The Esterbrook Safari was one of the Company’s attempts at producing a Cartridge filling pen, as fountain pens evolved to this filling system. All previous restorations of Esterbrook pens have been lever fillers, which was the predominant Esterbrook system. For a glimpse back at some previous Esterbrook restorations,  please read these previous articles:

Fountain Pen Restoration 101 – May 8, 2008

Esterbrook Bowling Pen – September 13, 2011

Esterbrook Nurses Pen – August 5, 2011

Esterbrook Pastels -  July 5, 2011

I was going through some old magazines when I ran across this old advertisement from the late 1950s.  It reminded me to be on the lookout for one of these pens. Within the past year, I actually stumbled into two of them, which I will discuss below.  First, the advertisement.  As you can see, the thrust of the campaign is the ease and economy of the cartridges.  One cartridge is in use, and the other fits over the active cartridge, at the ready as a spare.  Add the two together and you have what Esterbrook touted as 40% more ink than other pens.  Clever marketing.  Add the usual Esterbrook removable / replaceable nibs (32) and a low price point of $3.95 in the late 1950s, and you can see where they were headed.

The photos below are of the two cartridge fillers taken apart.  You can see that the section and barrel are an easy screw fit, and the familiar interchangeable nibs are as well.  Not much restoration to be done other than simple clean up.   I cleaned the nib units together in an ultrasonic cleaner.  Then the barrels, sections, and caps followed.  Be careful handling these as the plastic on these is very fragile and prone to cracking.

The proprietary Esterbrook cartridges are, of course, no longer manufactured, so I found an empty extra on ebay, and cleaned it out thoroughly.  This will allow me to use this cartridge in one of the pens.  I will fill it using a syringe, as shown below.  First, I had to clear out the dried blue ink from the cartridge.  Once cleaned, it is ready to be filled with bottled ink of choice.

Below are the completed pens, cleaned and polished.

The pens measure 5 1/2 inches closed and 6 1/4 inches capped.  Both came with 2668 nibs, which are unremarkable firm medium nibs.  Another nice feature of these pens is that any other Esterbrook nibs will work on these, so you can swap out one of your 9000 level nibs on these, if you chose.

Here is one final photo – the cap, which features a unique and attractive clip and shiny slanted cap end. A nice touch for the price, I think.

Safaris were first seen in 1957, the same date as the advertisement above.  They came in six colors – Gray, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Green, Red, and Green.   After a short run with plastic caps (as seen in these two pens), Esterbrook decided to use a sturdier metal cap.  So, you may find these same colors with a later metal cap.  Plunger fillers were also produced, though I have never handled one of these.   Finally, matching pencil sets were available.    An excellent source of information and photos, providing a much more educated and thorough review can be found at Esterbrook.Net, an excellent site maintained by Anderson Pens.

Safari’s are another example of an attractive pen, with a unique design, use standard Esterbrook J/SJ/LJ nibs, that can still be used today.   Keep an eye out for them….

The Parker VP (Very Personal),  was introduced in 1962 and remained in production for a short time, until 1964.    The filler, seen in the first photo below, is a semi aerometric, but actually was placed directly into the holy water and after full, placed into the pen with the black capillary like filler contacting the chalice.  It was also used in early versions of the Parker 65, and was very problematic as the tip was prone to breaking and many pens were sent back for repairs.

Here is a photo of the filler inserted back into the chalice unit.  I wish I had an actual VP to show the comparison, but alas, I do not.

The Holy Water Sprinkler measures 5 7/16 inches closed and 6 1/16 posted (photos below).

The imprint for Reverend Francis M. Valenti.  An internet search reveals that he was a Catholic Priest from the Cleveland, Ohio Diocese during the period this pen was produced.

Below are two final closeups of the cap barrel jewel and the gold chalice.

These are somewhat unique, and though not pens, they do sit on a fountain pen base, and form a small niche for collectors.

