parker but to watch any pen from 1930s restored is a blessing for any fp lover 😀 I do notice the nib is rigid? I always thought that all 1930s pen always have true flex nib 😅

[@Doodlebud]

Most nibs were regular nibs like today. Buy if you wanted a flex nib they were available & much better than current modern flex nibs. Vintage pen doesn't mean flex all the time

[@pnwesty7174]

I've had a couple of cocktails, but this is the best, most informative, most interesting pen channel on KZbin. #mangochutney

[@Doodlebud]

Hey man good to hear! Just had a video idea last night that I told Ben Walsh about from Gravitas Pens. We chatted and then it turned into a whole new pen design idea. Who knows, maybe something will come out of it 🤔😉

[@pnwesty7174]

@@Doodlebud I've been waiting for my first "big boy" pen order from gravitas. Ben seems a bit too busy to be responsive. Its been a bit frustrating, but I'm looking forward to them getting here. Eventually.

[@pnwesty7174]

P.S. #mangochutney

[@SiennaArtsandCrafts]

It was originally green. I have the set of all 3 and the fountain pen was used most and went a gold colour, the others , the pencil and ball pen are still Green marble all engraved with my grandads mame and 1915 date.

[@Keepitsimplesilva]

THANK YOU! I have a Parker Duo Fold Centennial circa 1990. The nib was severely bent, after having been in the wash with a shirt 😢. It’s been unused for years, until yesterday, I watched your video, the result? I have my beloved Duo fold up and running after years of storage.

[@Doodlebud]

Hey great to hear! Hope you're enjoying the pen!

[@Keepitsimplesilva]

@@Doodlebud immensely!

[@Kevinjimtheone]

I wanted to get a Parker Streamline Deluxe, but I think the bladder system would drive me crazy. I wonder if I could use some silicon grease at the bottom, and just eye drop it from the removable cap.

[@Qwex1992]

Thank you, this was an interesting and educational video! But I have a problem that I don't know what to do about and hope you can help with. I have a vintage button filler pen (Osmia), and it's button is so tight, that when I press it it doesn't depress by itself. It stays in the low position until I manually take it out with my nails. This button is not like the one from duofold - yours consist of four "sections" that can be spread out or squized in to regulate how wide the button should be. My is like a whole cylinder (without a bottom) that sits really tight against sides of the barrel. What can I do to make the button usable? The only things I came up with are putting some silicon grease against the sides of the button for easier movements, or change the shape of the button with a hammer...

[@lolkthnxbai]

Funny enough tooth paste actually works really well for removing the ink stains from these old nbs.

[@Doodlebud]

I could see that. Just enough abrasiveness

[@ironmic9244]

ARe you sure you don't want to quit your day job? There aren't a lot of pen restorers and nib grinders in Canada. Was there a reason you didn't put the pen body in the ultrasonic cleaner? Does it damage the celluloid? If there is a sac within the barrel, what were you cleaning out from the barrel? was it ink? Good job Doodlebud! Hope you have many enjoyable hours with your Parker, and hope it was fun doing the re-store.

[@Doodlebud]

Ultra sonic apparently is no good for the celluloid, can destroy it I've read. Was old dried up ink sac & ink that was inside the barrel. I enjoy doing my own pens, but wouldn't enjoy doing it all the time.

[@ethanpayne4116]

would (briefly) soaking or flushing out with water followed by a semi-stiff brush be enough to loosen and remove the gunk and forgo the need for as much mechanical scraping when cleaning out the pen? for these super old antiques I feel like my instincts tell me to be as gentle as possible during the cleaning.

[@Doodlebud]

It would need a SERIOUS soak. The sac turns into a hard and very brittle material. You'd need a very hard bristle to remove it and would actually probably damage the body more. When you scrape it off it sort of grabs the sac and busts it off in chunks. Yes...I just talked about grabbing the sac and busting it off, but this is perfectly normal pen talk. Its a balance of being effective at removing the dried up crusty bits and not damaging the pen. The metal spoon type spatulas work very well at this. Not sharp so it wont gouge the pen, but strong enough to break apart the stuff you need to remove.

[@ethanpayne4116]

@@Doodlebud I hadn't really considered the corpse of the old sac and had the mistaken impression that the gunk was mostly ink boogers, thanks for the clarification (you did mention that you were removing bits of dried up sac in the video so that's on me for not paying enough attention)

[@aquanox4438]

More videos like this :)

[@Doodlebud]

I'll be sure to record any other restorations I do. Check out my Sheaffer PFM vid if you haven't seen it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHyWo4J_hKqLfas

[@Lowkster]

This episode brought to you exclusively by the Novus system 😄

[@Doodlebud]

The stuff works fantastic!

