Mini Review Of Hero 443 Pen

[bob_hayden]

The FPN search function has not been working for me recently so I apologize if this should have been a comment added to an earlier review.

 

This is a shiny metal exterior ("flighter") pen for $1.69 on eBay USA (or less than #1 each in lots of 10). Perhaps its main claim to fame is a spring loaded pocket clip that can open up to about half an inch (1.3cm) which should handle any jeans and probably most any parka. It's light for a metal pen. The exterior is somewhat shiny metal with patterns of six fine grooves alternating with ungrooved territory along most of its length. This reminded me of the caps on the early Sheaffer Dollar Pens and the hoods of Pontiac automobiles c.1950. Other 443s were available with plastic bodies in several colors. My metal one looks as though it might have started life shiny but now is a bit distressed. The finish seems dulled with hints of black and brown, almost as though it had been heated in an oven. Mine was sold as "new" but it looks like Chinese pens of the 1990s, and one online source said these were made in the 1970s. The odd exterior appearance may be the result of years in storage.

 

Inside the section is very plain -- just a tapered black cylinder. At the end is a trim ring that also looks very "last century China" and appears to be steel. It looks like the section of the Hero 50. The nib, though, is unusual. It looks like the blade of a knife or spear, and is quite flat in cross-section. It too is very plain -- a barely visible slit and a few Chinese characters inconspicuously up near the section. Upstream is a large Aerometic-style filler that does NOT appear removable for use with cartridges.

 

The nib on my example was a very toothy (but not scratchy) F to XF with some flex. This too reminded me of the Hero 50. Right after filling, it was burping and much too wet. Five days later it started immediately and was not overly wet nor burping.

 

This could pass for a high class pen handed down from your grandfather. The gaping clip will appeal to some while the feel of the nib might prove more controversial. It is certainly handsome in a very understated way and perfectly serviceable. I have not tried polishing it up.

 

 

[bob_hayden]

I used this as my everyday carry pen for a couple of weeks -- until I used up the initial filling of ink. It performed very well -- always starting, laying down a wet line, and not burping. However, as the ink level approached empty, it did begin to show extra ink on nib and section, though not on paper. Perhaps the metal parts conduct the heat of one's hand, expanding all that air in the nearly empty cartridge. There are many good pens under $2US on eBay. This one is a contender if its assortment of pluses and minuses matches your taste.

[sodul]

I've got the 443 for $0.95 shipped around the same time you did the mini-review. I used this pen for a couple of weeks last year and tonight I wanted to ink it up... it split right in half!

 

 

I was able to get the sac and section out with some effort. The nib was a little bit of work and on the inside folds over a little like a Lamy nib.

 

Do you have any recommendation on repairing this? I'm considering acetone, as it worked well on cracked parkers 21s for me. Clearly there is a design issue as there is not much plastic to provide structural integrity on that spot that gets a fair amount of force when pulling the pen open or when writing with pressure.

 

Ideally I should remove the remaining clear plastic from the section before repairing but it seems glued to the black plastic of the section. I would like to at least get the feed out but it seems that it can't be removed without removing the clear plastic.

 

Considering how much I paid, this is not a big loss.

 

If you are interested I can take some pictures of the nib and exposed feed.

[sodul]

I took a look at the place where I got the 443 last time and I could only find $13 for a plastic body one. It goes for a premium now, and the flighter version is no longer available !

[bob_hayden]

I think the general principle is that if something breaks due to excess force applied at a point, you may be able to glue it back together. This is especially true if what breaks is a trim part rather than a load-bearing part. But if a load-bearing part breaks due to poor design there is not much chance that glue will help as the repaired joint will be much weaker than the original one that failed because it was too weak to begin with.

 

It looks like these are from at least 20 years ago and so you have the added issue that poorer plastics may have been used, including ones that grow brittle with age. My experience with Chinese pens from back then is that the price can fluctuate a great deal. Some sellers see them as leftover junk while others see them as collectors items, and there are not enough around for competition to establish a "normal" price. I have seen prices go way up as certain models get rarer, and then come back down again as pens fail to sell at the higher prices.

[sodul]

Here is the pen in its current glory:

 

Note that the nib has one fold shoulders in the back, not Lamy style as I mentioned above.

 

I'll take this opportunity to attempt some repair techniques and learn for more valuable pens.

