Repairing Parker 45 14k bent nib?

[Darthagnon]

I recently got a Parker 45 (14k gold English nib, plastic body) as part of a small lot of pens. It writes, but has a bent nib. The left tine was misaligned; I managed to straighten it in one direction, but can't figure out how I could straighten it so that it closes the large gap between it and the other tine. I would send it to Battersea Pen Home or a similar pen repair shop, but I suspect it would cost more than the pen is worth to repair, and then they might just swap the original nib for a good one for all I know. 

 

Can anyone offer any suggestions? I know how to disassemble it, but I'm hesitant to put pliers near it. I've tried pulling with bits of thin plastic without success. Would those brass shims people sell do anything (or is there any other, more common, tool/material I could use)?

 

Here's photos and a writing sample, also mirrored as attachments. It's a "Fine" but writes as a hard-starting Medium (e.g. sample, the top half is a medium Vector, the bottom half is the "fine" 45). The ink in the converter disappeared after a couple weeks (evaporation? I didn't do that much writing, but not much washed out, either. Maybe it was just a very wet writer?)

 

EDIT: I also posted about it on Reddit

Edited December 19, 2021 by Darthagnon
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[bsenn]

Repair cost would be more than a replacement nib, so you have little to lose by trying to straighten the nib yourself. Worst result is you end up buying a nib or beat-up parts pen to replace your nib.

 

Rather than a pliers, a smooth implement worked back-and-forth on the top of the tine while the tine is supported on the underside. Basically you are working the bulge or bent area back to its original shape. Set the nib right-side-up on a pencil or wood dowel, such that the tine is supported on both ends of the bulge or bend, with the underside of the bulge itself unsupported. Apply light pressure to the top of the bulged area with something smooth, perhaps a round screwdriver shaft. Don't just push down in one spot, slide the screwdriver shaft back-and-forth over the bulge. It will slowly flatten or straighten.

 

From the photo the bend looks gradual, but if there is a sharp kink, that is difficult to get out, and increases the danger of cracking the nib.

 

You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it to where it writes well enough that you would use it.

 

If you plan on straightening many nibs, well here you go...    https://www.penpractice.com/page3.html

 

Brian

[DvdRiet]

To add to the above from Brian, and with the caveat that I am not an expert, just a user/collector with some experience in abused nibs, my approach in this case would be to straighten each tine first and then worry about getting them tighter together after that. I don't think a brass shim will be useful here to get the left tine bent back. Shims are too thin to use to put the kind of pressure you need on a tine that's bent that much and will just tear, in my experience.

 

Here's an old thread about how to disassemble and remove the nib so that you can straighten it more easily: 

 

I use a hardwood stick specifically for metal polishing to smooth my gold nibs without scratching them, but I need to get myself one of those agate burnishers to really do the job right. Whatever you use (that's smooth and won't scratch the gold), the key is patience and persistence above brute force. 

 

Good luck!

 

[Dione]

I can't see pieces of plastic or brass shims working on this nib. I'm sure that a nib repairer would use two smooth end nib pliers to hold and manipulate the tines straight and then to try to get them closer together. Ot just get a new nib on ebay. Give up the gold as scrap on this one.

[FarmBoy]

Probably can be saved but as indicated, a replacement is mist likely more economical. 
 

 

[Darthagnon]

Thank you for the advice, everyone! And special thanks to Brian and DvdRiet - I used your method, holding the disassembled nib laid out on a pencil, then a disposable chopstick, and rolling a round plastic biro over it for maybe half-an-hour. The kink is almost completely gone, and the gap between the tines is noticeable smaller, visibly to the naked eye. 

 

It isn't perfect, and still a little scratchy (hopefully disappear with time and my heavyweight hands), but shape-wise, 99.8%, and hard-starting seems to be a thing of the past. Thank you for saving my pen and my wallet!

 

Here's a thank you note with the pen/nib and Diamine Matador a friend got me for Christmas (love the blood-red look of it):

 

[DvdRiet]

19 minutes ago, Darthagnon said:

Thank you for the advice, everyone! And special thanks to Brian and DvdRiet - I used your method, holding the disassembled nib laid out on a pencil, then a disposable chopstick, and rolling a round plastic biro over it for maybe half-an-hour. The kink is almost completely gone, and the gap between the tines is noticeable smaller, visibly to the naked eye. 

