D I Y Repair On A 149?

[Paul Raposo]

Hey all.

 

I've been doing a lot of repairs myself, and I feel confident to tackle any pen I buy in the wild, knowing full well that there are many people on FPN who will always provide help when I'm stuck.

 

Today I looked at a 149. It was genuine, and the price was insane. But then I saw it in the flesh, and understood why no one has bought it yet.

 

One of the fins on the ebonite feed is missing; the ink window is badly scratched; the clip was slightly drooping in the center; and when I turned the piston knob, the entire piston began to unscrew from the barrel. I gave the pen back to the seller, thanked him for stopping buy, and walked away.

 

My question is this--how experienced does one have to be to tackle a 149 repair? Simply disassembling the pen, cleaning, and reassembling. No nib work, but possibly knocking out the nib, and feed to clean them. The nib was beautiful--a tri-colour 18c nib, in what appeared to be bold. That alone made me want the pen.

 

So, what are the chances of a non-pro actually being able to tackle a 149 repair myself?

Edited May 11, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[talkinghead]

 

My question is this--how experienced does one have to be to tackle a 149 repair? Simply disassembling the pen, cleaning, and reassembling.

So, what are the chances of a non-pro actually being able to tackle a 149 repair myself?

 

Hi Paul,

 

Repair and simply disassembly/cleaning/reassembly are two different things...

 

I'm sure you can handle the simple disassembly/cleaning/reassembly yourself. Get the right tools and go at it. There are numerous threads here in the MB forum that show pictures of 149's disassembled.

 

Repair..?.....hard to source parts, and if you can't source the part and/or need to rebuild a part, well...really......only the pro's (Francis-Fountainbel, Tom Westerich, Max Schrage etc) can actually do that.

 

Good luck!

 

Rick

[hari317]

IMO, it may not be cost effective to rebuild a part for a modern Montblanc like the resin era 149s etc since MB service do a great job of supplying a new pen for a flat overhaul fee.

 

Since you are able to inspect the pen before purchase, make sure it has no broken parts and only needs a nib reset and cleanup, then of course you can DIY. after gaining confidence, who knows, you might rent/buy a lathe and even start making your own replacement parts. I say DIY.

 

Best

Hari

[Paul Raposo]

Thank you Rick, and Hari.

 

You're correct Rick, I should have made a distinction between repairs, and servicing. What I've been doing is generally simple servicing--disassemble, clean reassembly.

 

From what I could see nothing was broken. I'm tempted to buy it simply because as Hari pointed out, I can always send it to MB for servicing. But then I'd loose that ebonite feed.

 

I'm going to have to give this some thought.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[Paul Raposo]

Well, I decided to take the pen.

 

I've got it dissembled, and the only problem I'm seeing so far is the spindle is slightly bent.

 

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2553/dsc02753td.jpg

 

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/8725/dsc02754c.jpg

 

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/1346/dsc02755a.jpg

 

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/7754/dsc02756t.jpg

 

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/5441/dsc02757i.jpg

 

Here is the spindle, with a twist in it. Any way to save this one, or do I need to hunt for a new one?

 

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1425/dsc02758u.jpg

 

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/433/dsc02759t.jpg

Edited May 11, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[Paul Raposo]

I made a tool, and unscrewed the nib/feed from the barrel. Tomorrow, I plan to knock out the nib and feed for a good cleaning.

 

The tines are spread pretty wide apart. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose, as the tines are perfect, except for the wide slit. I dipped the pen in MB Royal Blue, and the nib writes like a paintbrush--wide and wet. It's not terrible, but a bit wetter than I'd like. Any advice on closing the gap? I Know the criss-cross method to close the slit is easier with the nib free. Does this actually work?

 

Also, I'm smelling a lot of silicone on this pen. I know MB uses a proprietary pink sealant now, but back when this pen was made, what were they using? I have 100% pure silicone grease. Would that work on both ends?

 

I'm going to try the hot water method to reshape the spindle. Soak in very hot tap water for 60 seconds, reshape it, then run it under cold water for 30 seconds, or so. Let's hope that works.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[Paul Raposo]

I was a kid at Christmas, and I couldn't wait :embarrassed_smile:

 

I knocked out the nib, and feed. I used the criss-cross method on the tines, and it worked great! I'll be polishing up the nib on Saturday.