[Mech-for-i]

Sorry being late to the thread, this 443 had broken on the coupler part and that practically mean no repair applicable as the part itself actually hold all the pen parts so to speak and its broken; then its broken ... and as for the nib, the correct way to remove a Dagger nib ( this is te term used for this type of nib ) is to remove it from the section side aft not the front .. usually its putting the section in hot water bath to soften the sealer and then you screw it off the coupler ( the transparent part ) then the feed and nib pull out from aft ... though it might not be too hard to get a new one ... I figure I at least had 3 of these and certainly the 221 as well as the plastic bodied 443 of other colours

Edited May 9, 2019 by Mech-for-i

[sodul]

Thanks for the details Mech-for-i. I was able to remove the broken plastic from the section after a dip in boiling water. Since I have several other Hero pens I decided to look into using spare parts from them. The 616 and 329 are not a good fit but the 007 fits very well with the body of the 443. The metal ring has a slightly smaller diameter than the original one but not by much. Unfortunately the threads going to the section are just a hint smaller, but that might be addressable with teflon tape. The last part is the feed that goes into the tube ... and it is not fitting. I could either sand the part from the 007 to fit, but then this will significantly compromise the strength of that part, or grind the feed, which would be much harder to replace.

 

In the short term I will try gluing, just for the sake of experimenting. The best bet is to probably modify the reservoir from a Hero 007 to fit on the 443. Considering the Hero 007 are under $1 shipped these are good pens to use for spare parts (cheap temporary sacs, etc...). They are pretty poor performers out of the factory so I don't feel bad about breaking one or two.

[death89]

I can't do photos right now, but I have a Parker flighter which broke in exactly the same place, and which I successfully glued some 15 years ago. It's still in one piece, that was using a modelling superglue. I don't leave it in my trouser pocket anymore though...

 

Edit: to add I actually removed the broken piece from the barrel by putting my finger in and using the friction to unscrew it (not sure they'd fit a small pen nowadays!)

Edited May 10, 2019 by death89

[sodul]

Thanks for sharing Mint.

 

I would use MEK if I could but it is mostly banned in California, I'll have to grab some the next time I do a road trip out of state. Here are the things I've tried.

 

Pure Acetone

 

This is readily available as nail polish remover in many places and is rather cheap. I had good results with Parker 21 cracks, as they are polystyrene and acetone is effective on that. I dipped the two ends in the acetone and tried to fuse them together. I might have not waiter long enough but the clear plastic did not seem to melt much compared to the plastic on my cracked remote for example. The main problem with acetone is to use it in a well ventilated area as it evaporates quickly and the fumes are nasty.

 

 

Weld for plastic pipes

 

I got that from the hardware store. It contains MEK so I was hoping it could work here. It did not go well probably because this is supposed to connect to pipe fittings and quickly dries rubbery. For such small applications it does not seem to do well.

 

 

Testors Plastic Cement - 3501X

 

From the hobby store, designed for small parts, it is affordable and does not dry in the tube (I have a tube opened 2y ago and that's still very fresh). I had mild results on a cracked Parker 21, as in the repair failed rather quickly. It was not much better this time around.

 

 

SureHold Plastic Surgery Super Gel

 

From my previous failures I figured I could go a little overboard with this one and so I ended up with extra material on both side of the metal ring. I also added glue on the inside to increase the structural integrity of this point. It seems to be more solid than the other ones. As the glue is hard, which is necessary for that repair. Unfortunately when I screwed the section it cracked due to the increased diameter. I cleared the extra material on the outside, fixed the cracked section with acetone ... and the pen is now functional again. It does not seem to cure in the container as I've opened it over a year ago. This is pretty much Ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate with a thickener.

 

I do not trust the pen much so I've lightly filled it with Waterman's Serenity Blue which is one of the more washable inks I have. I'll give it a try and if it fails on me eventually I'll try to remember to update this thread.

[sodul]

Update 1Year later. I left the pen in storage for that long but decided to re-ink it a few weeks ago. The whole work from home situation allows me to play with pens I trust less. Well the pen worked just fine for the 2-3 weeks I used it at home. I really only like it for the novelty of the dagger style nib since it is a nail and not the smoothest one, but other than that performed decently.

 

So kudos to the SureHold Plastic Surgery Super Gel, it worked and the repair did last for at least a year, with minimal use.

[jchch1950]

You can use the pen until it breaks again. Not a big investment and you can play with it.