The RichardsPens Guide to Fountain Pens

Volume 2: Restoration

© 2015 Richard F. Binder

All rights reserved under Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions.

Except for brief excerpts included in a critical review, no portion of this work may be
reproduced or represented in any form or manner whatsoever, including but not limited
to acoustical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical, or optical copying, storage, translation,
or transmission, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder.
ISBN-10: 0988407965
ISBN-13: 978-0-9884079-6-1
 Dedication
This book is dedicated to the thousands of collectors who over the years have trusted
me to restore their precious pens, and most especially to Frank Dubiel, who once told
me that if I got ink on my hands, I was doing it wrong.
 Acknowledgements
No reference book is truly a one-person project. This book could not exist without the
repair manuals produced by Parker, Sheaffer, and other companies, or without the
example, writings, and friendship of pen repairers past and present, from whom I
have learned much that I’ve never found in any repair manual. I also depend on the
talents of Don Fluckinger, my nonpareil editor, and on the inexhaustible patience of
my dear wife Barbara, who puts up with my pen addiction.
Preface
There exist two excellent general pen repair manuals:

• Pen Repair: A Practical Guide for Repairing Collectable Pens and Pencils
with Additional Information on Pen Anatomy and Filling Systems, by Jim
Marshall and Laurence Oldfield

• Fountain Pens, the Complete Guide to Repair and Restoration, fondly known to
the pen collecting community as Da Book, by my dear departed friend Frank
Dubiel

If you do not have both of these books in your pen library, you should remedy that
deficiency as soon as possible They’re essential for anyone doing pen repair and
restoration.

This book is not a substitute for Marshall and Oldfield or Da Book. It is, rather, an
adjunct to them. I intend that this book, like those manuals, should be a teacher. It
contains material that is often very specific to a particular pen or type of pen, but much
of its information, starting with the first chapter’s description of how to replace the sac
in an ordinary pen, can also be applied generally to other pens. Learn what is here,
extrapolate from it, and apply your new knowledge to the needs of the pen in your hands
at any given moment.

Always, when working on pens, remember the Prime Directive: Do not learn on pens
you care about!
Chapter 1: Safety First

Please read this chapter! It’s not a fun chapter, but the pen—or the life—you save
may be your own!

While pen restoration is a great hobby, and also one that can be profitable, it’s not
100% free of danger. Some things are dangerous to the pens you work on, some are
dangerous to you, and some are dangerous to both you and the pens. A little forethought
and care can save a lot of time, trouble, and angst down the line.

Identifying Materials
Pens have been made of many different materials. Here’s how to identify the materials
most vintage pens were made of. (Except in a few special cases such as the Parker “51”
and early Waterman Hundred Year Pens, acrylic resins did not come into use for pens
until the 1980s, and I do not consider them here.)

Hard rubber. Find a place on the barrel or cap that is relatively smooth. Rub it with
your thumb, hard and fast enough to create heat from the friction. Smell the place you
rubbed. If it smells like burning rubber, it’s hard rubber.

Celluloid. First, smell the pen. If it smells of camphor, it’s celluloid. It could still be
celluloid, however, even if it doesn't smell. The easiest way to test further is to use a
fine paintbrush and apply a very small amount of acetone to the inside of the barrel. (If
you haven’t been able to get the section out of the barrel, use the inside of the cap, but
not in the area of the threads.) If the surface softens, it’s celluloid or another cellulosic
resin.

Other Cellulosic Resins. The shortest step away from celluloid was to develop other
cellulose-bearing resins. These materials could be molded, and they can be confused
with styrene-based resins. They were made in solid colors only, never marbled or
mottled, and they were used mostly in the first few years after World War II by
Sheaffer, Esterbrook, and others. They do not necessarily respond to heat in the same
way celluloid does, but they will react with acetone.

Styrene-based resins. Test for hard rubber, then for celluloid. If it’s neither of these,
test with a small amount of a styrene solvent such as Ambroid ProWeld. If the surface
softens, it’s polystyrene, ABS, SAN, or some other styrene-based resin.

Casein and Bakelite. Test for hard rubber, then celluloid, then styrene. If it’s none of
these, it’s casein or Bakelite. If it’s attractively colored, it’s probably casein. If it’s
transparent (clear or colored), it’s likely to be Bakelite, which is extremely brittle and
must be handled with extreme care. A few opaque Bakelite pens exist, such as Ingersoll
dollar pens made after 1927; these pens, because of the filler that makes the material
opaque, are not brittle.

Solvents
You can’t repair pens without using solvents. Here are some of the solvents you might
encounter in your pen work.

Water has been called the “universal solvent.” You use water on almost every pen you
restore. It dissolves ink and other types of crud. But David Nishimura points out that
pens were made to contain a fluid (ink), not to be contained in one. You cannot always
avoid soaking pens, but in general, the less you soak them, the better. Using cotton
swabs or a twizzle to clean a pen is better than soaking the pen until it’s clean. But even
recognizing this, you need to know that there are pens that water can, and will, kill:

• Hard rubber pens. As hard rubber ages, it oxidizes and turns brown; the more
oxidized it is, the lighter the color. In some cases, it can even turn olive in color.
On even slightly oxidized pens, water will make the discoloration worse. The
first thing to be careful of is temperature. Always use cool water on hard rubber
pens, never hot, not even lukewarm. If at all possible, avoid soaking hard rubber
pens or parts or putting them through an ultrasonic cleaner. It takes only one trip
through an ultrasonic cleaner to turn a moderately browned pen into a badly
discolored one,. The discoloration is irreversible.
 • Casein pens. For a brief period during the 1910s, several makers used casein, a
plastic made from milk protein, for pens. Some British makers used it even into
the 1930s and 1940s, and it also appears in some pens made by the modern
reincarnation of Conway Stewart (which ceased operation in mid-2014). Casein
can be made in exquisite and exciting colors, but it just cannot resist water. Even
under ordinary day-to-day conditions, it can swell and shrink due to humidity
changes in the air. Soaking a casein pen means guaranteed destruction. Don’t
even think about it, and avoid water contact as much as possible.

Denatured alcohol is the solvent that’s in shellac, and it also works to remove dried
shellac from the surface of a pen (but not a celluloid one, because alcohol eats
celluloid) or from whatever else got messy with shellac. Shellac is perfectly safe to use,
but alcohol, when it’s by itself, can be breathed as a vapor or absorbed through the skin
of your hands. It can cause a whole raft of symptoms, up to and including dizziness,
nausea, respiratory irritation, spotted vision, dermatitis, convulsions, and more. In
general, latex-free surgical gloves and a respirator are the best protection—but for that
quick use, just be careful. Hold your breath, and use common sense.

Acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), Ambroid ProWeld, and other welding
solvents. If you’re going to solvent-weld resin pens (celluloid, acrylic, styrene-based
plastics), you’re going to be using solvents like these. They’re like denatured alcohol,
only worse. They’re highly volatile, they go through skin faster than alcohol does, and
they can cause the same symptoms, only more of them and more severe—up to and
including cancer. Gloves and a respirator are pretty much de rigeur when you’re
working with these substances. Acetone is less hazardous than others that fall under the
umbrella of this paragraph, but some of these solvents (such as Tenax-7R, a once-
popular commercial solvent for styrene-based plastics that was essentially pure
methylene chloride and has now been withdrawn from the market), are so dangerous that
they’re not generally available. To purchase these seriously dangerous solvents, you
must be operating a business and demonstrate a business need for them. Acetone and
MEK, on the other hand, are available at many paint and hardware stores. MEK
substitute, available at some businesses that handle paints, is not an appropriate solvent
substitute for working on pens.
All of these solvents are of course dangerous to pens if applied carelessly or if their
containers are left open where they can be knocked over, allowing the solvents to flow
across a bench or table and onto pens lying there. They can also eat the varnishes or
paints used on tables, and that can lead to extreme displeasure on the part of someone
who might be living with you. My advice is not to risk it. Put a little of each solvent in a
small bottle, and keep these bottles capped. Store the remainder in its original
containers in a closet. Any time they’re not actually being used, the little solvent bottles
belong in a desk drawer or other secure space. Some solvents are photoreactive and
should be kept in brown glass bottles that you store in a dark place.

Adhesives and Sealants

The basic adhesive for use on fountain pens is ordinary amber (orange) shellac. if you
buy it from a pen dealer, you will probably find it called sac cement. It’s what the pen
companies used from the beginning of self-filling pens, and it’s what all competent
restorers still use. In Da Book, Frank Dubiel suggested the use of nail polish as a
substitute. That’s a really bad idea; nail polish does permanent damage to celluloid
sections and other parts, and it does not retain its hold when exposed to ink (which
contains water).

Frank also recommended rubber cement as a sealant for the shell (hood) on the Parker
“51” and similar pens. That’s not a good idea, either; the shell on these pens should be
secured so that the user cannot remove it easily, and the right adhesive for that job is
shellac.

On the other hand, sealing threaded sections is not a task for shellac. The adhesive for
this is Sheaffer thread sealant. This sealant is a yellow-colored non-hardening rosin-
based substance made to the exact same formula that Sheaffer used in its factory and
repair center.

(See Tools, Parts, and Supplies for sourcing information on shellac and Sheaffer
sealant.)

Other Nasties
I can’t list all the potentially dangerous substances you might encounter around pens, but
here are a few that you might not expect.
Coral red pens of the 1920s (like the one shown below) got their color from cadmium,
a heavy metal that can end up in your lungs when you heat the pen. It can destroy mucous
membranes and cause kidney stones, and it contributes to heavy metal poisoning. Once
heavy metals are in your body, they stay there, so the potential for problems is
cumulative.

Osmium, a metal commonly used in vintage tipping material, is highly toxic. It can
cause dermatitis, respiratory damage, blindness, and heavy metal poisoning. Sucking on
vintage nibs to remove oil or grease from them is therefore not a really good idea. This
is not usually a problem with modern nibs, as osmium is now relatively uncommon in
tipping materials due to its extreme toxicity.

The sweet tarry smell that users of vintage Waterman and some other inks know and
(probably) love comes from phenol, the biocide used in these inks. Phenol, which is
actually not one but a whole group of chemicals, is a protoplasmic poison. It kills mold,
and it also kills other things, such as people. It is now regulated as a Class B poison.
This is another reason not to suck on nibs, and it also suggests that vintage inks
containing phenol might not be the safest for you to use, especially if you have a
tendency to lick a reluctant nib to get it going.

Even the talcum powder that we use on sacs is potentially hazardous; it can irritate the
eyes, skin, and lungs.

Fire and Other Effects of Heat

If you’re a fan of Da Book, you are doubtless familiar with Frank’s recommendation that
you use an alcohol lamp for a heat source when you need to heat a pen. Don’t. Just
don’t. It’s too easy to let the heat get away from you, and the result with open flame is
too frequently Vac or Balance flambé. Celluloid is explosively flammable, and once a
pen starts burning, it’s all over but the funeral. One of the ways in which you can get
caught is in heating things that might not be obviously celluloid, like the object shown
below. This is a Vacumatic filler pump, and the pellet pocket and plunger shaft are
celluloid. And yes, they will go up in flames. Some pumps made in 1943 and 1944 have
celluloid in place of the metal conical collar or both it and the threaded collar, so be
careful when heating a pellet pocket.

I think the best option for heat is a heat gun. It need not be an expensive or fancy one. I
use, and recommend, the inexpensive “embossing” gun (shown below) that you can find
in the rubber-stamp section of many craft stores. I have one mounted at my bench so that
it points straight up, and I control the heat by how far above the gun I hold the pen and
how long I hold it there. It’s a good idea to have a small pan of water handy for dousing
celluloid fires, just in case.
Fire isn’t the only thing to watch out for when you’re heating pens. As I said earlier, it’s
too easy to let the heat get out of control. If it does, even if there is no fire, the pen can
soften and distort, sometimes catastrophically. Use heat with great caution, and only
when you must. I test how hot a pen is by touching a resin part to my lower lip. (Metal
parts, such as “51” clutch rings, get hot much faster than resin parts, and they can burn
you, so be careful with this technique.) If it’s too hot to touch comfortably, it’s too hot.
Let it cool a little before applying section pliers or any other tools or force to it.

When You Need Serious Heat

There are times when you will need more heat, or more controlled heat, than a heat gun
can provide. Serious heat sources like torches and soldering irons are extremely
dangerous! Especially when you’re going to use a torch, clear your work area of things
that can catch fire. Use a metal shield such as a cookie sheet or other fireproof object on
the bench to prevent its being burned by the heat source or by hot things that might fall,
such as Waterman lever boxes onto which you’re soldering new tabs.

Power Tools
Power tools such as lathes, drill presses, buffers. grinders, and even the lowly rotary
tool, do not care about pens. Given the slightest opportunity, they will not hesitate to
destroy a pen in the tiniest fraction of a second, and they can also damage you severely.
In fact, though it rarely happens in a pen workshop, they can even kill you. Read and
follow the safety recommendations in the manuals that come with these tools. They
weren’t written to waste paper, they were written to keep you and your workplace—and
the objects you work on—safe.

Signs Along the Road

As you work through the various chapters, you will encounter three types of “road
signs.” Pay attention to them! Here are examples of them; the text in each example
explains what that type of sign means and why it’s important.

Note
This type of sign gives additional information or advice that is not describing an
imminent danger to your pens or to you.

CAUTION
This type of sign means that damage to your pens or your tools, or both, is possible if
the instructions are not obeyed.

WARNING
This type of sign means that in addition to possible damage to your pens or your
tools, or both, personal injury or death is possible if the instructions are not obeyed.

In Sum…
Basically, when it comes to safety, no matter whether it’s yours or a pen’s, use common
sense. If it looks risky, it probably is. If it smells awful, it’s probably not good for you.
If you’re not sure about potentially dangerous materials, please consult the Internet
before using them. Stay safe.
Chapter 2: How to Replace a Pen Sac

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction

It's tremendously satisfying to start with a pen that won't take ink and end with one that
does. It’s always a good idea to learn by practice rather than waiting until a precious
pen is on the line. To this end, I suggest you buy a couple of cheap pens on eBay or at
your local flea market or antique mall to teach yourself the ropes before you turn your
attention to your minty red ripple Waterman’s Ideal Nº 7 with the Blue nib. Arnold,
Wearever, Epenco, and Tuckersharpe are some cheap names to look for, and there are
countless no-name junkers that go for less than $10.00. (I use the term “junkers” loosely,
as many of these pens can be quite attractive and eminently usable once they’re
restored.) If you get pens that have sacs, you can easily rip ’em out. This, too, is part of
learning to resac a pen.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
 techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required

• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sac removal tools (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Alligator forceps (optional, see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sharp scissors
• Blunt tweezers or sac spreader (see text)
• Rubber-bulb ear syringe (optional)

Parts Required

• Supply of sacs (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required

• Sac cement (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Paper towels (optional)
• Rubbing alcohol (78% isopropyl) (optional)

Shown here, from top to bottom, are Nº 13, Nº 16 (latex and silicone), and Nº 22
straight sacs. At the bottom, for reference, are a Debutante Vacumatic diaphragm and a
standard Waterman Ink-Vue sac.
 CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.

Disassembly, Cleaning, and Sac Removal

As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this cross-sectional drawing of a
typical lever filler to identify the various parts:
The first job is to get the old sac out. This means taking the pen apart. Most pens have a
section that is a slip friction fit (just pushed into the barrel), but some (notably button
fillers, Touchdowns, and Snorkels) have a threaded section that screws out. Virtually
all lever fillers, except a few early Sheaffers, are a slip fit. For simplicity, I’m going to
detail the process only the typical slip-fit lever filler in this chapter. At the end of the
chapter you will find a section describing how button fillers differ from lever fillers.

First, try using your fingers to rock the section gently back and forth sideways, pulling
as you rock, to break it loose. Don’t rock too far or you risk cracking the barrel!

If it refuses to budge, it’s probably shellacked in place. (Sheaffer shellacked Visulated

sections but not hard rubber ones, for example.) You can resort to section pliers and
gentle heat. Using your heat gun, warm the barrel/section joint carefully, spinning the
pen around so that all sides of it are heated evenly and testing frequently by placing it
against your lower lip. If it’s too hot to hold there briefly, it’s too hot, and you should
allow it to cool a little before proceeding.

WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame. Celluloid is explosively flammable!
Grasp the barrel firmly in your closed fist. (You can enhance your grip by using a
rubber gripper square or a second pair of section pliers.) With the other hand, apply the
section pliers to the section and repeat the rocking/pulling action, twisting a little as if
to unscrew the section.

CAUTION
Celluloid begins to soften at about 165° F (74° C), so go carefully. Shellac softens at
about 140° F (60° C), so that if shellac has been used, you can free the adhesive bond
safely. If heat doesn’t do the trick, do not persist.

If it’s a slip-fitter, enough persistence will make it come loose unless it’s been glued, as
many cheap pens were done during World War II. In that case, you’re better off leaving
it to a professional. Yes, I know, you just blew the price of a pen on tools. Use them on
the next pen.

With the section loosened, you should be able to work it gently out of the barrel. Use
your fingernails or a sharp kitchen knife to scrape all remaining fragments of the sac
from the end of the section (the nipple). You need to get the nipple as clean as possible
so the new sac will adhere properly. You can use your knife to scrape off the shellac
that is probably there, and you can use rubbing alcohol as a solvent for this operation.
But don’t use alcohol on a transparent section (or any other plastic section); the plastic
used for these sections is likely to be soluble in alcohol!

This is your opportunity to do your pen a favor by giving it a thorough cleaning. Drop
the section assembly into a bath of J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or the substitute ammonia
solution described in Tools, Parts, and Supplies. After soaking the parts, scrupulously
clean off any ink residue and the cleaning solution. This means flushing water through
the system, which you can do by using an ear syringe to force water through the section
from the sac end. (If you don’t have an ear syringe, you can use your mouth for this job.)
When the assembly is clean, dry it thoroughly; blow some air through to dry the inside.

Clean the cap the same way, paying particular attention to getting the ink out from inside
the cap. One way to do this is to use a paper towel. Twist one corner of the towel into a
long thin spear (sometimes called a twizzle), and insert it into the cap with a screwing
motion. Turn in the direction that will keep the twist tight. Drive the twizzle as far down
as you can get it. Repeat as necessary.

CAUTION
Be a little careful with twizzles. Too much pressure on the inside of a fragile cap or
barrel can crack the part.
Now, if the sac didn’t come out in one piece, extract its remains from the barrel. Long
thin alligator forceps can be helpful here but aren’t a necessity. If the sac is ossified,
you can probably just dump out the chips. Occasionally you’ll run into a sac that has
managed to glue itself, whole or in pieces, to the inside of the barrel. This can get ugly.
Take your time; as with the nipple, you want to get the barrel clean. Be careful not to
damage the filler assembly.

If the old sac died and dumped ink all over the inside of the pen, clean the barrel, too.
You may also find that using your soaking solution on a barrel will make it easier to
extract glued-in bits of sac. Get the barrel absolutely dry afterward; any moisture left
inside can corrode the parts of the filling assembly.

Sac Selection and Installation

With everything clean, you’re finally ready to install a new sac. For many pens, the Sac
Size Tables chapter will help you to choose the correct size sac. For pens that aren’t
listed there, try different sizes (you bought an assortment, right?) until you find a sac that
just barely slips into the barrel without being forced, with the filler assembly in place.
Then choose a sac that's a little smaller. For larger pens, go down two sizes; if a Nº 18
fits snugly, use a Nº 16. For smaller pens, you can usually go down one size (e.g., from
Nº 14 to Nº 13). You need to leave air space between the sac and the barrel to keep the
pen from transferring your body heat into the sac when the pen is in your pocket. If the
sac gets warm, the air in it expands, and it can force ink out through the feed. This makes
the inside of the cap very messy, which is why you just cleaned it. No matter what sac
size you end up with, it needs to be a stretch fit over the nipple. If you’ve chosen too
small a sac, you may have to go up one size. You can try stretching the end of the sac
over the nipple to verify that it’ll go.

