What is on your bench?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Fixed the floaty nib/feed issue, I pulled both out and shoved them a little deeper. The above picture is how it came to me but it clearly was not stable that way, maybe they got loose at some point. It is just a tiny bit misaligned now but at least the nib doesn't shift easily anymore. Still too dry for my tastes but I think I'm going to let it be.

 

I cleaned the pen out, it's not really usable without an inner cap. Literally dries out after sitting capped for only 15 minutes. Anyone have an easy fix for this? I don't really have the tools to fabricate a new one. I like the pen (slight feedback and dryness notwithstanding) but it's not usable like this.

[VacNut]

I would think the inner cap is a simple part to find, although I rarely see pens without an inner cap. I guess they just don’t commonly detach. 
Any idea how it was attached to a BHR Cap? Threads?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I would think friction fit as with most of the ones I've seen. I've seen a few celluloid pens without inner caps but it has always been cheap brands. A bunch of Wearevers, one Morrison. For one Wearever the inner cap literally crumbled to pieces as I was cleaning it because it was so thin. But that's only happened on one pen and I must have worked on near a hundred at this point.

 

I think there's a good chance it never had one in the first place, these brands took a lot of shortcuts. I can't imagine how it would have fallen out otherwise. The celluloid pens, if they ever had inner caps, I figure that the quality of the celluloid was so poor it might have expanded and contracted over time and the inner cap fell out. But ebonite isn't sensitive to that type of thing...

[VacNut]

I thought it was a Waterman. A Morrison pen requires consideration on the value of the pen vs repair.

[es9]

Inner caps can be tricky. I’ve had a number of pens that have been missing them. It’s usually worse when the inner cap is celluloid—it shrinks over time and can fall out. 
 

Replacement options are limited. Obviously if you can find a spare cap that matches, the inner cap can be *carefully* harvested with the right tools. Alternatively, you can send it to a pro to have one turned on a lathe. The diciest option is to try to find a compatible one from another pen. I’ve had luck with this once or twice, but it’s been pretty much dumb luck. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I'll leave it alone, the cost of getting an appropriately sized inner cap turned is more than that pen is worth. Maybe if I ever get a bigger place and a lathe of my own I can try my hand at it, doesn't seem like it should be too difficult with the proper measurements and experience.

[GlenV]

I like that little Morrison although I'm a sucker for old pens. sometimes without the inner cap the nib tip can hit the top of the cap does it have a hard stop when tightening?

To use it I would consider plugging the ventilation holes with beeswax or simlar

[cat74]

Was just about to ink up my green Parker 21 and noticed a hair line crack in the barrel and hood (no idea why I looked with a loupe!) -anyone have ideas on repair.

Is this type of plastic ok for the solvent weld trick? I used that to great effect on the cap to one of my grandmothers Esterbrooks and was hoping  to try it on this pen!

[VacNut]

14 hours ago, cat74 said:

Was just about to ink up my green Parker 21 and noticed a hair line crack in the barrel and hood (no idea why I looked with a loupe!) -anyone have ideas on repair.

Is this type of plastic ok for the solvent weld trick? I used that to great effect on the cap to one of my grandmothers Esterbrooks and was hoping  to try it on this pen!

Put away the loop!

I don’t think the 21 is affected by the hairline crack. The ink is stored in the filler and the feed/collector. If it is only a hairline crack it will be difficult to effectively apply any type of solvent or adhesive.

I would suggest you enjoy the pen and leave it alone. 
I use a 21 as a daily user. It is bulletproof otherwise.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

On 10/26/2023 at 3:49 PM, GlenV said:

I like that little Morrison although I'm a sucker for old pens. sometimes without the inner cap the nib tip can hit the top of the cap does it have a hard stop when tightening?

To use it I would consider plugging the ventilation holes with beeswax or simlar

 

I like it, the pen is nicer than I expected. The threads appear to have a hard stop, it does not screw in any deeper. 

 

Unrelated, but does anyone know what the proper replacement sac is for a Parker converter, the sac based ones? Just got one and I figured I'd attempt to fix it.

[FarmBoy]

16 Tapered

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Are there any PVC sacs that are appropriately sized for the converter instead of using a size 16 tapered latex sac? I know there are the size 14 made for Snorkels and the larger ones for Parker 51s (not demis, learned my lesson) but I am guessing the larger one won't fit.