[@Lowkster]

@@Doodlebud I got my own set now. Polishing plastic poles daily now too

[@paulherman5822]

I've got a green Duofold from about the 1920s in my "to get finished" stash. Nice encouragement to get to work on it. 😁 Not going to be my first button filler, but I have several pens in front of it right now. With the first, I had to replace the button, and bought what I thought was a single replacement on eBay. Nope. I probably have more than I'll ever need, so, if you want one that's not pitted...👍 Anderson Pens and Vintage Pens from Rhode Island are excellent sources for vintage restoration. I generally use Vintage Pens, unless they don't have what I need (slightly cheaper.) Trimming the pressure bar isn't awful to do.😉

[@Doodlebud]

Ok thanks for letter me know trimming is ok lol. Was all ready to go then put the blind cap on and 💦

[@paulherman5822]

@@Doodlebud I've seen others do it, so... 😁 There's sites out there that can tell you generally the exact pressure bar or sac needed. Pendragons from the UK is good, amongst other ones. And, although most American origin pen manufacturers were imperial measurements, Pendragons are metric, for those outside of the United States. 😉

[@Doodlebud]

Yeah I checked out pendragons as well. Seems like I got the right sac but I dunno, the fitment just seems wrong. I'm just so used to how things were done in engineering. I'd have to produce drawings, a Bill of Material (BOM), assembly instructions documents, and jigs/assembly tools to put things together. And everything had to be just perfect, and if it wasn't, after I got my hands on it now it was. The only way there was a problem was human error. And even then, had to have tests/inspections to ensure those were flushed out. Failure rate was way below 1%. And even that bothered me. If there ever was a failure, I had to find the origin & figure it out & guarantee it would never happen again or we had a test to catch it. So then I go to put together a 1930 vintage fountain pen using adhesive made from a secretion from a sap sucking bug..... 🪲LOL

[@paulherman5822]

@@Doodlebud The necked sacs all seem odd to me, but Parker seemed to use them regularly. My first, a Parker Challenger from around the same age as your Duofold, was my first encounter with a necked sac. Simple just seems better, to me. Why I have a lot of basically pressure bar fillers. (From an over century old Conklin Crescent Filler through lever fillers to the button fillers. ) Could also be because I "cut my teeth" on a probably early 1950s Esterbrook J in high school. In this case, familiarity led kind of to obsession. 😂 You apparently can use a wood glue, as well, though I've not tried it. But, that's what Chrisrap52 has done for years with good success. Bought what ElfQuest would have probably called "spitty bug juice"😁 before I heard what Chrisrap52 used, and have enough to probably last my lifetime, so that's my sealant preference for the job.

[@Doodlebud]

I had to make it myself just out of principle & curiosity. Got the flakes, methyl hydrate, mixy mixy... Have mix on hand to seal every sac on the planet LOL

[@blt1]

I've seen that plastic polish system before and used it many years ago. Now that I've seen you use it on the nib, what are your thoughts about using it on a straight razor to try and polish off some decades old shaving soap stains? My corrosion looks superficial but surely isn't as light as the ink-on-gold staining you had.

[@Doodlebud]

I've restored some straight razors before, even with some serious pitting. Went up to 3000 grit wet sand then used some chromium oxide (green bar compound) to polish it up. After that the final shine was done with some Mothers Mag Wheel Polish. The #3 paste from this set might do it for what you're describing

[@bandit-revolver]

Typo in thumbnail! Still "wotks" after 90 years.

[@Doodlebud]

Oh man thx! I do everything on my phone & I miss stuff sometimes 🤣. Especially when it's 130am 😴

[@BlakeT87]

I love it! What does it usually cost to get a vintage pen in bad/repairable shape? This could be a fun side project.

[@Doodlebud]

Huge price range depending upon the pen itself & condition. You can buy a lot of pens sometimes (maybe like $60) and get several pens to work on. Or just start sort of like when buying new modern pens. Start off at entry prices, play around, then go after a few vintage grail pens. Find a deal on one (like I did with this pen and my PFM for example), put some work into it, and BOOM! You now just scored a grail pen at a huge discount & even better you fixed it up and it performs JUST PERFECT! 🤤🤤🤤

[@imtemplar1940]

5:14 bro got those balls to steal his wife's eyebrow brush 💀

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

DB-Thanks again on your video. That is a beautiful pen! Love vintage pens. Did you use a blow dryer or heat gun in order to get the nib assembly out?

[@Doodlebud]

Warm tap water for the section, but needed more heat to seperate the cap parts. Wife has a small space heater in her office so used that holding the pen not too close. Took at least 20min of working it

[@sarreqteryx]

throwing the cap and barrel in the ultra sonic should be fine. that's how I clean my 1945 vacumatic.

[@Doodlebud]

Oh good to know. I know pen wash with ammonia is a no go, but I've heard some say the ultrasonic trashed their pen

[@IAT1964]

Word of caution on the clip. Don't make It too tight because it will eventually cause an indentation in the plastic of the cap

[@williamcatalano1762]

Pardon my American, but that pen is bad ass. lol

[@Doodlebud]

You betta believe it is. Love this pen now it's all fixed!

[@williamcatalano1762]

@@Doodlebud Thing was in unbelievable condition on the outside. One of the better ones I've seen.

[@bootblackbob]

O.K. AM A FOUNTAIN PEN LOVER.........NEED A REPAIR ON ONE OF MY FOUNTAIN PENS. aNY SUGGESTION WERE TO REAIR THIS ''TREASURE OF MINE'? THANS.....BOB

[@Doodlebud]

Just google Fountain Pen Repair and see what you find that works for you in your region.

[@stewartbrands]

It is not "ebonite"it is made of elvacite,the first plastic which is not plastic per se. Elvacite. It is also not "celluite".

[@avgjoeshow4208]

Love your stuff but I have a question. Are you like 9ft tall??? I don’t mean to be mean at all but damn your hands always dwarf pens and make them look so small.

[@Doodlebud]

Lol, I'm 6'6" so I'm up there