As my custom title suggests, I do enjoy finding, restoring, and using inexpensive fountain pens, particularly those vintage pens made from attractive plastics and celluloids. Wearever fountain pens from the '30s and '40s, although inexpensive and not the highest quality, certainly qualify.
Here's my most recent Wearever acquisition, along with a couple photos of its rich cousin. The red pen has a steel nib; the silver and black pinstriped pen has a bi-metal nib (gold with a steel "frame" around it).
The red pen set me back a whopping $10, shipping included, and didn't even need a new ink sac. I will probably replace the sac soon, since I don't know how old this one is and how long it might last. I gave it a good flushing (as usual, there was a lot of old ink that needed to be cleaned out), loaded it up with ink and started writing. Initially, the nib was very dry and a little scratchy, but a good flossing of the slit with a brass sheet improved the flow and the performance quite a bit.
Bottom line: Don't ignore the cheapies...you may be missing out a fine pen!
Here's my most recent Wearever acquisition, along with a couple photos of its rich cousin. The red pen has a steel nib; the silver and black pinstriped pen has a bi-metal nib (gold with a steel "frame" around it).
The red pen set me back a whopping $10, shipping included, and didn't even need a new ink sac. I will probably replace the sac soon, since I don't know how old this one is and how long it might last. I gave it a good flushing (as usual, there was a lot of old ink that needed to be cleaned out), loaded it up with ink and started writing. Initially, the nib was very dry and a little scratchy, but a good flossing of the slit with a brass sheet improved the flow and the performance quite a bit.
Bottom line: Don't ignore the cheapies...you may be missing out a fine pen!