Omas Piston Failure... Twice

[reprieve]

Today I was flushing my nearly brand new royal blue Omas Paragon LE (the new 80th anniversary release). It had been filled with Diamine Midnight, and I noticed that it was taking an unusually long time to flush, and that the piston was very stiff. After tons and tons of flushing, I noticed completely undiluted ink oozing out at the top of the section around the threads. I don't see any cracks in the threads or the section, so I'm not sure what that unflushable oozing ink is about.

 

A few months ago, the piston of my two-year old Milord (wild celluloid version) broke. While I was flushing that pen, the piston unscrewed completely--the pen came apart in my hand. I still haven't sent it back to Kenro for repair, so now it looks like I'll have two pens going back at the same time for similar issues. I've never had any pens serviced by Kenro, so I'm hoping that they'll do a good job.

 

Grr. Boo. :mad:

[dzg]

This is a troubling post as I have an OMAS Ogiva which has a very stiff piston and once or twice I have felt I am about to unscrew it totally when I am emptying it ... unlike Aurora where the piston will stop the Omas just keeps turning. I have to be extremely careful.

 

I have been told to use silicone grease but I don't know where I should put the grease. I guess it involves disassembly but I am not confident enough to do that.

[eric47]

Today I was flushing my nearly brand new royal blue Omas Paragon LE (the new 80th anniversary release). I noticed completely undiluted ink oozing out at the top of the section around the threads. I don't see any cracks in the threads or the section, so I'm not sure what that unflushable oozing ink is about.

 

There's nothing with the piston in this case. The section screws into the barrel at the point -- that's how you access the inner parts for repair or service. The standard practice is section sealant before screwing the section into the barrel. Sometimes they don't put enough (evenly) on the section threads or the section isn't screwed in enough resulting in a leak. It's fixed by....cleaning the old sealant and applying new sealant before putting it back together. in fact if you do it yourself, you can add a wee bit of pure silicone grease for the sticky piston, while the pen is broken down. Omas pistons particularly on those old style celluloids are always somewhat sticky however.

 

Unlike the Milord, there's nothing terribly wrong with that pen.

 

A few months ago, the piston of my two-year old Milord (wild celluloid version) broke. While I was flushing that pen, the piston unscrewed completely--the pen came apart in my hand.

 

New style pen. These early in their production had "design issues". One of which is what happened to your pen. This one needs to go back to Omas (via Kenro in your case), for the requisite repairs. I'm not sure what they do on the Milord, the new style Paragon got seriously revised innards.

Edited May 20, 2011 by eric47

[reprieve]

There's nothing with the piston in this case. The section screws into the barrel at the point -- that's how you access the inner parts for repair or service. The standard practice is section sealant before screwing the section into the barrel. Sometimes they don't put enough (evenly) on the section threads or the section isn't screwed in enough resulting in a leak. It's fixed by....cleaning the old sealant and applying new sealant before putting it back together. in fact if you do it yourself, you can add a wee bit of pure silicone grease for the sticky piston, while the pen is broken down. Omas pistons particularly on those old style celluloids are always somewhat sticky however.

 

Thanks for that explanation, Eric! I feel a lot better now, as I was super-bummed about the 80th Anniversary Paragon in particular (I got mine with a "flessible" fine nib, which is a wonderful writer!). I was worried that the piston seal might fail, which is what happened with the Milord (ink actually began to leak out the rear end of that pen, around the piston knob, before I tried to flush it and the piston unscrewed completely). You're right, though, in that there doesn't seem to be an issue with the Paragon other than ink oozing around the section. One thing that did concern me is this: I had been flushing the pen for quite a while before ink started coming out around the section/thread area and the ink that came out was not watered down at all. Even when the water ran clear, there was still dark blue ink coming out around the section. I suppose it was probably trapped inside the internal threads where the section and barrel screw together...?

 

So can I simply unscrew the Paragon's section from the barrel? Do I need to gently heat it with a hairdryer first (like when removing a Parker 51 hood)? I do have some pure silicone, but I don't have any sealant. What type of sealant do I need? Shellac? I'm a little hesitant to do this myself as it's such a pricey pen, but if it's something as simple as unscrewing the section and adding a little grease to the piston, I think I could manage it...

