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Hello, Recently I’ve managed to solvent-weld few resin MB 149 barrel / section hairline cracks using a 1:4 mix of two chemicals. One is the MEK, while the other is a toxic chemical prone to decompose into an even more toxic gas. Those who’ve come this far, know what I’m writing about. The mix has to be prepared in the open air, on spot, only in drops and applied immediatelly. As I’ve been asked to share the recipe, but have also read some strongly discouraging posts about sharing recipes involving naming toxic chemicals, I’m reluctant toward making irresponsible posting decisions. I hope I’m not violating some of the Forum rules by asking for guidelines / opinions if I should post it herewith at all. I don’t want to feel responsible for someone’s inexpert handling resulting in possible intoxication. Thanks in advance.

Firstly, I really, really love my two Ecos. I have other pens, but since I have owned one, it is a TWSBI that I usually I pick up. The 1.1 stub is amazing, but that is another thread. I have noticed a few small cracks on the barrel where the nib section fits in. I am a serial flusher - because I like to change colour (don't they just look wonderful in this pen?) - so I wonder if the removing of the nib/section has caused this? I bought the pen in June last year so about seven months old. Anyone else experienced this? What do we think? Ta a lot. David SaveSave

Buongiorno, I have a Visconti Van Gogh midi, Its coming up on three years old, so I think it is the older vision It has lived a sheltered life, not a daily user, never dropped. I found cracks in the cap!, not just one, but a 4 spiraling from under the cap band into the plastic. Under normal conditions they are not visible. but if I shine a light into the cap they become very noticeable. Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks Mark http://www.maryhatay.com/Mark/Fountain-Pens/Mixed-Pens/i-R2s9Pcg/0/L/Cap%20damage-L.jpg

I have recently inherited two Pelikan pens, a 100N in tortoiseshell, and a 100N in grey marble, whose restoration process I would like to share with you. These pens originally belonged to my grandfathers, hadn’t been used for many years, and were suffering from several problems, which a number of specialized repairers that I contacted in Europe – namely in Portugal, Spain, England and Germany – were unable to solve. Then I was lucky enough to learn about the work of Mr. Francis Goossens, also known as ‘Fountainbel’, who is a retired mechanical engineer from Belgium who nowadays dedicates to develop prototypes of new fountain pens, and to restore old ones. I wrote to Mr. Francis asking him if he would be kind enough to have a look and try to repair my pens, to which he promptly replied saying he would do the best within his power to repair my pens. Last month I sent my pens to Mr. Francis, and he has just sent them back in a mint and fully functional condition. Mr. Francis was extremely attentive throughout the reparation process, patiently explaining all the problems he came across, the different possibilities to approach the repairs, and what was at stake. Throughout this process I have come to admire his work and his ethics, which I think should be known in the fountain pen world. Mr. Francis is a true master of his craft, and a perfectionist unwilling to compromise in the impeccable quality of the work that he so passionately does. Below I am posting a few images of the repaired pens, and listing the problems that Mr. Francis came across, and which he was able to repair. Pelikan 100N in tortoiseshell 01_The pen was missing the golden cap rings. Mr. Francis fabricated new brass ones in his lathe, had them “two cycles” gold-plated by a specialist, and finally swaged them into the cap grooves using an internal back up plug. The rings grooves in the cap were deepened during a previous repair attempt. Consequently the new cap rings were made with a thicker wall in order to get them tight at the bottom of the grooves nearly flush with the outer cap diameter. Swaging was a particularly delicate procedure because the cap wall was very thin, and because the rings had to be swaged to get a perfect fit. 02_The cap clip had at some point been replaced a non-original one, and Mr. Francis was able to find an original one and have it gold-plated together with the newly fabricated cap rings. 03_The cap had two lengthwise cracks that Mr. Francis was able to chemically fuse. 04_The cap also had a bit of glue near the rings grooves because a previous repairer, supposedly a specialist, had tried to glue new rings to the cap, and the result was a nightmare. Fortunately Mr. Francis was able to remove the glue and polish the whole pen, restoring its original shine. 05_Mr. Francis discovered that at some point part of the nib housing of the cap enclosure plug had been cut off, probably to provide a longer screw thread fit between barrel and cap – but which most likely led to the aforementioned cracks. Mr. Francis was able to elongate the bush, restoring it to its original condition. 06_The piston seal was not fully tight, so Mr. Francis installed a new piston seal using two O-rings with silicone grease between both rings, and cleaned the filler. 07_The nib had to be fine tuned, which Mr. Francis also did. Pelikan 100N in grey marble 01_The filling system was not functional at all. The ink window had shrunk over time, and for that reason the piston seal was not sealing any more. In addition, there was a linear crack in the barrel threads, which would result in ink seeping through. In the face of this Mr. Francis fabricated a new green acrylic ink window in which the piston can make its full stroke, with the exact characteristics of the original one. Below you can also find the technical sketch that Mr. Francis elaborated as a preparation for the piece fabrication. The work was so impeccably executed that it is impossible to notice that this is a newly fabricated piece. 02_The ebonite feed missed one of its external fins, so Mr. Francis installed a new feed, now mounted in a new screw-in nib housing allowing easy swapping of nibs assemblies. 03_The cap lip had a long linear hairline crack, and Mr. Francis was able to find an original cap in perfect condition to replace the damaged one. 04_The pen needed a thorough cleaning and polishing, and nib fine-tuning, which Mr. Francis also did.

