Skyline Repair Tutorial

[Wahlnut]

Disassembly:

Skylines have a reputation (deserved or not) as compared to other brands for having brittle barrels. Brittleness is only a problem if the pen receives a shock as in being dropped on a hard surface or stress as in force being applied. For us the force issue is the most important and controllable issue. The use of heat and liquids is recommended for all section removal on almost all pens, it is most important for Skylines.

 

I mention liquids here too because they can help free up a stuck section. How to get the liquid to the stuck mated surfaces of the section and the barrel is a problem. If the sac is brittle and broken then run some cool water into the lever slot so it will travel down to the section area . If the sac is already broken the water will reach the area intended. Putting the pen head into water for about 15 minutes may also let some water seep into the section-barrel joint too. On rare most stubborn situations a little detergent rust-buster will loosen things up and it has never harmed any plastic as it is not a plastic solvent.

 

What is the correct amount of heat? 140-160 degrees. Skylines are most often held together with shellac. And even if held together with another "glue" heat will tend to soften the material enough to reduce the force necessary to separate the section from the barrel.

 

The hands are the best tool but may not be strong enough to do the job. Be careful with those section pliers. The factory repair manual specified rocking the section out, not twisting it out. I have broken as many pens using the rocking motion as I have with the twisting motion, so I am not sure it really matters today. The spark plug pliers we have all paid too much for as section pliers are canted at an angle which is not the best for the job intended. People tend to apply force at that angle and break things. So be careful with those. Even the new circular wrenches (bionic wrench?) are at right angles to the section when use and they make it too easy to twist the section cross wise to the barrel.

 

Section Disassembly

The section contains the nib, feed, breather tube and in some cases the ink flow-back curved plastic device. The factory repair manual does not require the removal of the breather tube for nib and feed removal. Many people take the breather tube out to knock out the nib and feed. Many a breather tube has been broken in the process of removal. As the factory instructions say, use a knock out tube, not a rod. The factory repair part number for the knock oout was L-105, but they are made of unobtanium so you have to make your own. Most hobby shops carry aluminum tubing with a wide tube wall that is the right size for the job. Just hack off about a 5" piece, and clean op the ends from burs and hack saw lines. The slip the knock out tube over the breater tube and proced with the knock-out as usual.

 

Lever and Presser Bar

These are somewhat unique to the Skyline and require some close attention. I have inserted a picture below of the parts involved and the instructions from the factory manual on this topic:

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/wahlnut/SkylineRepairpage1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/wahlnut/SkylineRepairpage2-1.jpg

 

Note step 4. Are you surprised that the factory instructed repairers to use acetone???

 

 

You can make your own tool for insertion of the presser bar.

 

You can make a nib insertion gauge

 

 

Skyline Models Trivia

Just for the interest such trivia presents, how many models of Skyline Pen are there?

 

Presentation Pen - Models 60, 61, D60, D61, J60 and J612 sizes

Skyline Pen - Models 76, 77, 76P and 77P

Streamliner Pen Models 98 and 99

Executive Model

 

Go ahead and post pictures of what you believe to be these models. There may be a prize for the correct submissions.

 

Anyway thought this might be of interest to all the Skyline fans out there.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Wahlnut

[Farace]

Thank you for this, it's very timely. I'm expecting my first Skyline to arrive in the mail soon (with, I'd bet, more to follow). Being from one of those eBay "I'm not a pen expert" auctions, I'm sure it will need some work.

 

[Maja]

Skyline Models Trivia

Just for the interest such trivia presents, how many models of Skyline Pen are there?

 

Presentation Pen - Models 60, 61, D60, D61, J60 and J612 sizes

Skyline Pen - Models 76, 77, 76P and 77P

Streamliner Pen Models 98 and 99

Executive Model

 

Go ahead and post pictures of what you believe to be these models. There may be a prize for the correct submissions.

 

Anyway thought this might be of interest to all the Skyline fans out there.

What about the modern Evesharp "Skyline" pens in the "Yellow Cab" and "Walt Disney" special editions, Syd?

 

Almost forgot to say "THANK YOU" for the Skyline repair tutorial! I've been fortunate that my two Skylines had sections that were easy to open *and* there were no lever or cap clip issues...Whew!

Edited April 26, 2007 by Maja

[Wahlnut]

What about the modern Evesharp "Skyline" pens in the "Yellow Cab" and "Walt Disney" special editions, Syd?

 

Almost forgot to say "THANK YOU" for the Skyline repair tutorial! I've been fortunate that my two Skylines had sections that were easy to open *and* there were no lever or cap clip issues...Whew!

 

I guess I should have said "vintage". All vintage pens are within these numbers, I believe. The repro Yellow Taxi, the commemorative Walt Disney, the Retro Skyline with the 4 motor airplane and the other "retro skyline types, I did not include, as they are/were not made by Wahl or Eversharp as we knew them (these were made under a license agreement with Parker) and, forgive me, to me curiosities of the market place...but you are right ...they exist sure enough.

