Bought The Piston Removal Tool, Now What

[LargeSofa]

bought the tool on ebay... pretty easy to use. I actually had a loose piston on my 146 silver fibre... so after I remove the piston, then what? how do I lube the inside so that it does not mix with the ink? who sells the lube? thanks.

[yamaha_no_46]

You don't want to lube the barrel. Lubricant will mix with the ink and may clog your pen's feed which will almost be impossible to clean without taking it apart. You would apply lubricant around the plunger. A small amount of it is enough. Apply a drop of it and spread it even all around with your fingertip. If you happen to apply lubricant on the front side of the plunger where it touches ink, just wipe and clean with tissue paper. This will keep the lubricant always back side of the plunger if it is not worn and if it is tight in the barrel.

 

I use pure silicon oil for lubricating my 146 plunger, I have done it once and it worked great. You can also apply a small amount of silicon grease to the piston mechanism which moves the piston up and down. You will also see that the factory already applied some grease in that mechanism.

Edited May 4, 2014 by yamaha_no_46

[LargeSofa]

got it thanks. any source for the silicon oil? what viscosity to use?

[Maxpens]

The area is perfect illustrated, you can use Vaseline, MB use also Vaseline for the first step when they deliver the pens.

 

kind regards

 

Max

[yamaha_no_46]

The area is perfect illustrated, you can use Vaseline, MB use also Vaseline for the first step when they deliver the pens.

 

kind regards

 

Max

 

 

Thank you so much for the expert info!

[Ron Z]

If you use silicone, don't use silicone oil, use silicone grease. The grease will adhere and resist washing off much better than silicone oils.

[Paul Raposo]

What Ron wrote.

 

I bought my silicone at a dive shop, which is used by scuba divers to grease the rubber on their equipment. I believe it's food grade silicone. Do not use silicone spray used in plumbing, or auto repairs.

 

As for greasing the pistons, using yamaha_no_46's picture--I just spread some on the very end of the piston, where the first top-left line is drawn. You don't need a lot since you want a bit of resistance. A loosey-goosey piston doesn't create as much pressure to create a vacuum as a slightly dryer piston will.

 

I write this based on my own hobbyist experiences on 5 Montblanc pens, 2 Pelikans, and 2 Omas pens, not as a pro repairer.

[talkinghead]

You don't want to lube the barrel. Lubricant will mix with the ink and may clog your pen's feed which will almost be impossible to clean without taking it apart. You would apply lubricant around the plunger.

 

So maybe I'm not picturing or thinking of this correctly but.......once you lube the piston seal, and then move it up and down the barrel a couple of times..... isn't there now lubricant ON the barrel walls from the seal itself?

 

Please educate me

 

Rick

[novarider]

You can get food grade pure silicone grease at home repair shops if you don't have a dive shop near you. I got mine from Lowes. It is also available at Goulet pens.

[luckduck369]

 

So maybe I'm not picturing or thinking of this correctly but.......once you lube the piston seal, and then move it up and down the barrel a couple of times..... isn't there now lubricant ON the barrel walls from the seal itself?

 

Please educate me

 

Rick

+1 I have been thinking about the same question as Rick.

[Freddy]

Fascinatin'...and I also use only pure silicone grease..which..

incidentally..used the other day when I lubed a Pelikan 100N.....

 

If I use someone's work..anything which I did not create..

always indicate the source {Tyler Dahl Another Homemade Pen - Repair Tool}.....

 

 

Fred

 

Alqonquin Round Table

 

Some folks like to think out loud and then wanna talk about it.

~ Dorothy Parker ~

 

. . . . . .

~ Harpo Marx ~

[meiers]

Where did you get the tool and how do you like it?

I am thinking of acquiring one as well.

Edited May 6, 2014 by meiers

[mhosea]

+1 I have been thinking about the same question as Rick.

 

Just got my first MB 149 today and it needed to be lubed, so I fabricated a tool and lubed it with silicone grease. I've re-lubed a grand total of 1 now, but it isn't my first re-lubing of a piston filler by a long shot, just my first Montblanc. Quite generally when lubricating piston fillers, you do want a thin film on the barrel, little enough that it doesn't glob up in front of the piston. The last place you want too much is in front of the piston. If you have the right amount, you won't be able to see it. Conversely, a slight excess of grease behind the piston shouldn't cause any problems.. Perhaps the best way to achieve the desired result is by lubricating the piston rather than the barrel, so the advice is probably good even if the stated reasoning for it needs tweaking.

[meiers]

 

So maybe I'm not picturing or thinking of this correctly but.......once you lube the piston seal, and then move it up and down the barrel a couple of times..... isn't there now lubricant ON the barrel walls from the seal itself?

 

Please educate me

 

Rick

The answer to your question would, I think, be a resounding YES.

It's perhaps a matter of using a miniscule amount.

[yamaha_no_46]

If you apply lubricant directly to the barrel and put the piston assembly later, what is left in front the plunger will stay there. The plunger is a tight fit in the barrel, it is supposed to be tight to create vacuum with the upstroke and also it works as a seal keeping the ink in the reservoir. During the upstroke it will also wipe what is left behind. So, it is better to apply grease around the plunger. This way it will keep itself lubricated and at the same time will wipe the excess grease back with the upstroke and so on. Of course this will put a very thin layer of lubricant inside the barrel walls, but just the tiniest amount to decrease resistance between the plunger and the barrel and should not affect your ink badly.

 

Therefore, it is not necessary to lube the barrel and also there is the risk of putting more than what is required. We want to have nothing but only ink there, don't we?

 

Just my humble, hobbyist opinion of course.

Edited May 6, 2014 by yamaha_no_46