Machining Sleeve For Loose Section

[hanryy]

Hello All,

 

I was hoping for a little advice on how to tackle my current pen repair problem.

 

I have a very nice vintage celluloid Waterman's, but the nib section is too loose (~0.6-0.8 mm in diameter difference). The barrel is not cracked and the threads tighten onto the cap perfectly.

 

Since the gap is a bit too large to accommodate for with shellac, I was hoping to get some advice on how to best machine and insert a sleeve of hard rubber or brass.

 

My questions are:

1. Is hard rubber the preferred material? Or is a thing ring of brass equally viable?
2. how thin can a sleeve of either material be made reliably?
3. Must I bore out the ID of the barrel to accommodate the new sleeve? Or can i simply machine the sleeve to fit snuggly in the barrel with some adhesive (such as shellac).
4. and for machining the sleeve itself is it best to machine down the ID or OD first?

I am a rather novel machinest and would prefer to keep my pen parts away from the lathe unless absolutely necessary.\

 

Thank you all in advance for any advice at all.

 

~Hanry

[FarmBoy]

Turn down the section to ensure you have a flat and true surface. Bore an oversize rod to fit over the section you have cleaned up and epoxy in place. Turn down the now oversize section to fit after the adhesive has cured. Seat the section using heat and friction to hold it in place.

[hanryy]

Thank you for the prompt and useful response FarmBoy.

 

That sounds like a good plan of action. I will have to figure out a good way to mount the section but that shouldn't be too challenging.

 

One more question, is shellac a suitable adhesive or should I be using a more permanent epoxy? (loctite for example).

[Vintagepens]

That's a pretty big difference in diameters!

Is it possible that the section isn't correct? Might be a lot easier just swapping sections.

 

best

 

David

[hanryy]

David,

 

It is not the original section, but it is aesthetically correct...

 

Also to be honest, I am looking at this as an opportunity to expand on my skillset as a pen repairer. So its really for the sake of learning!

Thank you for the comment though.

 

~Hanry

[FarmBoy]

Why not turn a whole section?

 

Yes I'd use an epoxy suited for rubber or Loctite 480.

[hanryy]

Turning a whole section would be more fun, but I am not sure how to bore out the center hole for a friction fit nib. This is one of my main obstacles to turning a whole pen.

 

Any advice on how to choose a taper and how to cut said taper?

[Ron Z]

A section bore is a straight cut. The nib is the taper. A nib is a wedge. thinner at the tail than at the tip. Measure the diameter of the nib and feed together right at the very end of the nib. ID should be close to this dimension.

 

There are some sections that have two different dimensions for the ID. The back end of the section is a snug fit on the end of the section to seal at the back end, then a slightly larger hole from the front end part way back.