Sea Gull Pens II
On June 1, 2009 I posted a restoration of a Japanese Sea Gull Fountain Pen. It was an aerometric-fill Parker Vacumatic look alike. Clicking on the link will show photos and detail the restoration. Since that time, I have not seen another Sea Gull, until I picked up this lever filler recently. Below is a photo of the pen after I took it apart. No particular problems with the components other than the usual wear. My guess is that it was unused, as there are no ink remnants on the feed or nib, and the barrel has maintained its original color. The pattern is often referred to as Koi. I have most often see this pattern on modern Platinum Fountain Pens, produced in Japan.
The trim on the clip and cap presented the biggest challenges on this pen. As you can see from the photo above, there has been considerable brassing to both. I was able to take most of the darkening off of the cap band and clip as you can see below. After taking the pen apart and cleaning the gold trim for quite some time, I refit the feed and nib back into the section. I then trimmed a size 16 sac to fit in the barrel and it fit snugly with the usable jbar already inside. I covered the sac with talc to assure a smooth fit. Note that the section is a threaded fit, not friction, a nice touch for a pen of this size and quality.
A photo of the finished product is below. It is a very small pen, measuring 4 1/16 inches capped and 4 13/16 inches posted.
This photo of the nib shows that it is in unused condition, and marked “Special Pen”. This reminds me of the Aerometric Sea-Gull that I restored in June of 2009 that had the phrase “Special Best In The World” printed on the aerometric filler pressure bar. The maker of Sea-Gull Fountain Pens clearly enjoyed using Special as its adjective of choice. My favorite part of this pen is the clip which is held on by the black plastic jewel which screws in to the top of the cap. The clip seems overly ornate for this pen and has the words SEA GULL printed top to bottom.
From an old post, the “Special” aerometric filler ~
Here is the imprint for Sea Gull Fountain Pen.
As covered in the June 2009 post, Sea Gull Pens were Japanese made and active in the 1950s. The previous aerometric filler Parker clone would seem to fit that time period. This lever filler would seem to come from an earlier time period, but I have no way of knowing its production dates. If any of you have any additional information on these pens, I would love to hear from you.
After the pen was finished, I filled it up with Waterman Red, a bright orangy red that matches the koi spots. It works well with the rigid fine nib. Though my collection primarily focuses on vintage US pens, it is fun to venture to Europe and Asia from time to time to find less than common pens.
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by L Lim, Scott Sprich. Scott Sprich said: Sea Gull Pens II « Fountain Pen Restoration: My guess is that it was unused, as there are no ink remnants on the f… http://bit.ly/8X0Z5j […]
Pingback by Tweets that mention Sea Gull Pens II « Fountain Pen Restoration -- Topsy.com | October 4, 2010 |
I love the subtle colors of the barrel and the fun word usage. “Special: Best in the World” reminds me of my new Pilot 78G, which states “Pilot: Super Quality, Japan” on the nib. 🙂
Comment by ThirdeYe | November 2, 2010 |
While clearing my late Aunt’s house I came upon a “Sea-Gull” knive-pen. This is how it is spelt on the barrel of the fountain pen! The pen is black and a standard size and has brass type metal mounts as in the ones you have in the photos here. The end of the pen is different. It has an onyx effect plastic end in which there is a small pen knife which is easily opened and closed. The nib has the words “special hardest” and something else indecipherable. The clip is loose but undamaged. I wonder if anyone has come across this type of pen before in this range and if anyone collects them?
Comment by Jenny Foxford | October 5, 2016 |
Years ago I picked up a Vac, Pearl & Gold (made in India Wilson pen. Unfortunately the plastic had fatigued in the barrel. Subsequently the pen was unrestorable. More recently I picked up a Japanese Vac clone in the same coloured finish (more or less identical to your Sea-Gull but with a lever filler. I was actually happy to get this pen since I do have a responsible collection of Parker Vacumatics. Saying that and with the limited resource on these Japanese clones, I am wondering if the imprinting on your pen and in difference on mine (Pladium) actually refers not to a company branding but more to a different models re the different fillers? My pen nib is similar in ‘Aero’ Style make up to yours,but with the marking ‘Personal No.3’. As for the size it is close to a Parker Vacumatic Deb but I did take a photo if it with a similar finished Major. I serviced the pen this morning and are pleased to report that the plastic overall really polished up nicely. If you would be interested in an image just email me and I will forward one to you.
Best, and I enjoy your website,
Christopher
Comment by Christopher Robertson | June 22, 2019 |