Sailor Realo Disassembly & Maintenance

[VillersCotterets]

Good morning,

I am considering purshasing a Sailor Pro Gear REALO piston filler. I haven't found anywhere instructions for the disassembly of the piston mechanism, nor how easy it is to clean the reservoir.

Any help, video, link or testimony would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[hari317]

There are some clues in this excellent blog post by kmpn.

 

http://kmpn.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/sailor-1911-realo.html

[VillersCotterets]

Thank you, Hari317.

Seems like all the parts unscrew without the need of any special tool or wrench.

[Algester]

you may need a prodding stick to remove the piston seal

[zchen]

I'd add that it isn't meant to be user disassembled and stripped down like the blog post at kmpn. Maintenance is easy enough by pulling out the nib and feed then sticking a thin stick down to grease the piston or using a blunt needle syringe to flush.

[VillersCotterets]

I'd add that it isn't meant to be user disassembled and stripped down like the blog post at kmpn. Maintenance is easy enough by pulling out the nib and feed then sticking a thin stick down to grease the piston or using a blunt needle syringe to flush.

??? Why going to all this trouble when the nib section seems to unscrew giving direct access to the ink reservoir?

 

The piston knob doesn't seem to be easily removed but if silicone grease can be applied from the front, I see no reason to pull out the nib.

[zchen]

??? Why going to all this trouble when the nib section seems to unscrew giving direct access to the ink reservoir?

 

The piston knob doesn't seem to be easily removed but if silicone grease can be applied from the front, I see no reason to pull out the nib.

 

It's not meant to unscrew at the section without breaking the sealant and some effort, it's not like TWSBIs where the pen is built to allow unscrewing the section all the time for cleaning. Whereas the nib and feed are pulled easily. Same idea as the Pilot Custom 823, yea the section can be unscrewed with effort but the risk of breaking is there too. Do it at your own risk.

Edited May 24, 2015 by zchen

[elevennx]

 

It's not meant to unscrew at the section without breaking the sealant and some effort, it's not like TWSBIs where the pen is built to allow unscrewing the section all the time for cleaning. Whereas the nib and feed are pulled easily. Same idea as the Pilot Custom 823, yea the section can be unscrewed with effort but the risk of breaking is there too. Do it at your own risk.

 

I'm actually curious about this because I've considered getting a Pilot 92 or 823, but I'm discouraged by the warnings to not take it apart. So why is it that the Sailor and Pilots are not meant to be disassembled (aside from voiding the warranty) but the TWSBIs are supposedly designed to be taken apart and put together again? Is there something in the TWSBI design that makes them safer to disassemble than the Japanese pens mentioned? If so, I'd like to know what it is.

[Calabria]

I'm kind of afraid just pulling out the nib assembly. But it would be nice to clean out the reservoir like I do in my Auroras. Any advice?

[rutherfordr]

I dunno -- I just unscrewed the piston assembly from my Cusom 823 for cleaning yesterday, and it was easy to take apart and put back together.

 

I think it's important to make sure not to tighten it too much when you're putting it back in, and the only real gotcha is that the gold ring only fits one way, but there's an obvious gap if you put it on backwards (yes, I know this from experience! )

 

I'll let you know if cracks start forming on the barrel, but so far there haven't been any problems.

[Algester]

I'm actually curious about this because I've considered getting a Pilot 92 or 823, but I'm discouraged by the warnings to not take it apart. So why is it that the Sailor and Pilots are not meant to be disassembled (aside from voiding the warranty) but the TWSBIs are supposedly designed to be taken apart and put together again? Is there something in the TWSBI design that makes them safer to disassemble than the Japanese pens mentioned? If so, I'd like to know what it is.

 

The Ch 92 can be disassembled with the twsbi wrench same goes to the custom 823

Just treat it like a twsbi and make sure nothing gets over tightened

Edited May 25, 2015 by Algester

[elevennx]

The Ch 92 can be disassembled with the twsbi wrench same goes to the custom 823

Just treat it like a twsbi and make sure nothing gets over tightened

 

Oh, I know they can be disassembled, but so many people seem to say they are not meant to be. Which makes me wonder, what is so different about them (or the Sailor Realo) compared to the TWSBIs, which supposedly are made to be disassembled? Is there a design difference that makes this so? Is a Pilot, or Sailor piston filler more likely to break when you disassemble it than a TWSBI? And if so, why?