I just picked up a new Montegrappa Fortuna Heartwood in teak the other day from an authorized dealer. I received the pen and it looked fine on the initial inspection but after looking at the body under mild magnification, I can see several cracks, about 3, in the pen body lengthwise starting at the metal insert where the cap threads too. These look to be all the way through the body. After seeing the cracks location under magnification, I can spot them easily without magnification now. Is this acceptable for a new pen? I have 2 Omas rosewood pens without cracks and also another Montegrappa Fortuna Heartwood in pear wood with absolutely no cracking. I've had the Omas pens for a year or so and they're perfect. The pear wood Montegrappa for a couple months. Am I being unreasonable in expecting there to be no cracks in the wood? Please see the pic attached of one of the cracks in the teak pen. The seller is telling me this is normal and called "checking" but this doesn't fit with my other experience. Thanks for your help FPN!

My Harlequin was accidentally dropped by a relative and the cap broke in two I was wondering if you know of a trustworthy repair person I can send it to find out if it can be repaired. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If Dan Smith says it can't be fixed, I'd take him at his word. My superflexy John Holland nib had too damn many cracks to be saved. That's a total drag, but it also raises a question: what makes a nib crack? I'd imagine that each company had its own alloy, and maybe some are less stable than others. Or is it the design of the nib? Conklin Crescent nibs tend to crack across the ends of their distinctive breather holes, but others split lengthwise. Has anyone had a think about this?

I love my Platinum Preppies. Lovely nibs that write way above their paygrade. I kept reading about the caps cracking. Here I am thinking wow, these people cracking their caps must be abusing their pens, being heavy handed, etc. Mine are fine. OOOOpppppppppppssssssssssss. What with a cold winter and the heat running and lower humidity levels, blah blah blah I am making excuses----3 out of 4 of my caps cracked within days of each other. Some of my pens are three years old and the new 0.2 preppy is but weeks old. BAM. So now the cracks are bothering me and beginning to make the caps not stick on properly. Honey, do we have any glue good for plastic? Sure. She hands me crazy glue which I don't like, besides it is for porous stuff like wood etc so I used a product called goop. I have no idea if this will work. Ok, it is worth a try, so I gathered up some weak clips, spread the cap a bit by sticking in my needle nose pliers, apply goop. It is like a gel so I wipe it and then clamp the caps. I have no idea how long to let them dry but I will go for 24 hours. I will let you know how it works. Here is a picture. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1425502239__first_stage_of_preppy_cap_repairs__resized.jpg Cheers, more snow coming Thursday!

My father recently gave me his MB 146. Its marked W.Germany on the clip ring, has a gray ink window and was purchased 1988-1990. He put it away inked and it sat for about 10 years. The piston was stuck when I got it and there are 3 hairline cracks that start at the blind cap trim and go up the barrel. I attached a photo with (2) of the cracks highlighted. The piston freed up easily after a soak, was flushed repeatedly and reinked. There are no signs of leaking. I'm looking for some advice on what to do next. I'll be closely watching it to see if the cracks spread, but I intend to use this pen. Is this something that should be sent to FPH, Penboard, etc to have them repair the cracks? Or, sent to MB for a replacement barrel (would they use a matching vintage barrel?). Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions. Have a Happy New Year.

Hi there, I would like to as the community whether the TWSBI 580 shows the same tendency to crack as its predecessors and the Mini. Thanks for the info! Regards, Luis