Pen & Pencil Won't Twist?

[Paul Raposo]

Hey all.

 

This is my first post here as a new member.

 

I've been a Parker fan all my life, but recently began collecting Cross pens. I prefer ballpoints, and only have a couple of fountain pens, which I haven't used in 20 years, (my handwriting is horrible, and fountain pens made it even more illegible.)

 

I was at an antique mall, and a seller has a pen & pencil set for sale--black Classic Century. Both pens, and the box are perfect, except the pen and pencil will not twist open.

 

My question is, is this an easy home fix? Should I pass up the set, or try to fix it myself? Can this problem be fixed?

 

My thought was, if I can't fix them, I can send them to cross for repair, but I risk getting 25 year old pens replaced with the new Chinese made Cross pens.

 

I don't have an issue with the Chinese made Cross pens. I have a set, and I find them to be fine. Although the fit and finish is not on par with vintage Cross, the twist action, and ink are great, and the balance is similar to my "Made In USA" Cross pens. But I would prefer to keep the decades old pen and pencil.

 

So, any opinions? Buy and try to fix, failing which would require sending to BC, Canada for repair/replacement. Or just pass them up?

Edited August 2, 2010 by Paul Raposo

[WriteAway]

There have been a few threads on this topic in this forum over the past year, I believe. Searching this sub-forum for the threads on this may help. One member suggestion was to use denatured alcohol to free the mechanism, but I would personally recommend contacting Cross FIRST to find out what they will or won't do in your situation before trying to fix it yourself. Cross traditionally was very good at keeping vintage pens "as is" and attempting to fix them, but recent comments suggest they do a lot of pen replacement or substitution nowadays.

 

I have a couple of bps that also do this, and have to use them frequently to keep the mechanism free. Hope this helps.

Edited August 2, 2010 by WriteAway

[Paul Raposo]

There have been a few threads on this topic in this forum over the past year, I believe. Searching this sub-forum for the threads on this may help.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, WriteAway! I tried doing a search yesterday morning and found nothing. I tried again just using the word "twist" and found some good threads.

 

I'll buy the set and try either the denatured alcohol, or naptha. I do watch repair as a hobby, and that has been my go to parts cleaner, for a couple of years now. I'll note what happens and report back here the results.

[Paul Raposo]

I'll buy the set and try either the denatured alcohol, or naptha.

 

Well, got the ballpoint going with the alcohol. The pencil started to turn as well, but it's broken. When I turn the cap clockwise, there are no audible clicks, and the rod does not appear; the cap just turns continuously clockwise and counterclockwise. When I put a lead inside the barrel, it just falls out.

 

I'll be sending it off to Cross in Richmond BC, and I'll keep the board apprised of what's happening.

[WriteAway]

That's great that it worked. I'd just worry about the effect of the alcohol on the shine or strength of any plastic parts in the pen. Alcohol quickly removed the shine from a Parker I accidentally used it on, so I'm wary about that. Also, the alcohol does not re-lube the pen, it just softens the hardened grease. Long-term you may have to find a way to actually lubricate the mechanism. And I don't know how you can do that, except send it to Cross, perhaps. Anyways, let us know if the fix continues to work!

[Paul Raposo]

Well, I mailed out the pens today, and they should arrive in Richmond, BC on Friday.

 

I decided to send the ballpoint in for repair as well. After it had been sitting unused for several hours, I picked it up to test the ink, and the twist action was a little tight. Not as much so as when I got it home, but stiff. And it had a audible griding sound.

 

My chief concern right now is, I messed up on the form I sent with the package, and marked the pens as not having sentimental value. As noted above by WriteAway, and elsewhere online, it seems to be that Cross just replaces the pen when marked as being not sentimental, rather than repair it.

 

I'll give the 1-800 number a call tomorrow and see what's up.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Paul Raposo

[WriteAway]

Good luck in getting that corrected.

[rminj]

I too was considering sending back an old .9mm? pencil that will not twist/work. My chief concern , and horror, would

be to send back an old thick lead pencil and get back a new .5mm one; the new ones are entirely different.

 

I imagine there is some horror also in sending in an old Cross with metal threading inside and getting back a new current

one that is all plastic inside.

 

Kudos to them for repairing the old if possible and sending it back...seems very green.

[Paul Raposo]

I too was considering sending back an old .9mm? pencil that will not twist/work. My chief concern , and horror, would be to send back an old thick lead pencil and get back a new .5mm one; the new ones are entirely different.