 

It isn't perfect, and still a little scratchy (hopefully disappear with time and my heavyweight hands), but shape-wise, 99.8%, and hard-starting seems to be a thing of the past. Thank you for saving my pen and my wallet!

 

Here's a thank you note with the pen/nib and Diamine Matador a friend got me for Christmas (love the blood-red look of it):

 

 

That looks absolutely fantastic! Especially compared to what it was! Very well done!! And congratulations on rescuing such a nice pen.

 

[DvdRiet]

Oh, and just so you know, this is how it starts. 😉

[bsenn]

Nice, glad it worked.

 

Brian 

[Darthagnon]

On 12/21/2021 at 8:52 PM, DvdRiet said:

Oh, and just so you know, this is how it starts. 😉

I think it already started when my dear friend left a few old Cross and Parker pens behind. I rediscovered fancy pens, having owned (and not used) a couple since 2010. 

 

Collection so far:

- 2002 Parker Vector broad nib/kit (received 2010)

- 80s/90s Faber Castell TG1-S 0.25mm technical pen (uncle left in the attic)

- Oxford Helix 21 9915 Medium (2018, found in Engineering lab)

 

Rediscovered in Q2 2021 with the following pens my friend left:

- 2000 Parker Vector medium

- 1999 Parker Reflex Medium

- 1997 Parker Vector Roller ball (translucent green, refilled)

- 1980s Cross Century commemorative 12k gold pen/pencil set

- Marvin the Martian green Warner Bros. Parker-style novelty ballpoint

 

Then, Q2-Q3 2021 I started buying my own pens:

- 2021 JinHao #155

- 2021 JinHao #310 / 8513 (Cross Century-style ballpoint)

- 1980s Cross Century (original) leaky fountain pen + converter (need to get it repaired. Yay for ebay)

- Lamy Vista (purchased Sept 2021 from car boot sale for 50 cents, with a pile of ink carts)

- 1970s Ta Tung 361 compact fountain pen, gift from Mum; she used it at school 1976-78

- 2021 Papermate Mini Compact - cheap from Amazon, and easily customisable for gifts

- 1x Parker convertor from Amazon. They sent me 20.

- £40 lot from eBay: Parker 45 CT Arrow (plastic; this one, repaired), 1970s Parker 45 Flighter Deluxe Gold Tassie, Parker 25 MK III (Date code LIL; unlisted? 1980s-90s, repaired); also an uninked 1993 Parker Rialto fountain and ballpoint set (I can't bring myself to use this one, so I'll probably resell it at some point)

 

Total: 13 fountain pens (18 fancy pens, counting the specials listed).

 

Also had 4 or so other fountain pens that I've given as gifts.

 

EDIT: Here's the latest art I've drawn using a mixture of my fineliners, fountain pens and watercolour pencils:

Edited December 27, 2021 by Darthagnon
added art

[Darthagnon]

The titular Parker 45 which I repaired is still working, but I've noticed the nib is a bit wobbly, and it still hard-starts sometimes (though it is infinitely better than it was). Don't suppose anyone's got any ideas? The nib wobbles up and down against the feed by 0.5mm or so, enough for it to feel a bit floaty when writing and (I suspect) to cut off ink supply every now and again.

 

EDIT: I wasn't sure if I should consider this thread closed, so I posted more details and writing sample in a new thread here

Edited January 12, 2022 by Darthagnon
link further thread

[OCArt]

You might try swapping the metal nib into a nib holder from a different pen to see if that's the problem.

[InkMartini]

To add to what OCArt said:

I would first disassemble and reassemble the nib and feed unit, making sure the nib is properly seated (flat on the feed with nib back notched into the raised area on the feed) and also making sure that the collar is lined up and pushes as far toward the tines as it will go. (I've repeated the nib seating and collar securing step more than once on occasion until it felt like everything clicked into place.)

If all is secure and the wobble is still present, try putting a different Parker 45 nib (I believe you mentioned a Flighter) on this feed unit and this repaired nib on that feed unit, and see if the wobble is still present on either. As you mentioned, you could also stack the repaired nib on top of another P45 nib for a quick visual comparison of shape.

 

I hope this helped.