Repair Tools?

[elysee]

While I was roaming on eBay, I found a listing for a Waterman tool kit. This made me curious if folks use model/company-specific tools, use a mix of tools, or fashion their own tools. So, I figured it would be best to ask. So, do you use model/company-specific tools, use a mix of tools, or fashion your own tools?

 

Thanks! : )

[penbeggar107]

If you do a lot of repairs you will accumulate a number of tools from many sources. I was trained by Arthur Twydle in England and with the training came a tool kit. Knockout block with 2 different sizes of nails with the points ground off to remove feeds. Shellac for sacs and the tool to spread the sac so you can place it on the section. The Pen Museum on-line is still run by his son Peter or his good friend Mr. Marshall who runs the Pen & Pencil gallery on-line. I believe they sell repair tools. I bought tools from Father Koch(deceased) at the San Francisco show(also deceased) for any Sheaffer repairs and most of his tools were homemade. The only other tools I bought were from The Great Parker (vacumatic multi-tool) and the inner cap tool from the incomparable Mr. Stewart at the Portland Show (also deceased...the show)Most of my other tools I have gathered from flea markets to dentists office...the root canal drill bits are awesome for small jobs of all kinds. I use pockets knives and box cutters, rasps and dremels. It really depends on the job and if you are inventive and can see other uses for the different tools you see everyday...Its always fun to find new things to try... Enjoy. If you have a particular job and need a suggestion...let me know and I will tell you what I have used or what will work.

[Ron Z]

While I have a few tools that were used by Sheaffer, most of the tools that I use I've either made, or adapted from some other use. In many cases the tools that we need simply are not made by anyone, so we have to create our own.

 

To get you started, take a look at these articles. Follow the links to the FPN pages too - fun reading, and it may give you some ideas.

[Ron Z]

Just for fun, I took a quick shot of a bunch of the tools that I've made over the years. This is not all of them either.

 

Do click to enlarge the picture so that you can see the details.

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/madetools.jpg

 

Left to right:

 

Chop stick - one of the most useful random tools you'll ever use.

Wahl twist fill wrench - There are tabs on the end to reache inside and grab the locking ring.

Vac too - used to push out the filler from the inside while pulling from the outside

Pellet pusher

Vac thread chasers - made from blind cap nipples from dead fillers

Lever pin pusher

Feed punches - left one is for Sheaffer, right one Vacs and other pens (note different shapes on end to make it easier to find them

Wahl Vacuum filler nut wrench for removing blind caps

My original vac block

Wahl lever spring pusher

Feed chaser - chisel point on the end, for roto-rooting out feeds and breather tubes

Spanner #1 for brass blind cap nuts Sheaffer vac fillers

Eraser puller (made before I saw the ones in the Sheaffer service center. Theirs were identical, down to the brazed screw in the end of the rod.)

Burnishing too, made out of piece of crib rail

Spanner #2 for the aluminum blind cap nuts in Sheaffer vac filler

Top: my section wrench, the one that I use 99% of the time. Now on it's third set of "tires"

Edited June 15, 2011 by Ron Z

[elysee]

Nice! : )

[Maja]

If you do a lot of repairs you will accumulate a number of tools from many sources. I was trained by Arthur Twydle in England and with the training came a tool kit. Knockout block with 2 different sizes of nails with the points ground off to remove feeds. Shellac for sacs and the tool to spread the sac so you can place it on the section. The Pen Museum on-line is still run by his son Peter or his good friend Mr. Marshall who runs the Pen & Pencil gallery on-line. I believe they sell repair tools. I bought tools from Father Koch(deceased) at the San Francisco show(also deceased) for any Sheaffer repairs and most of his tools were homemade. The only other tools I bought were from The Great Parker (vacumatic multi-tool) and the inner cap tool from the incomparable Mr. Stewart at the Portland Show (also deceased...the show)Most of my other tools I have gathered from flea markets to dentists office...the root canal drill bits are awesome for small jobs of all kinds. I use pockets knives and box cutters, rasps and dremels. It really depends on the job and if you are inventive and can see other uses for the different tools you see everyday...Its always fun to find new things to try... Enjoy. If you have a particular job and need a suggestion...let me know and I will tell you what I have used or what will work.

Hey Michael! Good news.........The San Francisco Pen Show is still around!

Check out their website: http://sanfranciscopenshow.net/

According to the site, the show will be held from Friday-Sunday October 14-16, 2011.. It's a bit far for me to travel, but it's still the closest pen show to Vancouver

 

 

As for the thread topic itself........I have only made one tool myself (and I didn't "create" it, per se)--a green straw from Starbucks that I use to help push a Sheaffer O-ring into place. The darned things are sometimes hard to manoeuver into the little barrel groove.

I tape off the end of the straw so that the O-ring doesn't fall into it, and then I push on the O-ring from the barrel opening that is farthest from the barrel groove. It sure saves me a lot of time when I do Snorkel/Touchdown resacks...

Edited June 19, 2011 by Maja

[adyf]

then I push on the O-ring from the barrel opening that is farthest from the barrel groove. It sure saves me a lot of time when I do Snorkel/Touchdown resacks...

 

That's interesting, I've read somewhere before about inserting the O ring furthest from the barrel groove. I've always found it quite easy from the other end, I feel that I must be missing something.

Edited June 20, 2011 by adyf

[Maja]

then I push on the O-ring from the barrel opening that is farthest from the barrel groove. It sure saves me a lot of time when I do Snorkel/Touchdown resacks...

 

That's interesting, I've read somewhere before about inserting the O ring furthest from the barrel groove. I've always found it quite easy from the other end, I feel that I must be missing something.

 

When I use the straw to push the O-ring in place, the O-ring has to be in front of the straw, basically so I can see what I am doing. I know folks who use their fingers to place the O-ring into the barrel grove (obviously from the side of the barrel closest to the groove), but I need a straw (as well as the golf-club-shaped-head of my dental pick.... and lots of patience!)

Edited June 21, 2011 by Maja