Dismantling A Pelikan Mk/silvexa

January 22, 2015

The mechanism is locked solid. Given the state of the nib I strongly suspect that the problem's dried ink.

My plan was to disassemble the section/barrel (it's currently soaking in warm water from the nib up to just above the the barrel/section joint), soak thr ink reservoir and piston from the inside using water then cleaner, and if this releases the mechanism regrease and then reassemble. Seems easier and requiring less fiddling with getting the piston position and the barrel top correctly related to each other than disassembling from the back.

Or am I, new to these pens, getting it wrong?

January 22, 2015

Chuck the whole pen in water to soak, not just the nib. You must get some water into the pen to dissolve the dried ink holding the piston.

If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, keep cycling it with the whole pen submersed.

Once there is water inside, the piston will eventually free itself.

Edited January 22, 2015 by whych

January 23, 2015

"500ml PET bottle method"

Fill a clean 500ml PET bottle with clean water.

Remove cap from your pen.

Put your pen "nib-up" into the bottle.

Secure tight the bottle cap.

Squeeze the bottle.

Elevated inner pressure will let some amount of water into your pen.

Release the bottle.

Decreased inner pressure will draw some air from inside your pen.

Repeat a few times.

Then, turn the bottle upside down. (Now the pen is "nib-down")

Repeat squeeze and release.

If this method worked, old ink in your pen will come out.

You can shake the bottle or shake your pen to solve the ink which is blocking the piston movement.

You can use 1L or 2L bottle, but they require more effort to squeeze.

January 23, 2015

@TorPelikan

Thanks for the idea!

The main thing is to be patient and not to rush things. The ink that has dried in the pen has been there for many years and won't all shift in a few minutes or hours.

Use small movements back and forward to free the piston. If it sticks, turn the other way and turn back a bit.

That way you won't damage the piston.

In most cases, this will also rescue an old cork seal which has more chance of breaking up when forced.

Edited January 23, 2015 by whych

January 23, 2015

@TorPelikan
Thanks for the idea!

Same here!

January 24, 2015

"500ml PET bottle method"

+1. Just tried it nib-down with a air space above the water in the bottle. After each of about three squeeze/release cycles I could see an air bubble on the bottom of the feed. When that stopped I took the pen out and the ink reservoir is almost full, allowing a good clean from the inside. And without having to strain the mechanism. Thanks!

This after trying to unscrew the section/barrel joint with heat after a soak, but there's no movement and - as noted by others - forcing anything isn't a good idea. Piston actuator sometimes moved a little when turned, then locked; sometimes completely jammed.

I'm still wary of taking the piston mechanism apart. I see from other threads that it may be possible to take out the nib/feed. Does doing this leave a large enough hole in the section for a cocktail stick with a trace of grease to be inserted through to the barrel and used to lubricate the barrel inside?

edited for: further progress (?), typos, errors, stuff ...

Edited January 24, 2015 by PDW

January 24, 2015

If the piston is sticking, you need to take it out.

As long as you don't completely unscrew/dismantle it, you won't have a problem putting it back together.

January 24, 2015

I think all I need to do is grease the barrel interior. I just need access to the wretched thing.

January 24, 2015

This is a very useful thread, thank you.

I second (third, fourth) others who have urged patience. I was given an old Parker 45 FP some time ago, with a fitted converter. Of course the converter sac had perished, and it was completely impossible to remove it from the pen. I ended up soaking it for about a month in total, trying to move the converter every few days. Yesterday it finally came loose. I was able to remove the converter altogether and after further flushing (chunks of old ink), I now have it working with a test cartridge.

January 25, 2015

Finally gave in to the experts and tried unscrewing the piston end with a filed down TWSBI wrench. It came apart very easily with LH thread, but the thread is longer than you might think so keep unscrewing. At some point the rotation will continue but there'll be no more outward movement. You'll have reached the end of the screw thread but the assembly will not just fall out. You'll have to pull (gently at first!) until the piston assembly comes out and you see the plastic piston (possibly with a coating of ink on the bearing surface) looking at you. Time to clean the piston and the barrel interior, and grease the edges of the piston before putting it all back together.

A couple of points:

1. the entire piston/gearing assembly comes out as one unit. so there was no problem here when reassembling with having to re-align the piston actuator to get the knob to lie close to the barrel as with other piston fillers. The first time I reassembled the pen the unit unscrewed when I actuated the piston, but after a little more (gentle-ish) tightening with the wrench it now works fine.

2. the TWSBI wrench seems to have been surface-hardened. Don't despair if it seems impossible to file it - once you're through the surface the metal is softer and easier to work.

Pen now ready for inking - thanks to all respondents to my questions for your patience!

edited after final reassembly

Edited January 25, 2015 by PDW