One thing I forgot. The vintage Parker 51 pens only fill from a bottle. Though this may seem inconvienent it is not a big deal and much beter for the pen. Drawing ink up into the nib and then having it go down in writing helps to keep it flushed.
The real problem is the folded steel. A decent nib will have a tiny ball of "irridium" (it's not irridium anymore but other really hard metals) on the tip which, if it was ground properly, won't be scratchy in most cases. You can try sandpaper but make sure it's not very coarse (600-1200 is usually good) and try writing on it. Unfortunately, I don't think you will get very far with that nib. Pilot does also make some of the best higher end pens (they own the Namiki brand) and, if you can find one used for cheaper, their vanishing point has one of the best nibs for that price point. (Actually it's better than many higher priced pens!). Pilot/Namiki has some of the best quality control in the business. Most modern pens (even my favorites) will have problems out of the box about 1/3 to 1/5 of the time. Pretty bad considering the prices on these pens. Not Pilot/Namiki or Sailor, both Japanese companies. Sailor retails for higher which is the only reason I'm not recommending them. Otherwise they're awesome pens. Retail is around $100 for the Vanishing Point so you'd have to hunt on ebay or penbid.com for a used model to keep it lower. I also recommend finding a vintage Parker 51 pen. There are TONS of them on ebay which keeps them cheap. Often they'll be full of dried ink but flushing them with water a few times normally does the trick. THose pens have a 14k nib and can be found in working condition for $30 and up. Much higher than $5 but they'll last for a long time. Try to find one that is an Aerometric filler because they're newer and are less likely to need the sac replaced. That is the only caviot with these-many times they'll need a sac replaced which is good for another 50 years of use.:) But that will cost around $20 to send is somewhere and have this done. Hopefully you can find one that does not need this. I have an Aerometric and it wrote perfectly without any work done on my part. And I paid around $40 on ebay for it. Also many collectors consider the vintage 51 to be one of the best pens ever made. Hope this was helpful.
I collects pens and fountain pens are the best writers by far. You cannot match the feel and flow of a good fountain pen. Many people have mentioned Mont Blanc and I agree they do suck. Here's why. They have the same problem most modern pens have-poor inkflow. If you look at the end of a Mont Blanc cartridge or bottle converter you'll notice the hole is pretty small. Both ink and air must get through that hole which prevents the ink from flowing as well as it could/should. Also Mont Blanc strictly controls the pricing of their pens (no warrenty if you don't pay full retail from an authorized dealer) which causes their prices to be much higher than the competition. And yes, they are brittle and crack easier than most brands. Good brands to try which don't have inkflow "starvation" problems are Pilot/Namiki-the Falcon is especially interesting with it's soft nib/tip, Pelikan (only bottle fillers the cartridge ones have the inkflow problem), Sailor and Omas (again bottle fillers only). Something to note is Both Namiki/Pilot and Sailor have mush higher quality control for their nibs (which is the tip you write with) than all other modern brands. Also most pens which fill only from the bottle don't have inkflow problems which includes many older pens which can be easily found on ebay. The Parker 51 is a popular and inexpensive find on ebay. It may need some minor reconditioning considering they were manufactured anywhere from the 40's to early 70's. (Don't buy the modern 51's, like Mont Blanc they look good but they suck). If you become as obssesed as I am with nice pens you will find my recommendations quite enjoyable.:)
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One thing I forgot. The vintage Parker 51 pens only fill from a bottle. Though this may seem inconvienent it is not a big deal and much beter for the pen. Drawing ink up into the nib and then having it go down in writing helps to keep it flushed.
The real problem is the folded steel. A decent nib will have a tiny ball of "irridium" (it's not irridium anymore but other really hard metals) on the tip which, if it was ground properly, won't be scratchy in most cases. You can try sandpaper but make sure it's not very coarse (600-1200 is usually good) and try writing on it. Unfortunately, I don't think you will get very far with that nib. Pilot does also make some of the best higher end pens (they own the Namiki brand) and, if you can find one used for cheaper, their vanishing point has one of the best nibs for that price point. (Actually it's better than many higher priced pens!). Pilot/Namiki has some of the best quality control in the business. Most modern pens (even my favorites) will have problems out of the box about 1/3 to 1/5 of the time. Pretty bad considering the prices on these pens. Not Pilot/Namiki or Sailor, both Japanese companies. Sailor retails for higher which is the only reason I'm not recommending them. Otherwise they're awesome pens. Retail is around $100 for the Vanishing Point so you'd have to hunt on ebay or penbid.com for a used model to keep it lower. I also recommend finding a vintage Parker 51 pen. There are TONS of them on ebay which keeps them cheap. Often they'll be full of dried ink but flushing them with water a few times normally does the trick. THose pens have a 14k nib and can be found in working condition for $30 and up. Much higher than $5 but they'll last for a long time. Try to find one that is an Aerometric filler because they're newer and are less likely to need the sac replaced. That is the only caviot with these-many times they'll need a sac replaced which is good for another 50 years of use. :) But that will cost around $20 to send is somewhere and have this done. Hopefully you can find one that does not need this. I have an Aerometric and it wrote perfectly without any work done on my part. And I paid around $40 on ebay for it. Also many collectors consider the vintage 51 to be one of the best pens ever made. Hope this was helpful.
Get a vintage Parker 51 on ebay. 14k nib from $30 to $100. Or find a used Namiki Vanishing Point. Another great "low end" pen.
I collects pens and fountain pens are the best writers by far. You cannot match the feel and flow of a good fountain pen. Many people have mentioned Mont Blanc and I agree they do suck. Here's why. They have the same problem most modern pens have-poor inkflow. If you look at the end of a Mont Blanc cartridge or bottle converter you'll notice the hole is pretty small. Both ink and air must get through that hole which prevents the ink from flowing as well as it could/should. Also Mont Blanc strictly controls the pricing of their pens (no warrenty if you don't pay full retail from an authorized dealer) which causes their prices to be much higher than the competition. And yes, they are brittle and crack easier than most brands. Good brands to try which don't have inkflow "starvation" problems are Pilot/Namiki-the Falcon is especially interesting with it's soft nib/tip, Pelikan (only bottle fillers the cartridge ones have the inkflow problem), Sailor and Omas (again bottle fillers only). Something to note is Both Namiki/Pilot and Sailor have mush higher quality control for their nibs (which is the tip you write with) than all other modern brands. Also most pens which fill only from the bottle don't have inkflow problems which includes many older pens which can be easily found on ebay. The Parker 51 is a popular and inexpensive find on ebay. It may need some minor reconditioning considering they were manufactured anywhere from the 40's to early 70's. (Don't buy the modern 51's, like Mont Blanc they look good but they suck). If you become as obssesed as I am with nice pens you will find my recommendations quite enjoyable. :)