Waterman’s Safety no. 42
28/05/2022
Hebborn “LUXOR”
10/06/2022
This fountain pen has been made by the German firm Luxor, in the 30's. Both celluloid and hard rubber, piston filler, 14kt gold filled clip and cap top and ring. The clip is marked Luxor, and the clip and ring are somewhat worn. No surprise here, given how old is this gentleman. As a thing of interest is the piston housing, made from brass, in good shape as far as I can see.
Several issues with this pen: the feed is broken in two, half of it stuck up in the section; the nib is quite damaged (Parker Lucky Curve 14kt); piston is shot and stuck; the piston knob cover (hard rubber) is broken with part missing; the body has a crack running along the threaded collar for about 3mm; piston seal is long gone; cap top has been damaged in the past and it has been glued bad; the entire body is somehow warped due to the celluloid's shrinkage along the years.
One interesting thing is the piston itself: it is of the telescopic kind, 2-stage expansion, made of hard rubber with some aluminium parts (the internal retention nut). It is however stuck now, but I am confident that if I manage to unlock and remove the aluminium nut inside the piston housing, all will be well.
NOTE: the advancement of the piston is peculiar: the piston knob rotates clockwise to extend, and counterclockwise to retract. This is the only pen ever encountered to have this strange feature. All pistons, afaik at least, always advance ccw and retract cw. Good to know is you acquire or have one of this model here.
Below the next photo, a brief history of the Luxor company, for your information.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS PEN
Luxor company was founded in 1925 by Heinrich Hebbron, who (prior to the Luxor experience) was associated with the famous Kaweco company. So, in 1925 he associated with another two fellows, Leo Boettigheimer and Heinrich Schlicksupp, incorporating "H. Hebborn & Co." in Heidelberg, Germany. Later on, the company and its business moved to the city of Cologne (Köln).
Although the company was always officially known as Hebborn & Co, it was better known as "Luxor" due to its well-known fountain pen model with that name. Fact check: the inspiration of some of their pens was drawn from the themes of ancient Egypt; at one time, there was a sub-brand called "Sphinx".
In 1935, the company patented a new and improved piston filler mechanism, which they called "Teleskop". It was a very ingenious mechanism, allowing the pen to be loaded with a much larger quantity of ink, in the same space as used by a regular piston filler. It is presumed (alleged?) that this mechanism stands at the origin of the famed Montblanc pistons (series 130-140), later on. Luxor was known for producing the models Visible and Grandvisible, among other.
During the 70's. the company ceased to exist, when it was purchased by the German branch of Parker.
The piston underwent a full dismantle, cleaned inside, and a fresh cork was manually made and installed. The threads of the connector are going to be manually cleaned prior to piston insert into the pen.
Restoration complete, the pen is is excellent mechanical condition. Cosmetically, it has been improved obviously, but the body slight warp remain; it is the effect of time and such onto the celluloid. The piston seal is ensuring a full vacuum within the reservoir, a vintage feed has been installed, flow is very good with a slightly wet touch, nib has been straightened and adjusted, cap cleaned and all trimmings also, a good (non abrasive) polish was given.
All in all, the client' will be happy to see his old pen restored and given a new life. That's what matters, at the end of the day.