The sac needs to be the right length. Most sacs are “straight” sacs; that is, the diameter
of the sac is the same along its entire length. Sacs are made extra long; in most cases you
will need to cut your new sac to the right length. (Very large pens such as a Waterman
58 are long enough that you can sometimes use the sac uncut.) To find how long it
should be, slide it into the barrel, closed end first, until it hits bottom. Slide it back out
about 1⁄8" (3 mm) so that it won’t butt against the end of the space into which it fits.
Clamp it with your thumbnail right where it enters the barrel, and pull it out.

Still clamping it, hold it up to the section, lining your thumbnail up with the step on the
section that seats against the end of the barrel. Now mark the point on the sac that
corresponds to the step between the nipple and the part of the section that fits into the
barrel. This distance will be between 1⁄4" (6 mm) and 1⁄2" (13 mm). In the illustration
here, you can see a bright line where light is reflecting off the step between the nipple
and the rest of the section.

Cut the sac at this point, being careful to cut straight across.

If your pen requires a necked sac (with the open end smaller than the diameter of the
rest of the sac, like the neck of a bottle), you must rely on the information in the Pen Sac
catalog or else measure the space into which the sac fits and then choose a sac of the
proper length. (You can cut a very little of a necked sac’s neck, but cut too much and
you’ll end up with a straight sac.) This may mean that you can’t order the exact sac you
need until you’ve taken the pen apart.

CAUTION
Do not substitute nail polish for for sac cement. Nail polish does permanent damage
to celluloid sections and other parts, and it does not retain its hold when exposed to
ink (which contains water).

With the sac ready to install, apply a small amount of sac cement (shellac) around the
outside of the nipple. Be careful not to let the cement get into the inside; it’ll clog the
feed—possibly permanently! Holding the open end of the sac with blunt tweezers as
shown here, stretch the sac over the nipple, and adjust it so that it’s pushed all the way
down and is seated against the step. If you find that you’re a little clumsy and have
trouble fitting the sac in place, you can buy a sac spreader. Pendemonium offers these
little gems for $5.00. I recommend that you buy yours yesterday, as today—with wet
cement drying on your pen—isn’t the best time to go shopping. The sac should stand
straight up, in line with the section, and the stretched part should be symmetrical on all
sides. (The sac shouldn’t be pulled over toward one side of the nipple.) If you like, you
can run a very small bead of cement around for an improved seal right where the sac
butts against the step.

Installing a sac on a Parker section with a Lucky Curve feed is a little different from the
standard installation. Here is how to do this easily. Step numbers refer to the numbers in
the image below the list:

1. Evert the end of the sac and fold it over to form a “cuff.”

2. Slip the open end of the sac onto the feed’s Lucky Curve.

3. Apply shellac to the section’s sac nipple. Holding the section with one hand, use
that hand’s index fingernail to flip the cuff over the nipple. Then, holding the
flipped part in place, use the other hand to roll the rest of the cuff around the
nipple.

4. Straighten out the cuff if necessary, then adjust it on the nipple so that the sac is
aligned with the section as nearly straight as possible.
Once the sac is installed properly, put the assembly down. Go away for half an hour to
let the cement dry. It doesn’t necessarily take half an hour, but if you adhere to a firm
half-hour waiting period, you’ll never proceed too soon. Getting itchy and proceeding
too soon means having a still-wet sac come off in your hands or leak in the pen or—
worst of all—glue itself inside the barrel.

Now cover the new sac with a thin coat of talcum powder. This will make it slide into
the barrel more easily. The sac will also repel moisture, and the filler will work a little
more smoothly. Reinstall the section into the barrel, aligning the lever with the nib as
you go. (Some pens, mostly English brands such as Conway Stewart, usually have their
levers aligned on the underside, 180° away from the nib surface.) There’s no need to
cement a hard rubber or ordinary plastic section in place unless it’s close to falling out,
but Sheaffer has always recommended that Visulated sections be shellacked in. If your
section is so loose that it really does fall out, you’ll have to shellac it in regardless of
what it’s made of. Shimming with bits of paper can crack the barrel.

Button Fillers
As you might expect, you need to take a slightly different approach with a button-filling
pen. For reference, here is a cross-sectional drawing of a typical button filler:

In most button fillers, the pressure bar rests against a flat surface on the back of the
section where it fits into the barrel. (See the diagram above and the photo on the next
page, the upper pressure bar.) If the section is threaded, as most are, unscrewing the
section before you remove the pressure bar can twist the pressure bar inside the barrel,
damaging the pressure bar, the section, the barrel, or all of these parts. Beginning c.
1930, Parker Duofolds have pressed-in sections. Initially, these pens had a metal
“trough” screwed into the barrel to provide a rest for the pressure bar, which was cut
slightly shorter; later versions have a shorter pressure bar that has its own support in the
form of a strip coming back along the length of the barrel through the button hole, with a
flange to catch on the edge of the hole. This later pressure bar is sometimes known as a
“Mark II” type (lower).
Some third-tier button fillers have pressure bars as described above, with press-fitted
sections that are glued into the barrel. Among these models are the Wearever Deluxe
100 and most Arnold models.

In order to remove the pressure bar from a pen with a threaded section, you must first
remove the button. In most button fillers, the button is simply pushed into the barrel. The
button has cuts dividing it into four “fingers” that are slightly springy, with a little flange
on the end of each finger. Pushing the button into the barrel squeezes the fingers until
they clear the hole at the barrel’s end; once clear, they resume their normal shape and
hold the button in place. Removing it without damage is best done with a Parker button
remover; but if you do not have this tool, you can use Nylon or Nylon-jawed pliers. If
you do not know in advance whether the section is threaded, take the button and the
pressure bar out first.
Parker’s final button filler, the VS, came in two versions. The earlier version has metal
threads under the blind cap, and these threads are part of a ferrule that holds the button
in (below, left). The button does have the springy fingers and can be pulled out, but it is
usually easier to unscrew the entire assembly. To unscrew the threaded ferrule, use a
standard Vacumatic tool; the threads are exactly the same. Later VS pens have plastic
threads (below, right), and for these pens you must pull the button out as on earlier
Parker models.
Third-tier button fillers with glued-in press-fitted sections often have buttons that fit
tightly over the end of the pressure bar and cannot be removed through the back of the
barrel. For these models, because you will not be twisting the pressure bar when you
remove the section, the button and pressure bar are not a potential source of damage.

Some modern button fillers, such as those made by Filcao of Italy, have a threaded
collar that holds the button into the barrel. The button in these pens is not split into
fingers, and you cannot pull it out. Unscrewing the collar will free the button.

When reassembling any button filler, be sure that the pressure bar goes on the right side
of the sac! For a pen with a threaded section, you should insert the pressure bar at an
angle so that it contacts the barrel wall, then slide it down and into position. Complete
the operation by reinstalling the button to keep everything in place.
Chapter 3: How to Restore the Touchdown Filling System

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction

Restoring the filling system in a Sheaffer Touchdown is one of the easiest fountain pen
repairs you can make, almost as easy as replacing an ordinary lever-filler’s sac.
Sheaffer made the first version of the Touchdown for only one year. The Touchdown
TM (Thin Model) that followed it was identical in design but smaller—most especially,
it was thinner, and this is why we refer to the earlier version as a “fat” Touchdown. The
TM version lasted only two years before the Snorkel replaced it, but Sheaffer also made
lower-line models with the Touchdown system, such as the Craftsman and the Cadet,
and these pens survived and sold alongside the Snorkel well into the 1950s. The
company revived the Touchdown filler in the 1960s for the Imperial line.

Because the fat Touchdown is larger in diameter than the later versions, no parts except
the blind-cap screw are interchangeable between the fat Touchdown and the later
versions. On the other hand, all the later versions share the TM filler, with all the
essential filler parts interchangeable between models. For this reason, this chapter
refers to all Touchdown pens except the fat Touchdown as Touchdown TM. If you are
not sure whether your pen is a fat one or a TM, measure the overall length of the sac
guard. For a fat Touchdown, the sac guard is 215⁄64" (56.8 mm) long. For a TM, the
length is 23⁄16" (55.6 mm).

The pen used for the photos in this chapter is a 1949 fat Touchdown, the first of the four
pens shown at the top of this page.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required

• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• Nib knockout block and 5⁄32" diameter punch (for pens with open nibs)
• 1⁄8" screwdriver with blade a little longer than Touchdown’s barrel

• 9⁄32" (7.1 mm) thinwall brass tubing, approximately 25⁄8" (67 mm) long (optional,

for fat Touchdown)

• Sac removal tools (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Rubber bulb ear syringe
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
 • Fine-pointed dental pick, preferably with an angled bend 1⁄16" (1.6 mm) from the
tip
• X-acto knife with sharp Nº 11 blade
• Sharp scissors
• Blunt tweezers or sac spreader (see Chapter 2)
• Leather punch set (optional; see text)

Parts Required

• Touchdown or Touchdown TM sac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies) The correct
sac for a fat Touchdown is a Nº 171⁄2×17⁄8" necked sac. Do not substitute a Nº 17
straight sac. For a Touchdown TM, the correct sac is a Nº 15×21⁄8" necked sac;
but this size is currently not available. A Nº 15 straight sac will work.
• Touchdown or Touchdown TM O-ring (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required

• Sac cement (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sheaffer thread sealant (optional; see text) (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Cotton swabs, preferably fine-pointed ones
• Rubber plunger-head gasket sheet (optional; see text) (see Tools, Parts, and
Supplies)

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.

Disassembly, Cleaning, and Sac Removal

As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this cross-sectional drawing of a
typical open-nib Touchdown to identify the various parts:
To disassemble the pen, unscrew the barrel from the gripping section at the threads. If it
doesn’t want to come with just your hands, grasp the barrel with a rubber gripper
square. With the other hand, apply section pliers to the section and twist the two parts to
unscrew the section.
If the section still refuses to budge, it might have been shellacked in place by a previous
repairer, or this might be one of the pens on which Sheaffer used thread sealant. You
will probably have to heat the joint very slightly.

CAUTION
Heat must be used with extreme care in Touchdown repair. The plastic used for the
Touchdown is Forticel, a moldable cellulosic, and it will shrink, warp, or bubble
and char under excessive heating. The plastic begins to soften at about 170° F (77°
C), so go carefully. Shellac softens at about 140° F (60° C), so that you can free the
adhesive bond safely with sufficient care

Warm the barrel/section joint carefully, spinning the pen around so that all sides of it
are heated evenly and testing frequently by placing the plastic (not the metal thread ring
or trim ring) against your lower lip. If it’s too hot to hold there briefly, it’s too hot, and
you should allow it to cool a little before proceeding.

WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame.

Grasp the barrel again, firmly, with a rubber gripper square. Apply section pliers to the
section and twist the two parts to unscrew the section. Using a slight jerking motion will
frequently assist in breaking the shellac’s seal, and twisting back and forth, alternately
unscrewing and screwing the parts, might also be useful. If you twist back and forth, do
not twist too forcibly in the “screwing in” direction; doing so can split the barrel or
shear off the section with its threaded portion still in the barrel.

CAUTION
The materials of which Touchdowns were made are known to shrink over time. As
the barrel comes away from the section, the section’s thread ring or the barrel’s trim
ring, or both, might fall off. Do not lose these parts!
Front End Disassembly
Disassembling a Touchdown’s front end is simplicity itself. Here is the section with the
sac protector still in position:

All you need to do is to gently rock the sac protector back and forth a little as you pull it
off the section. Note the groove in the section into which the sac protector’s dimples fit
(shown below). During reassembly, you will need to make sure the dimples drop into
this groove.

If the sac remains stuck to the section and comes out in one piece, just remove it from
the section. You can usually do this by just peeling the open end of the sac away from
the section’s nipple. If the sac is ossified, it might also be stuck in the sac protector, but
this just means that you will have to apply slightly more force to remove the sac
protector. When it comes off, it might leave part of the sac stuck to the section’s nipple.
Use your sac removal tools to scrape and drag any remaining pieces of the sac out of the
sac protector and to remove any of the sac that is still stuck to the section. This is
important because the new sac will not install properly if there are bits of the old one in
the way. If you have a brass test-tube brush of the appropriate size, using it can make the
cleanout task a little easier. Shown here are the section and sac protector, with a new
sac ready to be installed. Note the groove for the sac protector’s dimples.

If your pen has a “TRIUMPH” point, it is usually inadvisable to disassemble the nib
unit. Fill the ear syringe with clear cool water. Insert the end of the syringe’s nose into
the back end of the section, hold the syringe and section over a sink with the drain plug
closed, and squirt the water into the sink to clean out any dried ink. If the water is not
coming out clear, repeat the operation until it does. Blow through the section to drive
most of the water out.

If the pen has an open nib, knock the nib and feed out of the nib collar as shown here,
and clean and reassemble the parts as you would with any other open-nib pen.
Now fill the ear syringe with J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH. Insert the end of the syringe’s
nose into the back end of the section and squirt the J.B.’s back into its bottle. Flush the
section again with cool water, and blow through it again. Set it aside for now.

Back End Disassembly

The next task is disassembly of the pen’s back end. Here are the back-end parts,
disassembled. Note that there are both a rubber washer and a star lock washer between
the Touchdown tube and the blind cap in this photo. As explained in the CAUTION
below, your pen might have either one of these washers, but not both. If neither is
present, you will need to replace the appropriate part.

Note
In the list of tools for this chapter, an optional length of brass tubing is described
immediately after the screwdriver. If you are working on a fat Touchdown, you can
make it easier to locate the screwdriver onto the blind-cap screw by inserting this
tubing into the barrel before you insert the screwdriver. The tubing reduces the
effective inner diameter of the Touchdown tube so that the screwdriver fits with less
sidewise play and cannot slip down beside the screw head instead of into its slot.

CAUTION
Some fat Touchdowns have a rubber seal inside the Touchdown tube, under the head
of the screw, and a star-type lock washer between the Touchdown tube and the blind
 cap. The end of the Touchdown tube is marked with radial grooves for the washer’s
teeth. Later fat Touchdowns and all later models have a black rubber washer instead
of the lock washer and do not have a rubber seal inside the Touchdown tube. As you
remove the blind cap, the lock washer or the rubber seal, depending on the type of
pen you have, might fall out. Do not lose it.

Begin disassembly of the back end by inserting the screwdriver into the barrel. (If you
are working on a fat Touchdown and have made the guide tube described in the Note
above, insert the tube first.) Guide the screwdriver into the Touchdown tube, and turn it
carefully until the blade drops into the slot in the screw that secures the blind cap.
Holding the blind cap with one hand, unscrew the screw completely, until it will drop
out of the barrel. Separate the blind cap from the Touchdown tube and set these parts
aside.

Next, you need to remove the O-ring from the back end of the barrel. “Weasel” the fine-
pointed dental pick between the O-ring and the groove and lift out the O-ring. Once it is
free, it will fall out.

If the pen has never been worked on, the O-ring will be the original one, and it is likely
to have ossified. (Many, but not all, of the original O-rings are made of white rubber.) If
this is the case, you will need to chip the O-ring out of the groove with the tip of the X-
acto knife.
 CAUTION
Chip the O-ring out with extra care. If the knife slips, it can dig into the plastic of the
O-ring groove, and this will compromise the sealing ability of the O-ring and groove.
If you were really pushing hard, it can also penetrate the barrel wall, making a hole
visible from the outside.

With the O-ring out of the barrel, poke the point of the dental probe through the small
hole in the barrel’s side near the distal end and then use a cotton swab to remove any
material that you pushed out of the hole into the inside of the barrel. This hole, through
which air passes when the plunger is pushed down during filling but not yet screwed
tight, must be clear for the filler to operate properly.
Putting It All Back Together Again

Note
It is important not to reuse the O-ring that you removed during disassembly. Even if it
looks fine and feels pliable, it’s not all right. It is worn or partially ossified, or both,
and it will allow air to leak. The leak might not be apparent now; but a month, or a
year, from now, it will be there.

CAUTION
Apply shellac (sac cement) only where it is called for during reassembly. Do not
apply shellac (or any other adhesive) at any other point in the process! Where shellac
is not called for in these instructions, Sheaffer did not use it. Using it where it is not
 called for will not make the pen work any better but will make the next person’s
work much more difficult and much more likely to damage the pen. Also, do not
substitute nail polish for for shellac. Nail polish does not retain its hold when
exposed to ink (which contains water).

Front End Reassembly

Putting the front end back together, assuming that you did a proper job of cleaning away
any foreign material while you were doing the disassembly, is easy. The first step is to
cut your sac to the right length.

For a fat Touchdown, trim the Nº 171⁄2×17⁄8" necked sac to a length of 21⁄16" (52.4 mm).
This is the length to which Sheaffer’s original Touchdown sacs were trimmed (probably
by the White Rubber Company).

For a Touchdown Tuckaway (also a fat Touchdown, just much shorter), cut the sac to
11⁄2" (38 mm), creating a very short Nº 171⁄2 straight sac. Do not substitute a Nº 17
straight sac! The sac does not actually need to be necked, and it is more important to
have a sac that fills the sac protector so that the pen will not disgorge ink when the
plunger is extended for filling.

For a Touchdown TM, the Nº 15 sac should be cut to 21⁄16" (52.4 mm) long.

Apply shellac to the nipple on the section, and attach the sac using either tweezers or a
sac spreader. If you’ve never attached a sac before, you can read how to do it in How to
Replace a Pen Sac.

Allow 30 minutes for the shellac to dry. Coat the sac with talcum powder, then install
the sac protector by sliding it over the sac and pushing it onto the section until its
dimples snap into the groove in the section.

Back End Reassembly

The first step in reassembling the back end of the pen is to install a new O-ring in the
barrel. As indicated in the end notes to this chapter, it is important to use an exact
replacement O-ring; a standard off-the shelf O-ring will yield a sloppy fit and will
allow some amount of air leakage, reducing the air pressure in the barrel to collapse the
sac during filling. Holding the O-ring in your tweezers, apply a small amount of silicone
grease to the O-ring and fit the part into the groove in the distal end of the barrel. This is
a somewhat finicky process; be patient and persistent. When the O-ring is in place, use a
cotton swab to remove excess grease from the recess at the end of the barrel, being
careful not to wipe the grease off the O-ring.

Beginning with the original Touchdown, Sheaffer’s workers used special tools to make
the task easier; shown below is the larger of the tools that I made to duplicate the
Sheaffer tools. These tools slide into the barrel and come to rest with the end positioned
right at the groove, so that you cannot push the O-ring past the groove and on into the
barrel. (If you’re not set up to fabricate a tool like this, you can use a length of wooden
dowel with the “business end” slightly beveled so that it will fit as far up into the barrel
as it needs to go.)
Balance the blind-cap screw on the tip of your screwdriver, and insert it into the
Touchdown tube as shown here:
Insert the Touchdown tube into the barrel, passing it through the O-ring. If the pen had a
gasket in the blind cap, make sure it’s still there; if there was a lockwasher, fit it over
the screw. Install the blind cap onto the Touchdown tube. Be sure you screw the
assembly together all the way; if the blind cap is not tightly sealed, air will leak from
the joint, and the pen might not fill at all.

Run the plunger in and out several times, turning it back and forth to spread silicone
grease from the O-ring in a thin film all over the Touchdown tube. Test the seals by
plugging the opening at the barrel‘s proximal end with a finger and cycling the plunger
out and in fairly rapidly. You should feel a little suction on the outward stroke, and there
should be an audible puff of escaping air at the end of the inward stroke. If not, you will
have to disassemble the blind cap from the Touchdown tube and beef up the gasket. (If
the pen has a lockwasher, there should be a rubber seal inside the Touchdown tube,
where the head of the screw will mash it down to seal the joint. These internal seals
sometimes go bad.) The easiest way to beef up the seal is to place your additional
gasket on the screw before inserting the screw back into the Touchdown tube.

