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Many of us do minor repairs and “restorations”. What is on your bench? This black Vac Max arrived in the mail this week. I have broken it down and am in the process of cleaning the parts and removing the old diaphragm. Unfortunately the fill tube snappeed off in the feed. It should clean up nicely.

This coming Saturday, 7 March, 2020 Bertram's Inkwell in Rockville, Maryland is having a pen repair event: https://www.bertramsinkwell.com/events.html

Hi everyone. I just received a burgundy Osmiroid 75 from Ebay but the pen has a problem. It seems that it was disassembled for cleaning prior to sale and now the whole pen comes apart easily. The see through window between the barrel and the section is off set so the cap doesn't sit right and it won't screw on (might have been forced but the threads don't look damaged). The piston itself just lifts out, even the end of the barrel detaches easily. I've renovated several Esterbrooks so I'm not worried about the disassembling bit it's the fact nothing stays together securely now. Obviously as it is I can't put ink into it and the seller has refunded the purchase price but if there's a way of fixing it I'd love to have a go as it's a very handsome pen and apart from the whole falling apartness of it, the pen seems to be in very good nick.

Hi all, I'm new to this forum, and I'm looking for help to hopefully get my Pelikan and Montblanc F nibs to a more working order. Doing some searches on google and this forum I found out the Oxonian doing good nib adjustment services in the UK, however, I had trouble finding his contact details. Could someone please PM me his email address so I can contact him? Any help and advice are appreciated.

Hello, I am a relative newbie to the fountain pen world and bought an OMAS Gailieo that was just delivered. It's got issues...it leaks ink from around the collar, and I am pretty sure the nib has issues as well.... Who do you all recommend to repair a 1990's OMAS pen? Thank you, Maya

Hi all, I recently came across a no-name BCHR lever filler at an estate sale. It's the first pen I've attempted to restore, and I'm fairly confident on the sac replacement etc. However, the lever is stuck partially inside the barrel. It looks as though the whole lever was pushed in and then shoved backwards (away from the nib). The end that usually is visible is inside the barrel, and the end that's usually inside the barrel is visible, but because it gets wider than the slot, I can't get it out. Any advice? Please? Thank you!

Looking to buy Edward Todd gold filled pen and pencil set. The lever on the fountain pen is frozen. Have attempted to free up by soaking in water, but unsuccessful. Any suggestions? Can this be repaired? Any suggestion for a resource for the repair, if necessary, would be appreciated. Thanks.

I recently got back two pens from Dan Smith: the Waterman with the accounting nib was a very grudging starter, but after widening the gap between the tines it starts with enthusiasm. The Mabie Todd was beautifully flexible but desperately skippy: it had to have the nib set further into the section and the uneven tines evened out, and now it writes a treat. I can recommend Dan's service without reservation.

Hey guys! So I bought this cheap pen off of ebay, because I'd never had a lever pen before and I wanted to gain some more experience in replacing ink sacs and whatever more there was to fix. But somehow ended up breaking the pen more just by trying to clean it? So if anyone could tell me what I did wrong, that'd be ace. Also if you happen to know what brand/model it is, that would be great to know. Edit: here are some better pictures http://36.media.tumblr.com/57934c47e82f542e8510e2564b8589a2/tumblr_o5y86nkHp41vo6rxoo1_1280.jpghttp://41.media.tumblr.com/4738b1b282b4da1214d494062533ac15/tumblr_o5y86nkHp41vo6rxoo2_1280.jpghttp://41.media.tumblr.com/2085fdad4f660a56ed04d35614798e91/tumblr_o5y86nkHp41vo6rxoo3_1280.jpghttp://40.media.tumblr.com/9c1c804f5f1f59fba296c9056e1957af/tumblr_o5y86nkHp41vo6rxoo4_1280.jpg

  I have just got hold of this beautiful vintage Safety Pen made by Soennecken, a German FP company that stopped production in 1960. I guess these safeties are from the 1920's. Am trying to find someone in Delhi who knows how to handle these and do a servicing for proper maintainence. Would appreciate any comments or Inputs on these rare pens too!

A couple months ago I purchased a Pelikan M1005 demonstrator with a Medium nib, which has been a "grail" pen for me for quite a while. While it flowed like Niagara Falls at first, liberally spilling the stunning Akkerman Shocking Blue all over my Rhodia notebook's pages, somehow after removing the nib several times I must have pinched too hard or something because I completely lost ink flow. After fiddling for a while I could get it to flow while writing with the pen at a 90 degree angle. But nothing while writing normally. I've been frustrated with myself about this, but after scouring the forums here and elsewhere, in trying several different approaches with growing frustration I somehow accidentally bent the nib pretty badly (close to the point, where the nib touches the paper). I (finally!) decided I didn't want to do any more damage (not that much more could be done) so I tried briefly to straighten it, which worked a little bit, and then just left it alone. All that to get to my question: I know there are lots of great pen repair people, but I'm wondered if anyone can make a recommendation on someone who specializes in straightening bent nibs? I also need to get the ink flowing again, but I'm first concerned about not doing more damage to the nib and getting it straightened. I'm just wondering who I should send this to for the best results as I really want to use this pen for many years to come and would like to find the best person possible to fix it. Thank you in advance for any input! -Dan