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The following advertisement, featuring New York fashion designer Hattie Carnegie,  is from 1947, and focuses on the ladies version of these pens.

Below are the three pens – a ladies blue, standard black (both with silver bands – 4.95 model), and a 14K gold filled version.  Cleaning involves removing the messy refills which have often clogged up the barrel and cap.  Cleaning the insides and polishing the outsides.   Be careful to not get too aggressive with the 14K wash, as it will begin to rub off with too much polishing.  I recommend maybe a short bath in an ultrasonic cleaner and a gentle rub down with a jewelers cloth.

Finished products below, both closed and posted.  I refill these (as previously mentioned) with carefully trimmed Cross Ballpoint refills.  The blue is probably the brighter blue, marketed as Blue Gabardine in the advertisement above.  Marketed to women was through advertisements such as Ms. Carnegie’s, comparing it to a tube of lipstick, as opposed to the darker more traditional colors, marketed through ads with Humphrey Bogart and Fred McMurray, comparing the pens to cigarettes.

Finally, I have one pen in my collection in its original box and price sticker. This one is the darker green version with the less expensive chrome band and the $4.95 price tag is still visible on the barrel.

My favorite aspect of the box is the cover, which shows some of the brightest (and harder to find) colors available to the model.

Finally, as an addendum, I recently picked up 5 advertising Pockettes, highlighted and promoting the El Rancho Vegas Hotel.   Interestingly, this was the first Hotel/Casino built on the Las Vegas Strip (1941).  It was destroyed by fire in 1960 and never rebuilt.  Somehow, these survived.   They are another example of how Eversharp used this line of pens – to businesses to promote their product, and to thank clients.   Note that the bottom pen is a bit different in configuration than the others.  It is actually a later model of the original, with a smaller cap ring.

This is my third Eversharp Pockette post.  Thank you for allowing me to deviate from the Fountain Pen theme occasionally.  As we hunt for fountain pens, we can’t help but run into their less expensive cousins – cousins that contributed to the Fountain Pen’s demise.

Below is a photograph of the Pockette after I took it apart.  You can see that not only was I able to find the dubonnet colored with the gold filled band and clutch ring, but one with the chrome band/ring.  I have also shown the old refills that were used in these pens.  They are no longer available in usable form.  So, I have experimented and found that Cross refills (shown below with the blue caps) as well as Penatia branded work quite well, when trimmed to the same size.

While looking for the above pens, I came upon black and light green pens, and an advertising version.  Here they are shown, with their dried out refills.

Not a lot of work goes in to cleaning these.  I simply put each part through a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner to remove any dried ink inside the caps and barrels (the refill ends are prone to a bit of leaking).  I then proceeded to polish all of the externals.  The orange promotional pen, probably dated a bit later than these original Pockettes,  has a cheaper plastic and required a bit more work to remove some stubborn stains.

Once cleaned, I measured and cut the new Cross/Penatia refills and cut them to fit each barrel.  The resulting pens are below, measuring 3 3/8 inches closed and 4 3/4 inches posted.

The photo below shows all of the lot completed.  From top to bottom -  Dubonnet red with gold band, Black with chrome band, Dubonnet Red with chrome band, Green with chrome band, and promotional (these came in a wide variety of colors).  The green pen may in fact be a “female” green, as it is a bit lighter than reflected below.  As mentioned in my previous post, and as outlined here, the Pockettes came in male and female colors.

The promotional pen features wording ~ IDEA Advertising by Vernon, Newton, Iowa.  Interestingly, Vernon Advertising is a large employer today, still located in Newton, Iowa – just east of Des Moines.

Individual photos of the “Bogart Ballpoint”..

Finally, some fun with Pen Photos ~   Below I used Mac Collage (free), Instagram, and PicFrame to produce these fun images.  After a while, I get tired of just the same old light tent photos.  Makes the pens look more interesting….