Note
If you do need to use an additional gasket, you can punch one from the rubber sheet
material that is used for making plunger-filler piston head gaskets. Use appropriately
sized leather punches or cut carefully with sharp scissors.

Final Assembly
Screw the barrel firmly in place on the section and test the filler. If it works, you’re
done. If not, you must troubleshoot it. Theoretically, you already tested the back-end
seals,so the most likely problem area is the section/barrel joint. Leakage at this joint can
keep the filler from working at all. Make sure that the joint is tight and test again. If the
filler still fails, unscrew the barrel from the gripping section and apply Sheaffer thread
sealant (not shellac!) to the section threads. Warm the thread sealant gently to soften it,
and screw the joint together again.

If the filler still does not work, fate might have thrown one more curve ball at you.
Proceed to Parting Shot, below.

Parting Shot
If you arrive here with a non-working filler, you should test all the various seals again,
and remedy any failures you find. If all the seals were good, you might have a pen with a
hairline crack in the barrel. Finding such a crack can be difficult: because the barrel is
not exposed to ink, there is no telltale ink leakage. If you do find a crack, you are faced
with a potentially difficult choice:

If the crack is in an easily replaceable barrel, disassemble the pen and replace the
cracked barrel.

If the cracked part is not one that is easily replaced, you might need to disassemble the
pen and repair the crack. Use a commercial plastic welding solvent such as Ambroid
ProWeld, available at good hobby shops. To fuse the crack, spread it slightly by
pressing from inside the part with the handle of a dental probe, and flow the solvent into
the crack with a small artist’s brush. Quickly press the crack together and hold for 30
seconds to give the solvent time to do its work. Set the part aside overnight to allow
excess solvent to flash off, then sand carefully with 2000-grit (4µ) wet/dry sandpaper
and buff with Simichrome on a cotton flannel rag.

Reassemble the pen, readjusting any alignment problems that might have arisen.
Assuming that all went well, you should now have a working pen.
Chapter 4: How to Restore the Snorkel/PFM Filling
System

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
Although not terribly difficult, restoring the filling system in a Sheaffer Snorkel or PFM
is a longer and more complicated process than replacing an ordinary sac. There are
some definite pitfalls, and there are some wrong-headed ideas about how to do the job.
Restoring the system wrong can cause the filler to leak or otherwise malfunction, it can
make further repair more difficult (if not impossible) for the next person, and it can also
damage the pen. This chapter explains how to do it right. Where the PFM differs from
the standard Snorkel, the differences are explained and illustrated.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required

• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• Nib knockout block and 5⁄32" diameter punch (for pens with open nibs)
• PFM section tool (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies) (needed only for PFM)
• 1⁄8" screwdriver with blade a little longer than Snorkel’s barrel

• 9⁄32" (7.1 mm) brass tubing, approximately 25⁄8" (67 mm) long (optional, for PFM)

• Knotting pliers—with tiny chain nose; used by crafters for beadwork (see photo
in text)
• Sac removal tools (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sac section pusher: 23⁄4" (7 cm) length of coat hanger wire with ends cut off
straight and sanded smooth
• Rubber bulb ear syringe
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Fine-pointed dental pick, preferably with an angled bend 1⁄16" from the tip (see
photo in text)
• X-acto knife with sharp Nº 11 blade
• Sharp scissors
• Blunt tweezers or sac spreader (see Chapter 2)
• Leather punch set (optional; see text)

Parts Required

• Snorkel or PFM sac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies) The correct sac for a
Snorkel is a Nº 14×21⁄4" necked sac; but a Nº 14 straight sac will work. For a
PFM, the correct sac is a Nº 171⁄2×17⁄8" necked sac. Do not substitute a Nº 17
straight sac.
• Snorkel or PFM Point Holder Gasket (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Snorkel or PFM O-ring (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required
 • Sac cement (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sheaffer thread sealant (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Cotton swabs, preferably fine-pointed ones
• Rubber plunger-head gasket sheet (optional; see text) (see Tools, Parts, and
Supplies)

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.

Disassembly, Cleaning, and Sac Removal

As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this cross-sectional drawing of a
typical Snorkel to identify the various parts:

To disassemble the pen, first extend the Snorkel tube as Sheaffer’s instructions tell you
to extend it when refilling the pen, i.e., by turning the blind cap counterclockwise while
pressing it gently toward the barrel until there is a quiet but perceptible click. The click
indicates that the Touchdown tube’s threads are free of the threads on the sac protector.
Pull out on the blind cap to extend the Touchdown tube all the way. Now unscrew the
barrel from the gripping section at the threads. If it doesn’t want to come with just your
hands, grasp the barrel with a rubber gripper square. With the other hand, apply section
pliers to the section and twist the two parts to unscrew the section. (Note: the pen being
repaired in this chapter has a self-colored section; the pliers in the photo below are not
gripping the barrel.)

If the section still refuses to budge, it was probably shellacked in place by a previous
repairer who did not follow Sheaffer’s practice of using no shellac on the Snorkel
except to secure the sac to the sac section. You will probably have to heat the joint very
slightly.

CAUTION
Heat must be used with extreme care in Snorkel repair. The plastic used for the
Snorkel is Bakelite C-11, a styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer, and it will
shrink, warp, or bubble and char under excessive heating. The plastic begins to
 soften at about 170° F (77° C), so go carefully. Shellac softens at about 140° F (60°
C), so that you can free the adhesive bond safely with sufficient care.

Warm the barrel/section joint carefully, spinning the pen around so that all sides of it
are heated evenly and testing frequently by placing the plastic (not the metal thread ring
or trim ring) against your lower lip. If it’s too hot to hold there briefly, it’s too hot, and
you should allow it to cool a little before proceeding.

WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame.

Grasp the barrel again, firmly, with a rubber gripper square. Apply section pliers to the
section and twist the two parts to unscrew the section. Using a slight jerking motion will
frequently assist in breaking the shellac’s seal, and twisting back and forth, alternately
unscrewing and screwing the parts, might also be useful. If you twist back and forth, do
not twist too forcibly in the “screwing in” direction; doing so can shear off the section
with its threaded portion still in the barrel.

With the section out of the barrel, use the X-acto knife to make a small but visible mark
on the back edge of the section directly in line with the top center of the nib. Make a
corresponding mark on the surface of the sac protector. These two marks will assist you
in aligning the parts during reassembly. Now slide the guts out of the section and set
them aside.

Front End Disassembly

The front end assembly differs between the Snorkel and PFM, and there are two
versions for the Snorkel.

• Snorkel: Unscrew the nib unit from the section. The Point Holder Gasket will be
in one of two places: it might stick to the distal end of the nib collar, or it might
remain in the section. Remove it and discard it. (If it’s in the section, use the fine-
pointed dental pick to remove it.) Here are the parts of a Snorkel’s section and
guts, disassembled as they should be at this point:
If your Snorkel has a “TRIUMPH” point, it is usually inadvisable to disassemble
the nib unit. If the pen has an open nib, knock the nib and feed out of the nib collar
as shown here:
• PFM: Disassemble the nib/section unit. Insert the PFM section tool into the back
of the section and apply gentle heat to the area of the shell immediately forward
of the clutch ring to loosen the adhesive. Grasp the shell with section pliers, and
unscrew the shell far enough to break the adhesive bond. You can then finish
unscrewing the assembly with just your fingers and the PFM section tool. Set the
threaded ferrule aside.

Remove the clutch ring (the metal ring with three bosses that fit into the notches
on the distal end of the shell) and set it with the ferrule. Using the fine-pointed
dental pick, lift out the flat metal washer that lies against the Point Holder
Gasket, and set it with the other parts. Lift out the Point Holder Gasket and
discard it. You should now be able to push the feed out of the shell backwards.
(If not, a little soaking will free it.) Here are the parts of the PFM’s section
assembly:
Drop the nib unit (“TRIUMPH” point), the nib, feed, and collar (open nib), or the feed
and shell (PFM) into the bottle of J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or the substitute ammonia
solution described in Tools, Parts, and Supplies. These parts can soak until you’re
ready to reassemble the pen.

Guts Disassembly

Note
In some pens, the Snorkel tube will be loose enough that it comes out of the sac
section. If it does, just set it aside. You will reinstall it as you are reassembling the
pen.

Disassembling Snorkel guts isn’t complicated, but it can be troublesome. The sac is
crimped inside the sac protector, and Sheaffer used three different methods for doing the
crimping, as shown here:
• In first-year pens, the sac protector is stamped with dimpled plateaus between the
guide rails. The sac section is molded with corresponding depressed areas and
guide rails. It is not necessary to deform the sac protector in any way to get the
sac section out. Note also that the sac protectors and sac sections in these pens
have one broad guide rail and three narrow ones; with this configuration, the guts
will fit together only one way and will go into the section only one way.

• In second-generation pens, the four guide rails are rounded inward at their open
ends to retain the sac section. To remove the sac section, you must straighten out
the formed ends of the rails. Among these pens, early production specimens have
the broad rail, while later pens have four narrow rails. There are also
“transitional” pens having sac protectors with the broad rail but sac sections with
four narrow rails. It is the versions with four narrow rails for which marking the
section and the sac protector is important for reassembly.

• In late pens, the sac section is retained by four V-shaped crimps placed between
 the guide rails. The PFM’s sac protector is also crimped in this fashion. As with
the formed-rail pens, you must straighten out these crimps in order to remove the
sac section. Like the later second-generation pens, these pens have have four
narrow rails. The sac section in these pens, as in the second-generation version,
is not dimpled. In the Snorkel, it has the guide rails, but the PFM’s sac section
has no guide rails.

To straighten out the crimps on pens that require it, use the knotting pliers. Carefully
insert the tip of one jaw between the crimped metal and the rubber sac section; do not
push too enthusiastically, as it’s easy to go too far and rip the thin metal of the sac
protector. Once the plier jaw is in place, align the pliers so that squeezing the jaws
together will straighten the crimped metal, bringing it in line with the surrounding areas,
as shown here:

Shown below is the sac protector with two of the four crimps (the ones on the right
side) straightened out:
Use the dental pick to poke a hole in the end of the sac, through the opening in the distal
end of the sac protector. If the sac is still pliable at that point, use the pick as a hook to
drag enough of the sac out through the opening that you can grasp it and pull on it.
Sometimes, the entire sac will come out when you do this, but more frequently about
half of it will break off, leaving the rest inside the sac protector.

Insert your sac section pusher into the opening in the end of the sac protector and guide
it down along the inside wall of the sac (or sac protector, if the entire sac came out
when you pulled on it) until it reaches the back face of the sac section. Holding the
pusher and sac protector to ensure that the pusher remains touching the side wall, rest
the exposed end of the pusher on a hard surface (a bench block is ideal but not
required), and push down on the sac protector to force the sac section out of the
proximal (upper) end of the protector.
 CAUTION
The pusher must not shift inside the sac protector. The distal end of the Snorkel
tube’s feed extends into the sac past the surface of the sac section, and the pusher can
easily break it off if located wrong when you push down on the sac protector.

If the sac is ossified, it might also be stuck in the sac protector, and this can make
removing the sac section very difficult. If the above-described pushing technique does
not work, you will need to drive the sac section out. To do this, grasp the sac protector
with your section pliers and rest the pliers on the top edge of something like a bench
block. Strike the pusher with a jeweler’s hammer.
Use your sac removal tools to scrape and drag any remaining pieces of the sac out of the
sac protector and to remove any of the sac that is still stuck to the sac section. This is
important because the new sac will not install properly if there are bits of the old one in
the way. If you have a brass test-tube brush of the appropriate size, using it can make the
cleanout task a little easier. Shown here are the sac section and sac protector, with a
new sac ready to be installed.

Fill the ear syringe with J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH. Insert the end of the Snorkel tube
into the syringe’s open end, squeeze the syringe tightly down on the Snorkel tube with
your fingers, and squirt the J.B.’s back into its bottle to clean the Snorkel tube. Flush the
tube with cool water, and blow through it to drive most of the water out.

Back End Disassembly

The next task is disassembly of the pen’s back end. Here are the back-end parts,
disassembled:

Note
In the list of tools for this chapter, an optional length of brass tubing is described
 immediately after the screwdriver. If you are working on a PFM, you can make it
easier to locate the screwdriver onto the blind-cap screw by inserting this tubing into
the barrel before you insert the screwdriver. The tubing reduces the effective inner
diameter of the Touchdown tube so that the screwdriver fits with less sidewise play
and cannot slip down beside the screw head instead of into its slot.

Begin disassembly of the back end by inserting the screwdriver into the barrel. (If you
are working on a PFM and have made the guide tube described in the Note above, insert
the tube first.) Guide the screwdriver into the Touchdown tube, and turn it carefully until
the blade drops into the slot in the screw that secures the blind cap. Holding the blind
cap with one hand, unscrew the screw completely, until it will drop out of the barrel.
Separate the blind cap from the Touchdown tube, push the Touchdown tube back into
the barrel so that it falls out the front, and set these parts aside. (The black rubber
washer that seals this joint will usually just remain in the blind cap, and there is rarely
any reason to remove it.)
Frequently, especially with a first-year pen (described later in this chapter), the spring
will remain in the barrel instead of coming out with the guts. If it did, first try upending
the barrel to dump the spring out. If it doesn’t fall out, use the fine-pointed dental pick or
a sac-removal hook to catch it and pull it out. Set it aside with the guts.

Next, you need to remove the O-ring from the back end of the barrel. “Weasel” the fine-
pointed dental pick between the O-ring and the groove and lift out the O-ring. Once it is
free, it will fall out.
If the pen has never been worked on, the O-ring will be the original one, and it is likely
to have ossified. (Many, but not all, of the original O-rings are made of white rubber.) If
this is the case, you will need to chip the O-ring out of the groove with the tip of the X-
acto knife.
 CAUTION
Chip the O-ring out with extra care. If the knife slips, it can dig into the plastic of the
O-ring groove, and this will compromise the sealing ability of the O-ring and groove.
If you were really pushing hard, it can also penetrate the barrel wall, making a hole
visible from the outside.

With the O-ring out of the barrel, poke the point of the dental probe through the small
hole in the barrel’s side near the distal end and then use a cotton swab to remove any
material that you pushed out of the hole into the inside of the barrel. This hole, through
which air passes when the plunger is pushed down during filling but not yet screwed
tight, must be clear for the filler to operate properly.
Putting It All Back Together Again

Note
It is important not to reuse the Point Holder Gasket or O-ring that you removed during
disassembly. Even if they look fine and feel pliable, they’re not all right. They are
worn or partially ossified, or both, and they will allow air to leak. The leak might not
be apparent now; but a month, or a year, from now, it will be there.
 CAUTION
Apply shellac (sac cement) only where it is called for during reassembly. Do not
apply shellac (or any other adhesive) at any other point in the process! Where shellac
is not called for in these instructions, Sheaffer did not use it. Using it where it is not
called for will not make the pen work any better but will make the next person’s
work much more difficult and much more likely to damage the pen. Also, do not
substitute nail polish for for shellac. Nail polish does not retain its hold when
exposed to ink (which contains water).

Guts Reassembly

Putting the guts back together, assuming that you did a proper job of cleaning away any
foreign material while you were doing the disassembly, is easy. For a Snorkel, trim the
Nº 14×21⁄4" necked sac to a length of 23⁄8" (60.3 mm). This is the length to which
Sheaffer’s Snorkel sacs were trimmed (probably by the White Rubber Company). For a
PFM, the Nº 171⁄2×17⁄8" necked sac should be cut to 21⁄16" (52.4 mm) long.

Apply shellac to the tapered part of the sac section, being careful that the cement does
not cross the distal surface and get on the Snorkel tube, and attach the sac using either
tweezers or a sac spreader.

Allow 30 minutes for the shellac to dry. Coat the sac with talcum powder, then install
the sac and sac section into the sac protector.

As you insert the sac, orient the sac section to its original position, so that the top side
of the Snorkel tube is aligned with the mark you made on the sac protector when you
disassembled the pen. If your Snorkel has an open nib, the top side of the Snorkel tube,
the side that will align with the nib, has a short longitudinal slit at the proximal end (see
photo below).
If you have an earlier pen, with a broad guide rail on the sac protector and a
corresponding broad rail on the sac section, you can just match up the two broad rails.

(If the Snorkel tube came out of the sac section, you need not worry about orienting the
sac section correctly unless the sac section has a broad guide rail. You will reinstall the
Snorkel tube later.)

Use the back end of your tweezers to re-make the crimps that hold the sac section in the
sac protector. For rolled-down guide rails, you can just roll the ends down again with
the flat side of the tweezer back end. For between-rail crimps, use the corner of the
tweezer back end as shown here.
Test the assembly with the section (or the ferrule, if your pen is a PFM) to see that the
sac protector slides freely in the section’s grooves. Do not lubricate this area with
grease or any other substance! If you pried too aggressively when you were
uncrimping the sac protector, it may jam. If it does, you will need to push the guide rails
back into shape. To do this, use the edge of the back end of your tweezers to push
downward (toward the center of the sac protector) and inward (sidewise, to narrow the
guide rail) on each side of each guide rail at the open end of the sac protector, as shown
by the red arrows in the photo below. Do this carefully, not pushing too hard or too far.
Test the fit, and repeat the operation until the sac protector slides freely in the section.
Back End Reassembly
The first step in reassembling the back end of the pen is to install a new O-ring in the
barrel. As indicated in the end notes to this chapter, it is important to use an exact
replacement O-ring; a standard off-the shelf O-ring will yield a sloppy fit and will
allow some amount of air leakage, reducing the air pressure in the barrel to collapse the
sac during filling. Holding the O-ring in your tweezers, apply a small amount of silicone
grease to the O-ring and fit the part into the groove in the distal end of the barrel. This is
a somewhat finicky process; be patient and persistent. When the O-ring is in place, use a
cotton swab to remove excess grease from the recess at the end of the barrel, being
careful not to wipe the grease off the O-ring.
Beginning with the original Touchdown, Sheaffer’s workers used special tools to make
the task easier; shown below are the tools that I made to duplicate the Sheaffer tools.
The smaller tool, with a long setback at the end, is for the Snorkel; the other is for the
PFM and the 1949 Touchdown. (The other end of the Snorkel tool fits the Touchdown
TM and the Imperial Touchdown.) These tools slide into the barrel and come to rest
with the end positioned right at the groove, so that you cannot push the O-ring past the
groove and on into the barrel. (If you’re not set up to fabricate a tool like this, you can
use a length of wooden dowel with the “business end” slightly beveled so that it will fit
as far up into the barrel as it needs to go.)
Balance the blind-cap screw on the tip of your screwdriver, and insert it into the
Touchdown tube as shown here:
Insert the Touchdown tube into the barrel, passing it through the O-ring. Make sure the
blind-cap gasket is in the blind cap, and install the blind cap onto the Touchdown tube.
Be sure you screw the assembly together all the way; if the blind cap is not tightly
sealed, air will leak from the joint, and the pen might not fill at all.
Run the plunger in and out several times, turning it back and forth to spread silicone
grease from the O-ring in a thin film all over the Touchdown tube. Test the seals by
plugging the opening at the barrel‘s proximal end with a finger and cycling the plunger
out and in fairly rapidly. You should feel a little suction on the outward stroke, and there
should be an audible puff of escaping air at the end of the inward stroke. If not, you will
have to disassemble the blind cap from the Touchdown tube and beef up the gasket. The
easiest way to do this is to use a second gasket, placing it on the screw before inserting
the screw back into the Touchdown tube.

