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Several months ago I posted a thread where i was looking for a Moore replacement nib for a nice, previously restored safety pen with an ill-fitting replacement nib. Even after several helpful leads given to me by members here I was unfortunately unable to find the nib and decided to return the pen, as nice as it was. I just acquired another Moore's safety pen in unrestored condition with the intent of restoring it. This pen has the correct nib but I face a new set of problems removing the washers and cork. The last "restored" Moore pen I had was very easy to disassemble because someone had already gone through the trouble. The shaft unscrewed from the back knob easily and when I looked at the outermost threaded washer I noted that there were 2 small, shallow holes carefully drilled into the surface at 12 and 6 o'clock positions. This was obviously to assist someone in the unscrewing and replacement of the washer. When I went to disassemble this new pen of mine i found the outermost washer has no little holes to fit my tweezers in to unscrew it. I understand I will need to get a heat gun to carefully loosen these threads (there seems to be some shellac covering them) but how in world is a guy supposed to unscrew the washers and if there are no little holes to fit a tool into, how did those Bostonians even install the washers in the first place? Well, I guess my question for the forum is: Am I correct in assuming that I will need to drill 2 tiny, shallow holes in the washer in order to turn it out? Even after applying heat I cannot imaging getting a grip on the washer any other way. Thanks in advance for people's helpful advice, Scribe16