Long Short Pens

I recently received a very nice long short pen from Pen Maker Darrell Eisner, from Nova Scotia. It is shown here both open and closed.  It is a cartridge filler and made of solid metal. I have been carrying it in my pocket due to its durability. After receiving it and putting it to use, it reminded me that I have a couple of vintage long short models that need restoration and have been  sitting on the workbench for far too long.

First, here are some photos of Darrell Eisner’s pen.

Below are the two vintage long short pens in need of restoration. The top group is an unbranded black bulb filler and the second narrative is a Diamond Point, a brand known by many collectors. As you can see, the unbranded bulb filler has a transparent barrel which had discolored quite a bit.  The Diamond Point had a hardened sac as well, and the usual nib – section – feed stains.

I made the decision to leave the bulb filler’s section alone. Separating the section/feed/nib from the barrel would have probably damaged the transparent barrel and I did not want to risk this. So I just ran the whole piece through the ultrasonic cleaner and left well enough alone. The breather tube was fortunately still in good shape and water tests showed that there was no leaking from the barrel, which did clear up a bit after cleaning.  I used a size 14 sac, trimmed to exactly one inch to complete the bulb filler by using sac cement to anchor it to the barrel, just below the clear threads. I then placed silicon grease on the clear threads to assure a smooth fit.  After finishing this, I cleaned out the inside of the cap and barrel end.  Finally, I tested the pen by filling with water overnight and testing for leaks.  None were found and it is ready to go.  Directly below is a close up of the completed filling system.  To fill, squeeze the sac (bulb) while the nib is submerged in your ink of choice.

The second pen, a Diamond Point is shown below after being taken apart.  It is a standard lever filler, and these can be found in various colors.  You can see that it is a simple lever filler that has lost its sac and has severe staining issues.

I cleaned the 14K nib in the ultrasonic cleaner and it is a very nice Warranted 5 nib.  I trimmed up a size 14 sac to about 1 inch and cemented it to the section.  You can see the resulting filling system below.  The small lever was still in great shape, and the barrel and cap needed little cleaning other than some polishing.

Here are both pens completed and ready to write.  The Bulb Filler measures 3 11/16 inches close and 5 7/16 inches posted.  The Diamond Point measures 3 13/32 inches closes and 5 11/16 inches posted.

This photo shows how the Diamond Point cap screws onto the cap the second set of barrel threads when posting.

Just for fun, and comparison, below are photos of a few additional long short pens. There are many more, but here are a few that I could find in my collection.

The Bexley Long Short – a cartridge filler that come in many colorful variations and is solidly made.

A previously restored c1941 Sheaffer Vacuum-Fil Tuckaway.  Note the threads on the back of the cap again, similar to the Diamond Point and Bexley.

And finally, a contemporary Pilot (Japan) Elite Fountain Pen. Pilot has made numerous long short pens throughout their history. This is a current model.

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Diamond Point Yellow Flat Top

I am not an expert on Diamond Point Pens, but I had a chance to restore what turned out to be a nice pen, and learn some interesting history during the process.

This pen came to me from a fellow collector and I purchased it locally.  As you can see, it was in fairly good condition when I got it.   You can see that it needs some general cleaning, both inside and out, as well as a new sac.

Yellow pens are very prone to cracking and this would have been a pen that I would have expected to see some cracks, especially near the cap ring, but none are present.  As I have said, I like large pens with large nibs and this is just that.

I took the pen apart and cleaned the inside of the cap, as well as the outside of both the barrel and cap.  I alternated with Pentiques cleaning compound and then their polish on the outside and was able to get rid of all if the staining and spots that so often plagues these light colored plastics.  I cleaned the section with a q tip and water, scrubbing all of the old ink out of the inside.  I cleared the feed channels with and x-acto knife and polished the nib.  Once I reassembled the nib/feed/section,  I measured and attached a size 20 sac and let it dry overnight.  I then inserted the assembly back into the barrel (the jbar and lever were clean).

The completed pen is below.  Given the length of the sac and large 20 size, this pen holds a lot of ink.  The clip and cap ring polished well and no plating was lost.

I am quite impressed with the general quality of this pen and became interested in some of the history behind the pen.  I will admit that, though I own two other Diamond Points, I knew little about them other than they were a New York City Company.

Diamond Point started near, if not before, the turn of the Century, in New York.  Initially, they made Black Hard Rubber Eyedroppers and may have had other pens as well.  They continued until WWI, when the ownership changed.  I have read that the initial owner died in the War.  After the new ownership took over, the pens took on the markings of the NEW Diamond Point.  See the clip below for this wording.  In the 1920s they made some very attractive pens, and I believe this pen dates during that time period.   Eventually Diamond Point Pens slipped in quality, and the Company continued to make pens into the 1950s.

Further details from more learned persons can be found here.

Here is the cleaned up imprint, reading ~

DIAMOND POINT

TUCOLOR

FILL        E -Z

The clip, showing the New Diamond P.P. Co., found on many of their pens of the period.

I am not certain if the nib is the original nib for this pen.  I have seen Diamond Point and Warranted Nibs on these.  If I had to guess, I would say this is a replacement.

Both the cap and barrel have jade and black inserted rings, providing a nice touch to the design of the pen.  I have seen these on other brands such as vintage Eclipse pens.

Keep an eye out for Diamond Points, especially the colorful and well-made pens of the late 1920s.  They may not be top tier, but they are close….