Note
If you do need to use an additional gasket, you can make one from the rubber sheet
material that is used for making plunger-filler piston head gaskets. Use appropriately
sized leather punches or cut carefully with sharp scissors.

Final Snorkel Reassembly

(If you are working on a PFM, skip to Final PFM Reassembly)

Note
If the Snorkel tube has come loose from the sac section, you can still assemble the
pen as you would normally; but the orientation of the sac protector to the nib, as
described in the next paragraph, will not matter. If you have a sac protector with four
narrow rails, you can insert it into the section in any of the four possible ways—but
note that the sac protector might slide more freely in some orientations than in others.

Fit the spring onto the sac protector. If the stop against which it fits is a trough (second-
and third-generation Snorkels), make sure the spring is seated in the trough. In the first-
year pen, the stop is a simple flange, and the spring will rest on it but not be held in
place by it.
If the Snorkel tube is loose from the sac section, skip this paragraph. Apply a very small
amount of silicone grease around the Snorkel tube about 1⁄2" from the sac section. Line
up the top side of the Snorkel tube with the mark you made on the back edge of the
gripping section and fit the sac protector’s guide rails into the slots in the ferrule.
Carefully slide the sac protector assembly all the way in as shown above. Hold the guts
/section assembly with the section downward. With the Touchdown tube extended, slide
the barrel down over the distal end of the sac protector, and screw it down tightly onto
the gripping section. If the pen has an open nib, install the nib collar firmly onto the
gripping section. Line the nib and feed up together and place the feed over the Snorkel
tube. Align the nib and feed with the top-side slit in the Snorkel tube, and push the nib
and feed home in the collar to complete reassembly of the nib unit; then remove the nib
unit.

If the Snorkel tube is loose from the sac section, follow these instructions:

Fit the Snorkel tube’s distal end into the opening in the sac section, seating it just far
enough that it will not pull out easily.

Fit the sac protector’s guide rails into the slots in the gripping section without worrying
about how the Snorkel tube might line up with the nib. Carefully slide the sac protector
assembly all the way in as shown above.

Hold the guts/section assembly with the section downward. With the Touchdown tube
extended, slide the barrel down over the distal end of the sac protector, and screw it
down gently onto the gripping section.

If the pen has an open nib, install the nib collar firmly onto the gripping section. Line the
nib and feed up together and place the feed over the Snorkel tube, still without worrying
about how the Snorkel tube might line up with the nib, and push the nib and feed home in
the collar to complete reassembly of the nib unit. If the pen has a “TRIUMPH” point,
just install the nib unit.

Now rotate the Snorkel tube with your fingers until it is properly aligned with the nib.

Push the blind cap down, and screw it in to retract the Snorkel tube. Gently press the
Snorkel tube in until its end is flush with the contour of the feed (Triumph point) or
halfway in and halfway out of the feed (open nib).

Re-extend the Snorkel tube, remove the nib unit, then remove the section. Apply a small
amount of shellac right at the joint where the Snorkel tube enters the sac section, taking
care that the shellac does not reach the gap between the sac section and the sac
protector. Rock the Snorkel tube from side to side very slightly to help capillary action
draw the shellac down into the gap between the parts, and clean off any remaining
shellac.

Apply a very small amount of silicone grease around the Snorkel tube about 1⁄2" from the
sac section. Reassemble the pen, screwing the barrel down tightly this time but without
installing the nib unit.
Slide the Point Holder Gasket onto the Snorkel tube. If your Point Holder gasket is like
the part to the left in the photo here, it does not matter which side goes on first; but if it
is like the part to the right, the side whose center boss protrudes more should go toward
the sac protector. Slide the gasket as far as you can, and then screw the nib unit all the
way into the open end of the section. Unscrew the nib unit and check to see that the Point
Holder Gasket is properly seated in place, then screw the parts together again,
tightening the joint firmly. If the Snorkel tube was loose and needed to be reinstalled in
the sac section, you can now make any final adjustments it needs; when you have
finished adjusting it, allow to dry for 30 minutes. If the Snorkel tube did not need
reinstallation, you do not need to let things dry.

Test the filler. If it works, you’re done. If not, you must troubleshoot it. Theoretically,
you already tested the back-end seals, so the most likely problem area is the
section/barrel joint. Leakage at this joint can keep the filler from working at all. Make
sure that the joint is tight and test again. If the filler still fails, unscrew the barrel from
the gripping section and apply Sheaffer thread sealant (not shellac!) to the section
threads. Warm the thread sealant gently to soften it, and screw the joint together again.

If the filler still does not work, fate might have thrown one more curve ball at you. Skip
to Parting Shot, below.

Final PFM Reassembly

(If you are working on an ordinary Snorkel, skip to Final Snorkel Reassembly)

For the PFM, you must reassemble the front end before you can finish putting the pen
together. First, fit the feed back into the shell, making sure that it aligns with the nib. If it
is not aligned, it will not seat properly in the shell.

Next, insert a new Point Holder Gasket. This part must lie flat on the back surface of the
feed, which is very slightly more recessed than the edge of the shell, and the gasket will
fit into this recessed area.
Follow the Point Holder Gasket with the flat washer. Then install the clutch ring.
Apply a little shellac to the threads on the smaller end of the ferrule, and screw the
ferrule into the shell.Snug it down against the flat washer, and then use the PFM section
tool to tighten it so that it compresses the Point Holder Gasket. As you are tightening the
ferrule, check the alignment between the nib and the mark you made at the beginning.
Because some modern Point Holder Gaskets are thicker than the Sheaffer originals, the
mark on the ferrule might not line up with the nib when the ferrule is tightly screwed
down. If this happens, you will need to loosen the ferrule just barely enough that the
ferrule slots will align with the nib in the same way as they would if the mark had lined
up. The drawing below illustrates the ferrule with the mark lined up (left) and in one of
the three possible orientations if the mark would not line up (right). The ferrule must
still be compressing the Point Holder Gasket; if it is not, the pen will leak air and will
not fill.
 Note
If the Snorkel tube has come loose from the sac section, you can still assemble the
pen as you would normally; but the orientation of the sac protector to the nib, as
described in the next two paragraphs, will not matter. You can insert the sac
protector into the section in any of the four possible ways—but note that the sac
protector might slide more freely in some orientations than in others.

If the Snorkel tube is loose from the sac section, skip this paragraph. Apply a very small
amount of silicone grease around the Snorkel tube about 1⁄2" from the sac section. Work
the point of the Snorkel tube through the hole in the Point Holder Gasket. Line up the top
side of the Snorkel tube with the nib, fit the sac protector’s guide rails into the slots in
the ferrule, and carefully slide the sac protector assembly all the way in. If the Snorkel
tube is not perfectly aligned with the nib, use section pliers (on the ferrule) and gripping
square (on the shell) to make the necessary slight adjustment. Assemble the pen.
Holding the shell assembly nib downward, fit the spring onto the sac protector. With the
Touchdown tube extended, slide the barrel down over the distal end of the sac
protector, and screw it down tightly onto the ferrule.
If the Snorkel tube is loose from the sac section, follow the instructions in this
paragraph. Fit the distal end of the Snorkel tube into the opening in the sac section,
seating it just far enough that it will not pull out easily. Apply a very small amount of
silicone grease around the Snorkel tube about 1⁄2" from the sac section, fit the tube’s
proximal end through the Point Holder Gasket. Fit the sac protector’s guide rails into the
slots in the ferrule without worrying about how the Snorkel tube might line up with the
nib. Carefully slide the sac protector assembly all the way in. Hold the guts/section
assembly with the section downward. With the Touchdown tube extended, slide the
barrel down over the distal end of the sac protector, and screw it down gently onto the
gripping section. As you close things up, you might need to pull gently on the Snorkel
tube to overcome the friction of the Point Holder Gasket. With the pen closed,, rotate the
Snorkel tube with your fingers until it is properly aligned with the nib. Push the blind
cap down, and screw it in to retract the Snorkel tube (assisting the Snorkel tube if
necessary, so that it does not come loose from the sac section). Now press the Snorkel
tube in until its end is flush with the contour of the feed. Re-extend the Snorkel tube and
disassemble the pen. Apply a small amount of shellac right at the joint where the
Snorkel tube enters the sac section, taking care that the shellac does not reach the gap
between the sac section and the sac protector. Rock the Snorkel tube from side to side
very slightly to help capillary action draw the shellac down into the gap between the
parts, and clean off any remaining shellac. Reassemble the pen and test the Snorkel tube
again, adjusting it if necessary. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.

Test the filler. If it works, you’re done. If not, you must troubleshoot it. Leakage at the
ferrule will keep the filler from working. Make sure that this joint is tight and test again.
If the filler still fails, unscrew the barrel from the ferrule and apply Sheaffer thread
sealant to the ferrule threads. Warm the thread sealant gently to soften it, and screw the
joint together again.

If the filler still does not work, fate might have thrown one more curve ball at you.
Continue with Parting Shot.

Parting Shot
If you arrive here with a non-working filler, you should test all the various seals again,
and remedy any failures you find. If all the seals were good, you might have a pen with a
hairline crack in the barrel or in the gripping section (Snorkel) or shell (PFM). Finding
such a crack can be difficult: because these parts of the pen are not exposed to ink, there
is no telltale ink leakage. If you do find a crack, you are faced with a potentially
difficult choice:

• If the crack is in an easily replaceable part such as a black Snorkel gripping

section or a barrel of an ordinary color (e.g., Pastel Gray), disassemble the pen
and replace the cracked part. The only caution here is that there are two different
Snorkel sections:

(Less common) First year pens with “TRIUMPH” point: when the pen is
assembled, the nib collar is 1⁄16" (1.6 mm) wide.

(More common) All others: when the pen is assembled, the nib collar is
9⁄64" (3.6 mm) wide, and the section is correspondingly shorter to

accommodate the additional collar width.

• If the cracked part is not one that is easily replaced, you might need to
disassemble the pen (including the entire nib/section assembly if it”s a PFM and
the shell is cracked) and repair the crack. Use a commercial plastic welding
 solvent such as Ambroid ProWeld, available at good hobby shops. To fuse the
crack, spread it slightly by pressing from inside the part with the handle of a
dental probe, and flow the solvent into the crack with a small artist’s brush.
Quickly press the crack together and hold for 30 seconds to give the solvent time
to do its work. Set the part aside overnight to allow excess solvent to flash off,
then sand carefully with 2000-grit (4µ) wet/dry sandpaper and buff with
Simichrome on a cotton flannel rag.

Reassemble the pen, readjusting any alignment problems that might have arisen.
Assuming that all went well, you should now have a working pen.
Chapter 5: How to Replace a Vacumatic Diaphragm

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction

Although not terribly difficult, replacing a Vacumatic diaphragm is not so

straightforward as replacing an ordinary sac. There are some definite pitfalls, and I see
many pens with diaphragms that are incorrectly installed. Installing a diaphragm wrong
can cause the filler to leak or otherwise malfunction, it can make further repair more
difficult (if not impossible) for the next person, and it can also damage the pen. This
chapter explains how to do it right.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.
Tools Required

• Vacumatic tool (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• Vacumatic pump ejectors (see text)
• Vacumatic pellet pusher (see text)
• Brass probe (see text)
• X-acto knife with Nº 11 blade
• Bore light or otoscope
• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Spoon-shaped dental scaler
• Sharp scissors
• Rubber-bulb ear syringe (optional)

Parts Required

• Vacumatic diaphragms (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required

• Vacumatic lubricant (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Thread sealant or shellac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Paper towels (optional)

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.

Here is a table indicating which models use which diaphragm sizes:

Diaphragm Pen Models
Oversize Oversize (Lockdown)
Senior Maxima (Speedline)
Standard Standard (Lockdown)
Standard-girth Junior (Lockdown)
Maxima (Speedline or plastic plunger)
Debutante Everything not listed above
This information is also listed in Tools, Parts, and Supplies.

Note that every diaphragm comes with a pellet already installed, so you do not need to
track down a supply of pellets. But do be careful when handling diaphragms, because
sometimes a pellet can fall out. If this happens, the escaped pellet will obey the Law of
Selective Gravitation, which states that a dropped object will roll to the location where
it will be the most difficult to recover.

CAUTION
If a pellet actually does escape and you find yourself in need of a replacement, do not
substitute any type of metal ball! Metal can corrode, and it can also cause the next
repairer to destroy the pellet pocket while trying to extract your substitute.

CAUTION
Do not even think about trying to remove the filler without a proper Vac tool. The
only possible result is destruction!

To install the new diaphragm into the filler, you need something to push the pellet into
the pellet pocket. The best tool I know for this task is a pellet pusher like the ones
offered by Pentooling.com and WoodBin.ca:
Special Tools
There are two additional tools that can prove useful. These are tools that you can make
yourself. The first is a pump ejector, to push a stuck filler pump out from inside. The
illustration below shows the ejector that I designed for this task.

This tool consists of three parts: a fixed tube, a sleeve (sliding tube), both of thinwall
brass tubing, and a handle.

The tubing comes from a hobby shop that caters to model railroaders, and its wall
thickness is 0.014" (0.36 mm). The following table shows the sizes you need for the
various filler types; for all sizes, the sleeve is 23⁄4" (70 mm) long and the fixed tube is 4"
(102 mm) long.
Filler Type Tubing Diameters
“51” (Deb filler) Fixed tube: 3⁄16" (4.76 mm)
Sleeve: 7⁄32" (5.56 mm)
Debutante Fixed tube: 1⁄4" (6.35 mm)
Sleeve: 9⁄32" (7.14 mm)
Standard Instead of a fixed tube and a
sleeve, use a 9⁄32" tube with a
short length of 1⁄4" tube sweat-
soldered into the “business”
end.
Oversize Use the Standard size. Pick out
as much of the diaphragm as
will come, then depress the
plunger slightly to guide the
tool.
(The “51” requires a smaller ejector because the “correct” size for a Deb filler does not
fit through the collector opening in the front of the barrel.)

The handle is a 2" (51 mm) piece of 1⁄2" (13 mm) hardwood dowel. Using a drill of the
same diameter as the fixed tube, drill a hole 1" (25 mm) deep in one end of the handle,
and press the fixed tube in all the way. Slip the sleeve onto the fixed tube.

The last special tool is a probe. This is merely a 6" (152 mm) length of 3⁄32" (2.4 mm)
brass rod with one end ground and carefully polished to a hemispherical shape. The
following illustration shows the “business end” of my probe.
The key to seating the new diaphragm into the barrel completely, so the blind cap will
line up when you’re done, is Vacumatic lubricant. Parker’s factory assemblers and field
repairers used it. The Parker Vacumatic service manual calls for it. It’s the only way to
get a diaphragm to seat properly in the pen. Without Vacumatic lubricant, friction keeps
the replacement diaphragm from seating deeply enough in the barrel, and you can’t
screw the threaded retaining collar all the way down without cranking so hard there’s a
risk of damaging things.

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this diagram of a typical
Vacumatic to identify the various parts:

Disassembly, Cleaning, and Diaphragm Removal

The first step in replacing a diaphragm is to unscrew the filler pump’s threaded
retaining collar from the barrel using your Vac tool.

CAUTION
If you are working on a Lockdown filler, extend the plunger before attempting to
remove the threaded collar. If you don’t do this, and if the filler is stuck, you can pop
the button from the end of the plunger. This can easily crack the plunger tubing,
destroying the pump. If the plunger is stuck, you’ll need to work it free by soaking or
removing an ossified diaphragm from inside the barrel, or both. (To remove the
diaphragm while the pump is still in the pen, you must remove the section; see
below.)

CAUTION
Be careful when threading the tool onto the collar; cross-threading will damage the
pump severely. Exercise care also as you clamp the tool onto the collar; a Vac block
can exert far more pressure than is actually necessary, and you can squeeze the collar
hard enough to damage it, especially if it’s a wartime plastic one.
Once you have the tool in place, the collar usually comes loose easily; but sometimes
you’ll find one that is stuck because the plastic has shrunk or because a previous
repairer has glued it in place. The best recourse is to apply gentle heat in order to
loosen the bond. (If the plastic has shrunk, heat expands it slightly, usually enough to
break it loose from the collar.)

WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame. Celluloid is explosively flammable!

CAUTION
Celluloid begins to soften at about 165° F (74° C), so go carefully. Shellac softens at
 about 140° F (60° C), so that if shellac has been used, you can free the adhesive bond
safely. If heat doesn’t do the trick at first, soak the filler end of the pen overnight in
cold water and try again the next day.

After you’ve unscrewed the collar, remove the pump from the barrel. Sometimes,
especially if the diaphragm has ossified and been shattered by a press of the plunger, the
pump will just come out. But you frequently discover that the diaphragm has glued the
pump in place. You can soak to loosen things, or you can wobble the pump gently
(risking damage to the plunger), but these methods may not suffice. Now is the time to
use your pump ejector.

To use the ejector, you need to remove the section from the pen. (On a “51” this calls
for removing the shell and the collector/feed/nib assembly.) Nominally, the section on a
Vacumatic is secured with a non-hardening thread sealant while the shell on a “51” is
secured with shellac. In both cases, you’ll need to apply a little gentle heat. In general,
you can follow the instructions for section removal in my chapter on sac replacement.
Vacumatic sections and “51” shells are threaded: you cannot pull them free, you must
unscrew them. This is your opportunity to do your pen a favor by giving it a thorough
cleaning. Drop the section assembly into a bath of J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or the
substitute ammonia solution described in Tools, Parts, and Supplies for five or ten
minutes. After soaking the parts, scrupulously clean off any ink residue and the cleaning
solution. This means flushing water through the system, which you can do by using a
rubber-bulb ear syringe to force water through the section from the sac end. (If you don’t
have an ear syringe, you can use your mouth for this job.) When the assembly is clean,
dry it thoroughly; blow some air through to dry the inside.

Removing the section also gives you the opportunity to clean residual ink from the
inside wall of the barrel.

Remove all of the old diaphragm that you can get from inside, using dental picks bent
into hooks, your set of Father Terry Koch sac removers, or other appropriate tools.
Ideally, you’d like to remove all of it, leaving a clear field to insert your pusher tool.
But there will usually be some bits left, such as the center part where the pellet goes
into the plunger’s pellet pocket.

Now insert the ejector into the barrel, bringing the sleeve into contact with the shoulder
of the barrel’s tapered seat. This guides the fixed tube so that it will slip perfectly over
the pellet pocket and bear against the end of the pump’s tapered collar. Hold the barrel
in your “weaker” hand and use the palm of your ”stronger” hand to push on the pusher’s
handle and pop the pump loose. This may take a little force, but I’ve never yet had the
tool fail, even with a diaphragm that had been shellacked in and required a little heat to
encourage it.

One problem you’ll run into is that your ejector won’t fit into a Deb or Sub-deb
Vacumatic. No problem. Just slide the sleeve off, and be careful when you insert the
tool so that it seats properly. The “51” ejector may also give you cause for concern, as
its smaller tubes don’t fit against the shoulder and collar as they should. The ejector still
works, but it calls for a little more care to avoid shattering the pellet pocket.

With the pump out, you can remove the remaining bits of diaphragm. You will often
need to scrape these bits from the surface of the tapered seat and from the inside of the
barrel; the spoon-shaped dental scaler is a very effective tool for this. Go carefully to
avoid digging into the plastic! When you have all of the diaphragm’s remains out, clean
inside the barrel with water and a soft test-tube brush. Too hard a brush will scratch the
plastic.
If there is any foreign substance on the threads of the retaining collar, remove it. A brass
brush may work, or you may need to scrape the threads turn by turn with an X-acto
knife. Ideally, when you reassemble the pen later, the collar should screw into the barrel
without resistance (and therefore without the assistance of the Vac tool) until it begins to
push on the inner parts.