[parnesh]

 

Oh, I know they can be disassembled, but so many people seem to say they are not meant to be. Which makes me wonder, what is so different about them (or the Sailor Realo) compared to the TWSBIs, which supposedly are made to be disassembled? Is there a design difference that makes this so? Is a Pilot, or Sailor piston filler more likely to break when you disassemble it than a TWSBI? And if so, why?

 

One reason is that the nibs are friction fit. Therefore if disassembled too many times, it might not stay put.

[Frank C]

I have wondered about the mechanism on the Realo. Despite the photos in the link above, I'm reluctant to take it apart. However, it the piston gets tight, I might remove the section to grease it. Thanks for all the information.

[Aysedasi]

I have a Realo. I confess I've never given disassembly and maintenance a thought. Guess I'm not the sort that expects to have to disassemble a pen to clean it every five minutes.....

[Dr.Grace]

 

Oh, I know they can be disassembled, but so many people seem to say they are not meant to be. Which makes me wonder, what is so different about them (or the Sailor Realo) compared to the TWSBIs, which supposedly are made to be disassembled? Is there a design difference that makes this so? Is a Pilot, or Sailor piston filler more likely to break when you disassemble it than a TWSBI? And if so, why?

 

 

I don't know about the Realo, but the 823's plastic barrel can easily crack when you tighten down the section unit, even if the force you apply doesn't seem excessive.

[elevennx]

 

One reason is that the nibs are friction fit. Therefore if disassembled too many times, it might not stay put.

 

I've thought of that, and have tried to stop worrying about the last bits of ink where the nib and section are connected (a little tougher to ignore in demonstrators). But what about unscrewing the section from the barrel? The Pilots have some kind of sealant, I think. Is it necessary to keep this intact? If so, how do the TWSBI's get away with not having sealant there? I'm just curious about how the design of these pens differ. I imagine whatever design principle is at play here, it applies to the Realo the OP is asking about too.

 

 

 

 

I don't know about the Realo, but the 823's plastic barrel can easily crack when you tighten down the section unit, even if the force you apply doesn't seem excessive.

 

That's good to know. I wonder if that consideration applies to the Pilot Custom 92 and the Sailor Realo as well.

[parnesh]

 

I've thought of that, and have tried to stop worrying about the last bits of ink where the nib and section are connected (a little tougher to ignore in demonstrators). But what about unscrewing the section from the barrel? The Pilots have some kind of sealant, I think. Is it necessary to keep this intact? If so, how do the TWSBI's get away with not having sealant there? I'm just curious about how the design of these pens differ. I imagine whatever design principle is at play here, it applies to the Realo the OP is asking about too.

 

 

 

That's good to know. I wonder if that consideration applies to the Pilot Custom 92 and the Sailor Realo as well.

 

I believe that Pilot has a silicon O ring in the section that seals against the nib and feed to prevent ink leaking. TWSBI has a nipple at the end of their feeds and pelikan would use silicon grease on their threaded nib units.

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that the pistons need to be lubricated if you are cleaning with detergent. Typically silicon grease is used however the Pilot lubricant is a lot less viscous than silicon grease. I think the TWSBI one too.

 

Also I know the 823 piston mechanism is brass and therefore tightening tends to crack the barrell like it did in old TWSBI (bad design arguably however). Turns out the 92 also has a metal thread on the piston.

 

The biggest difference between those mentioned and the Realo. It is a captured converter type design. See hari's link above.

[Dr.Grace]

The 823 doesn't have a piston. It's got a vac-fill plunger mechanism.

[Algester]

im not sure if brass is suitable with ink... seriously why do people still think pistons are made from brass and clearly not stainless steel.... especially in the VAC 700 and custom 823