 

I'll probably just use a 16 tapered as designed, but it'd be nice to use a PVC one that won't fail in a few years...

 

 

[VacNut]

Taking a break from the purchases to organize the pens.

 

 

The bigger cigar box is deep enough for stacked trays. I make the tray with matte board and velvet lining. I prefer them to the plastic trays since they can be sized for the pen and stacked. A single box holds 26 pens. 26 pens a box multiplied by several boxes and it adds up to a lot of pens.

 

Smaller cigar box is made to store longer pens and shorter pens from the same mfr.

 

I found a great deal on jewelers plastic trays for a dollar. The trays are made from PVC Trim from a big-box hardware store. Easy to cut. Hot glue together on the back. The matte board backing really strengthens the tray. I face them in felt and in decorative rice paper.

 

The PVC Trim can be made into trays without the plastic trays. The PVC comes in 8 foot lengths so they can be cut to the desired length. Relatively cost effective 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Having a bad time with restorations again. Got a replacement pressure bar for a Sheaffer Balance because the one it came with was damaged. The thing would not fit properly, no matter how many times I took it out, it would not sit properly (it ended up getting kind of tilted, I think the curvature at the end of the bar was not correct). End up mangling it and destroying the bar. I suspect the bar was not the right size that I ordered but I can't prove it anymore as I deformed the curved bit at the back.

 

I have given up and replaced it with one of the mediocre generic replacement j-bars. It takes up half the barrel and now I can only fit a size 12 or 13 sac in it but at least it should work. I am just hoping that the replacement bar doesn't warp the barrel over time since they're a lot stiffer than the originals.

[GlenV]

You should be good, I often swap out pressure bars from junk pens (no brands mentioned ha) the main thing that I see that deforms the barrel is the snap ring type lever holder that 

often can spread the lever box area.... 

[Nethermark]

Today I fixed a Burgundy Montblanc 14 and an Osmia 78. Both are piston fillers. The MB14 needed a new piston mechanism, while the Osmia only needed a new cork (have not made it yet). The 78 is one of the bigger Osmia's and one of the few Osmia models with an 8 size nib.

[GlenV]

Those piston fillers are very nice, what are the nibs like?  I was wondering if the old cork is dried out from an old pen not used in many years if it can be rejuvenated at all if still maintaining shape by just adding the wax?  Sorry I have done very few ...

[Nethermark]

2 hours ago, GlenV said:

Those piston fillers are very nice, what are the nibs like?  I was wondering if the old cork is dried out from an old pen not used in many years if it can be rejuvenated at all if still maintaining shape by just adding the wax?  Sorry I have done very few ...

The MB has an XF nib that writes very smoothly. The Osmia has a BBL nib, which is rather wide for me. Osmia nibs often are very good. Of comparable quality to Pelikan and Montblanc. The MB is from the 1960s and has a plastic piston seal. These are often ready to write and only need a clean and maybe a bit of polish. 

 

The Osmia had a cork piston seal that was totally dried out. I have sometimes tried to rejuvenate corks, but it's almost always a failure. So I just replace them with a new cork sealing.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

This is a new one for me... need some advice. I got this unbranded "baby" size hard rubber lever filler. Looks to be in good condition externally, and if I had to guess based on the feed, this was made by the National Pen Products company.

 

The problem is, as soon as I open it, the pressure bar falls out. I am very confused because the bar does not seem broken at all but it is missing the bent segment at the end to secure it in the barrel. No other parts are in the pen and the original sac was in it when I disassembled it. 

 

I thought maybe it is like the Waterman and Conklin bars which are straight but latch on to the lever - but the bottom of the lever does not have any "feet" like on those pens to retain a bar, nor does the bar have any rails.

 

 

Anyone have any ideas? Is it possible the bar is meant to be held in place by the sac? It seems unlikely but I don't know how else this would work unless a part literally disintegrated into thin air.

 

[Ron Z]

Looking at you picture, I would expect to find something on the end of the lever to hold the pressure bar.  They often rot off or get broken off.  Best to just replace with a modern one and move on.   Dale Beebe sells mini pressure bars that might work.  On occasion I have to take one of the two piece pressure bars, take the bar off and shorten both spring and pressure bar to fit a pen.  Be gentle and avoid putting pressure on the edge of the barrel with tools.  Hard rubber can be brittle so you don't want to stress the barrel and break it.  Been there, done that, and have had to learn the lesson a couple of times!