The final step in cleaning is to remove the pellet and the remains of the diaphragm from
the pellet pocket on the end of the filler plunger. Do not simply try to pull the pellet out,
and do not insert a dental pick or other tool to lever it out! The pellet pocket on a plastic
plunger is sometimes brittle and easy to break, so be very careful. You can use the tip of
a very sharp No. 11 X-acto knife to cut the pellet out in little bits. Another method is to
use a rotary tool with a small spherical bur, grinding the pellet out. Be very careful not
to cut into the pellet pocket itself. If you run the rotary tool at high speed and do not
apply any more pressure than is necessary to hold the bur against the pellet, the bur will
melt its way into the pellet, and the pellet will form itself around the bur shaft; this
makes the pellet very easy to remove.

Diaphragm Preparation and Installation

The first step in installing the diaphragm is to cut it to length as described in this
CAUTION block:

CAUTION
To prepare the diaphragm, you must cut it to the correct length. Parker bought its
diaphragms already cut to length, and Parker’s repair manual does not acknowledge
the need for cutting. This is why so many “restored” Vacs have diaphragms that are
not cut. An uncut diaphragm will eventually jam and refuse to function, and a
diaphragm that is too short puts undue stress on the pump parts without being able to
displace enough air to work effectively.

Marshall and Oldfield say to cut to a maximum of 30 mm, but this is 13⁄16" and is really a
little longer than ideal. They give no minimum, potentially leaving you to cut the
diaphragm too short.

The correct length to cut the diaphragm is 11⁄32" to 11⁄16" (26.2 mm to 27.0 mm).

Next, you must ensure that the hole in the pellet pocket is large enough to allow
installation of the diaphragm. (The reason for this is that plastic pellet pockets were
made with their ends essentially cylindrical, not curved inward. The hole was much
bigger than necessary to clinch the diaphragm in place. Parker installed the diaphragm
by inserting the two parts into a fixture that positioned them correctly and then swaged
the pocket closed around the diaphragm by applying heat and pressure. The final hole
size is not the same in every pen.) Use the rounded end of the brass probe to test the
hole size. If the probe slips freely into the end of the pellet pocket, you’re home free. If
not, use the probe and the heat gun to enlarge the hole very slightly.

CAUTION
The pellet pocket is made of celluloid or a celluloid-like material that can catch fire
very easily. Apply heat with extreme care!

To enlarge the pellet-pocket hole, place the rounded end of the probe into the opening.
Heat the pellet pocket gently over the heat gun, spinning it so all sides are warmed
evenly. Push gently on the probe; as the pellet pocket softens, it will return to its
original shape, and the hole will grow larger. As soon as the probe slips in, stop!

Insert the pellet pusher into the open end of the diaphragm and position the pellet on the
end of the pusher. Stretch the diaphragm backward along the tool to thin the rubber over
the pellet. Lick the stretched diaphragm to provide a little lubrication, and insert the
pellet into the pellet pocket. (Depending on the exact diameter of the pellet-pocket hole
and the thickness of the rubber in the diaphragm, that little dab of saliva can make
insertion easier.) I don’t recommend using Vacumatic lubricant here.
Now cover the diaphragm with a thin coat of talcum powder. This will make it easier to
turn the diaphragm inside out, and it’ll also help the pump to function smoothly.

Use your fingernails to turn the open end of the diaphragm inside out like the cuff on a
trouser leg. Now use the probe’s rounded end to push more of the diaphragm into the
inverted end. Work around as needed, until the diaphragm is halfway inverted.
Use the probe to continue inverting the diaphragm until it extends over the pump’s
tapered inner collar. Holding the diaphragm in place on the tapered collar, operate the
pump to make sure there are no twists or other problems and to see that the diaphragm
everts so that it is just exactly fitted over the plunger. The following cutaway illustration
shows more clearly how the diaphragm should fit after it’s installed.
 CAUTION
The diaphragm must not ride up over the flange on the retaining collar. If it does, it
can put excess strain on the barrel, eventually causing a permanent bulge and
preventing a correctly installed diaphragm from seating tightly.

Filler Installation

You are now ready to reinstall the pump into the barrel. Lubricate the diaphragm with
Vacumatic lubricant as shown here, and insert it into the barrel.
Wiggle the diaphragm a little if necessary to slip its end past the tapered seat in the
barrel and then insert the pump until it stops. Make sure the diaphragm is not twisted in
the barrel. Use your Vac tool to screw the threaded collar down onto the tapered collar;
if you have used Vacumatic lubricant, the collar should screw down until it comes to a
firm stop. This is where it was when the pen was new. If you have not used Vacumatic
lubricant, the diaphragm may not seat as far into the tapered seat, and in this case you
should screw the collar down firmly but not overly tight; it should squeeze the rubber
against the tapered seat enough to seal it but no more than is necessary.

Do not allow the plunger to turn as you tighten the collar; if it turns, it will twist the
diaphragm. Do not apply “brutal” force, but the collar must also seat far enough in that
you can screw the blind cap down until it touches the barrel.

Note
Parker’s Vacumatic repair manual instructed the repairer to cement the threaded
retaining collar in place using Vacumatic cement, which supposedly never hardened,
and said further that no other adhesive should be used. Unfortunately, given a few
decades, Vacumatic cement did harden into a pinkish-white chalklike substance. I
find a surprising number of fillers that appear to have had it applied between the two
collars, virtually transforming them into a single chunk of metal. It’s a ticklish
proposition to separate the collars without damaging one or both of them. It turns out
that no adhesive at all is actually necessary, although some modern repairers
recommend securing the threaded collar with shellac. I do not recommend this
practice; it just makes things harder for the next person who will work on the pen,
and that person could be you.
Use a bore light or an otoscope to examine the diaphragm from the open end of the
barrel, checking to see that it is not twisted. If it is twisted, unscrew the threaded collar,
untwist the diaphragm, and reinstall the threaded collar. Test the plunger action to be
sure that it is smooth and that the plunger travels to the full extension in both directions.
Test the seal by putting the open end of the barrel in your mouth and sucking. Stick your
tongue against the open end and release the suction. The partial vacuum in the barrel
should hold the barrel to your tongue.
Chapter 6: How to Replace an Ink-Vue Sac (Type 1)

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction

Waterman’s Ink-Vue is something of an off-the-wall filling system. Actually a Rube

Goldberg take-off on an ordinary bulb filler, it adds significant complexity with a lever
mounted in the blind cap and with the clamping system Waterman used to allow
assembly of the filler without any adhesives or sealants. Although not terribly difficult,
replacing an Ink-Vue sac is not so straightforward as replacing an ordinary sac. There
are some definite pitfalls. Installing a sac wrong can cause the filler to leak or
otherwise malfunction, it can make further repair more difficult (if not impossible) for
the next person, and it can also damage the pen. This chapter explains how to do it right.

Note
Waterman made two distinct types of Ink-Vue pens. This chapter deals with Type 1,
the earlier of the two. (It also covers Type 0, a very early version that is exactly like
Type 1 except that it has a one-piece lever instead of the Type 1’s two-piece lever
that folds in the middle. Type 0 pens are uncommon.) You can identify a Type 0 or
Type 1 pen by looking for a joint in the barrel about 2⁄3 of the distance from the
section to the distal end. This joint is marked by a black band or, in some specimens
of the De Luxe version, a metal trim ring. The portion of the barrel between this band
and the section is partially transparent; the remainder, where the lever is located, is
opaque. In the Lady Patricia and the Jet (black) Ink-Vue, there is no band; but the
joint is marked by the difference in opacity and, in the Lady Patricia, a marked
discontinuity in the barrel’s color pattern. If there is no joint, your pen is Type 2, and
it is treated in Chapter 7.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required

• Ink-Vue spanner (see text)

• Blunt probe (see Chapter 4)
• Small pointed dental pick
• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sharp scissors
• Leather punches (see text)
• Rubber-bulb ear syringe (optional)

Parts Required

• Ink-Vue sac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required
• Plunger-filler gasket rubber sheet (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
 • 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Thread sealant or shellac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Paper towels (optional)

As shown by the photos at the beginning of this chapter, Waterman made Ink-Vue pens
in two sizes: Standard and Lady Patricia. Be sure you have a sac of the correct size for
your pen. (This information is also listed in Tools, Parts, and Supplies.)

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.

Special Tools
The first and most important tool is an Ink-Vue spanner, which you must have in order to
remove and reinstall the ring that secures the sac. I know of no source for these
spanners, so you will have to make one. My tool is shown below. It has one end shaped
for the Standard, the other for the Lady Patricia.

To make a spanner, find a flat strip or sheet of strong steel. I recommend starting with a
sheet of 0.025" (0.64 mm) × 6" (15.2 cm) × 12" (30.5 cm) stainless steel from K&S
(Part Nº 87185). (Stainless is stronger than ordinary mild steel.) It is available from
hobby shops that cater to serious model builders. Cut a piece about 3" (76 mm) long and
3⁄8" (9.5 mm) wide. Grind and file a U-shaped slot in one end, shaping the slot as shown

in this drawing (with dimension A sized for the pen you will be working on, as
indicated in the table below the drawing):
Pen Size Dimension A
Standard 0.280" (7.11 mm)
Lady Patricia 0.250" (6.35 mm)
You will probably need to sand the edges a little so that the spanner won’t scratch the
pen. Use very fine sandpaper, such as 2000-grit wet/dry paper, for this task, and sand
just enough to break the sharpness of the edges. You should not round off the edges or
ends of the prongs because that would make the spanner more likely to slip out of the
slots and damage the pen.

The final step is to bend the ends of the two prongs down 90° to fit into the slots in the
ring, as shown by this close-up photo:
The next special tool is a probe. This is merely a 6" (152 mm) length of 3⁄32" (2.4 mm)
brass rod with one end ground and carefully polished to a hemispherical shape. The
following illustration shows the “business end” of my probe (with a Vacumatic
diaphragm to give you a sense of its size).
The Ink-Vue filler uses a rubber washer to seal the filler into the barrel; this is what you
need the plunger head gasket rubber for. The best way to make the center hole in this
washer is to use a commercial Size 0 (5⁄64", 2 mm) leather punch. If you aren’t ready to
invest in a set of leather punches, you can make a quick-and-dirty punch by grinding or
filing the end of a short length of 3⁄32" (2.4 mm) brass tubing as shown in the photo below
and using the tubing as a punch. (Please note that the example punch illustrated below
was made from larger tubing than specified here.)
(The disadvantage of making your own punch in this way is that brass tubing is
relatively soft, and you will probably have to make another punch for the next Ink-Vue
you restore.)

Disassembly, Filler Removal, and Cleaning

As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this diagram of a Type 1 Ink-Vue
pen to identify the various parts:

In most cases, the pen’s blind cap will simply screw off the back of the barrel. Some
pens resist a little, and for these you will need to apply a little gentle heat at the joint
between the blind cap and the barrel, then grip the blind cap immediately adjacent to the
joint with your section pliers and unscrew the blind cap.
 WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame. Celluloid is explosively flammable!

Be careful not to squeeze the blind cap too tightly; it is screwed onto a threaded insert
protruding from the back end of the barrel, but the blind cap itself has no internal
support, and you could crush it if you squeeze too hard.

Removing the blind cap exposes the sac. It’s dead, or you wouldn’t be replacing it.
Frequently, it will be ossified and will fall out either as an almost complete sac or in
the form of bits and pieces. In rare instances, it may remain attached to the barrel; if this
happens, you can simply pull it off. This photo shows the end of the barrel with the
ossified sac gone:
You can see the ring that secures the sac. It has two slots cut into it; this is what you
made your spanner for.

CAUTION
Be very careful when removing the ring and nipple/cone parts from the barrel. These
parts are made of hard rubber. They are small, and they are very delicate. If you
break either of them, you will be looking for another pen to cannibalize. Do not even
think about trying to remove the ring without a proper spanner. The only possible
result is destruction.

Unscrew the ring from the back of the barrel as shown here. If it resists, you can apply a
little heat. If the ring and the area around it are caked with dried ink, heat will not be
sufficient, and you will need to soak the back end of the barrel for a while to loosen the
dried ink.

When the ring comes out, it will often remove the last bit of the sac with it. If it does,
use your dental pick to pick out the sac remains. If the sac remains in the end of the pen,
use the pick to chip it out, being careful not to damage the nipple that it fits around. This
nipple is part of a cone that mates with the ring to clamp the sac in place.

After you have the ring (and the bits of sac, if necessary) out of the way, use your probe,
not the dental pick, to push the nipple sidewise. Place the tip of the probe as far down
the length of the nipple as you can get it, and be gentle. If the nipple does not shift, apply
a little heat. Once you have freed the nipple (and the cone of which it is a part), lift it
out. Examine the conical area and the base of the cone to make sure these areas are free
of bits of rubber. These surfaces must be clean and smooth because they are sealing
surfaces.
Look into the end of the barrel, and you will probably see what looks like a thin washer
of black material that is stuck to the floor of the recess where the filler was. It is exactly
what it looks like, and you can use your dental pick to break up the washer carefully and
get rid of all traces of it, leaving a nice clean floor. This is important because the floor
is also a sealing surface.

Using your section pliers, remove the section from the front end of the barrel. Most Ink-
Vue pens have threaded sections, but there are a few with friction-fitted sections. In
both cases, Waterman sealed this joint, and you will need to apply some heat to remove
the section. Expect the section to be threaded, and unscrew it to break it free for
removal. Once it’s free, you can determine whether it’s threaded and then remove it all
the way.

Take this opportunity to clean the pen. Soak the section assembly for ten minutes or so
in J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or the substitute ammonia solution described in Tools,
Parts, and Supplies, and flush it clean with plain water. Swab out the barrel with the
same solution, and flush it, too.

Check your parts. You should have all the items shown in the following photo except the
small rubber washer immediately to the right of the barrel:

Preparing the Sac and the Seal Washer

Like Vacumatic diaphragms, Ink-Vue sacs were provided to the pen maker already cut
to length. Today, they are not already cut. Shown in this photo are an uncut sac (lower)
and one that has been cut to length (upper):
With your scissors, cut the sac just at the point where the necked area meets the outer
periphery of the excess part, as shown in the photo. You will make a final trim later.

From the plunger filler gasket material, cut a circle to make the seal washer, shown
immediately to the right of the barrel in the photo of the pen’s parts above, so that it is
just the right size to nestle into the barrel’s filler recess. Punch the center hole using a
Size 0 leather punch or the quickie punch you made earlier.
Assembling the Filler
Using your probe as a pusher, stuff the cut end of the sac through the center of the ring.
(Be sure you start from the side with the slots!) If the cut end of the sac protrudes
outward beyond the outside diameter of the ring, use your scissors to trim it ever so
slightly. Do not cut away too much material, or there will be too little to seal tightly.
Test-fit this assembly into the recess in the barrel, then remove it. If it needs a little
more trimming, do that, and then retest. Repeat until the washer fits well.
Insert the seal washer into the recess. Do not use any shellac or other sealant on any of
the parts in this process.
Insert the nipple/cone on top of the seal washer.
Now carefully fit the sac and ring in place, making sure that the nipple fits up into the
conical opening of the sac. Screw the ring down firmly using your spanner. This joint
needs to be tight; it seals the pen so that ink cannot escape.
Coat the sac with talcum powder and reinstall the blind cap. As you are installing the
blind cap, orient the pen barrel horizontally and line the blind cap up with it, with the
lever assembly downward so that the pressure bar will fall against the blind cap’s inner
wall and leave space for the sac to go in. Screw the blind cap down, not too firmly but
not so loosely that it will unscrew under use. If you screw it down too firmly, you will
distort the celluloid, damaging your pen.

If you have a threaded section, apply thread sealant to its threads, heat the sealant
slightly to soften it, and install the section. The nib should line up with the lever if you
have done everything correctly. If you have a friction-fitted section, apply a very small
amount of shellac around the inside of the barrel’s open end and a slightly greater
amount around the part of the section that fits into the barrel. Rotate the section so that
the nib lines up with the lever, and push the section home. For either type of section,
clean off any sealant that has gotten on the outside of the pen.
Chapter 7: How to Replace an Ink-Vue Sac (Type 2)

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction

Waterman’s Ink-Vue is something of an off-the-wall filling system. Actually a Rube

Goldberg take-off on an ordinary bulb filler, it adds significant complexity with a lever
mounted in the barrel and with the clamping system Waterman used to allow assembly
of the filler without any adhesives or sealants. Replacing a Type 2 Ink-Vue sac is a little
more difficult than replacing a Type 1 ink-Vue sac. There are some definite pitfalls, and
the task requires some special tools that you will have to make. Installing a sac wrong
can cause the filler to leak or otherwise malfunction, it can make further repair more
difficult (if not impossible) for the next person, and it can also damage the pen. This
chapter explains how to do it right.

Note
Waterman made two distinct types of Ink-Vue pens. This chapter deals only with
Type 2, the later of the two. You can identify this version by looking for a clear ink-
view window immediately adjacent to the barrel’s cap threads. If there is no
window, but there is instead a joint in the barrel about 2⁄3 of the distance from the
section to the distal end, your pen is Type 1 (or Type 0), and it is treated in Chapter
6.

Note
 If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required
• Assorted sac-removal tools (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Small single-ended dental pick with long straight point
• Jewel remover (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sharp scissors
• Rubber-bulb ear syringe (optional)
• 1⁄4" diameter (6.4 mm) cylindrical mandrel (see text)

• Commercial knockout block

• Custom knockout punch (see text)
• Jeweler’s hammer
• Custom sac pusher (see text)
Parts Required
• Nº 20 straight latex sac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• M1×7 metric O-ring (not required for all pens; see text)
Supplies Required
• Super glue
• Vacumatic lubricant (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• 100% pure talcum powder (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Paper towels (optional)
The Type 2 Ink-Vue originally used a special sac that is no longer available. I will
show you how to modify a Nº 20 sac to create a serviceable facsimile of that special
sac.

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Removing the dead sac can be a chore, especially if it’s stuck to the barrel wall. You
should have an assortment of sac-removal tools. Most pen repairers will have many
more than the few tools shown in Tools, Parts, and Supplies; some are commercial
dental picks, while others can be handmade for pen repair.
Special Tools
Moving on to the custom tools, you’ll need a piece of 1⁄4" (6.4 mm) wooden dowel, or
rigid brass or plastic tubing, about 6" (15 cm) in length. The material and exact length
are not important; this tool is simply a mandrel that you will use for modifying your Nº
20 sac.
The next special tool is a hollow punch. This is a 6" (152 mm) length of 3⁄16" (4.8 mm)
brass tubing with a wall thickness of about 0.014" (0.35 mm). The length is not critical,
so long as it is at least an inch or so (25 mm) longer than the pen’s barrel and section
together. Cut or grind the ends so that they are true and flat, and smooth at least one end
so that it will not damage the parts of the pen.
Finally, you need a custom sac pusher. Start with a 4" (101 mm) length of 11⁄32" (8.7 mm)
brass tubing with a wall thickness of about 0.014" (0.35 mm). The length is not critical.
Cut or grind the ends so that they are true and flat, and smooth at least one end so that it
will not damage the sac. Then cut a slot into that end. The slot, which will allow the end
of the tool to slip past the lever assembly when you are installing the sac, should be
0.130" (3.3 mm) wide and 11⁄2" (38 mm) long:
Be sure to deburr all the edges of the slot using sandpaper (or, for the inside edges, an
X-acto knife).
Disassembly, Filler Removal, and Cleaning
The back end of the barrel is covered by a threaded end cap. This cap should be only
tightly screwed down, not fastened in place with any adhesive, but if the pen’s sac
failed it might be stuck by dried ink. The end cap on the pen in these photos is easy to
see because it was initially clear.

