Moore Specialist – The End Of An Era

All good things must end, and so it did for Moore Fountain Pens in the Mid 1950s.  Their last fountain pen line was an aerometric filler (similar to the Parker 51, which had already been out for several years, making its debut in 1949).  It was named the Specialist.  It was produced by Moore (after the failed Fingertip) during the early to mid 1950s.  Here is a photo of the pen after I took it apart.  As you can see, the sac is shot and much of the internals were very stained.  The aerometric filler bar was loose and the sac was in pieces.  Not a pretty picture….

I began by cleaning all of the pieces, being very careful with the brass cap, which I correctly suspected was covered with a very thin gold plating. I attempted to clean the nib, a very cheap “Iridium Tipped” steel nib which was stamped as a Moore Iridium Tipped Medium USA. These old steel nibs never clean up very well, but this one was in fairly good shape and remains writable. It very much reminds me of the nibs on the Waterman 2nd Generation Skywriters, which were contemporary to these. In fact the pen designs are very similar, though the Skywriters were lever fillers.

I continued by cleaning out the inside of the section and feed using water and a q tip.  Next for the rebuilding of the aero filler.  I trimmed a size 16 sac to fit exactly from the section to the end of the aero unit.  Using a new pressure bar (I used a large button filler pressure bar), I trimmed it to the size of the aero unit and attached it to the sac and the end of the section.  It now is visible through the aerometric window and compresses the sac with a gentle push.  The cleaned barrel was then threaded back on to the section after applying a bit of silicon grease to make a nice smooth connection while filling and cleaning. The cap was cleaned only on the inside, and the clip was polished.  I am not certain if it was originally silver, or if gold plating wore off over time.  Farther below, you will see a mint example of a Specialist that has a gold cap and clip.

Below here is a photo of the aerometric filling system before covering up with the barrel.

Below are photos of the completed pen which measures 5 1/32 inches closed and 5 9/16 inches posted.

I have also obtained an unused and stickered ($2.00) example of a Specialist.  Interestingly, it has a Waterman Taperite type section, different from the open nib above. It is also the blue color and as I mentioned, the clip is gold, matching the cap. The internal aero filler is the same as is the open nib I have restored. I do not know why they sold different nib styles, but it is the same concept as the Waterman late 1940s and 50s Crusader.  Below are photos of the New Old Stock Specialist, and the restored pen, together.

Moore Fountain Pens eventually ceased operations in 1956 after this line of pens.  Unlike some of their competitors at the time, they did not jump into the ballpoint pen marketplace.    The Specialist, their last fountain pen, is an interesting glimpse into the end of one of a fine Company that produced many classic and highly collectible pens throughout the early half of the 1900s.

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