[rogerb]

That's a bit worrying for someone who's just got his first .... but definitely not 'only'!.... Omas

They have such lovely nibs (and celluloid)!

I think it will be a case of 'Handle with care...and hope'

Edited May 20, 2011 by rogerb

[Bryant]

There's nothing with the piston in this case. The section screws into the barrel at the point -- that's how you access the inner parts for repair or service. The standard practice is section sealant before screwing the section into the barrel. Sometimes they don't put enough (evenly) on the section threads or the section isn't screwed in enough resulting in a leak. It's fixed by....cleaning the old sealant and applying new sealant before putting it back together. in fact if you do it yourself, you can add a wee bit of pure silicone grease for the sticky piston, while the pen is broken down. Omas pistons particularly on those old style celluloids are always somewhat sticky however.

 

Thanks for that explanation, Eric! I feel a lot better now, as I was super-bummed about the 80th Anniversary Paragon in particular (I got mine with a "flessible" fine nib, which is a wonderful writer!). I was worried that the piston seal might fail, which is what happened with the Milord (ink actually began to leak out the rear end of that pen, around the piston knob, before I tried to flush it and the piston unscrewed completely). You're right, though, in that there doesn't seem to be an issue with the Paragon other than ink oozing around the section. One thing that did concern me is this: I had been flushing the pen for quite a while before ink started coming out around the section/thread area and the ink that came out was not watered down at all. Even when the water ran clear, there was still dark blue ink coming out around the section. I suppose it was probably trapped inside the internal threads where the section and barrel screw together...?

 

So can I simply unscrew the Paragon's section from the barrel? Do I need to gently heat it with a hairdryer first (like when removing a Parker 51 hood)? I do have some pure silicone, but I don't have any sealant. What type of sealant do I need? Shellac? I'm a little hesitant to do this myself as it's such a pricey pen, but if it's something as simple as unscrewing the section and adding a little grease to the piston, I think I could manage it...

 

 

If you are uncomfortable with doing it, shoot me an email and I send the pen to me and I will take care of it. Sorry about this

Bry

 

 

[Chris Chalmers]

I wonder if sellers of pens going long distances could test pens for leaks before shipping - with the permission and request of the buyer? Bryant, I know you stand by all your pens - but my Blue Royale LE also gave me a fright when I first filled it. Here's what happened.

 

I rinsed it first with water with a drop of dishwashing soap liquid added, then filled with Herbin Eclat de Saphir. When I started to write it flooded my writing and leaked a bit at that same join between the section and the threads. I then emptied it, rinsed it again and filled it with Omas Purple ink ...........and gently screwed the join tighter - now it writes perfectly with no problems.

 

I think there may be two reasons for the results I got - either Herbin ink is too 'wet' or the soapy rinse wasn't totally out of it........ but I had this problem with my Arlecchino - and just tightened at that join........ but my Scarlet had to go for repair because I couldn't solve the leak.

 

Until now I didn't know you could unscrew the barrel from the section - is it friction fit?

 

BTW, the Fine extra flessible nib is a wonderful writer, but I like my EF extra flessible more!

 

A day when you don't learn something is a day wasted!

[eric47]

One thing that did concern me is this: I had been flushing the pen for quite a while before ink started coming out around the section/thread area and the ink that came out was not watered down at all. Even when the water ran clear, there was still dark blue ink coming out around the section. I suppose it was probably trapped inside the internal threads where the section and barrel screw together...?

 

So can I simply unscrew the Paragon's section from the barrel? Do I need to gently heat it with a hairdryer first (like when removing a Parker 51 hood)? I do have some pure silicone, but I don't have any sealant. What type of sealant do I need? Shellac? I'm a little hesitant to do this myself as it's such a pricey pen, but if it's something as simple as unscrewing the section and adding a little grease to the piston, I think I could manage it...

 

1. Yes ink gets trapped in the inner threads of the section. It also gets trapped in the nib/feed collar.

 

2. I completely forgot about Hari's pinned thread. Take a look at the photos, you can see the section unscrewed from the barrel. N.B. the collar for nib/feed is ebonite and delicate, do *not* unscrew that.

