Dry Danitrio Cum Laude - Inner Cap Fix?

[boulderchips]

Hi all,

 

Coming to seek wisdom on a problem I can't solve. A few months ago, I tracked down an old Danitrio Cum Laude. I love almost everything about the pen, but I found that after sitting overnight (or even for a few hours) the nib would be dry and need help to start back up.

 

At first I thought this was a nib/feed issue, but after replacing both, I get exactly the same problem. On doing a little digging, I found that this is a problem on some Cum Laudes. Some apparently don't have an inner cap, which covers the hole where the clip inserts into the cap.

 

But here's the mystery — my Cum Laude does have an inner cap, the usual small black insert. From shining a light through the cap, I was able to determine that my inner cap is not all the way at the back of the outer cap. It sits below the clip hole but above the nib.

 

I'm not sure if this is the proper placement, but I didn't want to try shoving it back farther for fear of damaging the celluloid. Either way, the seal clearly isn't working, because the pen hard starts every time I pick it up.

 

All of which is a long way to ask: is there anything I can do? I'm not an expert repairman, nor do I have much hope of tracking down a fresh cap. With the inner cap in place, I can't even reach the hole from the inside to plug it with sealant. I'm stumped. I'm also sad, because I really like this pen in all other ways.

 

Thanks in advance for any help or insight. I hope everyone is staying healthy and sane — writing by hand has been a source of stability for me these days.

[LukeSkyliner]

Can you tell if the section is seating against the inner cap when fully closed?

[boulderchips]

Can you tell if the section is seating against the inner cap when fully closed?

It doesn't, but I don't think it's supposed to. It's not a large insert, maybe a centimeter or so. My understanding was that it doesn't fully house the nib, it just seals off the gap where the clip inserts.

 

I did some experiments with a bulb syringe today, and I confirmed that air can (slowly) escape through the end of the cap. The seal isn't quite perfect. Maybe getting creative with some sealant is my best option?

[markh]

1. You might try a different ink. I find that some of the "thicker" inks - those with more dye and surfactant sometimes have more of a problem. IMO inks like Quink, Waterman, or Sheaffer sometimes give better results in nib dryout. Inks like Noodlers can have more problems - just depends on the pen.

2. I have sealed openings on a few caps using beeswax, which is quite soft and melts at a low temp. I take a small piece, roll to shape (the heat from your hand will soften it) and stuff it into the hole. A small amount of heat with my heat gun can melt the wax to a seal. Like many pen repairs - less is more. In a few pens sealing the cap improved the problem.

 

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[boulderchips]

1. You might try a different ink. I find that some of the "thicker" inks - those with more dye and surfactant sometimes have more of a problem. IMO inks like Quink, Waterman, or Sheaffer sometimes give better results in nib dryout. Inks like Noodlers can have more problems - just depends on the pen.

2. I have sealed openings on a few caps using beeswax, which is quite soft and melts at a low temp. I take a small piece, roll to shape (the heat from your hand will soften it) and stuff it into the hole. A small amount of heat with my heat gun can melt the wax to a seal. Like many pen repairs - less is more. In a few pens sealing the cap improved the problem.

 

.

Thanks so much for this input. I tried some of my wettest inks, and it did help matters. Definitely improved the issue after a day, although some dryout still occurs if the pen sits longer. Beeswax sounds promising...I'll have to see if I can track down a heat gun.

[markh]

Thanks so much for this input. I tried some of my wettest inks, and it did help matters. Definitely improved the issue after a day, although some dryout still occurs if the pen sits longer. Beeswax sounds promising...I'll have to see if I can track down a heat gun.

For this use, not much heat is needed. A blow dryer (for hair) would work just fine. Beeswax softens at a low temperature. You don't want enough heat to liquefy the wax and have it flow into the cap - that defeats the seal. Just enough to soften it.

 

If you can (gently) blow air through the cap, the wax should stop this. If you fill the cap with water and it drains out, the wax should stop this.

 

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[brgphilly]

I am having the dry out problem with my cum laude. Has anybody determined a specific fix? I appreciate the general suggestions, but would welcome somebody’s actual experience that was successful with a cum laude. Thank you

 

Barry

[boulderchips]

I am having the dry out problem with my cum laude. Has anybody determined a specific fix? I appreciate the general suggestions, but would welcome somebody’s actual experience that was successful with a cum laude. Thank you

 

Barry

Do you have an inner cap in yours?

 

I swapped out the nib unit in mine for an ebonite feed from Flexible Nib Factory. This, plus an ink with good flow, has essentially solved the problem for me. If I left the pen inked for a week or more it might still dry out, but I almost never do that. If I have trouble in the future, I'm keeping markh's beeswax trick in my back pocket.

[brgphilly]

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m thinking that I should look for beeswax.