 

I agree, rminj. I like the .09mm too, because I write with a heavy hand, and sometimes the .05mm lead can't keep up. I will say that I really love the mechanism on the new .05mm pencils. They are snappy and easy to use, and refill. But for everyday use, I like the thicker lead.

 

I imagine there is some horror also in sending in an old Cross with metal threading inside and getting back a new current one that is all plastic inside.

 

When I read that, I have to say I'm surprised. I guess that accounts for the new Chinese made pens being lighter in weight, than the old USA Cross pens. I certainly hope the pen comes back with metal.

 

Kudos to them for repairing the old if possible and sending it back...seems very green.

 

True. These pens were made to be serviced, you can tell just by opening the older ones.

 

I contacted Cross Canada, (Morton Clarke & Co., Ltd.) this morning about making a mistake on the form, about the pens having sentimental value. I was told that repair is always the first option. If the item is beyond repair, it is replaced. The pencil was very bad off. I'll just have to wait and see.

[Paul Raposo]

Good luck in getting that corrected.

 

Thanks, WriteAway. I must say right now I'm a bit more concerned about the pencil. I'm hoping to be able to keep the .09mm lead, rather than just be sent a .05mm replacement.

[Paul Raposo]

I contacted Morton & Clarke this afternoon about the status of my repairs.

 

I was told they did receive the pen and pencil last Friday. I was also told that they do not do repairs at Morton & Clarke--they are merely a supplier of Cross pens in Canada; a middleman as the lady on the phone described them.

 

The pens were shipped to Cross in Road Island. The turn around time is 6-8 weeks.

 

If what I've read here is true, I guess they will be going to China next. I wonder if I'll have a longer wait because I did not go through the Cross USA website, (which I could not do because I'm in Canada). And it appears I did not send any money, since I made payment to Morton & Clarke, and not to Cross through the website.

 

I suppose I have 6-8 weeks to find out

 

The good news is, I won't have to pay any duties, or taxes since the set will be sent back to Morton & Clarke, and then on to me.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Paul Raposo

[another pen?]

I wasn't too impressed with Morton & Clarke. I have a platinum Signet bp ($85 on the bay!) that arrived with a clip that wouldn't grip my dress shirt pocket tight enough. My primitive fix involved a bend in the center to put more pressure on the contact area. This worked great, but makes the clip look horrible due to the severe bend that was necessary. I happened to be at a seminar in Richmond last week and thought I'd bring it in. Though I wasn't told that repairs get shipped out, the girl said that the entire cap would have to be replaced. Even though the clip is a seperate part of the cap and simply needed removing and tightening (beyond my tool and skill set), she maintained that replacement was necessary. Got an email a day or so later advising that the clip will take 8 weeks fron China and cost......$75.

 

I don't think I'll be proceeding with it.

 

I'll not be buying any new stock Cross again. The China production quality simply isn't there. The vintage stuff is where it's at.

[Paul Raposo]

Got an email a day or so later advising that the clip will take 8 weeks fron China and cost......$75.

 

That's obscene! I hope I don't get hammered like that.

 

Too bad about the pen, though. The Signet line is really handsome.

[Paul Raposo]

Well, it's been four weeks now. Another 2-4 weeks before I find out the fate of my USA made pen and pencil.

[nxn96]

Intuitively, one would think it's a simple matter of putting the right lubricant in the mechanism; hopefully, someone in Rhode Island would try that before swapping out a mechanism.

 

Thinking longer term, it sounds from this thread and other things I've read that this problem results from the pen not being used for a time. As a bit of preventative maintenance, does it make sense to take the pen out of storage and give the mechanisms a twist every so often? Similarly, if a pen is beginning to show signs of tightening, would some twists/untwists get the mechanism working properly again, or once it starts going it's going?

 

Thanks for any guidance.

[Paul Raposo]

Intuitively, one would think it's a simple matter of putting the right lubricant in the mechanism; hopefully, someone in Rhode Island would try that before swapping out a mechanism.

 

And therein lies the rub. I think Cross has decided it's more work to do the simple task, than just replace parts, or entire pens with new ones

 

Thinking longer term, it sounds from this thread and other things I've read that this problem results from the pen not being used for a time.

 

Correct. I believe that was the situation with the pens I mention in this thread. Sat in a drawer for decades, never used.