 

There is still a lot of sealant on the thread for the nib/feed sleeve. What can I use to remove this? Usually I use Naphtha, but I'm not sure if I can use that on this sleeve. Any ideas?

[talkinghead]

Strong work!

 

Alot of varying opinions here on pure silicone as a sealant for the resin pen, and/or lubricant for the piston seal. I use it...for what that is worth. I don't use anything on the back end filler unit threads.

 

The hardest part will be getting the metal "C" ring aligned correctly in its groove, within the filler cone...there was actually a recent thread here on just that topic that may help you. Here is the link to that thread:

 

Spindle Attachment

 

Luckily I have never had to dissemble completely the spindle from the filler cone...so I don't have any experience in fitting that C-ring back in place. Hopefully others who have had to do this will chime in for you Paul

 

As far as the the nib, go slowly, in tiny increments when using the criss cross method. But it does work....

 

Rick

[Paul Raposo]

Thank you, Rick

 

Using the criss-cross method, I got the tines so, that when I put the nib on top of the feed and squeeze slightly, the tines open up with just enough space to see light pass through. Based on the other pens I've worked on, I know that will be the gap that I will like to write with. I know some like a little tighter, but I like a pen to be a bit on the wetter side.

 

Thank you for that link for the spindle post. I saw it searching for posts, and frankly it took me a bit to understand it. In the expanded thread started by another FPN member, Rowbo posted a sketch which explained it perfectly.

 

What's your opinion on using Ron Zorn's section sealant for the nib/feed sleeve threads, and silicone for the piston?

 

I think I'll have to continue tomorrow. Need to go saw some logs now.

[georges zaslavsky]

you have a good pen here for a pefect nib adjustment and smoothiung, send it to mike masumaya

Edited May 12, 2012 by georges zaslavsky

[hari317]

 

Here is the spindle, with a twist in it. Any way to save this one, or do I need to hunt for a new one?

 

 

I have re-used slightly twisted spindles, yours looks ok. have you managed to attach it back to the filler cone?

 

Good Going!

 

Best

Hari

[NeelsK]

Hi Paul,

 

I don't know how common this is, but .... I use bees wax for sealant. It's a little tip I picked up from one of the well respected repair guys on the forum here. It is easy to work with, never leaks and also easy to reopen, when the need arises. All you need is a little heat

 

Hope that helps.

[Paul Raposo]

you have a good pen here for a pefect nib adjustment and smoothiung, send it to mike masumaya

 

 

Thanks, Georges. I'm going to give it a go with the nib now, and decide what to do, whether leave it as is, or get it tweeked.

[Paul Raposo]

I have re-used slightly twisted spindles, yours looks ok. have you managed to attach it back to the filler cone?

Good Going!

Best

Hari

 

Thank you, Hari. Means a lot coming from someone who has repaired many Montblanc pens himself

 

I ended up using hot water, and managed to wist it to almost normal position again. I did get it back into the filler cone. I'll be posting some pictures tonight of my progress.

[Paul Raposo]

Hi Paul,

I don't know how common this is, but .... I use bees wax for sealant. It's a little tip I picked up from one of the well respected repair guys on the forum here. It is easy to work with, never leaks and also easy to reopen, when the need arises. All you need is a little heat

Hope that helps.

 

Hi NeelsK. I have read beeswax as well. A lot repairers swear by it, and it seems to still be popular even today.

[Paul Raposo]

Ok everyone. I'm ready to assemble. I hope to get this done tonight. What I need to know is what and where do I need to lubricate, and seal before assembly?

[adyf]

and silicone for the piston?

 

Great work so far, I'd go with vaseline to lubricate the piston. I read somewhere on the MB forum that this is safer than silicon grease for MB's.

[Paul Raposo]

Great work so far, I'd go with vaseline to lubricate the piston. I read somewhere on the MB forum that this is safer than silicon grease for MB's.

 

Thank you, adyf. What part of the piston would I lube?

[Paul Raposo]

Well, I've already put in the nib, and followed Rick's advice to use silicone grease. Now just need some advice on lubing the piston. I'm going to follow the common practice of not using anything on the piston threads.

[Rowbo]

Bravo Paul!

 

I have read; use only the minimum amount on the seal lip i.e. where it is needed.

 

Glad you managed to sort out the spindle.

 

It might be a bit late, but - be aware that if the section threads and the section/feeder case are not sealed properly then apart from a possible ink leak - it may also leak air when filling, drawing ink into the section.

 

Rowbo