To remove the end cap, use the jewel remover. To start the end cap out, press the jewel
remover firmly against the end of the barrel and give it a sharp, sudden
counterclockwise twist. Repeat the twisting operation until the end cap loosens. If the
end cap is particularly stubborn, apply a little heat around the circumference of the
barrel end. If the end cap is stuck by dried ink, it might be necessary to soak the end of
the barrel in cool water to loosen the ink. You can actually immerse the entire distal half
of the barrel to do this; prop the first lever arm open, and water will enter through the
lever hole.
 WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame. Celluloid is explosively flammable!

Once the end cap has started, you might be able to grasp it with your fingers, but it’s
usually easier to take it a few more turns with the jewel remover first. When the end cap
is far enough out that you can grasp it easily, screw it out the rest of the way.
Removing the end cap exposes the sac. It’s dead, or you wouldn’t be replacing it.
Frequently, it will be ossified and will fall out either as an almost complete sac or in
the form of bits and pieces. In rare instances, it may remain stuck in the barrel; if this
happens, you will have to pick it loose using your dental pick and sac removal tools.
First, slide the pressure bar off the end of the secondary lever and set it aside until later;
then attack the sac. If you had to soak the end cap loose, you can now dry the various
parts with tissue and compressed air.
 CAUTION
Once the sac is out, the secondary lever will flop inside the barrel. Through the
resacking process, you will need to be careful that the lever is lying against the barrel
wall so that you do not bend or break it as you insert tools and the sac into the barrel.
One way to hold the secondary lever in place is to use a piece of blue painter’s tape.
Apply the tape and then use your dental pick to push the lever against the tape.

The sac was held in place by a plastic nipple that looks like this:

Before you can proceed further, you must remove this nipple from the barrel unless it
has fallen out while you were removing the sac. If it’s rattling around in the barrel, use
your dental pick to fish it around until it falls out through the distal end of the barrel.
Frequently, however, it won’t fall free because it is stuck with bits of the sac that didn’t
come out. If this happens, you can use your special punch to knock it loose as if it were
a feed in the section.
 CAUTION
Be very careful when knocking the nipple (and later the nib and feed) out of the
barrel. If you do not get the punch positioned correctly, you will break the pen’s
breather tube.
Ink-Vue Type 2 pens do not have a separate section piece. To knock the nipple loose,
stand the entire barrel on your knockout block as if if it were a section from which
you’re going to knock out the nib and feed. Insert the special punch down the barrel,
guiding it by feel so that it exactly spans the center hole through the nipple. As you drive
the nipple downward in the barrel, your punch must not strike the breather tube, which
will protrude through the nipple’s center hole. (This is the reason for using a tubular
punch.) With the nipple knocked loose, you can use your dental pick to clean out stuck
sac bits until the nipple is loose enough to be removed.
The nipple will tend to jam if it’s sitting crosswise in the barrel, so you might have to
work it around a little with your dental pick, especially as it moves past the lever. A
bore light will be useful here.
You must now knock the nib and feed out of the barrel to get at the inside of the pen
from the front. Knocking the nib and feed out is like knocking the nipple loose, except
that this time you need to guide the punch so that it encloses the breather tube. When the
punch is seated against the back of the feed, you will be able to see it through the ink-
view window and verify that the breather tube is not interfering with it.
When you are certain that the punch is positioned correctly, proceed to knock the nib
and feed out.
There is an internal groove about halfway down the length of the barrel. The sac has a
flange at its open end that will fit into this groove. Near the groove is a ledge where the
inside diameter of the barrel changes. Being aware of the location of this ledge will be
important when you are installing the new sac.

The sac groove must be free of sac bits and any other debris. Use your dental pick and
sac removal tools to check it and clean out those last little bits. Be careful not to score
the surface of the celluloid at the base of the groove (where the arrow in the drawing
above is pointing) as you are working; this is the surface against which your new sac
must make an airtight seal.
Take this opportunity to clean the pen. Soak the nib, feed, and front end of the barrel
assembly for ten minutes or so in J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or the substitute ammonia
solution described in Tools, Parts, and Supplies, and flush clean with plain water.
Check your parts. You should have all the items shown in the following photo:

Preparing the Sac

Since you cannot buy the proper sac for this pen, you must make one. Start by cutting a
Nº 20 sac to a length of 11⁄2" (38 mm). Do not cut it too long, or it will collide with the
end cap when you put the pen together. Slip the sac over one end of the 1⁄4" mandrel:
Place a very small dot of super glue on the surface of the sac, right at the open end. Then
brace the closed end of the sac against your second finger and, using your thumb and
index finger, roll the open end of the sac back over the glue dot and press it down gently
to make sure the glue adheres. It is important to roll only a very little of the sac; you are
making a flange that should not be wider than 1⁄16" (1.6 mm). Here is what this step
should look like:
And here is what the sac looks like after you have stuck the first dot of glue:
Repeat the gluing step at two other points, each about 1⁄3 of the way around the sac. Then
turn the sac and mandrel end for end. Use a finger tip to lift the sac gently at a point
halfway between two of your glue dots, and apply a small amount of glue in the space
you have created. Press down. Repeat this process twice; when you have finished, you
will have created a total of six glued-down spots around the periphery of the sac.
Here is the finished sac. Except for a slight difference in the profile of the flange at the
mouth, it looks like an original Waterman sac:

Assembling the Pen

Before you can install the new sac, you must place the plastic nipple into the barrel from
the back. (It will not fit through the front.) To do this, insert your dental pick through the
barrel from the front so that its point extends all the way out the other end. Thread the
nipple onto the pick flange first, as shown here:

Insert the pick point into your custom punch, and use the punch to push the nipple gently
through the barrel, pushing the pick along with it. Remove the punch. The nipple should
be visible in the ink-view window:
You can now remove the pick. Do not turn the barrel front-end upward, or the nipple
will fall down into the barrel, possibly turning and jamming as it falls.

Note
In some pens, the nipple will not go past the lever if it is aligned straight (as it is
when it’s on the dental pick). If you encounter this situation, you will have to insert
the nipple sideways and then manipulate it inside the barrel with the pick until it ends
up as shown above.
Coat the outside of the sac with talcum powder, and slide the sac into the notched end of
your sac pusher until it stops at the sacs flange. With the sac seated in the pusher, wipe
the talcum powder off the flange. Now coat the inside of the sac’s mouth sparingly with
Vacumatic lubricant. The lubricant will enable the plastic nipple to slip into the mouth
of the sac more easily.
Rotate the pusher so that its slot will clear the lever assembly, and start the sac into the
barrel.
Making sure that the secondary lever is out of the way, push the sac gently down into the
barrel until it stops against the ledge where the diameter of the barrel changes. (See the
cross-section drawing above.) Push it a little farther, so that it will ride over the ledge
and move about another 1⁄8" (3.2 mm) downward. At this point, its flange will slip into
the barrel groove. Insert the handle end of your dental pick into the barrel through the
section end. Gently push the nipple upward in the barrel until it stops against the sac.
Grasp the sac pusher and barrel firmly so that the pusher will not slide backward out of
the barrel, and push the nipple firmly into the mouth of the sac.

CAUTION
If the dental pick moves more than about 1⁄8" (3.2 mm), you have pushed too hard,
and the sac is no longer in the proper barrel groove. You will need to extract the sac
pusher carefully (and with it the sac), and restart the sac installation process.
Test the seal by sucking on the section end of the barrel. Stick your tongue against the
section and release the suction. Your tongue should stay stuck to the section. If it doesn’t
stick, use the handle of the dental pick to push the nipple out of the sac from the back so
that you can troubleshoot. The most likely causes of a leak are that you haven’t seated
the nipple properly or that there is something stuck in the barrel groove. Remove the
sac, clean the barel groove out, and reinstall the sac. Test again.
If it still doesn’t seal, you might have a pen whose sac groove is cut more deeply than
usual into the barrel wall due to manufacturing tolerances. Waterman’s sacs had a flange
that would accommodate this variance, but for you things are about to get ugly. Remove
the sac and the nipple, and set the sac aside for use in another pen. Cut a new sac to
length and place the M1×7 O-ring on the sac next to the open end:
Roll and glue the flange with the O-ring inside it to make a thicker flange. Be careful not
to let the flange extend farther along the body of the sac. Reassemble the sac into the pen
and test it again.

Note
We did not use the O-ring at first because your new flange is less “squishable” than
the original, and in some pens it won’t allow you to seat the nipple.
When you are satisfied that the pen is properly sealed, slide the pressure bar back onto
the secondary lever, screw the end cap back onto the barrel, reseat the nib and feed.
Chapter 8: How to Restore the Eversharp Skyline

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
At first glance, the Eversharp Skyline seems quite ordinary. It looks like just another
lever filler, so it ought to be a cinch to restore. However, some of the construction
details in this pen make it rather more difficult than the basic lever filler described in
How to Replace a Pen Sac. This chapter will lead you through the intricacies of one of
the iconic pens of the 1940s.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required
• Alligator forceps
• Small dental picks, one straight and one with a right-angle bend near the tip (see
text)
• X-acto knife with new Nº 11 blade
• A length of 0.025" (0.6 mm) steel spring wire, roughly 1-1⁄2" (4 cm) long (length
not critical) (optional; see text)
Parts Required
• Nº 161⁄2×21⁄4" necked tapered sac
Supplies Required
• Sac cement (orange or amber shellac)
• Cellophane tape
• 16 AWG semi-rigid thin-wall Teflon® tubing (optional; see text)
Please use the information in this chapter together with what you will find in Chapter 2.
It’s not really a good idea for me to include all the same information in two places; if it
changes, I’ll probably forget to change it in one of those places, leaving a trail of
confusion for you to try to sort out.

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
As mentioned in the list of tools, you should have two different dental picks (also called
probes). One will have a straight end, and the other will be bent to approximately a
right angle near the tip. The photo here shows two types of bent picks, either of which
will work for this project.

Disassembly and Cleaning

The first job is to get the old sac out. This means taking the pen apart. All Skylines have
friction-fit sections, although some pens might be very tight or even shellacked together.
The disassembly and reassembly procedures, along with the tools required for them are
detailed in How to Replace a Pen Sac. Note, however, that most Skylines have a
breather tube that runs the full length of the sac. Very early examples have a shortened
tube that serves as a “Lucky Curve” to prevent the pen from disgorging ink if it is
uncapped suddenly after being removed from the user’s pocket. Shown here are Skyline
feeds fitted with the two types of tube.

Note that the curved tube is cut away in the area where it is bent, forming a trough rather
than a fully round tube.

CAUTION
The solid gold Command Performance model (also known as the “Gift of a
Lifetime”) and its gold-filled sibling, the Gold Award, do not come apart between
the section and the barrel threads. Instead, it is necessary to remove the entire plastic
assembly from the barrel. This, too, is an ordinary friction fit. There is a base metal
collar at the opening of the barrel for strength.
For a complete restoration, you need to remove the lever so that you can clean it.
Eversharp used three types of pressure bars in the filling system of its Skyline pen, and
removing the lever requires that you take out the pressure bar as well. Unlike the
pressure bars in the vast majority of lever-filling pens, none of the three Skyline
pressure bars is a J-bar. The following paragraphs describe the three types and offers
guidance on their removal and reinstallation.
In the photos below, the pressure bars are oriented as they would be with the barrel
positioned as in the photo above.
The Three Types of Pressure Bars
• The earliest (and least common) type looks similar to an early Sheaffer or Wahl
pressure bar, with a wraparound “collar” that fits into the barrel. But the
Skyline’s collar, as indicated by the orientation of the photo here, is near the
proximal end of the barrel rather than the distal as with Sheaffer and Wahl; and
the pressure bar extends farther into the barrel from the collar.

Removal: This type is very difficult to remove because the collar fits into a
recessed area inside the barrel so that you can’t just pull the thing out. Pulling on
the bar will destroy it. You have to pry the collar out of its recess, and then you
 can drag the collar out, bringing the rest of the bar with it. (Usually, removing the
pressure bar will require you to bend the collar inward, away from the barrel
wall; once the bar is out, you can rebend the collar to its proper shape.)
To remove the lever, raise it halfway and push the lever into the barrel while at
the same time pushing it toward the open end (in effect pushing the lever
diagonally into the barrel). This will free the snap ring, and you can then twist the
lever 90° and remove it through the lever slot.
Installation: Reinstall the lever first by reversing the removal procedure. Then
orient the pressure bar so that the pressure-bar portion is directly aligned with
the lever slot, and squeeze the two sides of the collar together just enough to fit
into the barrel opening. Insert the pressure bar into the barrel until the collar is as
far as you can push it with your fingers. Then use a single-ended dental pick or a
similar tool to push the collar carefully into the barrel until it snaps into position.
• The second type is a long V-shaped bar that runs the entire length of the barrel.
The bottom arm of the V, away from the lever, is longer than the pressure-bar
arm, and it butts against the back edge of the section:

Removal: Grasp the end of the longer bottom arm with long-nose pliers and pull.
To remove the lever, raise it halfway and push the lever into the barrel while at
the same time pushing it toward the open end (in effect pushing the lever
diagonally into the barrel). This will free the snap ring, and you can then twist the
lever 90° and remove it through the lever slot.
Installation: Reinstall the lever first by reversing the removal procedure. Then
orient the pressure bar so that the shorter arm is directly aligned with the lever
slot. Place the tip of a long narrow screwdriver’s blade at the root of the V, and
 push the bar into the barrel until it stops. This is typically not quite far enough;
you will then need to grasp the long arm with pliers, as for removal, and push it
farther in until it seats. Check seating by inserting the section; if the section seats
fully against the barrel, the pressure bar is in properly.
• The third (and most common) type is a unitized assembly with the lever.
Eversharp used the trademark “Flip-Fill” for this design:

Removal: Raise the lever halfway and push the lever into the barrel while at the
same time pushing it toward the open end (in effect pushing the lever diagonally
into the barrel). This will free the snap ring, and you can then use alligator
forceps to remove the assembly.
Installation: Grasp the end of the pressure bar with alligator forceps. Align the
lever with the barrel’s lever slot, and start inserting the unit into the barrel. As
you go, be sure that the ends of the snap ring encircle the pressure bar; it’s very
easy to get one or both ends above the bar instead of below it. Continue inserting
the unit until the distal end of the lever is about 2⁄3 of the way past the proximal
end of the lever slot toward the distal end. Use a small pointed dental pick to pry
 the end of the lever up through the slot, then push the unit in farther.

Grasp the exposed end of the lever, raise the lever to its full upright position, and
slide the unit back and forth in the lever slot until the snap ring snaps into its
groove.

Note
This same pressure-bar and lever unit is also used on the Symphony and its lesser
siblings, and on the Ventura (the “Burp Pen”) and Slender Ventura.
Section Disassembly
The only unusual concern in the disassembly of a Skyline section is the breather tube.
Eversharp used two different materials for breather tubes, hard rubber and some sort of
plastic. The hard rubber tubes are, as usual, brittle and easy to break, while the plastic
tubes are somewhat flexible. Most plastic tubes have shrunk over the years, and they
frequently come loose from the section so that when you take the sac off the section, a
plastic breather tube might remain in the sac.
Also, because of the problems with the breather tubes, it is not uncommon to find a
Skyline that has no breather tube; when a previous worker resacked it, the tube might
have gotten lost or might simply have been ignored. The pen will work this way, but
flow control is adversely affected, and filling will not be as effective as it is with a
breather tube present. Dealing with a broken, shrunken, or missing breather tube will be
discussed later in this chapter.
Cap and Clip Disassembly
The Skyline cap and derby are screwed together. The derby (the hemispherical crown
portion) secures the clip. As you disassemble the cap, the clip will turn with the derby
and can easily scratch or gouge the cap body. To prevent this damage, apply cellophane
tape around the cap to protect a band around it where the clip ball will pass over the
surface. Starting with a length of tape about 3" (76 mm) long, lift the clip ball slightly to
insert the middle of the tape beneath it, then wrap the tape the rest of the way around the
cap body.
Unscrew the derby from the cap body as shown below, taking care that the clip ball
does not gouge your tape as you go. In most cases, the inner cap will come with the
derby, but you will occasionally come across a pen with a hard rubber inner cap that
stays in the cap body while the derby unscrews from it. Further disassembly of the
derby and clip in this latter case will become apparent from the following two
paragraphs, which describe the more usual situation.

The clip itself is actually a two-part assembly consisting of the clip that does the real
work (a springy steel washer clip) and a trim cover of gold-filled brass. The washer
portion of the steel clip is covered by a separate trim ring of gold-filled brass. The
portion of the clip trim cover that wraps over the derby is secured to the back edge of
the trim ring by two tiny hooks as shown here:
Because they are so small, the hooks are quite delicate. They might have been bent over
during assembly; and if the cap was disassembled and reassembled at some time by a
careless repairer, one might even be broken off.
To disassemble the clip from the derby, press firmly with your thumb tip against the
back end of the trim cover’s wrapover where it abuts the trim ring. Use two fingers on
the front side of the assembly to press inward on the trim ring. (Do not press on the front
side of the clip trim cover; you can collapse the arched part.) With sufficient pressure
and a little wiggling, you can move the clip and the ring in the directions necessary to
release the clip’s hooks from the ring. With the hooks free, carefully work the wrapover
sideways to free it from the slot in the derby into which it fits. Work the trim ring and
the steel clip’s washer downward along the inner-cap threads as you maneuver the
wrapover down the side of the derby until it is free. Remove the clip from the derby and
inner cap, and remove the trim ring from the clip if it hasn’t already fallen off. Work the
steel clip free of the clip ball and remove it.
Shown below are the parts of a resin Skyline cap.
Reassembly
After you have cleaned and polished all the parts, you are ready to reassemble the pen.
The first step is to reinstall the lever and the pressure bar; the procedures for the three
types of pressure bars are described above.

Replacing or Repairing a Breather Tube

Note
You can use a full-length breather tube in any Skyline. Unless you are striving for
100% period accuracy, there is no reason to worry about using the shorter J-shaped
breather tube as found in the earliest Skylines. This tube was made of hard rubber,
and the proper tubing material is no longer available.

If you must replace the tube correctly, you will need to find a full-length hard rubber
breather tube to modify, perhaps one that has been broken approximately in half.
 Referring to the illustration near the beginning of this chapter, heat the tube to curve it
and then cut away the portion that is shown cut away in the illustration.

WARNING
Despite what you may have read in various repair books (including Da Book), do not
use an alcohol lamp or other open flame.

