What is on your bench?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

This is probably a stupid question, but were any Parker Slimfolds released out of the factory with a latex sac rather than a PVC one? I just picked one up for an okay price because it has an interesting nib.

 

The nib looks completely clean like it was never used and the rest of the body is near mint with the usual wear on the imprint, but it has a black sac that feels like latex. I've seen PVC sacs stained so dirty that they looked black but this one is completely clean and the sac is opaque even when shining a bright light through it.

 

It seems to be intact and holds water well so I would rather not remove it but I am guessing it is not original? I will consider picking up some of the #14 size PVC sacs if it's not original otherwise I will leave this one in.

 

(also, I am slowing down with my restorations/pen acquisitions - I have only bought two pens so far this month, this one being one of them)

[gweimer1]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:47 AM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Has anyone heard back from Peter at the Pen Sac Company? Was wondering how he was doing since I have not gotten a response. My supply of sacs is getting a little anemic too (well, I am totally out) but if he's still recuperating I'll buy some from someplace else instead, don't want to add stress.

 

I got an email from him.  He told me he contracted Guillain Barre Syndrome last Thanksgiving.  He said it was OK to share that information.  He didn't offer any other information.   This is something that causes the body's immune system to attack the nerves.

[VacNut]

I took a break from pen work, but not purchases. 
 

A black Canadian Vertical Window Vacumatic from stacked celluloid and then bored out for the barrel. There is a later version of this pen which is made from rolled celluloid. The transparency disappears if you rotate the barrel 90 degrees. Typical ambered barrel with over-polished barrel, but otherwise in good condition. The 17 imprint is barely visible. Has a nice semi-flex nib more common in Canadian pens. It is the smallest vertical window vac they made.

A really clean burgundy Vacumatic with an unambered barrel. The straw coloring is about as good as it gets after 90 years. Unfortunately the previous owner was aggressive with the diaphragm replacement and scratched the inside of the barrel. 😭😭😭😭. The tube is also too long and blocks the diaphragm. I am hesitant in taking the pen apart to fix. It has already endured too much good intentions. 
I took am picture next to other burgundy vacs to compare the transparency of the barrel.

Sometimes it is just better to leave as-is.

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

23 hours ago, gweimer1 said:

 

I got an email from him.  He told me he contracted Guillain Barre Syndrome last Thanksgiving.  He said it was OK to share that information.  He didn't offer any other information.   This is something that causes the body's immune system to attack the nerves.

 

Ugh, that sounds awful. Hopefully they are able to treat it and he has a speedy recovery. Thanks for the update.

[VacNut]

A little something different. Instead of a pen, the actual “bench”.

A vintage swan pen repair kit in the original wooden box. The tools are sized to fit inside the box. I know that Parker sold repair kits for prospective pen technicians. I don’t know if Swan sold these as kits or if they were distributed to certified technicians.

 

There is a wooden knock-out block, a small brass anvil and concave plaque to straighten nibs, a sack scraper, a feed punch, tweezers, a short blade/cutter, brush, and rubber tire pads. I don’t know the purpose of the spring loaded clamp and the wooden block with a semi-abrasive pad. Perhaps it is for smoothing out the nibs?

 

The kit came from a closed repair shop in the UK. The tools are sized to the width, length, and height of the box.

I may add a small hammer, scissors, and perhaps a small glass burner with heat shield to complete the kit. I am guessing they would have been part of the kit.

 

I would be glad to hear from people more familiar with the kit. I see that there have been several listed.

[VacNut]

Link to another example.

[Nethermark]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:41 PM, VacNut said:

A black Canadian Vertical Window Vacumatic from stacked celluloid and then bored out for the barrel. There is a later version of this pen which is made from rolled celluloid. The transparency disappears if you rotate the barrel 90 degrees. Typical ambered barrel with over-polished barrel, but otherwise in good condition. The 17 imprint is barely visible. Has a nice semi-flex nib more common in Canadian pens. It is the smallest vertical window vac they made.

