How To Open A Manos Austria Pen?

[Pterodactylus]

Hi All,

 

today I´ve got an old Manus Austria BCHR pen.

I´ve googled a little bit and found 2 old threads here with the question how to open such a pen but no answer.

 

I hope somebody can help me and knows how to open such a pen for repair.

 

The pen is 90 to 100 years old (1910 - 1920).

 

Despite some people think it´s a twist filler I´m pretty sure that it´s a piston filler.

The piston knob is turning and it seems that a piston is moving up and down internally.

 

The hard rubber is in very good condition, the chasing is crisp and there is no sign of discoloration.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img837/7351/66no.jpg

On the barrel it has the imprint Manos Austria.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/3442/zr4a.jpg

The feed is quite archaic.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img690/5066/lwy9.jpg

The Nib has a star on it and the incription 14k gold plated made in Austria.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/3971/uiow.jpg

Overall it looks quite nice, nothing special but nice.

The only question is how to open up the pen to repair it.

The section and the barrel seems to be seemless.

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img607/4305/9k69.jpg

It would be great if anyone knows how to open it.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Pterodactylus

[balson]

the manos is closer to an assisted dip pen than a proper fountain pen. the ink is not drawn out through capillary action but rather by twisting the nob at the back every time the nib runs dry. from what i can tell, its not user serviceable. heating and pulling only managed to pull apart the "section". the section only came loose after i cut the body of the pen in half on both sides. here is a cross section of whats inside though.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1_r9kAj85dg/UqTQcBsc8GI/AAAAAAAAA8A/iUi09sukWZw/s1600/cross+section1.jpg

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkJklJQzMNs/UqTQhC96ZPI/AAAAAAAAA8I/EleVvvNYpJY/s1600/cross+section2.jpg

Edited December 8, 2013 by balson

[Pterodactylus]

Hmmm, thanks for the quick answer and the great pictures.

 

Basically this means that it's unrepairable, right?

 

Incredible, that they made a disposable pen at that time, I thought this is a phenomenon which is not that old.

 

Is the piston seal a cork seal?

[balson]

there are some of these out there that are still working so i am not sure how much servicing they would have needed during their expected lifespan.

 

there might be a way to repair it but i am not aware of any. the one i cut open i found for a dollar so there was no huge loss for cutting it open or experimenting with it. if you can find another cheap one like that, you may be able to find something that would loosen the section from the body. some solvent may work to release the two parts. heat did not work at all and may even make it worse. i am just guessing here but it looks like heat is used to seal up the back end of the pen.

 

the piston has a cork seal. if you could get the whole piston out it should be easy enough to replace it, but i don't think the piston unit can be easily removed because the body is molded around it. .

[algieuk]

This is very interesting. It looks like when constructed they were assembled through the twist end and then heat crimped to hold the innards in place. I am wondering if it might be possible with very careful heat to pull the internals out by re-expanding the crimp and then re-crimping it with heat afterwards. If ever I get a tatty spare I will give it a go.

[penboard.de]

This is very interesting. It looks like when constructed they were assembled through the twist end and then heat crimped to hold the innards in place. I am wondering if it might be possible with very careful heat to pull the internals out by re-expanding the crimp and then re-crimping it with heat afterwards. If ever I get a tatty spare I will give it a go.

 

Hi there, yes, this can be done... I did that some time ago. you just need the right tool to crimp back with the cork repaired.

 

Regards

Tom

[sodul]

I just got one myself for $10.50 shipped. I was a little disappointed that the nib is a mere spoon steel nib but besides missing a cap this pen is in very good condition with a working mechanism; at least mechanically working. The Manos name is engraved in European cursive with 'Austria' in modern all caps. The nib is stamped Elite Special around an 8 pointed star. I weighted the pen at 9.72g empty, or as empty as I think it is, and at 9.87g filled (and wiped). So it seem to have at least around 0.25mL capacity which should be more than enough for a few pages, which I will test.

 

So far the ink capacity seems very poor with only 2-3 drops only so I suspect that the cork is not air tight but I do get bubbles when I 'empty' it of air in water. Maybe the cork is soaking moisture after decades of drying. The nibs was very scratchy at first but is smooth and semi flexible. I guess there was a hint of corrosion at the tip that smoothed out quickly. There was not trace of previous ink so it was cleaned properly by its last user. The body pattern is a little worn near the section so it seem to have seen some good use. As a dip pen holder this might not be so bad.

 

 

 

 

[sodul]

I was able to write an entire A5 page with re-priming the nib only 3 times. So I would guess you can easily write a quarter page per priming, although you have to be careful to not prime too much ink or it will blotch all over. I still have 11 big drops of ink that came out when emptying so it looks like the reservoir is fully functional and can handle several pages of writing between refills. This is definitely a big step up from a dip pen but I would probably never bring it for taking notes at work, even if I had a cap for it. I might use it to write on occasion considering the nib is nicer than on some modern cheap pens.

[Splat]

Is anybody still on this thread?  If so Hello from Paris. 
 

The Manos pen. It seems to have been sold here in Paris as a french made pen. I’ve just bought one as a curiosity and been very surprised! It’s hardly a fountain pen but it’s just my thing - perfect for Saint Trinian’s school / Ronald Searl writing and drawing!

[mallymal1]

I haven't come across a Manos pen, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for one. 

 

Your writing sample looks great.

[Splat]

Just a scrawl really, but thanks!  I’ve only just been able to open the links to the photos of the open Manos.  I find them particularly interesting as it’s clear that my own pen is not twisting nearly enough, I must persevere with trying to draw ink into the barrel.