To replace a missing or broken breather tube, you can use 16 AWG thin-wall Teflon
tubing. One source for this tubing is VintagePens.com. The outside diameter of this
tubing is about 0.074" (1.8 mm), a little larger than the opening in the back of the feed,
so you will have to taper the end of the tube that fits into the back of the feed. Do not
enlarge the hole in the feed; this constitutes damage, and the next person who works on
this pen will curse you for having ruined the feed. You can taper the tube’s end by
cutting off thin shavings with your X-acto knife. Cut the tube 21⁄2" (63 mm) long and
install it into the section.
If you have a plastic breather tube that has shrunk and come loose (or one that feels
loose even though it might not yet have fallen out), you can expand the end of the tube
that goes into the feed. To do this, insert the end of your straight dental pick into the
tube. I recommend that you choose the end of the tube that was not tapered before. Heat
the area very gingerly using a hot-air gun like the one illustrated in Tools, Parts, and
Supplies. When the tubing has just barely become soft, push the dental pick into it a
little bit. The tapered profile of the dental pick should force the tubing to expand. If your
pick is too skinny to do this, you can make a tool that will to the job by grinding or filing
the end of a length of coat hanger wire to make a very long tapered point as shown
below. (This point was ground using a Dremel with a diamond cutoff wheel and then
sanded with a buff stick to smooth it a little.) A tool like this will pay for itself in time
saved later, so don’t discard it after you finish working on this Skyline. Allow the
tubing to harden again, remove the probe, and try the tube in the feed. If it’s not big
enough, repeat the expansion process until it is a firm fit.
Sac Installation
With everything clean, you’re finally ready to install a new sac. In general, the
instructions in Chapter 2 will guide you. However, because the Skyline has a breather
tube, the actual sac installation is a little more difficult. There are two ways to install a
sac in a pen with a breather tube:
• Install the sac onto the section before installing the nib and feed. This method
works well for most Skylines because the nib and feed are usually only a firm
press fit, not a force fit, into the section.
• For a pen whose nib and feed are a hard force fit into the section, go ahead and
install them normally. To install the sac, first roll the open end outward to form a
lip about 1⁄8" (3 mm) wide. Then apply sac cement to the section’s sac nipple, and
slide the sac over the breather tube until it stops against the end of the nipple.
Roll the sac lip downward over the edge of the nipple and hold it there with the
index finger of the hand holding the section, as shown below. Now roll the other
side of the lip down with the other hand. Once the sac is stretched all the way
around the nipple, you can seat it completely.
Complete the sac installation as instructed in Chapter 2.
Cap Reassembly and Repair
To reassemble the cap, just reverse the disassembly procedure. Do not neglect to
replace the cellophane tape around the cap body before installing the derby and clip
onto the body.
Because Eversharp made some Skylines at least partially of a polystyrene plastic that is
not very stable over time, the inner cap on your pen might have shrunken so that its
threads do not engage properly with the threads in the cap. The obvious solution, but
one that is not always available, is to replace the derby. To solve the problem with
materials ready to hand, you can apply a simple, reliable, and non-damaging fix by
“bulking up” the derby’s threads with cellophane tape. To do this, start with a length of
tape about 21⁄2" (64 mm) long. Wrap it around the derby’s threads, being careful to wrap
in the direction shown here:
(Wrapping in the direction shown above ensures that as you screw the derby into the
cap, the tape’s exposed end will not be caught and folded over backward to pull the
tape loose and jam it inside the cap.) Use your X-acto knife to trim excess tape from the
threads so that the tape does not extend quite all the way to the open end of the inner
cap. Screw the derby into the cap normally. If it is still too loose, remove it and apply
another layer of the tape. Start the second layer at a point where the overlap of its ends
will not fall over the overlap of the first piece’s ends; by doing this, you will keep the
derby centered more accurately on the cap.
When you’re working with a metal cap, you will frequently find that the metal wrapper
has become loose from the cap liner. To resecure these parts, you must locate the
breather holes in the liner and align them with the corresponding holes in the wrapper.
Eversharp made this task more difficult for you by not taking care to drill the holes
exactly opposite each other after assembling the cap.
Use a bore light to locate one of the breather holes in the liner. Using a dental probe that
has a short right-angle bend near its tip, insert the probe’s tip into the hole in the liner
and rotate the liner within the wrapper until the probe tip slips into a hole in the
wrapper as shown here:.
You will probably have to move the liner up and down a little as you rotate it to mate up
the breather holes. When the two holes are aligned, look at the other breather hole in the
wrapper. If there is no hole in the liner there, you must rotate the liner through half a turn
to align the first hole you found in the liner with the second hole in the cap. This will
produce the proper alignment of both breather holes on both parts. Insert the short piece
of steel spring wire through the holes on both sides of the cap to keep them aligned. You
will notice that there is a shallow “shelf’ on the end of the cap liner. This shelf is
intended to keep the derby trim ring centered as you install the derby.
Install the derby and clip. To do this, you will need to slide the spring wire back and
forth as the breather holes pass under the clip. Now take an X-acto knife with a Nº 11
blade and carefully wedge the tip of the blade between the liner and the cap at the open
end. Flow shellac into this space and let capillary action take it as far as it will go. (A
transfer pipette is a handy applicator that will avoid much of the potential mess that can
occur if shellac runs down the inside of the liner.) The knife will be held in place by
friction, giving you a hand free to handle the pipette or other applicator for the shellac.
Withdraw the knife and repeat this operation at two more points roughly equidistant
around the cap. When you have removed the knife for the last time, use a cotton swab to
take off any excess shellac. If the shellac has begun to dry already, wet the swab with
denatured alcohol. Set the cap aside to dry for at least 48 hours. You can then remove
the spring wire and put your pen back into service.
Chapter 9: How to Restore an Onoto Plunger Filler

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
Virtually all collectors and repairers of vintage pens are familiar with Sheaffer’s great
plunger-filling pens of the 1930s and ’40s. But the average U.S.-centric collector may
not know that Sheaffer didn’t invent plunger fillers. The original plunger filler came
from England. Invented by a mechanical engineer, tinkerer, and sometime vaudeville
performer named George Sweetser, it came rolling out of Thomas De La Rue &
Company’s factory in 1906, and it looked like the upper photo above. The lower photo
shows a pen from the decade before World War II. Except for the change in feed design,
the two pens are essentially identical internally.
Among plunger fillers, the Onoto is probably the easiest to repair; but there are some
sneaky pitfalls waiting to trap the unwary repairer. Many who attempt this repair take
the “easy” way out, fabricating a new cork shaft packing and then splitting it so that they
can assemble it without removing the blind cap. That technique is actually more difficult
than doing things right, and it also produces an inferior result because it relies on
squeezing the new packing to keep it from leaking through the split and because the
packing, being a cork, can dry out as the original did. This chapter explains how to do
the job right, by removing the blind cap and using an O-ring for a replacement packing.
 Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.

Tools Required
• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Rubber gripper square (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Small punch (for instructions to make this tool, see text)
• Jeweler’s hammer
• Jeweler’s forming block (optional; see text for explanation)
• Dental picks
• Rubber-bulb ear syringe (optional)
• Dremel or other rotary tool with a cutoff wheel
• Bench knife
Parts Required
• M1.5×3 or M1.5×3.5 Viton® O-ring (for standard or Magna pen, respectively)
• Cup Washer for plunger head (see text)
Supplies Required
• Rosin-based non-hardening thread sealant (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• 3⁄16" or 7⁄32" rigid styrene tubing (see text)

• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH (optional; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• 1.2 mm carbon fiber rod (optional)
• Paper towels (optional)

It is possible to disassemble one of these pens without section pliers, but it is difficult,
and the risk of damage is high.

Special Tools
You will need a punch for driving out two small hard rubber pins in the pen. The photo
below shows my punch, which I made from a 2" (51 mm) length of 1⁄2" (13 mm)
hardwood dowel and a couple of pieces of stainless steel music wire. One piece, a 13⁄4"
(44 mm) length of 0.039" (1.0 mm) wire with its end nicely flat and perpendicular to the
wire’s axis, is the punch. Drive that piece of wire into a same-sized hole drilled into the
end of the dowel. If at all possible, do the drilling on a lathe; it’s almost impossible to
hold things straight enough by hand. The other piece is 0.032" (0.8 mm) wire, and it
goes through a same-size hole drilled laterally through the dowel to serve as a backstop
for the punch. Drill this hole with extreme care to ensure that you line it up with the
punch wire. Insert the transverse wire and then form one of the wire’s exposed ends into
a square U shape and pound it the rest of the way into the dowel to keep it in place.
Grind the last exposed end off flush with a Dremel grinder.

I use a jeweler’s forming block as a steady rest when I’m knocking pins out of pens.
Forming blocks come in different sizes and shapes. The one I use is flat, about 1" (25
mm) thick and about 4" (102 mm) by 5" (127 mm), with half-depth round grooves of
various sizes cut across it on both sides.
 CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Disassembly, Cleaning, and Seal Removal
As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this cross-sectional drawing of a
first-model Onoto to identify the various parts:
The picture below shows how to knock out the pin that passes through the blind cap to
secure the plunger shaft. The first thing you have to do is to find the exposed ends of the
pin. It’s made of hard rubber, just like the blind cap, and the exterior surface of the blind
cap was finished after the pin was driven through—this can make it difficult to find the
pin. Look hard enough, however, and you’ll eventually find it. You can see from the
photo here and from the cutaway drawing above that the pin goes through the blind cap
very near the distal end of the blind cap; knowing this will help you to find the pin.

Once you’ve found the pin, lay the pen barrel into the most closely fitting larger-size
groove in the forming block or, if you don’t have a forming block, on a flat surface such
as the top of a wood block cut from a 1×4. Use blue painter’s tape to tape the barrel
down securely with the blind cap hanging a little over the edge. So that you can see the
shapes of things, this photo shows the pen projecting farther past the edge of the block
than it should; ideally, the pen body should be entirely in the groove, with just the blind
cap hanging over. As you’re taping the pen down, orient it with the pin through the blind
cap aligned vertically so that you can drive it out. Line up your small punch with the end
of the pin, and tap with the jeweler’s hammer. Check to see if the pin has moved, and
repeat the careful taps until it does move. Then you can drive it out.
With the pin out, unscrew the blind cap from the barrel and then unscrew it from the
plunger shaft. Note that the blind cap screws onto the shaft with a left-hand thread. Turn
the blind cap clockwise to unscrew it! You might need to use a little heat to get the blind
cap to move, but once it is loose, it will screw off easily.

Unscrew the section from the barrel. This joint is right-hand threaded; unscrew it in the
usual way, by turning counterclockwise.
Now you should be able to push the plunger shaft out of the barrel from the rear. The
photo below shows the plunger after it has been removed; the bulbous end was toward
the nib.
The cone-shaped part near the end of the shaft is labeled Plunger Head in the cutaway
drawing. As the drawing shows, it can be removed from the shaft—but there is no need
to take it off, and it’s always better not to take something apart unless you must do so.
Instead, remove only the long skinny thing at the very front of the shaft (the green part
labeled Shaft Nut in the cutaway drawing above). Like the blind cap at the other end of
the shaft, this part is secured by a small hard rubber pin. Locate the pin and drive it out
with the special punch. This task, as with knocking out the blind-cap pin, is most easily
accomplished if you have a forming block to rest the shaft in.
Remove the shaft nut from the shaft (below). Some pens have a plain unthreaded shaft,
while others have a threaded shaft (left-hand thread).
Now it is time to remove the shaft packing at the distal end of the barrel. First, you must
remove the threaded hard rubber ring that secures the packing in place. There is no slot
or other ready means provided to unscrew the ring. The best way I have found to do this
is to use bench knife as if it were a screwdriver, as shown in the following photograph.
The knife being used here is a jeweler’s bench knife with a sheep’s-foot blade; most
ordinary pocket knives will work as well, so long as the blade you use is broad enough
that it catches on the edges of the ring instead of slipping through the ring. To unscrew
the ring, press down just enough to keep the knife engaged and not slipping inside the
ring. The ring has a right-hand thread. The photo below shows the ring removal
operation.
Now use an appropriate dental pick to dig out the cork (below). Do this carefully to
avoid scoring or scratching the sides of the recess in the end of the barrel; a scratch
there can compromise the ability of the replacement packing to make a tight seal. Clean
out any bits of debris; this area should be scrupulously clean.
Clean the pen thoroughly. Use the ear syringe to force clear cool water through the
barrel and through the section. Then flush the section with J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH or
the substitute ammonia solution described in Tools, Parts, and Supplies.
Restoring the Seals
Start with the plunger gasket. Look for a circular groove in the end of the plunger head
(below). Early models like the example pen shown in this chapter will have this groove,
but some later Onoto pens have a plunger head with a flat end and a washer here
instead. The washer has an inside diameter large enough to leave the required space.
The special cup-shaped plunger gaskets come in sizes for standard pens and for the
Magna.

Note
Nominally, there are only the two sizes of plunger gaskets, but in actual practice there
is enough size variation among pens that Jim Marshall, who supplies these parts,
offers several parts that vary very slightly in size. I recommend purchasing a set of all
the sizes for the pen you will work on; the gaskets are not inexpensive, but it’s more
expensive—not to mention frustrating—to put a pen together only to find that the
gasket isn’t quite large enough and that the pen will consequently not fill.

Install a new plunger gasket onto the end of the shaft, making sure that the boss at the
gasket’s smaller end fits into the plunger-head groove (or between the washer and the
shaft), and then reinstall the shaft nut. Line up the holes in the nut and the shaft, and
reinstall the small hard rubber pin. Be careful here; if you do not have the holes lined up
perfectly, you can break the pin, the shaft, or the shaft nut. When you have finished this
assembly, it should look like the photo below.

Use a Viton O-ring, size M1.5×3 or M1.5×3.5 as appropriate, as a replacement for the
cork you removed. The O-ring will give better performance and longer life (and will
not shrink and dry out if the pen is left empty). Apply silicone grease fairly liberally
around the inside of the recess in the end of the barrel, avoiding the threaded area near
the opening, where the hard rubber ring will go back in. The photo below shows this
step; I’m using a length of 3⁄32" brass rod with its shaped to a hemisphere and polished
smooth.
Use the appropriate size of styrene tubing as a tool to seat the O-ring all the way into the
recess. It will be a tight fit, and you will need to be careful that it seats flat instead of
remaining cocked in the recess.
Cut a 3⁄16" (4.8 mm) length of the 3⁄16" (4.8 mm) or 7⁄32" (5.5 mm) rigid styrene tubing.
Deburr its ends.
Insert the piece of tubing into the recess on top of the O-ring (photo below). The O-ring
does not occupy as much space as the original cork, and this tubing is a spacer to take
up the rest of the space in the recess so that the O-ring will not slip back and forth,
risking a failure of the seal. Do not get clever and use two or three O-rings instead of
one O-ring and the plastic tubing; with more than one O-ring, the plunger cannot slide
freely enough.
Now reinstall the hard rubber retaining ring using the bench knife as you did when
removing the ring. Tighten the ring down just enough to keep it secure; overtightening it
will squeeze the O-ring and make installation of the shaft more difficult—and will also
make the filling action stiffer. If the action is too stiff, the user can bend or even break
the shaft.
Apply silicone grease to the end of the shaft adjacent to, but not on, the threads. See the
photo below.
Now slip the shaft, threaded end first, into the pen from the front. Find the opening in the
O-ring by feel, and then screw the shaft (left-hand thread) into and through the O-ring.
Apply a rosin-based non-hardening thread sealant on the section’s threads, and screw
the section tightly back into the barrel (photos below).
Clean off any sealant that comes oozing out of the joint as you tighten it. You can use
heat, very sparingly, to soften the sealant and then clean it off with a cotton flannel rag.
Testing the Pen
Test the pen’s filling action. The plunger should pull upward very easily and be more
than a little stiff going down. Try it with water; even a short ladies’ pen should take up 1
ml or more of water, and bigger pens should take up more. If it doesn’t fill, you may
need to use a slightly larger cup gasket.[4] On the other hand, if the plunger comes up
very stiffly, you should probably go down one size on the cup gasket. (Note, however,
that the plunger will come up more easily when the barrel is wet inside than when it is
dry.)
Finishing Touches
The final step is to reinstall the blind cap (left-hand thread). Screw the blind cap onto
the shaft until the holes in the blind cap and the shaft line up perfectly, and and stake the
blind cap in place by reinserting the hard rubber pin. The pin is very delicate! Be sure
you have the holes properly aligned; you can see light through them when they’re half a
turn out of line, and if this is the case when you drive the pin in, you will break the pin.
You can use your special punch to verify the alignment; if the punch will not go through
the hole, figure out why and correct the problem.
When you install the pin, try to put it back in an orientation that matches the original as
closely as possible. Frequently, Onoto will have imprinted a model number on the blind
cap in such a way that the imprint overlaps one end of the pin. You can use the fragment
of imprint that is on the end of the pin as an indication of how the pin should be
positioned. The photo below shows the pin being inserted.

Reseat the pin into its original position. Tap gently! Ten gentle taps are much better than
one hard tap that breaks the pin.
 Note
As noted, the hard rubber pin securing the blind cap is delicate. If you break it, you
can fashion a replacement from 1.2 mm carbon fiber rod. The hole in the blind cap
will probably be just too small to accept the rod without your reducing the rod’s
diameter a little by working it on the rotary tool with a fresh cutoff wheel. Do this
carefully so that you do not create a tapered or keg-shaped rod. Test frequently to
ensure that your rod is a snug fit but that it will go. Make the rod a little too long.
Once you have a good rod, install it and then carefully grind away the excess part of
the rod so that it is flush with the blind-cap surface at both ends.

With the pin in position, heat the areas of the blind cap near the ends of the pin a little
(not necessary if you replaced the pin with carbon fiber). This will soften the pin and
allow its ends to resume the dent-free shape they had before you drove the pin out. The
final step is to sand the ends of the pin very lightly to blend them in with the surface of
the blind cap, and polish the sanded area with a little Simichrome on a cotton flannel
rag. Be sure to clean off the Simichrome completely when you’ve finished polishing.
Chapter 10: How to Remove and Install Levers in Lever-
Filling Pens

Estimated Level of Difficulty

When you are repairing a lever-filling pen, you must sometimes remove and replace the
lever. In most cases, this is not a difficult task, but there are some techniques that can
make it easier. The aim of this chapter is to teach you some of those “pro tricks.” The
first trick to know is that removing the pressure bar first will make an ordinary job
easier and an impossible job possible.
Removing and Reinstalling the Pressure Bar
In most pens, the lever is not attached to the pressure bar, but the pressure bar will get
in the way when you try to remove the lever in all pens except those whose levers are
mounted by pins in the manner of Sheaffer’s original 1908 patent and are also not
attached to the pressure bar. This section discusses several—but not all—pressure-bar
systems and how to deal with them. Systems not described here should become obvious
to you with experience.
• J-bar: In the vast majority of pens, the pressure bar is some variation of the
ordinary J-bar, which is merely a strip of spring metal formed to look like the
letter J, so that the bent end anchors the bar into the barrel by spring action as
 shown in the cutaway drawing at the beginning of this chapter.
Some J-bars, like the third and fourth ones illustrated here, have a second piece
attached; this part is stiff, and it is the actual pressure bar. This design usually
allows the pressure bar to compress the sac more fully for a better fill. Also, as
illustrated by the third bar here, some bars have a prong projecting upward to
serve as a stop for the lever so that the lever cannot flop all the way over in the
slot.

The easiest way to remove the pressure bar in these pens is usually to grasp the
bar’s end with alligator forceps and pull while twisting the forceps back and
forth through about 1⁄4 turns if to unscrew and screw in the pressure bar. The short
arm of the bar may scratch the interior of the barrel when you do this, but in most
cases this is not a problem. In pens whose levers are mounted using the snap ring
system, it might also catch on the snap ring or in the snap-ring groove, and the
solution to this problem is to help the bar’s short arm out by inserting a dental
pick with a bent-over end into the barrel and catching it under the short arm of the
bar. You can then twist the pick to lift the bar’s end away from the barrel wall,
and a good jerk will often flip the bar all the way out of the barrel.
To reinstall a J-bar, simply insert its bent end into the barrel with the long arm
aligned with the lever. Push it in until you have to release it, then use a flat-
bladed screwdriver to push it all the way home. Check the lever’s operation to
ensure that the lever runs along the center of the pressure bar; it it doesn’t, it may
slip off the side of the bar and jam when you raise it to fill the pen.
• Channeled pressure bar: Some pens use a design in which the pressure bar has
channels formed along its sides. There are a couple of versions of this design,
depending on how the pressure bar is retained in the barrel.
Refer to the photo below as you read the following description of the version
used in hard rubber and pre-1940s celluloid models made by Wahl-Eversharp.
Small tabs on the short arm of the lever slide back and forth in the channels as the
lever is operated, and the lever cannot be removed without being disengaged
from the pressure bar. The bar itself is secured in the barrel by a metal retainer
located at the distal end of the barrel; in the retainer is a slot that aligns with the
lever. The end of the pressure bar has notches cut in its sides, forming a T shape,
and this notched end fits into the slot in the retainer. There is no spring on the
pressure bar; the lever has two small spring-loaded protrusions on its sides (at
the end of the long arm) to latch it in place when it is closed. Note the lever pin.
Removing and installing a pin-system lever will be discussed later in this
chapter.