 

Syd

Edited April 26, 2007 by Wahlnut

[MYU]

Thanks so much for posting this, Wahlnut! I have a nice Skyline set (with stickers) sitting in a box doing nothing, due to a dried out useless bladder. The pen looked very difficult to deal with and I'd heard of the brittle barrel problems. I figured I'd have a professional have at it eventually. But if I can do some of the work myself, that would help out a lot.

[Richard]

Syd,

 

Would you consider sending 300-dpi scans of the manual pages to me?

[Wahlnut]

OK, Richard the scans you requested are going out tonight to you via PM and email.

 

Syd

Edited August 3, 2011 by Wahlnut

[pen neophyte]

Disassembly:

Lever and Presser Bar

These are somewhat unique to the Skyline and require some close attention. I have inserted a picture below of the parts involved and the instructions from the factory manual on this topic:

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/wahlnut/SkylineRepairpage1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a75/wahlnut/SkylineRepairpage2-1.jpg

 

I apologize for re-animating a long dead thread, but I just wanted to tell you how useful this was for me. I had just opened up an early skyline with the V-bar and was completely mystified, thinking someone had jammed a j-bar into a pen that already had a pressure bar!

 

I CAN tell you that the pressure bars and levers are all different sizes, grumble.

[empyrean]

Recently got a beautiful 1940s Demi Skyline, 4-3/4 inches long, capped.

 

The sac came out in pieces, but breather tube is perfect. The lever has good tension, as if it were new. With a flashlight, within the barrel it appears to be a pressure bar from the older-variety skylines, and in good working order. Am thinking that only a new sac with shellac would be the only repair necessary. My research said a 16-2 5/8 taper. Is this correct fellow FPNskyliners? Thanks!

[jonveley]

NOTE: an ordinary J-shaped pressure bar will also work just fine in a Skyline. I know it may be heretical, but I'd hate to see someone wait to restore and enjoy their Skyline until they can find one of those goofy style pressure bars....

 

And I do mean "goofy" in the most affectionate sense of the word.

[Wahlnut]

Recently got a beautiful 1940s Demi Skyline, 4-3/4 inches long, capped.

 

The sac came out in pieces, but breather tube is perfect. The lever has good tension, as if it were new. With a flashlight, within the barrel it appears to be a pressure bar from the older-variety skylines, and in good working order. Am thinking that only a new sac with shellac would be the only repair necessary. My research said a 16-2 5/8 taper. Is this correct fellow FPNskyliners? Thanks!

 

 

Yes that is correct. A slightly shorter straight 16 can be used too. If you use the cut-to-fit method for sac length the proper length with the straight 16 will be self-evident.

Syd

[POE]

http://www.thefountainpencommunity.com/forum.spark?aBID=111780&topicID=12218301&p=3

[empyrean]

Recently got a beautiful 1940s Demi Skyline, 4-3/4 inches long, capped.

 

The sac came out in pieces, but breather tube is perfect. The lever has good tension, as if it were new. With a flashlight, within the barrel it appears to be a pressure bar from the older-variety skylines, and in good working order. Am thinking that only a new sac with shellac would be the only repair necessary. My research said a 16-2 5/8 taper. Is this correct fellow FPNskyliners? Thanks!

 

 

Yes that is correct. A slightly shorter straight 16 can be used too. If you use the cut-to-fit method for sac length the proper length with the straight 16 will be self-evident.

Syd

 

thanks j for the info!.... and wahlnut! I was wondering if a straight 16 would work. Haven't attempted a restoration before and am looking forward to it....just waiting on my sacs and shellac to arrive. This skyline is a lil beauty!

[SigmaZuiko]

+1 To the brittle barrel mention

 

I recently got a Skyline that suffers from shrunken plastic (the metal gold filled cap section can be slid away from the plastic section quite easily) and as I wiggled the section out of the barrel under running warm water it cracked!

 

I managed to force the rest of the threaded barrel chunk off of the section and after super-gluing it on (I am more of a writer than a collector but I have a feeling that will change in the future), I covered the sac in powdered graphite since it was definitely sticking to the inside of the barrel, and used some rubber cement to re-affix the old sac. For the loose cap, I used a peice of paper as a shim then covered that with rubber cement and stuffed it back into its normal position (one of the drilled breather holes doesn't line up anymore due to the shrinkage but I figure it isn't an issue since there is a gap between the metal and plastic where air can flow freely).

 

And now its back to full functionality, breather tube and all!

Edited May 18, 2011 by SigmaZuiko

[welch]

Syd, could this be pinned?

[Wahlnut]

Syd, could this be pinned?

 

Done Ta-Da!

Syd

[Rogue07]

Awesome!! I just scooped one of these up and need to overhaul it!! Thanks so much for posting this! What a great resource!

[jptech]

Can someone post a reference on what is required to repair these? And where to get parts?

 

I believe that the standard skylines require a 16 1/2 X 2 1/4 NT sac. They also need a breather tube.

Edited February 12, 2013 by jptech

[Luiz]

Thanks for the excellent information Mr. Wahlnut!

[stephanos]

Thank you, particularly for the warning on cracking.

I have an unrestored Skyline coming (my first). I don't yet have much experience in restoring vintage pens, so this forum is invaluable. I have used a hair-dryer in the past to supply the neccessary heat - any reason that wouldn't work here?