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Hello, I'd like to share a question about disassembling the piston mechanism on Pelikan 400NN Merz&Krell. I got one today, literally covered in dirt and dust. After few hours of soaking in lukewarm distilled water, I could easily take apart the nib assembly, the collar, the feed, clean and re-set the nib, put everything back together, ink it and write test it. To my surprise, I found it to be in mint condition, perhaps used once and set aside, than forgotten for 40 years. The only thing I was afraid to mess with was taking apart the piston assembly. It isn't a matter of whether I really needed it, I prefer learning how to do it. I understand it is right-threaded (=normal-threaded), but I see no clue for unscrewing it. Is there someone who could give me detailed instructions on how to do it? Should I turn it past the point of having pushed the piston all the way down? I see no dried ink traces on the "wrong side of the piston". These pens are rather scarce, so I haven't done this before and I am afraid of applying force which could break the differential system on this beautiful pen. Any expert hint will be more than welcome. Thanks in advance!

I just bought a 400NN tortoise with an OF nib from a well-known European dealer/member. He supplied several top and bottom-view photos which looked perfect, but when the pen arrived the side view turned out to be this: Surely the nib should not be bent down so far! Should I send it to a nibmeister to straighten? If so, whom would you Pelikaners recommend (I am in the US.) The pen writes semi-decently but is quite dry and a bit scratchy (perhaps due just to the dryness.) Apart from the bent nib it is quite a nice pen and I would rather not send it back for a refund. I may ask the seller for a partial refund to cover the repairs. I prefer not to name the seller until he has a chance to respond to my concerns. Any opinions or advice on this forum would be welcome. Thanks, BlueJ

I always wondered, about the reasons which made Pelikan pens so famous. Although, I have to admit I never used any Pelikan pen before. A few days ago, I saw an ad for an old Pelikan pen in the second-hand marketplace, so I took a gamble and purchased this Pelikan 400NN. It was a remote transactionss so I was not sure what was the condition of the pen. Images did not show any significant damage. I bought this pen for 70USD. Today I received the pen and as expected piston was almost jammed. With extra care, I could turn it. But luck was on my side, and when I tried to unscrew the nib section, the section opened without any resistence. The pen was clean. I flushed it with clear water. I applied silicone grease on the piston and piston started to move like new. After assembling it back, I filled it with Waterman Inspired Blue. The pen writes beautifully. Now I understand why some people were crazy about these vintage nibs. The nib is smooth, and with a flex, I have not experienced with any other pen. This is not a review just sharing my experience with my first Pelikan although a vintage. Below are some of the images. Hey! I forgot the important part. The pen came in original box with matching Mechanical Pencil and Ballpoint.

Recently I got my hands on this supposedly green striated 120 Merz & Krell https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1511041362__pelikan_120_striated.jpg As a green striated Merz & Krell 120 was never documented I asked one of the Pelikan Gurus in Germany about his opinion. He reminded me that the 400NN from Merz & Krell has the same size of barrel. Here the two side by side https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1511041384__pelikan_120_400nn.jpg In fact the only difference is in the section: The 400NN has a flared section and the 120 a strait one. I took out the nib of a real 120, the straited one and a 400NN and took a photo side by side from the front (120 left, 120 striated middle, 400NN right) https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1511041122__comparison1.jpg You can see that the 120 has a smooth front and the 400NN has 6 small indentation in the front, the striated in the middle has the same indentations and other signs that it was machined from a 400NN barrel. Conclusion: Someone has fabricated a 120 green striated, using a barrel from a green striated 400NN If this was done by a worker in the factory or later we will probably never know, but there could be another hint, All of the 120 M&K I have, have a Pelikan120 imprint in the cap plastic, The cap that came with the pen has no cap imprint, but it has the correct capband with the correct stamping. Anyone has heart about this pen before???

Valentina of Walipen has 2 Pelikan 400NN black-striped (or had, as of the last newsletter). I have no connection to Valentina (must have bought something from her to get on her mailing list) but I know these are much coveted so I thought I'd put the word out. She has an ebay store you can find if you search sellers for "walipen" or I can give you her email if you PM me. Hope it doesn't violate the rules to post this.

Hi everyone ! Recently, I've got a nice 500 from a antique shop.But when I tried to knock the piston unit,I've ruined the barrel.Now I will buy a 400nn brown tortoise parts to replace my 500. Now I have two solutions here 1. Knock the 400nn piston unit out and replace with the 500 piston knob (is it compatible?) 2. Just change the cap and become a 500nn Any another better methods? Thanks

Hey there, FPN Pelikan experts. I need some advice, please. I have just purchased a used Pelikan 400NN with an EF 14K 585 solid gold semi flex nib, manufactured in 1958-59. Piston filler, celluloid tortoise green stripe, gold plated metal parts, ebonite hard rubber elongated feeder, fitted with original ebonite feeder ring. It is described as being in 'absolutely mint, originally preserved condition and not restored'. I have not received the pen yet. My questions are as follows: Are there any well known weak points in this pen which might need attention? Would you recommend that I have the pen serviced / restored? I am no expert in Pelikans and have no idea about the history of the pen or when it was last used. 55 years is quite a long time - I suspect that certain components may have weakened to the point of failure. Any advice you can offer will be received most gratefully. Many thanks. Mike