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I have an early 1900's Conklin in BCHR. The cap threads are very coarse and the cap does not always turn the same number of times when closing it. Was wondering if applying some silicone to the threads would be a good idea or a bad idea, and also if it might discolor or otherwise damage the finish. Appreciate your inputs and recommendations. Have a great holiday weekend!

Does anyone know if the Platinum double desk stand has the special design like the top of the Plaisir where it doesn't dry out when left alone a while? Any help is appreciated.

Can Platinum Desk Pens be filled using Silicone Grease? Specifically, I'm wondering about the Platinum Fountain Pen DPQ-700A#10 & DPQ-700A#1 using a desk stand for them. If not, what are the requirements for filling a fountain pen & sealing it with silicone grease? I just bought some and have already found tons of uses for it! Any help is appreciated.

Is the silicone grease preapplied in the factory? Can I use the pen without applying silicone grease?

I filled the barrels of two Pilot Preppies identically - made sure to seal with silicone and o-rings, tightly sealed. The other day, I opened my fine point (the black one in the pix) and a big blob of ink plopped onto the paper. I inspected the pen and saw that the feed was flooded with ink. But not the feed of the other one. Does anyone have an explanation for this? Apart from the blob mishap nothing is amiss and even with the flooded feed the pen writes fine. I'm just curious. I've learned from this why some people don't like filling the barrel directly. From now on, I'm refilling cartridges. They are just Preppies but I don't like this.

I have this obsession with ensuring that my possessions get the longest longevity possible, and since hearing things about threads getting worn down (especially metal to plastic ones) I have been wondering if threads on my pens, even plastic to plastic, would last longer with some lubrication. The answer would have obviously been yes, but then I heard that even silicone grease will weaken plastic with time. So yeah, should I lube up the threads or not, if long term longevity is what is desired? Also, how important is it that the silicone grease in question is 100%? Silicone grease is hard to come by where I am, and the one brand I was able to find was Polypipe. Anyone have any experiences with this brand? Are there any other kinds of lubrication that may be better than silicone?

I am planning on lubricating the barrel/piston of my Pelikan 600, which is having difficulty turning. My son is an archer and has offered me the use of his Bohring Archery Seal-Tite Bowstring Wax - "Silicone Lubricated Bowstring Wax". Would this product be safe to use in place of the generally acceptable silicone grease, in terms of harm to the Pelikan barrel and piston? After a thorough search of Bohring Archery and other sites, I cannot find any ingredient list for the bowstring wax, other than the "silicone" aspect of the product. So, not sure what the "wax" might entail. Paraffin perhaps? Any comments or opinions welcome. Thanks so much!

I have been collecting pens for about 2 years now and have picked up over 150 of them. Some from eBay and this Network but most I have found "in the wild". Some really good ones too (Parker Vac. Oversize Set, Sheaffer Oversize Ballance, 2 Parker Lucky Curves from the 20s, a Waterman's from the late 1890s, etc...) I have have come to realize now that I have more that need serviced than I do that are in working order. There are a few that I think I am going to tackle on my own such as my Esterbrook Js and some of the other Lever Fillers. After watching a few videos on You Tube, I may try to service one of the the Sheaffer Snorkels I picked up yesterday at an estate sale (2 for 25.00 and one works flawlessly). I will leave the corked piston fillers, Sheaffer Vac, and Parker vacs. to the guys like Danny Fudge or Ron Zorn. My question today is can some of the supplies such as silicone grease, shellac, and talc be picked up locally? I ask because I work for NAPA Auto Parts and we sell about 10 different brands of silicone grease. Many of them are made to use on rubber such as on air filter seals, rubber gaskets and o-rings. (This link shows 5 pages of Silicone grease http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Result.aspx?Ntt%3dsilicone%2bgrease%26Ntk%3dKeyword%26Nty%3d1%26Dn%3d0%26D%3dsilicone%2bgrease%26Dk%3d1%26Dp%3d3%26N%3d0 ). I have seen where some guys suggest using graphite powder in place of Talc. We carry this natural graphite powder http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Lubricant-Graphite-Based-SLIP-Plate-SEED-Slik-Superior-Graphite-Company/_/R-BK_30734_0006382728 . I have also seen where some use regular Zinsser bulls-eye wood shellac that you can pick up at most hardware retailers. Like here: http://www.lowes.com/pd_208964-90-704H_0__ I am not trying the "cheap route" my main concern is the integrity of the pen but if these products can be used, I could easliy have more than enough to last many years to come. I know the supplies at dealers are not expensive, I just like going out and picking stuff up vs waiting on it to come through the mail/UPS (silly I know). I have to order sacs and snorkel kits anyway so I don't mind just getting it all from one place. I have just always been curious when I walk through the Distribution Center if some of this could work for pens. Go easy on me, remember ...I am new to this Thank you,