Pilot Custom - E95S style inlaid nib - how to reattach nib

[AceNinja]

I've this vintage Pilot Custom with a E95S style inlaid nib.  During cleaning, i found the nib easily removed from the section.  I understand this type of nib was installed on the section with some sort of adhesive.  

And hence my question here:

 

1. How to remove the residue old hardened adhesive left on the section?   (see photo below)

2. What type of adhesive should i use?

 

I've inked up the pen in this condition.  But since the adhesive is no longer working and is all hardened below the nib, the ink from the feed easily capillary up the nib and causes leaks and inky finger on the upper part of the inlaid nib.  

 

[Dillo]

What I would do before reattaching the nib is to get the D31 Pilot tool from Pentooling. You will remove the cartridge connector from the pen (You do not need to remove anything else from the grip section-any threaded rings and other parts can stay put). After this, you can remove the feed from the back of the grip section. Once you have the feed removed, you can get to work bonding the nib back on there.

 

When you reassemble the pen after the nib is bonded back, slide the feed back into the back of the grip section, then tighten the cartridge connector. Do NOT overtighten, you are working with plastic to plastic threads and you do not want to damage things.

[AceNinja]

7 hours ago, Dillo said:

What I would do before reattaching the nib is to get the D31 Pilot tool from Pentooling. You will remove the cartridge connector from the pen (You do not need to remove anything else from the grip section-any threaded rings and other parts can stay put). After this, you can remove the feed from the back of the grip section. Once you have the feed removed, you can get to work bonding the nib back on there.

 

When you reassemble the pen after the nib is bonded back, slide the feed back into the back of the grip section, then tighten the cartridge connector. Do NOT overtighten, you are working with plastic to plastic threads and you do not want to damage things.

I'm able to remove the cartridge connector and feed without the D31 Pilot Tool that you mentioned about.  I actually made a video about that with Pilot Elite.  This Pilot Custom is of the same construction.

 

Before i rebonding the nib, what should i do or what can i do to remove the existing residue hardened adhesive on the section?

 

On 11/17/2024 at 1:28 PM, AceNinja said:

 

[Dillo]

I don't have the D31 tool either. I have my own other tool, but I always recommend a proper tool so that people don't destroy things or scratch the mating surfaces of the connector. I've seen a lot of scratched connectors, causing leaking.

 

If it's adhesive, you can try to see if it comes off. If it's just the melted plastic from the grip section, then I wouldn't remove it.

[Number99]

On 11/17/2024 at 2:28 PM, AceNinja said:

I've this vintage Pilot Custom with a E95S style inlaid nib.  During cleaning, i found the nib easily removed from the section.  I understand this type of nib was installed on the section with some sort of adhesive.  

And hence my question here:

 

1. How to remove the residue old hardened adhesive left on the section?   (see photo below)

2. What type of adhesive should i use?

 

I've inked up the pen in this condition.  But since the adhesive is no longer working and is all hardened below the nib, the ink from the feed easily capillary up the nib and causes leaks and inky finger on the upper part of the inlaid nib.  

 

Hi.

I believe I shared with you an article in the repair subforum with a link to a blog post explaining how to do that.

Do you mean that even with that method, it did not work? Or maybe you didn't find it because the article was a link to a link?

😅

And is the pen in the image with the ink residue completely removed?

The view I have seen so far is quite different from the view I have seen from a Pilot pen with the nib removed.

🤔

 

P.S.

Assuming that everything is a mass of glue, the feed was also secured to the nib with a large amount of glue.

Edited Tuesday at 12:53 PM by Number99

[AceNinja]

5 hours ago, Number99 said:

I believe I shared with you an article in the repair subforum with a link to a blog post explaining how to do that.

yes, now that you mentioned it, i remembered.  It was quite a long time ago so i already forgot haha.  And during that time at my other post, the pilot pen that i had was not this kind of 'inlaid' nib so i didn't pay too much attention to it.

 

Ok i've relooked the link to the blog post.  It seems like the blogger removed the residue glue by scrapping it off with force.

 

5 hours ago, Number99 said:

 

And is the pen in the image with the ink residue completely removed?

The view I have seen so far is quite different from the view I have seen from a Pilot pen with the nib removed.

🤔

 

P.S.

Assuming that everything is a mass of glue, the feed was also secured to the nib with a large amount of glue.

in the image, the ink residue was removed.  what left over i believe is the adhesive / glue residue, hardened and solidified.  That's why i want to remove the residue before applying new glue.

Also, in the blog post he/she mentioned he uses 2 part epoxy.  Is any brand of 2 part epoxy okay?  or there's a specific ones.

 

But first, i need to remove the hardened glue residue.  Any suitable solvent?  or I better off slowly and carefully scrapping them off.

[Number99]

Well… 

So I think it is extremely likely that this nib was not glued on by the pilot, but by a previous user who failed to self-repair without removing the feed. And he even glued the feed...

 

The author of the blog post explains that the nib was put on at the pilot's factory and is supposed to be reattached.

The chunks that are left are most likely epoxy resin. I can't find any article that describes how to remove the epoxy resin from the plastic other than by scraping it off.

I agree with your view that the residue must be removed.

The reason for this is that there is no trace of ink on the back side of the nib where it meets the feed. That means that the pen is now in a state where the nib is away from the feed.

 

It is easy to find strippers that will remove cured epoxy from metal and glass, but these will also dissolve plastics.

Solvents can be found to dissolve epoxy adhesives before they are fully cured.

But these do not stand up to the test...

 

I have no experience with these events and am only an informant passing on information from Japan. I do not know how to handle pens in the future.

Fortunately, FPN has many members who are skilled and experienced in pen repair.

Why don't you change the forum and ask for opinions on how to remove the remaining adhesive and whether it is theoretically possible to change the repair method by changing to a modifiable adhesive, e.g. shellac?

 

By the way, did you get the pen from a Yahoo auction?

😢

 

P.S.

I think it would be more likely to get more information if you took the form of a call for ideas and tips, rather than asking for established repair methods. Even if it doesn't get an answer, it's better than nothing.

Edited Wednesday at 11:35 AM by Number99