These pens, not fountain pens, are nonetheless useful today, as they were in the 40s and 50s.   Easy to throw in a backpack, pocket, or purse.  I have run across a few more interesting variants, and will restore them over the next few days and post some further photos as finished…

This week’s restoration is a small fountain pen that bears her name.  Below, you can see the pen after it has been taken apart.

The next photos are of the restored pen.  It measures a small 4 1/16 inches closed and 5 1/16 inches posted.  It was a quite simple fix.  I had to clean each of the five parts.  The pressure bar inside was solid and working properly, so I did not remove it.  The old sac was nothing but powder.  First I cleaned the inside of the cap and then the threads of the barrel.  Then I polished the clip and lever.  Any gold plate was gone before I polished, so silver will be the color going forward.  In the photo above, you can see that gold plated nib which was in very bad shape, pitted and irreversibly stained.  Amusingly, it reads “Stainless  Gold Plate”.   I was able to find a very nice replacement nib, a 14K Belmont No. 3.  After cleaning the section insides, scraping off the old sac, and cleaning the feed and its channels, I fit the nib and feed back into the section.  I then attached a size 14 sac to the section and allowed the sac cement to dry overnight.  I then replaced the section in the barrel and the pen is ready to write.  The nib is a definite upgrade over the gold plated with no tipping material.

As you can see, both the clip and barrel are imprinted with the name “Shirley Temple”.  The Shirley Temple on the barrel was originally in gold, which has faded a bit.

I have seen photographs of these 1930s pens in light blue, red, green, patterned, and light purple.   They were sold as a set, with a matching pencil, and packaged in a nice box with photos of her on the box and the wording ” Sincerely Yours, Shirley Temple, 20th Century Fox Star”.   The pens/pencils were made by David Kahn, Inc., North Bergen, NJ, which was the Wearever Pen Companies.   Two things that I have read, but have no direct proof of are that Ms. Temple received a percentage of each set sold, and that there were other Companies that produced a Shirley Temple pen.  If anyone has any direct evidence of these items, I would like to hear from you.

There were a variety of these celebrity (real or fictional) pens during this period.  I have already written about Mickey Mouse and Popeye Pens.  Some others that I have seen are Hopalong Cassidy and Babe Ruth.  I am sure there are others as well.

Finally, an interesting fountain pen story, involving Shirley Temple.  In 1949 she would have been 21 years old.

“Hollywood’s most famous child star–could not be protected from such real-life intrusions as kidnap and extortion attempts, death threats and an attempted seduction by a Hollywood producer when she was only 12 years old. The threats weren’t reported at the time, she said, for fear that they would stimulate more threats.

The FBI was called in numerous times to investigate these death and extortion threats against her. She and J Edgar Hoover became friends through it all. In 1949, J. Edgar Hoover gave Shirley Temple a strange FBI souvenir– a fountain pen that emitted tear gas.” (credit: duckduckgrayduck.com)  Indeed, a Fountain Pen Surprise….

Easy to take apart, below are the components.

I washed the barrel, blind cap and cap in an ultrasonic cleaner.  The old ballpoint refill had, of course dried out.  But not before draining some of its blue ink into the blind cap and barrel.  So, I had to spend a considerable amount of time trying to get the gooey mess out of each.  Once cleaned, the real work begins….

First, I wanted to find if refills still exist – they do not.   To do this required more web searches.  To learn more about these ballpoints requires a visit to an amazing site, maintained by Richard Binder – Richards Pens.  I have no relationship to this site, but do visit it regularly.   His Kimberly information, found here, is phenomenal.  Any information I have acquired, comes directly from his site.

Basically, Kimberly Ballpoints were produced by Kimberly, which was purchase by Eversharp, which was eventually purchased by Parker.  The model I have is a Pockette, the first model, produced sometime during or after the mid 1940s.  This advertisement (below), from my collection, is from an October 16,1948 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, featuring Fred MacMurray, showing the Pockette next to a cigarette for size comparison.  Referring to the link above (Richard’s Pens) will provide far more detailed information on the history of the Kimberly Ballpoints, including Models offered, and Colors.  This is the only Kimberly advertisement that I have, but an internet search will reveal that Humphrey Bogart was also featured in one of these cigarette comparison ads.  Nothing against Fred MacMurray (as a kid I loved him as the Dad in My Three Sons), but Bogart would be a cooler ad to own, and photograph….

