Conway Stewart 57 - Slow Feed

October 12, 2014

I just got my first Conway Stewart, which is an aeromatic #57. The pen seems to be in decent shape all around, after I cleaned it up. I do have one issue. This pen always seems to need a kickstart when I start writing. After it gets going, it seems fine, but if I leave it alone for even 10 minutes, the nib goes dry. I have to shake the pen to get it to start.

So....what am I looking for?

October 12, 2014

Nib+feed adjustment.

PM me for a link to an article I wrote on another forum.

October 12, 2014

Bookmarked, and reading it now. Thanks!

October 17, 2014

An update, and a surprise. I've been working cautiously with the nib, since I can see that the tines are closed up at the end. After using a .001 brass shim (there's a real hobby shop less than a mile away, right next to my grocery store), I unscrewed the barrel....hey, where did the sac go? It was still in the pen. So, I now know how an aeromatic filler works, and I will be resaccing this one. I am assuming that the shroud just slips over the sac with a little talc added. I still think I need to adjust the feed, but first things first.

October 17, 2014

What does this pen look like? Squeeze aerometric filler with an open nib, plastic barrel, rolled gold cap?

October 17, 2014

Pic over in the Conway Stewart forum.

October 18, 2014

Well, today's news looks promising. I replaced the sac last night, and got the pen back together. I even found a couple of small cracks in the barrel that I fixed with a tiny dab of super glue on the inside of the barrel (yeah, probably blasphemy, but it seems to have sealed them). I was able to adjust the feed up to the nib closer. I don't know if it was the disassembly and reassembly that made the difference, but it is staying put.

I put some ink in, and the ink has been a nice, steady, and available flow this afternoon. If I let the pen sit for half an hour, and uncap it to write, it does. No coaxing, so far.