Essential info sought re. Conway Stewart Dinkies-Pen and Pencil

[LizWrites]

Hi all,

 

I just purchased a lovely vintage Conway Stewart Dinkie pen and pencil set, circa early 1950s (from Heritage Collections in the UK). Both write beautifully. (Picture below) But I wondered if anyone out there collecting them can fill me in on some basics:

 

1. How do I refill the lead in the pencil? Through the tip or the barrel? If the barrel, is there some secret to getting in to the barrel?

2. Similarly, how do I separate the fountain pen section from its barrel?

3. Is Casein a form of plastic?

3. Is the 1.2 mm lead readily available? Has anyone out there tried 1.1 mm lead, which I've seen for sale, and found it fits sufficiently well?

 

---Both pen and pencil seem to be so tightly connected that I fear if I try to open them, I might break something. Are they supposed to be this way? I started to wonder whether I am not supposed to open them at all . . . . But that doesn't make sense to me, since these pens/pencils were used by so many for everyday writing and they would have needed to get at them at some point or another.

 

Many thanks for any help.

 

Liz

 

 

[shalitha33]

I am no CS expert so please note that i could be very wrong. 
Please make sure to check the number on the pencil first as instructions may not match otherwise.

Following is the instruction sheet for my blue pen pencil set which might match what you have the closest. Having the number on the pencil would help to look up the instructions on that pencil actually.

 

Instruction are for the blue set is pen No 36 pencil No 23. black set is pen No 84 Pencil No 26 and in don't think it opens this way (i could be wrong).

[shalitha33]

Another set of instructions for pencils that are filled from the front. red nippy fils this way 

 

http://pensmith.com.au/Instn_2.jpg

[joss]

17 hours ago, LizWrites said:

1. How do I refill the lead in the pencil? Through the tip or the barrel? If the barrel, is there some secret to getting in to the barrel?

2. Similarly, how do I separate the fountain pen section from its barrel?

3. Is Casein a form of plastic?

3. Is the 1.2 mm lead readily available? Has anyone out there tried 1.1 mm lead, which I've seen for sale, and found it fits sufficiently well?

 

---Both pen and pencil seem to be so tightly connected that I fear if I try to open them, I might break something. Are they supposed to be this way? I started to wonder whether I am not supposed to open them at all . . . . But that doesn't make sense to me, since these pens/pencils were used by so many for everyday writing and they would have needed to get at them at some point or another.

 

1. the pencil lead refill is likely fed into the pencil through the front nozzle. The pencil top is however removable (just pull the top part from the bottom part), because there is a lead refill container inside the pencil and possibly also a gum. That is shown nicely on the refill instructions that shalitha33 included in the response above.

2. the fountain pen section should not be separated from the barrel unless you have to do a major repair job such as changing the rubber sack. Section and barrel are normally cemented together by a reversible bonding agent such as shellac but simply forcing the section without any further precautions likely results in a broken barrel.

3. Casein is a milk protein and pens made from casein can be fragile in certain circumstances, such as humid conditions. You can find a lot of info about that here on FPN.

 

[LizWrites]

I so appreciate all the valuable input from both of you. And Shalitha33, thank you for the pictures/instructions. My pencil is a #25 so not far off. As gently as possible, I will keep trying to open that one and leave the pen alone.

 

With thanks, Liz