Two closeups of the advertisement ~

Back to the refill.  I read in various locations that Paper Mate and Cross refills could be adapted to work in Kimberly Pens.  I tried a Papermate,  but it was a little too large to fit through the barrel.  These may work in the later Pockette Jr. and Reporter models, but did not in my Pockette. I then remembered that I had an old Cross Ballpoint – you know, the long slender ones that are often given as gifts.   I pulled the refill out and the fit was not good, but better than any so far.  I admit that I had to widen the tip opening just a small amount, simply using the refill itself.   Now the fit was perfect.  I cut the refill to match the length of the original Kimberly (pictured above), and reassembled the pen.  It fit perfectly and was ready to write (albeit a ballpoint).

Finally, I applied some scratch remover, then polish to the plastic to brighten it up a bit.  The completed pen is below.

The pen measures 3 3/8 inches closed and 4 3/4 inches posted.

Imprints on opposite sides of the chrome band ~

As you can see, this is not the gold filled band model ($7.50 in 1948), but the chrome banded model ($4.95 and not featured in the advertisement).   It is dark blue, presumably not one of the feminine colors referred to above.  These are another example of long/short pens, appealing to the ease of carrying in a pocket or purse.  Yes, they are not a Fountain Pen Restoration, but an interesting writing instrument restoration, from a once major fountain pen manufacturer.

You can see the pen/pencil that I found, after I took it apart, below.  Note the gold plated nib and lever.  The nib reads “Gold Plate”  and is extremely pitted.  The sac was dried and reduced to dust.

I removed all of the old sac from the barrel, and the old lead from the pencil feed.  As the combo is black chased hard rubber with good color and chasing, I left the pencil section and barrel alone.  You can see that the “Gold Plate” nib is in very bad shape, so I went looking for a replacement.  I found a perfect size match in a MPCO (Moore Pen Company) 14K No. 3.  It fit perfectly in the section.  I attached a size 14 1/2 sac to the section and let it dry overnight.  The lever shown below is also gold plate, so I was very conservative in cleaning it, just wiping it with a jewelers cloth briefly.  Below are the three components below, ready for reassembly.

The pen and barrel screw into the back of the pencil (size 0.9mm lead) via threads.

Below, after the pen is inserted, this is the final setup of the pen/pencil.  This is how the combo would be carried – note that there is no clip, and the threads on the top of the pen’s section.

When using the pen, the pen section screws backwards into the pencil, allowing either to be used.  The combo measures 5 3/16 inches closed and 6 13/16 inches when the pen is exposed.

The only markings are the following, appearing on the pen/lever barrel and pencil sections.  The patent was applied for, but I have been unsuccessful in finding any approved patent for The Tandem pen.  I do not know who produced this, or if it ever was in wide production.

The patent linked and shown below is of a similar time period (though maybe a bit later) and is indicative of many of combos, which have the pen and pencil on the same barrel, with a cap.  Both The Tandem, and this more common design do protect the pen nib, though in different ways.

Patent

The Tandem did not ever enjoy widespread popularity, nor did any combination models, but is an interesting side of Fountain Pen history.  There are collectors who specialize in Combos.  I can certainly see their attraction.

I recently restored and wrote about a Moore Fingertip Fountain Pen on September 6, 2012.

Briefly, Fingertips were produced by Moore from 1946 to 1950. More information on them can be found in the link above.

A second generation, or smaller variant was produced later in the Fingertip run at the same $8.75 price point.  Neither pen is easily available now, but this second, smaller pen is a bit rarer.  I was fortunate to find one recently and decided to move it forward in the repair queue, as I had just recently restored the larger “Vintage Wine” colored model linked above.