 

As a bit of preventative maintenance, does it make sense to take the pen out of storage and give the mechanisms a twist every so often? Similarly, if a pen is beginning to show signs of tightening, would some twists/untwists get the mechanism working properly again, or once it starts going it's going?

 

I bought a USA made chrome off eBay, and the twist action is a bit firm. Not tight, just firm. I spent about five minutes gently opening, and closing the pen, and it did loosen up. However, when I went to use the pen the next morning, it was firm again.

 

Clearly the heat of my hands, and the twisting action got the lubricant moving again, but once set down, it congealed, and firmed up.

 

I've been on the hunt for a tight pen, that doesn't cost much, to attempt to take it apart, and see if I can clean it, and re-lube the mechanism. Problem is, I can't find any on eBay that are are tight, or seized. And they all cost $15-$25. That's a lot of money for an experiment. And I don't want to try it on my working pens, in case I mess them up.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Paul Raposo

[nxn96]

Depending on where you live, check out the local house/estate sales. US-made Cross pens were one of the great "corporate gift" items during the 1970's to 1990's, and you often see them with some logo on the clip in the miscellaneous box of pens/pencils with the "$1 each" sign attached.

[matt385]

I would very much like to know how your experiment comes out. I checked my Cross set and they were both stiff with the pencil being a little crunchy.

[Paul Raposo]

I had a surprise in the mail this afternoon.

 

Came home to find this in my mailbox

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/837615a5556ad1e768e2fff057e6b175.jpg

 

Inside was this

http://froggypic.com/image/12/343383abd79857e8df6e2ab95134b3ca.jpg

 

The .9mm pencil has been switched out for a Switch-It, 'eh? I guess that explains this

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/36621a264bd0d3c6d866e4428651931a.jpg

 

Here were the pens, with only the utmost care taken in wrapping

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/9559fcbbb474ab6534c8489cd1ccc956.jpg

 

And inside were these

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/deb44f06006a20333e54825c0b36c906.jpg

 

Opening up the pencil, I find this

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/e2fa5256bae53ccf97b281d5d405566d.jpg

 

Since the .9mm tip was too small to accommodate the new Switch-It mechanism, Cross replaced the old barrel, with a new one.

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/fa7d90fd057643d301eb4db2a58451d4.jpg

 

Here, with a short turn of the barrel, the lead tip appears

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/0d1a0091f71b749e58c4eafaed6192a8.jpg

 

And with a full turn of the barrel, the .7mm lead makes it's first appearance

 

http://froggypic.com/image/12/e93fa45d4e8eca291241a62200459668.jpg

 

The pen doesn't really need any pics, since Cross either switched a new barrel for the old, or replaced the old mechanism with a new one. I will say that the ballpoint now weighs about half of what it did when it left the house for Cross.

 

All in all, not really worth the $47 I spent. Twenty-two for the pens; $13 for Xpresspost shipping to Vancouver; and $12 included with the form explaining the problem with the pen, and pencil. I could have just bought a new black satin set for that much. Or at the least, a used USA made set, with a working twist on the pen, and a functioning .9mm pencil.

 

I will give Cross Road Island props for getting these back to me in four weeks, rather than the 6-8 weeks quoted by Morton & Clarke. And they clearly came from USA, not China. So I guess Cross is still doing repairs at their old facility.

 

I'll most likely be listing these on eBay on Saturday night along with some other pens. If anyone is interested, feel free to PM me for my eBay ID.

 

Thanks to everyone who went along on this wild ride! I gotta say, it was a little anti-climatic. Maybe I was expecting too much? Maybe I'm just fed up with up with pens, especially after my situation with the Parker Duofold? I dunno. I do know that FPN is one of the best collectors boards I've visited in a long time! Second only to the NAWCC board.

 

Thanks all

Edited September 3, 2010 by Paul Raposo

[Paul Raposo]

Depending on where you live, check out the local house/estate sales. US-made Cross pens were one of the great "corporate gift" items during the 1970's to 1990's, and you often see them with some logo on the clip in the miscellaneous box of pens/pencils with the "$1 each" sign attached.

 

Actually, I've been hunting around for a couple of weeks now. Seventeen sales, and the only pen related items I found were a bucket of ballpoints with a sign that read, LOTS OF PENS! SOME WORK SOME DON'T TRY YOUR LUCK! ONLY $15!

 

Bizarre. But I'll keep at it.