 

On two of my pens that leaked there, I've been able to unscrew them by hand (sometimes with the help of something grippy, e.g. on old bicycle inner tube). Unless they've changed things, for decades Omas used a rosin based sealant that remains tacky; it doesn't dry or harden. So I've never had to use heat; be careful with heat because celluloid has a rather low melting point. Tryphon has that rosin based sealant, called "Section Sealant". But if you look at Hari's thread, you'll note he used pure silicone grease with success.

 

If you can't get the section to budge, then I'd stay away from heat and take Bryant's offer for help getting the pen fixed.

 

 

That's a bit worrying for someone who's just got his first .... but definitely not 'only'!.... Omas

They have such lovely nibs (and celluloid)!

I think it will be a case of 'Handle with care...and hope'

 

Roger, we'll narrow it down to the old style pens. Of the many Omas pens I own*, I've had a leak at that point on only two -- and I knew in advance that they might leak there. One was an old style Milord bought NOS really cheap in a local store; the section wasn't screwed in fully and the sealant had leaked out all of the cap threads. I tried just screwing it back in and cleaning up the mess , but there wasn't enough sealant left and it leaked. Another was a used Blue Saffron Paragon, which the eBay seller said had some sticky stuff all over the cap threads. I understood exactly what it was, and the pen sold low. I think I've had a piston seal failure on only two, which equals the number I've had on my Pelikans and I own far fewer Pelikans.

 

If the piston is really really sticky, don't force it since you could end up breaking something -- send those in for repair *before* you break it.

 

* Don't ask how many I own, I don't even know. But issues of leaks and failed piston seals on only four pens total probably puts the percentage in the single digits.

 

 

I wonder if sellers of pens going long distances could test pens for leaks before shipping - with the permission and request of the buyer?

 

FYI, that can take awhile, which could be problematic for those buyer's who want near-instant gratification. Leaks at the section sometimes don't appear for 2-4 days on new pens, as it takes time for the ink to slowly work it's way into the threads. It took about that long for that to happen on one of the pens I mentioned to Roger. And if you're testing, you have to occasionally rotate the pen to check, since the leak may only be or may be worse only on one side. Reprieve's pen leaked while fllushing, but it had already been filled with the ink working its way into the threads; it might not have started leaking when brand new with a simple fill, empty, and flush.

 

 

Until now I didn't know you could unscrew the barrel from the section - is it friction fit?

 

See the link above to Hari's post/thread, section and barrel are threaded there with section sealant applied. It's not friction fit. That design is used pretty much on all the old style modern Omas piston fillers, as well as the LE pens from that period, e.g. Arlecchino you mentioned.

 

Often you can see a bit of the section sealant on the "lip" of the barrel near the section -- the barrel diameter is usually larger than the section's, so a wee bit of section is typically in corner.

Edited May 21, 2011 by eric47

[Chris Chalmers]

Thank you Eric!

I now know much more than I did this time a couple of days ago - and hopefully it will mean I don't go right into panic mode the minute I get an inky finger!!

Hari's pinned thread is also very helpful!

[eric47]

Chris, leaks at that point are typically seen under two conditions: new pens or pens just repaired. The section sealant used by Omas really does last; I've bought 20 year old pens NOS in stores and inked them without a hitch.

Edited May 23, 2011 by eric47

[Chris Chalmers]

Chris, leaks at that point are typically seen under two conditions: new pens or pens just repaired. The section sealant used by Omas really does last; I've bought 20 year old pens NOS in stores and inked them without a hitch.

 

Thanks Eric!

 

I now know how to unscrew that section out of the barrel and clean the threads, apply a little pure silicone and put it all back together again..........fill it and have it writing perfectly! It spat at me again today - as I had obviously spoken too soon..........so now I'll be watching it.

I think the morning sunshine on the box of pens may have had something to do with it, my desk is in a new spot - and we actually had sunshine today. I've moved the box - so tomorrow will be the test.