Below is the exploded view of the pen.  There was no old sac inside, leading me to believe that a previous owner had taken it apart, and not finished the restoration job.  Less work for me!

I did have to clean the section unit in the ultrasonic cleaner, elimination any ink remains.  I also scraped off the old sac from the section and attached a trimmed size 18 sac to the cleaned, dry surface.  I inserted a small jbar, which fit perfectly, without having to be shaved, and the pen was ready  for assembly.

Here is a photo of the size 18 sac and section/nib, prior to insertion in the barrel.

Below are two photos of the pen after completion and polishing with a jewelers cloth.  The pen measures 4 15/16 inches closed and 6 inches posted.

The nib is a hard and inflexible fine.  As mentioned in my initial post of the first generation Fingertip, this appears to be the norm with these pens.

I find the next two photos interesting, comparing this second generation (top) and the first generation (bottom).

There are several differences between the two.  Here is a partial list from what I have observed in restoring the two.

~ The first produced pen has some advertising, the second has none, as far as I have seen.

~ The first pen was longer and appears to have been produced in more color combinations

~ The second pen only came in metal caps.  Mine has an attractive silver cap with gold clip.  I have also seen examples in all gold.

~ The first pen has an “over the cap clip, whereas the second pen has a mid cap clip, with a decorative bubble on the top of the cap.

~ The silver section is larger on the first pen, though the gold inlaid nib seems to be the same size.  The nib on the second generation pen has two breather holes as opposed to one in the first produced pen.

~ The first pen has a screw on cap, the second is friction fit with a clutch ring.

Both Fingertips marked a transition period in fountain pens and an unsuccessful attempt by Moore to compete with the more successful Parker and Sheaffer streamlined pens of the period.  They are no longer plentiful, and putting together a large collection would be cost prohibitive to most collectors, but one is an interesting collection addition.

Following is an advertisement from my collection that dates to 1947, showing that this is, of course, the Pen That Pleases Everyone!  Priced at $5.00, it was aggressively priced compared to its competitors, which would have included the Parker 51, and the Sheaffer Triumphs / Touchdowns.

Below is a photo of the pen (and matching pencil) after I took them apart.  As you can see, it was lightly used, as the sac is still pliable and everything is fairly clean.   As I have mentioned before – unless there is a perceived problem with the nib or section, it is better to leave the section/feed/nib intact.  The plastic used on these late 40s Waterman’s is not sturdy and prone to cracking, even when great care is taken.  There was some dried ink on the nib, so I gave the assembly a bath in an ultrasonic cleaner, which cleaned out the ink and polished up the hooded nib.  The sac size is 16 and I attached a new one to the section, attaching the clutch ring to the barrel before reassembly.

The inner cap of the pencil had become disengaged from the cap, so I coated it with a thin layer of super glue and let it sit over night after reattaching it to the inside of the cap.  This allows the cap to grip the metal portion of the pencil and turn it to move the lead in and out.

Below is the completed pen and pencil set.  The pen measures 5 3/16 inches closed and 6 1/8 inches posted.  The pencil measures 5 3/8 inches. Taperites were available in several colors.  This pen is a dark blue.  I have also seen it in black.

A photo of the Taperite “hooded” nib and the eraser assembly.  The 0.9mm leads are stored underneath the eraser for easy access.

Below is a photo of the two generations of Crusader, albeit both short lived a very close together.  From my experience, the later pen is easier to find today, though its cap is often difficult to find in good condition.

Finally, a close up of a correct time period ink bottle from Waterman, also depicted in the advertisement above.

Sold as a value pen in its day, it can still be found at relatively low prices compared to some of its contemporaries.  Not a bad pen to add to your collection or to your pocket…

My favorite section of the advertisement is below.  To those of us that enjoy vintage pens – this would be a visit from Santa we would not soon forget!

Have a great Holiday Season and a Healthy New Year!