From an email from Bertram's: Join Us For Nib Tuning/Adjustment with Tim Girdler this Saturday. Hirsch Davis will also be here selling vintage fountain pens. 16th * May * 2015 11300 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif Get your fountain pens fixed at Bertram's Inkwell. When11:30am until 5:30pm May 16, 2015 WhereBertram's Inkwellat One Central Plaza11300 Rockville Pike Ste. 109Rockville, MD 20852 We are looking forward to having Tim Girdler, the incredible nib technician, come to our store on this Saturday, May 16th, from 11:30am- 5:30pm. He does wonders with the toughest of nib "problems". Whether you need a nib straightened, ground, tuned, or adjusting the flow - he's your man for the job! You can see from his website at www.timgirdlerpens.com how dedicated he is to the craft. Tim Girdler studied under Richard Binder for quite some time before starting out doing nib repairs for his own pens, which then led him to want to help others and repair their pens. Tim Girdler has agreed to customize any nib on any fountain pen that you buy from Bertram's Inkwell on the Saturdays that he is at the store for free! Hirsch Davis has an incredible collection of vintage fountain pens of all different manufacturers that he's displaying and selling. Come see this amazing collection offered for sale! Hirsch will be on hand to buy/trade/sell, and appraise pens as well. http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs197/1100532595874/img/518.jpg http://files.ctctcdn.com/2acbadc3001/f161e14f-3dab-4112-aecd-ee1fc6f6bda3.jpg

http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/PT_EB_TopIconBottom.png http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif Join Us For Nib Tuning/Adjustment with Tim Girdler this Saturday. Hirsch Davis will also be here selling vintage fountain pens. 21st * February * 2015 11300 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif Get your fountain pens fixed at Bertram's Inkwell. When 11:30am until 5:30pm February 21, 2015 Where Bertram's Inkwell at One Central Plaza 11300 Rockville Pike Ste. 109 Rockville, MD 20852 We are looking forward to having Tim Girdler, the incredible nib technician, come to our store on this Saturday, February 21st, from 11:30am- 5:30pm. He does wonders with the toughest of nib "problems". Whether you need a nib straightened, ground, tuned, or adjusting the flow - he's your man for the job! You can see from his website at www.timgirdlerpens.com how dedicated he is to the craft. Tim Girdler studied under Richard Binder for quite some time before starting out doing nib repairs for his own pens, which then led him to want to help others and repair their pens. Tim Girdler has agreed to customize any nib on any fountain pen that you buy from Bertram's Inkwell on the Saturdays that he is at the store for free! Hirsch Davis has an incredible collection of vintage fountain pens of all different manufacturers that he's displaying and selling. Come see this amazing collection offered for sale! Hirsch will be on hand to buy/trade/sell, and appraise pens as well. http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs197/1100532595874/img/518.jpg http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs197/1100532595874/img/444.jpg http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101116784221/S.gif

does anyone know WHERE in Dallas, Texas can one go to bring pens for a repair or adjustment?

So my Pelikan M600 developed a leak at the section between the barrel and the grip and I am going to send it to Chartpak/PelikanUSA for repair. Through fiddling of my own the sections broke apart. I suspect a crack developed and I blame no one for this except my self. When I discussed this problem with Chartpak/Pelikan the first question asked was what kind of ink did I use in the pen? I said Pelikan/Diamine/Noodlers/Private Reserve. Chartpak immediately blamed all non Pelikan inks as the cause of my problem. In all fairness, I have heard the same thing from the Mont Blanc repair people as well. Of course, I don't accept any of these explanations, but this old wives tale won't die out. Especially in this day and age. Why does this go on and on? Joe

I noticed these in our local branch the other day. No idea of the quality or durability but it may be useful for some. Here's the info. A search for "ultrasonic cleaner" on FPN gave 118 results. Have a read of some of these posts for some background information on the usefulness of such a device. HTH, Martin PS: in the interests of balance, I also shop at Waitrose.

Hello all, My name is Greg Scott and live just north of Dallas in Denton, Tx. I have been collecting/learning to repair/selling vintage fountain pens for around 10 years with a couple of years off for other stuff. I have gotten back into the hobby and looking forward to the vast information I hope to find on this site. My most recent restore was a 1947 Parker 51, Blue Diamond Vacumatic with a Lusterloy stacked coin cap, which I was able to get working again after a few parts purchases on eBay and a diaphram. I love this pen. I started with Estie's and have quite a few that I use and a few that will hopefully find new homes. On the to-do list are a few Parker Vacs that need to be restored. I'm still in the proccess of acquiring all the tools I need but I've been called a tool maker so I usually can come up with something that works. I also enjoy doing woodworking with hand tools. Also a long time journal writer. I'm kind of an anachronist. That's enough for now. Looking forward to meeting some of you on the board through the forums. And specially those I've watched your videos and have purchased from online. Thanks, Greg gscott92

Hello All, I was hoping for a little advice on how to tackle my current pen repair problem. I have a very nice vintage celluloid Waterman's, but the nib section is too loose (~0.6-0.8 mm in diameter difference). The barrel is not cracked and the threads tighten onto the cap perfectly. Since the gap is a bit too large to accommodate for with shellac, I was hoping to get some advice on how to best machine and insert a sleeve of hard rubber or brass. My questions are: Is hard rubber the preferred material? Or is a thing ring of brass equally viable? how thin can a sleeve of either material be made reliably? Must I bore out the ID of the barrel to accommodate the new sleeve? Or can i simply machine the sleeve to fit snuggly in the barrel with some adhesive (such as shellac). and for machining the sleeve itself is it best to machine down the ID or OD first?I am a rather novel machinest and would prefer to keep my pen parts away from the lathe unless absolutely necessary.\ Thank you all in advance for any advice at all. ~Hanry