Ruined Nib? Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

[SoulSamurai]

Looks very nice now; I wouldn't have known it wasn't brand new!

[mitto]

Looks very nice now; I wouldn't have known it wasn't brand new!

 

Really? And thank you, SS.

[OMASsimo]

Thank you for posting your pictures of another project pen. We obviously share a love for restoring badly mistreated pens. Great work by the way!

[mitto]

Thank you,OMASsimo.

Edited November 8, 2017 by mitto

[Chrissy]

Sharing another experience of tinkering with an ailing nib. A MB 24 that I bought cheap because of its bent and twisted nib. Yet, worse the nib also had scars of failed attempts of straighening by the previous owner. Well, I worked on the nib and I think it is now nearly cured.

 

The nib on the pen when it arrived.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_v0YzkCPJQ3UzlneC10bVdHSEE/view?usp=drivesdk

 

The nib after being tinkered with.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_v0YzkCPJQ3cjVjM1VyZ2ZYcU0/view?usp=drivesdk

 

 

The whole pen before restoration.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_v0YzkCPJQ3MWJtSFBydTd2MU0/view?usp=drivesdk

 

After restoration.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SGh0G7lDhFp3a95U4L6ps3qLCSX_4HD2/view?usp=drivesdk

 

Excellent work

[Chrissy]

Sorry for the late response, I was tied up all day. There's a short and a long answer. The short one is: Patience!

 

Anyway, here comes the long answer. The exterior of the pen was in very good condition, no cracks, no deep grooves, excellent crisp imprint. However, the cap was rough and dull as happens with old ebonite sitting in the drawer for decades. So, I just used a leather belt with some polishing paste in the first stage of polishing both cap and pen. For the finishing stage of polishing, I just used cheap office paper, which gives an excellent shiny finish and is particularly safe not to rub off the imprint. This is a simple and cheap method and only requires some time and patience. Finally, I polished the metal parts with a small buffing wheel using a dremel.

 

I think this was well worth the little effort.

 

Thank you, that's most informative. I'm assuming that when you used the leather belt with the polishing paste, you used the leather side on the pen (not the suede side.) Also, that any piece of leather would do the same job. I have never heard of using cheap office paper for polishing though.

 

This pen was definitely well worth the effort.

[mitto]

Excellent work

Nice that you like it.

[OMASsimo]

Alright, here is another example for inspiration and encouragement, a project I just finished today. I recently got a pen I had on my target list for years, a Pelikan 400NN in tortoiseshell. I got it fairly cheap but unfortunately the nib was badly damaged.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a serious crack in the left tine of the badly bent nib and the nib collar was also shot. Now, a crack is still beyond what I can fix myself. So, I asked an excellent local goldsmith for help who soldered the crack for me after the nib was straightened. He did a good job though it was difficult. After the crack was fixed, I adjusted the nib, found a fitting nib collar in the parts box and reassembled the nib unit.

 

 

 

What remained was simply screwing the nib unit back into the section, fill the pen, and start writing.

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, here is a sample of it's performance. Like all Pelikans I own, it's a lovely writer and it definitely deserved being rescued from the rubbish bin.

 

 

[SoulSamurai]

Cool, I did know it was possible to fix a cracked tine!

[mitto]

Good job.

 

Congrats on acquiring the beauty and bringing it back to life. The 400NN is my favourite among vintage Pelikans.

Edited November 24, 2017 by mitto

[OMASsimo]

Cool, I did know it was possible to fix a cracked tine!

 

I was sure it can be done by an expert. My goldsmith wasn't so confident but gave it a try. It worked.

 

 

Good job.

 

Congrats on acquiring the beauty and bringing it back to life. The 400NN is my favourite among vintage Pelikans.

 

Thank you, I'll also forward this to the goldsmith who soldered the crack. I wan't him to be happy about his work, I might need him again.

 

I totally agree, the 400NN is a great Pelikan, perhaps my favourite too, especially in tortoiseshell. Somehow it seems to me that these vintage Pelikans are a bit underrated compared to their well-known big competitor. They made some of the best nibs and pens I know. They are awesome writers.