Sterling 452 And 1/2 V With Clip And Ring (Sheraton) Getting Rebuilt

[Addertooth]

This is another recent 452 and 1/2 V acquired. It has both the factory clip plus the ring. It is in the Sheraton pattern (a bit boring, but less common).

When it arrived, the lever would only move about 1/16th of an inch. The Sac inside had seriously hardened, and prevented the lever from moving any further.

This example of the pen absolutely required the use of a hair drier to separate the section from the body. Upon inspection it was clear that last person

who had been in the pen (decades before), had got some shellac on the section/body junction. Still, it came apart without cracking anything, which was good.

It will recieve the same #16 sac I used on my other 452 1/2 V (basket weave pattern).

Edited July 1, 2019 by Addertooth

[sidthecat]

The clip/ring configuration is a bit like a gent with a belt and suspenders. It bespeaks insecurity, but one of my favorite pens is a prewar Reform with a serpent clip and a ringtop. I put a vintage Bock nib in it and it's a wonderful writer, as well as a near-bulletproof carry.

[Addertooth]

A minor disaster happened, When removing the nib and feed from the section, the section broke at the end where the sac attaches. Thankfully, an online vendor (I don't know if online vendor's names can be mentioned), had several in stock. As others warned in another thread, there is some variability between different models of the "1/2" series, so the new part was not a perfect match, and will have to be modified. The unmodified new part is too long, and does not allow the cap to screw down to the appropriate position. The old part is about 1/16th inch shorter at the nib end, and 1/8th inch shorter on the sac end. The new part will be turned and trimmed to the original part's dimensions and then pressed into service.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Addertooth

[Addertooth]

The new section is fabricated, and shellacked to the sac, and now the waiting begins.

 

 

[Addertooth]

After it is all put back together and had some polishing applied.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2019 by Addertooth

[sidthecat]

Nice restoration! How does it write?

[Addertooth]

I haven't inked it yet. But the tip appears to be the most flexy of all of my #2 nib pens (which says a lot). I will likely ink it tomorrow, and do a simple lazy flex-doodle with it.

[Addertooth]

Forgive the bleeding paper and the poor penmanship, but this is what it writes like in a neophyte's hands. I suspect it would offer much more with a more experienced hand. It seemed more flexy than my other 4-5 Number 2 nibs. The snapback seems really nice on it.

 

 

 

 

[sidthecat]

That’s the secret of old ringtops: they sometimes have these great nibs.

Have fun testing it!

[Addertooth]

This nib definately takes learning. It flexes so easilly that keeping a consistent line width requires more skill than I currently have. The semi-flexi in one of my Lady Patricia pens is much easier to have a very precise width with it, due to it having less flex and requiring more pressure to spread the tines. I picked up a book at Staples which was written for learning "Brush Pens". I will use it for a basic primer, to help un-suck some of my writing limitations. It makes no sense to have a pen which has such capability, but lack the actual skill to use well. This pen I had actually purchased to write with, as I wanted an alternative to using some of my prettier pens. It was snagged for a shamefully low price, as the eBay add did little to make people want to bid on it.

 

 

 

 

[sidthecat]

Lucky you! How did I not see the listing?

[Addertooth]

As I recall, the listing title was not a good match for the item. That is how I get most of my good finds. But it means wading through thousands of listings to find the occaisional pearl.

[sidthecat]

It sounds like we both need a life.

[Addertooth]

I work a high stress engineering job...… trolling through thousands of listings is therapeutic for me. I also learn a lot by looking at the pictures and the names of pens. I have learned that the names are wrong about 25% of the time, especially from estate sale sellers. That is how I picked up a Sheaffer white dot clipless tuckaway vacu pen at a great price. It was listed as "brown fountain pen". I am normally a waterman fan, and especially the X52 1/2V series, but I can be persuaded to get other things, if the price is right.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Addertooth

[sidthecat]

I can’t help but agree with you...I’ve gotten many little treasures by knowing a little bit more than the vendor.