Mabie Todd Leverless

[fqgouvea]

I just received a Mabie Todd Swan Leverless that I bought on eBay. I've never had one of these before. How far should the piston unscrew to take in ink?

Fernando

[Cob]

There is no piston. Mabie Todd never made piston fillers apart from a very few made right at the end of the American operation in 1939-1941.

There are two types of leverless: the first has an eccentric bar that compresses the sac as the knob is turned and is most likely to be the one you have. The later type used an ingenious screw thread system to compress a straght pressure bar (as used in button fillers) to compress the sac. Often a pain to fix, when working these latter types are much more efficient.

A photograph or model number would be helpful should you require more advice.

Cob

[fqgouvea]

I see, Cob, thanks. I just meant the knob at the end. It unscrews just a little, maybe one turn. I'll work on a photo. Where would I look for the model number?


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

[Cob]

I see, Cob, thanks. I just meant the knob at the end. It unscrews just a little, maybe one turn. I'll work on a photo. Where would I look for the model number?


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

One turn would be about the lot. With old leverless pens, a little silicone grease on the thread improves them quite a bit very often.

IF your pen has a number it will be stamped on the barrel circumferentially close to the filler knob. Unfortunately, Mabie Todd very often omitted the number which is rather annoying, although in most cases the pen can be identified as a particular model; there were some exceptions to this however, but even then the basic model type can be identified.

Is your pen supposed to work? Filling procedure is simple: insert the nib and the end of the section into the ink, unscrew the knob until it stops and then close the knob and wait ten seconds. The pen should then be "filled" Very often leverless pens have not been overhauled correctly and as a result hold very little ink. When done properly they can be quite good and hold plenty.


Cob

[fqgouvea]

Pictures:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287780.908228.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287794.261570.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287809.979891.jpg


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

[fqgouvea]

I don't see a model number near the knob.

It's supposed to be working, yes. I filled it, and will see how long it writes.

Thanks for your help, Cob!


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

[Cob]

Pictures:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287780.908228.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287794.261570.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1433287809.979891.jpg


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

Yes! there'll not be a number on that one. I had an identical one - like all Mabie Todds a very nice pen; I presume that the nib is a 2 and that there is a little metal Swan symbol on top of the cap?

In all respects except one, this pen is a 0160, the exception being the single cap band. The 0160 (and its predecessor the L212/60) had twin cap bands.

EDIT: I cannot make out from your picture if the nib might be a 3. If so the pen is a variant of the L312/60 (60 is the code for black celluloid)

I love all this Mabie Todd stuff: why on earth MT made all these minor variations is baffling and fascinating at the same time.

The leverless system will be the earlier type with the eccentric bar that compresses the sac.
Cob

[fqgouvea]

The nib is a 2, so it's a 0160 variant. And yes, there's a little metal swan at the top of the cap.

Thanks for your help!

Fernando


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

[Deb]

[QUOTE=Cob;132465]

I love all this Mabie Todd stuff: why on earth MT made all these minor variations is baffling and fascinating at the same time.

Cob

They did it so that we could puzzle over it on pen discussion boards.

[Cob]

By coincidence I have two 6260s (lever filler, No 2 nib and similar in appearance to your pen but without the little metal Swan - it is a little earlier) here, one stamped 6260, all correct and very nice, two cap bands. The other one that arrived yesterday, has no number and like yours, has a single cap band, so of course it is not actually a 6260. However unlike most 6260s it has a very flexible nib which in the way of things these days is a bonus!

Cob

[Alanc]

My one and only (lonely) Swan.
It is a 275/60 leverless circa 1934 with a No2 nib. The feed is heat stamped F 2B. The last letter is a little blurred.
The model number is on the base, it can be read with a loupe, but is quite worn.
Marked around the base is the wording -

'SWAN' Leverless
Pat No 390585/32
MADE IN ENGLAND

[Cob]

My one and only (lonely) Swan.
It is a 275/60 leverless circa 1934 with a No2 nib. The feed is heat stamped F 2B. The last letter is a little blurred.
The model number is on the base, it can be read with a loupe, but is quite worn.
Marked around the base is the wording -

'SWAN' Leverless
Pat No 390585/32
MADE IN ENGLAND

Your only Swan! Well you didn't mess about did you! That's a real beauty.

I expect it writes as well as it looks? The feed is actually stamped "SF2 B" which suggests that the feed came from an earlier self filler; I have seen leverless feeds on the larger pens stamped "L4". However Mabie Todd's "stamping department" seems to have been pretty haphazard in operation given the quantity of pens that left the works without model numbers stamped on them!

Thanks for showing us.

Cob

[Scrawler]

My Leverless is stamped 200/60 on the knob, and the feed has SWAN " SF2 but is set too deep to see if the is a B after it. (that double quote is not a mistake)