Repairing A Lever Pen (Uk)?

[dahallengren]

Hi everyone,

 

First post here, but looks like a cool community! I bought a really neat French lever-filling fountain pen at the flea market today, I'm wondering about how I'd go about getting it repaired from the UK. The problem is the lever itself, which seems to have broken over the years. I'd expect the sack could probably do with replacing, too. Does anyone have any sort of idea where I could get that sort of thing done, and sort of cost I should expect?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[sandy101]

I used https://www.vintagefountainpens.co.uk to get a Parker button filler repaired. It cost £30 and the pen works fine. E-mail them a picture of the pen, and they'll send you a quote. It took approx. 2 weeks.

[BT_Summers]

http://www.classicpenengineering.co.uk/fountain-pen-pencil-repairs.html

 

Also do a good job.

 

The main issue will be replacing the lever for any repairer.

 

You may find that the cost of repair exceeds the value of the finished pen.

[PaulS]

hi - welcome to the FPN You don't mention the brand of your pen - but just as a thought, and bearing in mind it's flea market origin and possible low purchase price - you might pause and consider if the suggested cost mentioned by sandy101, might outweigh the cost of the pen.

Might we see a picture of the pen?

[BT_Summers]

??

[ralfstc]

Hello,

 

There's a really good chance that there may be nothing wrong with the lever. When the sac goes bad, sometimes it gets really hard and ends up preventing the lever from moving. In this case, a sac replacement will sort everything out. In the meantime, don't force the lever!

 

Replacing sacs is a very easy repair-- if you are at all mechanical, you might want to give it a go. We can talk you through it :-)

 

Ralf

[dahallengren]

Hi all, thanks for the quick replies. The reason I haven't noted the brand of the pen is that I can't quite figure it out myself - the barrel doesn't seem to be marked. The nib itself is a 14 carat Rool's 2A, and as far as I can tell, the brand is French, hence my calling the pen French. Alas, the lever is indeed broken (I've tried to take a picture to explain). See this link for the photos (I've not puzzled out how to attach images yet).

[ralfstc]

It is a beautiful pen. I think it'd be worth the professional restoration. 90% that there's nothing wrong with the lever- just jammed by the old sac. Word to the wise-- be careful with it. Don't ask me how I know . . .

 

My recommendation for repair would be Eric Wilson in Edinburgh. He's Eckiethump on FPN, and his email is eckiefump@googlemail.com

 

R.

[PaulS]

looking at the pix supplied it appears the box is broken - as they are often - where the pin is located to hold the lever. Boxes were poorly designed and the leverage could be excessive at this week point. Later in the life of many pens, and when the sacs had often vitrified, along comes someone who is ignorant of the rights and wrongs of old pens, and forces the lever against a rock hard sac, thereby breaking the box.

Edited August 20, 2017 by PaulS

[ralfstc]

Interesting point Paul. I suspected displaced rather than broken because the "break" looks so clean, but it's certainly a possible fracture.

 

Here's a little info:

 

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/21166-Rare-vintage-red-mottled-French-ROOL-s-fountain-pen-14K-nib-Early-1920-s

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318329-rools-pen-identification-please/

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-RARE-ROOLS-8-FRANCAIS-CELLULOID-SAFETY-FP-18K-GOLD-NIB-1920-039-s-/182622528386?nma=true&si=QmZO0gTrHWERfrT2b9mtea25QcE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Good luck, all!

 

R.

[ralfstc]

And to muddy the "French-made" water . . .

 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-english-rools-fountain-pen-1813349294

 

But it's not in Steve Hull's index of English makers, so I think French/Belgian is pretty certain.

 

BTW, if the box is broken, Eckiethump will fix it!

 

R.

[PaulS]

would be good if you can get it fixed - it's a great looking pen ................. Waterman 'type' boxes are at a premium - they tend to break long before their levers.

The name Rools doesn't sound particularly English, and agree can't see it in Stephen Hull's book, although always possible it's the name of a retail or wholesale outlet, rather than a maker - this was a fairly common occurrence during the period in question.

Edited August 20, 2017 by PaulS

[dahallengren]

Yep, I'm pretty sure the issue is the box (didn't know the vocab - see, I'm learning!). The break isn't quite as clean as it looks in the picture, especially not on the other side of the box.

I suppose I'll reach out to the individuals / services mentioned above and get a feel for just how badly this pen is going to hurt my wallet. But hey, I only paid €12 for it in the first place, so I can't complain.

On the side of the French theory, by the way, is the fact that I bought the pen in Brussels, so it would seem natural enough that the pen would come from over the border. Really odd though that there's so little information out about this manufacturer. I think Paul might be right with the wholesale or retail theory.

[mitto]

I can't see the box broken. But it could be that my eyesight does not help me. That is a beautiful pen. If it were mine I would have got it restored. How does the nib write?

[dahallengren]

On vacation, so I haven't got a bottle of ink handy. I'll go out today, buy a bottle (what an ordeal!), and let you guys know. The nib looks pretty pristine, and it seems to want to flex, so I have high hopes.

[Ebberman]

Ralfstc - I'd be happy if you could give me a talk-through. I have a few ancient lever pens where the rubber bladder has totally perished. Thank goodness for modern plastics.

The one I'm looking at right now is a small tortoiseshell lever pen. The lever doesn't willingly move so I haven't forced it. The bladder is dust. The nib says Burnham 14 ct Gold.

I have a load of £1 recent pens which work well so I don't really need this one, but there is this desire to give it love.