A really clean burgundy Vacumatic with an unambered barrel. The straw coloring is about as good as it gets after 90 years. Unfortunately the previous owner was aggressive with the diaphragm replacement and scratched the inside of the barrel. 😭😭😭😭. The tube is also too long and blocks the diaphragm. I am hesitant in taking the pen apart to fix. It has already endured too much good intentions. 
I took am picture next to other burgundy vacs to compare the transparency of the barrel.

Sometimes it is just better to leave as-is.

You have some amazing Vacs! Thank you for showing us all these rare varieties. It’s really interesting, and I’m learning a lot from you postings.

[Nethermark]

4 hours ago, VacNut said:

A vintage swan pen repair kit in the original wooden box.

Great stuff! Is there a description of how to use all the items?

[VacNut]

9 hours ago, VacNut said:

Link to another example.

There is a photo of the box label in this post that describes the use of each tool. The common tools have no description. My box is missing this label

[GlenV]

Very cool stuff both pens and box of tools. Maybe the clamp was to remove lever bar clips? I don't recall if Swan used any circular lever clips but that tool looks like could reach in a barrel maybe

[VacNut]

1 hour ago, GlenV said:

Very cool stuff both pens and box of tools. Maybe the clamp was to remove lever bar clips? I don't recall if Swan used any circular lever clips but that tool looks like could reach in a barrel maybe

I will have to give it a try. The spring action is not very strong. I thought it could be to expand the sack, but I can’t figure out how it would help with the sack installation.

I am looking forward to using the brass shaping blocks to straighten nibs.

Based on the other post, it looks like some of these kits had specialty tools for Swan pens.

[Switala]

Below is a work of art in the field of restoration. The genius behind this work is @RICARDOBORBA, a restorer specializing in Sheaffer. The pen is a Sheaffer Balance OS from the last few years of production. The supply system has been completely restored. But the art is in the Nib repair. Someone tried to mount the nib on a thinner feeder and broke the nib. As it is a rare, ultraflex nib, which has long teeth, we decided to carry out some soldering work. The result is fabulous and the price is indescribable. In the photos I share with you some details of this complex process. Thank you very much for your effort and dedication to this exclusive piece @Ricardoborba.

video Balance.html

[Checklist]

On 3/11/2024 at 2:56 PM, cossar said:

I’m fixing up the stylographic fountain pen found in this thread. It seems like a relatively simple repair, pretty much a clean, sac and J Bar replacement. 
 

I do have a question for the group though. What kind of adhesive is safe to come in contact with the ink long term?

 

 The wire (gold) and the weight (I’m guessing aluminum) in the stylograph nib separated, and I’d like to just give them together. Cyanoacrylate glue would be my first choice but I’m concerned about the ink degrading it and getting gunked up in the pen.
 

Any suggestions for a metal-to-metal adhesive that’s safe for the pen and ink?  

Sac shellac should hold it safely; since it holds sacs to sections, it's meant to be in contact with ink.  Shellac is pretty much the duct tape of fountain pen repair; if it moves and it shouldn't, shellac it.

[cossar]

6 hours ago, Checklist said:

Sac shellac should hold it safely; since it holds sacs to sections, it's meant to be in contact with ink.  Shellac is pretty much the duct tape of fountain pen repair; if it moves and it shouldn't, shellac it.

Thanks @Checklist, I have some on order and will use that instead. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Have a question... I got a hold of a nice Safari, an earlier limited edition color but the cap doesn't hold well because part of the inner cap has deteriorated. Is it possible to remove this and replace it with a different one?

 

I am not sure how close the parts are but I was thinking of sacrificing one of the many cheap Safari knockoffs out there to get one of their inner caps - I am not sure if it would work though.

[Nethermark]

On 3/23/2024 at 3:01 AM, Switala said:

Below is a work of art in the field of restoration. The genius behind this work is @RICARDOBORBA, a restorer specializing in Sheaffer. The pen is a Sheaffer Balance OS from the last few years of production. The supply system has been completely restored. But the art is in the Nib repair. Someone tried to mount the nib on a thinner feeder and broke the nib. As it is a rare, ultraflex nib, which has long teeth, we decided to carry out some soldering work. The result is fabulous and the price is indescribable. In the photos I share with you some details of this complex process. Thank you very much for your effort and dedication to this exclusive piece @Ricardoborba.