 

I wonder if this run of LEs just didn't get put together right before they left the factory?

[reprieve]

Eric, thanks so much for all of this very helpful information! I'm going to see if I can unscrew the section and just use pure silicone. Hopefully that will work. If not, I will contact Bryant (thanks, Bry!).

[georges zaslavsky]

I never had piston issues with my second hand Omas pens.Mr Mora checked their functionality and reliability before they were put for sale.

Edited June 2, 2011 by georges zaslavsky

[penboard.de]

I never had piston issues with my second hand Omas pens.Mr Mora checked their functionality and reliability before they were put for sale.

 

Hello from good old Europe.

a technical aspect NOT covered here - there are the old versions of the OMAS pistonfillers,

they might leak, because the sections threads have not been sealed properly. this can be healed with a new sealing.

 

Then there are these first "NEW Paragon" pens and related models. The first ones had been developed inside OMAS, and subcontracted with some Italian maker (an injection moulder, not a pen maker) These are simple desasters, these were leaking, caps broke in two pieces, piston came out at the back end. and more but don´t force me to reenter into this nightmare.

If you want to ID a pen from this period, look into the cap, finding a badly and roughly cut threading you have one of these in hands.

 

Then, the next generatios of the "New Paragons" were made in Germany at a renowned pen maker (the people doing the Faber Castell pens e.g. ) They should be pretty good. and they do not use the omas section sealant any more.

 

REgards

Tom Westerich

[reprieve]

That is very useful info, Tom. Thanks!

[reprieve]

An update, since this thread was resurrected: I easily solved the leaking issue I was having at the section threads on my 80th Anniversary Royal Blue Paragon. I simply unscrewed the section and applied pure silicone to the threads. The pen has worked perfectly, without any leaks, ever since. An interesting note, I have more than one of the 80th Anniversary Paragons (royal blue, saffron, and grey striated); the saffron and the grey striated have not shown any leaking, the issue was with the royal blue only. I don't know if this was an early problem that was solved or was just a fluke with my pen and Chris's.

 

As far as my older Wild Milord with the broken piston... well, it's still sitting in pieces in a cup on my desk. I really do need to send it back to Omas to be repaired.

[Chris Chalmers]

Update here too!

Since I fixed the Blue Royale it has worked perfectly. I also had a similar tiny leak with my beautiful Arlecchino and fixed it the same way.

We learn something every day here on FPN!

[efchem]

 

Then there are these first "NEW Paragon" pens and related models. The first ones had been developed inside OMAS, and subcontracted with some Italian maker (an injection moulder, not a pen maker) These are simple desasters, these were leaking, caps broke in two pieces, piston came out at the back end. and more but don´t force me to reenter into this nightmare.

If you want to ID a pen from this period, look into the cap, finding a badly and roughly cut threading you have one of these in hands.

 

REgards

Tom Westerich

 

Well I finally got to inking a Used "New Style" Paragon and when I noticed that the piston knob didn't line up, I turned it a little and out comes the filling mechanism. Plus there was water trapped behind the piston. Luckily it did not get everywhere. Is this easily fixable, should I contact Omas, or the reputable seller even if it was used?

 

Erick

[eric47]

Contact Omas. Early production new Paragons had that problem along with the inner liner breaking where it screws into the section. Omas is said to have corrected the design flaws in the early pens. There's a chance yours is one of those, in which case they'd substitute the parts as necessary.

[stanv]

Hello.

 

I have bought OMAS 2013 NOIR MILLORD LIMITED EDITION.

 

This pen has a piston filling system.

 

The user's manual says:

 

1. Gently twist the end of the barrell anti-clockwise until it stops naturally. Do not force.

 

2. Submerge the entire nib into the ink.

 

3. Twist the end of the barrel clockwise. This action draws ink to the pen.

 

4. Leaving nib submerged in ink, repeat the operation 3-4 times to eliminate any air in the barrel.

 

For the first time, piston knob unscrewed from the pen body completely, just under normal pressure, not forced.

 

The pen don't want to take ink into it.

 

I don't know what to do ((

 

It seems my pen is broken.

 

Please help me to fix my new pen.