Great work! Nice to see a cracked nib brought back to life. And flex Sheaffer nibs are rare indeed

[GlenV]

I’m happy to have a chance to find one of these Waterman overlay pens, kind of a grail pen for me, I figured maybe sometime I would find one that needed work and might be affordable that way. However even better I bought a beater 0052 barrel feed and nib so had a chance to try to remove an overlay and check out the leverbox. I didn’t know but should have that it’s just a standard waterman box, but a broken one like the 0452 here. There’s a trick to getting the lever through the overlay with a separate small metal stamped part and figure the order of putting it back when the overlay goes back on. Both were stubborn to remove despite heat and much effort. With the heat some distortion of the barrel is easy to do, and I left a section in the barrel while doing this so not to alter the threaded area and then possibly crack it there putting it back. Whew, but fun and I think went ok in that I didn’t break it. More work yet but easy.

 I had a better idea of the job after practice to prepare for this sterling 0452 but not in a hurry to do another one.

sorry reverse order for pics

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

19 hours ago, GlenV said:

I’m happy to have a chance to find one of these Waterman overlay pens, kind of a grail pen for me, I figured maybe sometime I would find one that needed work and might be affordable that way. However even better I bought a beater 0052 barrel feed and nib so had a chance to try to remove an overlay and check out the leverbox. I didn’t know but should have that it’s just a standard waterman box, but a broken one like the 0452 here. There’s a trick to getting the lever through the overlay with a separate small metal stamped part and figure the order of putting it back when the overlay goes back on. Both were stubborn to remove despite heat and much effort. With the heat some distortion of the barrel is easy to do, and I left a section in the barrel while doing this so not to alter the threaded area and then possibly crack it there putting it back. Whew, but fun and I think went ok in that I didn’t break it. More work yet but easy.

 I had a better idea of the job after practice to prepare for this sterling 0452 but not in a hurry to do another one.

sorry reverse order for pics

 

 

Very impressive, I don't think I could manage something like this without breaking the pen, the overlay, or both.

 

I'm currently working on a Waterman 0552 1/2v myself. I am a little confused about the sac size. I bought a #14 and a #15 as I've restored a handful of these in the past and a #15 was always the correct size in my experience. I know Richard Binder's site recommends a 13 but most other guides recommend a #15 and that tracks with the others I've restored.

 

Tried putting a #15 in this one and no dice, it is way too tight to the point where it won't even go in. The 14 fits but rather tight towards the back, so that is the one I will use but I suspect a #13 would indeed be "perfect" for this pen. No remnants of the old sac are left in there, that's the first thing I checked.

 

I'm just confused in the difference between these pens. I've restored a 412 1/2 VPSF and a 452 1/2v before and if I remember right both took size 15 sacs comfortably. This pen is the same size and it appears to have its original lever and pressure bar but for some reason the internal space is much smaller... 

[Ron Z]

You go by what fits, not by what some "guide" says to use.  If a #15 or even a #14 is too tight, then you use a 13.  If you don't have one, wait and get the right one.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

1 hour ago, Ron Z said:

You go by what fits, not by what some "guide" says to use.  If a #15 or even a #14 is too tight, then you use a 13.  If you don't have one, wait and get the right one.

 

The size 14 was okay. It felt a little tight towards the very back, it feels like maybe the pressure bar is not lying flat and instead it is tilting down which is a little strange. I did not want to take the bar out to check for fear of damaging something. The pen fills well and I don't feel any uncomfortable amount of pressure when lifting the lever.

 

 

 

Here's the pen in question. I am a big fan of these hand engraved overlays. Not a huge fan of the nib, this is one of the finest nibs I've ever used, truly a needlepoint. I am not sure if it is just very worn or it came out of the factory this way. The grid on this paper is 3mm so it is finer than it looks.

 

I think for a calligrapher this would probably be a very nice nib. It goes from what I would consider XXXF to around a M which is perfect for copperplate. 

 

The pen is pretty worn but it still looks nice. The part where the pen posts is severely worn down to the brass. I have a few like this and the ridges make it grippy for posting, this one is very loose when posting because of the wear. Clearly a pen that got a lot of love and use over the years.