The easiest way to remove the pressure bar in these pens is to insert a long thin
screwdriver into the barrel and fit it into the slot in the retainer. Turn the retainer
90°, as if you were screwing it in or out; this will free the pressure bar from the
slot, and you can then simply upend the barrel and dump the pressure bar out.
This gives you free access to the lever.
Reinstalling the pressure bar is usually just the reverse of removal. Open the
lever most of the way and position the barrel so that you can look into its open
end, with a strong light above. The task is easiest if light is shining from above
through the lever slot to illuminate the short arm of the lever so that you can see
the tabs. Using alligator forceps as shown below, slide the pressure bar into the
barrel so that the lever’s tabs fit into the bar’s channels, then fit the end of the bar
into the slot in the retainer. Then, using the long screwdriver, turn the retainer
back into its correct position. This process may take some wiggling to get the
parts settled into their proper positions.
Sometimes, you will encounter a pen that just will not go back together as
described in the preceding paragraph. To deal with one of these pens, remove the
lever and use alligator forceps to pull the retainer out of the barrel. Slot the
pressure bar onto the retainer, align the two parts correctly with the lever slot,
and install them together. Push them in only far enough to clear the lever slot.
Reinstall the lever. Slide the pressure bar and retainer in a little bit farther, until
the channels in the pressure bar are engaged with the lever's tabs. Close the lever
almost all the way, then grasp the retainer with alligator forceps below the
pressure bar (with the bar between the forceps and the lever) and push the
pressure bar and retainer all the way into the barrel, allowing the lever’s tabs to
slide in the pressure bar’s channels.
In Waterman’s version, the pressure bar is held in place by a tab stamped into the
middle of the bar and formed upward slightly so that it cannot pass the end of the
lever, as you can see in the photo below. The techniques for removing and
installing Waterman pressure bars are discussed in Chapter 11.
• Staple-secured pressure bar: Conklin and some English makers secured the
pressure bar to the short arm of the lever. A tab stamped into the middle of the
pressure bar is formed into the shape of a staple; its open end is passed through
the pressure bar and slightly flattened so that it cannot come back through the
opening in the pressure bar. The end of the lever’s short arm has tabs on it like
those on Waterman and Wahl-Eversharp pens, but the tabs bend inward to form a
closed loop instead of protruding outward. The end of the pressure bar is placed
over the staple and the tabs are closed together so that they lock the lever together
with the pressure bar.
This design makes it very difficult to separate the pressure bar from the lever and
reinstall it, and I recommend that you not do so unless it is absolutely necessary.
The least troublesome method for removing the pressure bar is to drive out the
lever pin, pull the lever toward the distal end of the barrel to expose its inner
end, and use a dental scraper or a similar tool to pry the two sides of the lever’s
end apart until the pressure bar can be wiggled off.
Before you can reinstall the pressure bar, you must open the staple. Place the
pressure bar, staple side down, on a nib knockout block, and position the staple
over a hole that will accommodate its entire length. Use a very fine drift punch
like the one shown here, made from a 2" (5 cm) length of 1⁄2" (1.3 cm) dowel and
a short length of 0.039" (1.0 mm) spring wire, to pop the end of the staple out of
the slot as shown here:
(You can use just a length of the wire, with its ends ground flat, if you do not
want to make a punch for later use.) Once the end of the staple is free, close it
back down until it is open just enough to allow the tabs on the end of the lever to
slip through the opening, as shown below.
To reinstall the pressure bar onto the lever, first use chain-nose pliers to reshape
the end of the lever so that the two tabs make a nice closed loop. Reinstall the
lever into the barrel. Then raise the lever about halfway, hold it with a finger,
and use alligator forceps to install the pressure bar into the barrel so that the open
end of the staple slips into the loop at the end of the lever, as shown here.
Place the blade of a small flat-blade screwdriver (1⁄8" or 3 mm) under the
proximal one-third of the pressure bar, and raise the lever to wedge the
screwdriver in place. The screwdriver should not extend so far into the barrel
that its end can be seen through the staple’s slot in the pressure bar.
Now use a sickle-shaped dental scraper to reach into the lever slot and snap the
end of the staple back down through its slot:
 Lower the lever and remove the screwdriver.
• Eversharp Skyline pressure bar and lever: Eversharp used three different
pressure-bar designs in the Skyline. All of these are discussed in Chapter 8.
Removing and Reinstalling the Lever
Most fountain pens use one of the following two lever fastening schemes:
• The pin system: This design, part of Walter Sheaffer’s original 1908 patent and
used by Sheaffer until about 1931, uses a small pin that passes through a straight
hole drilled from one side of the barrel to the other through the lever slot. The pin
also passes through a hole in the lever. A few other pen companies used this
system, including Wahl-Eversharp and Moore. Shown here is a Sheaffer Radite
(celluloid) pen; you can see the hole through which the pin goes.
Removing a pin-mounted lever is essentially a very simple operation; all you
need to do is to push the pin out using a probe made with a length of wire the
same size as, or smaller than, the pin (illustrated below). For almost all pens, a
probe 0.020" (0.5 mm) in diameter will suffice. It’s easier to manipulate the
probe if you embed the wire in the end of a short length of 1⁄2" (13 mm) wooden
dowel to use as a handle, as shown here.
 Wahl-Eversharp levers, with their tabs that point outward to ride in the channels
along the edges of the pressure bar, might seem more difficult to deal with, but
they are actually very easy. There are two small slots cut in the sides of the lever
slot at the end where the lever’s long end normally lies. With the pressure bar
removed and the pin driven out, you can stand the lever up all the way and slide
it to the end of the lever slot where the small slots are, and it will then lift out
easily, with the tabs slipping through the small slots in the barrel.
To reinstall the lever, align it in the lever slot and reinsert the pin. Use your wire
probe to center the pin so that neither end protrudes from the barrel, and seal it in
place with beeswax applied to both holes with the flat of a knife or dental probe
and pressed into the holes. With a soft cotton flannel cloth, rub the areas where
you have applied the beeswax to remove excess wax.
• The snap ring system: This design, patented in 1919 by A. G. Elser and assigned
to C. E. Barrett & Company, uses a ring of spring wire that snaps into a groove
cut around the barrel on its inner surface. The ring is passed through a hole in the
lever before installation into the barrel.
In most pens of this type, the snap ring that holds the lever in place is nearly a full
circle. Except for a few brands (principally those in the first tier), the levers in
these pens are relatively easy to remove.
To remove the lever, raise it to an angle of about 45°, grab it with a gripper
square, and give it a diagonal push down into the barrel (and toward the proximal
end).

The snap ring will snap out of its groove. Raise the lever to 90° and then twist it
1⁄4 turn clockwise so that it faces sideways relative to the barrel.
 This drags the snap ring around so that it is parallel to the lever slot, and you can
simply lift the lever and snap ring out of the barrel. Sometimes the ring will be
bent and will need to be reshaped. (If it is not straight, it will not fit back into its
groove when you try to reinstall the lever.)

Note
Some pen makers, mostly but not exclusively those in the
third tier, used the same lever in pens of different barrel
diameters. To accommodate the different barrels, there are
two holes in the lever. As you remove the lever, check the
number of holes. If there are two, be sure to note which one
the snap ring goes through.
 If the pen has been exposed to water (or has been kept in a humid environment),
the snap ring might be rusted so badly that it comes out in pieces. If it stays in one
piece, it still might not be suitable for reinstallation. You will need to fabricate a
new snap ring. You should have a selection of steel spring wire in at least these
sizes: 0.016" (0.4 mm) , 0.020" (0.5 mm), and 0.025" (0.6 mm). To make a snap
ring, cut a 3" (75 mm) length of the largest size spring wire that slips freely
through the hole in the lever. Find a drill bit that is about 15% smaller in
diameter than the inside of the barrel. Clamp one end of the wire to the drill’s
shank with your thumb, and use chain-nose pliers to wrap the wire around the
drill as tightly as possible, about 11⁄2 times. Release the wire, and cut off the ends
to leave a properly shaped ring that encompasses about 3⁄4 of a circle. If the
resulting ring is too small, enlarge it by bending carefully with round-nose pliers
or, if you have a jump-ring mandrel, by forcing the snap ring down onto the
mandrel.

CAUTION
A very few pens, primarily English in origin, use a snap ring that is more than a full
circle. This type of snap ring is very difficult to remove without damage because you
cannot snap it out of its groove as described here. Removing a ring like this crushes
the ring, and the best repair is to replace it with a 3⁄4-circle ring that you fabricate.

To reinstall the lever, reattach the snap ring if you have removed it, and align the
lever with the barrel as shown here:
Align it so that the lever is directly opposite the opening. Insert the snap ring and
the lever’s short arm into the barrel through the lever slot. Twist the lever 1⁄4 turn
counterclockwise. Now slide the lever back and forth in the lever slot until the
snap ring snaps back into its groove. Use a bore light to check that the ring is in
the grove all the way around; if it is not, use a dental probe from the open end of
the barrel to push or pull it until it seats.
In Sheaffer pens (after about 1931) the snap ring is only half of a circle, and
because of this it tends to dig into the plastic in the groove if you just apply the
usual technique (described above). To get a Sheaffer lever out, I generally use a
1⁄8" screwdriver with a notch in the blade so that the notch sits on the ring when

the lever is partly raised. I then apply a hammer to the back of the screwdriver to
force the ring diagonally down and in the direction of the open end of the barrel.
When it comes, you can then fish the lever and ring out through the open end of
the barrel using alligator forceps, preferably grabbing the ring to avoid scratching
the lever. You will almost invariably find that the ring is bent in the middle and
will need to be reshaped. To install a Sheaffer lever, you can't simply insert it
into the lever slot sideways and then twist it into position because the depth of
 the short arm is greater than the width of the slot. Instead, grasp its short arm
sideways with the alligator forceps, position the half-ring so it's centered in the
lever, align the lever with the slot, and introduce the lever's long arm into the
barrel. Carefully push until the lever is not yet completely lined up longitudinally
with the slot. Fish through the slot with a skinny dental pick to raise the lever's
long arm out through the slot to where you can grasp it. Then you can work it into
position with your fingers, sliding back and forth as necessary to get the ring to
snap into the barrel groove. Once it's in position, use the handle of a dental pick
to push the short arm of the lever outward so that the ring seats fully in the
groove.
• Waterman pens: Except for some relatively late low-priced models, all of
Waterman’s lever-filling pens used a lever that is mounted in a box and pivots on
a pin that is part of the lever assembly. These boxed levers are a topic in
themselves, and Chapter 11 deals with them.
Chapter 11: How to Repair and Replace a Waterman
Lever Box Assembly

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
The boxed lever design Waterman created (U.S. Patent Nº 1,197,360) to circumvent
Walter Sheaffer’s 1908 lever-filler patent (U.S. Patent Nº 896,861) is clever,
functional, and attractive, but it has a weakness: the area of the lever box through which
the lever’s pivot pin passes is unfortunately weak, and operating the lever by force
when there is an ossified sac in the pen can easily bend the lever box upward and break
it at the weak point. (See the photograph above, illustrating a 52 with a broken lever
box.) The problem of replacement is complicated by the fact that the lever box assembly
was not designed to be replaceable.
This chapter explains how to remove and replace a broken lever box. While it is
possible to adapt a similar lever box, such as one from a 521⁄2 to fit a 52, it is best to
have an exact match. But because the ideal is not alway possible, I will touch on the
modification necessary to handle the example case given in the previous sentence.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the new lever box, or the pen itself, is
far greater if you use inappropriate tools.

Tools Required
• Heavy-duty 5" (12.5 cm) scissors for cutting sheet brass (not your spouse’s best
embroidery or fly-tying scissors!)
• Soldering iron for electronics, preferably with 700° F (375° C) tip
• Soldering “third hand,” a pedestal with alligator clips on pivots at the ends of an
adjustable arm (see photos in the text)
• 1⁄8" (3 mm) screwdriver
• Chain-nose jeweler’s pliers
• Straight pointed heavy-duty dental pick
• Crescent-shaped dental scaler
• Bench block or similar metal object (see photo in the text)
• Tool for bending lever box tab inside the barrel (see text, Making a Tab
Bender)
• Rotary tool (Dremel or equivalent) with cutoff wheel, for making the tab bender
(see text)
• Alligator forceps (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
If replacing a box with one from a pen with a different barrel diameter, you will also
need:
• Flat needle file
• X-acto knife with new Nº 11 blade
• Hobbyist’s or jeweler’s drill press
• Nº 69 (0.0292"/0.75 mm) twist drill
• Drill vise (see text)
Parts Required
• One Waterman pen with a broken lever box
 • One unbroken lever box assembly
Supplies Required
• 400- or 600-grit sandpaper
• 60/40 tin/lead rosin-core electronic solder
• Tinner’s fluid (acid soldering flux in liquid form)
• Cotton swab
• 2000-grit (4µ) wet/dry sandpaper
• Small piece of 0.010" (0.25 mm) sheet or strip brass at least 1⁄16" (1.6 mm) wide
• Medium-duty wire coat hanger for the tab bender; wire diameter 0.098" (2.5 mm)
• 0.028" (0.71 mm) brass wire to make a new pivot pin (if needed)

Making a Tab Bender

Waterman’s factory workers used specially modified pliers to bend the tabs of their
lever boxes. You will have to make a substitute tool. The simplest form of this tool is a
length of coat hanger wire with its end bent and ground to shape. Illustrated below are
the instructions for making it. Ideally, your rotary tool should have a diamond-coated
metal cutoff wheel (approximately 150 grit), but you can stack three of the 0.025"
silicon carbide wheels that Dremel sells to make a stronger cutter.

WARNING
Using a rotary tool improperly can cause the workpiece or a cutoff wheel to break,
go flying, and cause serious injury. Always wear approved eye protection when
using power tools!

Cut about 6" (15.25 cm) of coat hanger wire and bend one end completely double. This
will require hammering on an anvil in order to close the bend sufficiently.
Using the rotary tool, cut off the short end of the wire and then grind the cut end flat. The
end should be perpendicular to the axis of the tool, not ground at an angle. If you do not
have a base for your rotary tool , you should secure the wire in a vise to give yourself
better control and to prevent accidents.
Again using the rotary tool, grind the sides as shown here, so that the tool will slip into
the lever box.
Bend the other end of the tool into a finger hook, and sand off the paint from the
“business end.” Here is the finished tool:

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Removing the Pressure Bar
Before you can remove the old lever box, you must remove the pressure bar. The
following photo shows a pressure bar and a lever box assembly. The pressure bar’s
sides are folded over to form channels in which slide the small pegs on the sides of the
lever’s shorter end.
Between the side channels, a small tab projects upward from the “floor” of the pressure
bar. The end of the lever blocks the tab to prevent the pressure bar from sliding out of
the barrel when the section is removed.
To remove the pressure bar, you must press the tab down so that it will clear the end of
the pressure bar. Raise the lever almost all the way, allow the pressure bar to slide
toward the open barrel end until the tab comes to rest against the end of the lever, and
then raise the lever the rest of the way. While holding the lever securely with your
finger and thumb braced against the barrel so that you will not push the lever box into
the barrel, use the crescent-shaped dental scaler to locate the tab and push it down as
shown here:
With the tab pushed out of the way, the pressure bar will fall out of the barrel when you
upend it. Lay the pressure bar on your bench block with the “channel” side down, and
use the crescent-shaped dental scaler to push the tab back into its original position so
that the assembly will stay together when you reassemble the pen.
Removing the Lever Box Assembly

Note
If the lever box you are replacing is already broken in half, you can simply remove
the two halves one at a time. To remove the lever from the barrel, position it as if you
had raised it to fill the pen and then twist it 90° so that it faces crosswise. The pegs
on its short arm will no longer prevent removal, and you can now lift it completely
out.

To remove an undamaged (or bent but unbroken) lever box without breaking it in half,
you need to raise one of the two tabs holding it into the barrel. The proximal tab (the
one closest to the open end of the barrel) is easily accessible. Use the straight pointed
dental pick to pry up the tab as shown here:
Once the tab is bent up a little, you can use the screwdriver to push it the rest of the way
up. Position the screwdriver against the tab and push until the tab is bent straight up as
shown here:

Lift the lever away from the barrel to slide the first end of the lever box out:
Work the other end of the box out. (It is not necessary to bend the other tab at all.) To
remove the assembly from the barrel, turn it 90° so that the box is crosswise to the
barrel. The pegs on the lever’s short arm will no longer prevent removal, and you can
now lift the lever box assembly completely out.
Installing a Lever Box Assembly
If you have a brand-new lever box assembly, both tabs will be unbent. With the
jeweler’s pliers, carefully bend the tab at the distal end of the lever box (the end at
which the long arm of the lever lies when closed). The shape you need is shown in the
illustration below; you should bend the tab far enough that you can just slip the box into
position as shown. If you do not bend it far enough, that end of the lever box will be
loose in the barrel.
If you have a used lever box, the distal-end tab should already be bent.
To install the lever box assembly, raise the lever all the way. Position the assembly
over the slot in the barrel, then turn it 90° so that the box is crosswise to the barrel. The
pegs on the lever’s short arm will no longer prevent insertion, and you can now fit the
lever into the slot. Turn the assembly to its correct orientation, and fit the distal end of
the box onto the end of the barrel slot:

You can now fit the box into its final position within the barrel slot. Hold the box in
position with the thumb of your weaker hand, and use the crescent-shaped dental scaler
to begin the process of bending the remaining tab back down against the inner surface of
the barrel:
To finish bending the tab, insert your handcrafted tab bender into the lever box as shown
below.

CAUTION
Use care in the following process; rough handling can crack the barrel, and
misalignment of the box on the bench block can result in marks on the top surface of
the box.

With the tab bender in place, brace the barrel against the bench block so that the lever
box’s exterior tab is held securely into the barrel notch. This is easier to do if you hold
the bench block and the barrel upright as shown here, rather than lying down. Now pull
on the tab bender to squeeze the partially-bent tab tightly against the inside of the barrel.
Remove the tab bender.
 Note
When you reuse a lever box that has been removed from a pen, the tab you are trying
to bend may break off because the metal of which it is made was not intended to stand
up to repeated bending. If this happens to you, you can replace the tab as described
later in this chapter.

Installing a Pressure Bar

It is not difficult to install a pressure bar, but there are a couple of tricks that will make
the task easier.
First, make sure that the tab in the floor of the pressure bar is bent upward, as shown in
the picture below, so that it will catch on the lever after the pressure bar has been
installed.

To install the pressure bar, use the alligator forceps. Grasp the pressure bar at the
proximal end (the end toward which the open end of the tab faces) as shown in the photo
above. Open the lever most of the way and position the barrel so that you can look into
its open end, with a strong light above. The task is easiest if light is shining from above
through the lever slot to illuminate the short arm of the lever so that you can see the ears.
Insert the pressure bar into the barrel, guiding it into position so that the ears on the
short arm of the lever rest on the floor of the pressure bar. As you slide the bar into the
barrel, make sure both ears go into the channels on the bar’s two edges. Seat the lever
as far as it goes without force; this will place the closed end of the tab right at the end of
the lever.
Grasp the lever firmly to prevent it from opening too far (which would bend the lever or
the lever box), and push the pressure bar firmly enough that the tab pops past the end of
the lever. You can now release the bar and the lever. Test by upending the barrel and
giving it a little shake; if the pressure bar does not fall out, you have installed it
correctly. The drawing below shows the correct arrangement of the parts.
Adapting a Lever and Box from a Pen with a Different Diameter
To adapt a lever and its box to a pen of a diameter different from that of the pen that
supplied the replacement parts, you need the replacement parts and either the original
lever or the original box. (One end of the box will do if it’s broken.)
For several decades, all of Waterman’s levers were the same size. The only differences
between their application in different pen models were the position of the pivot hole
and the position of the transverse brace on the bottom of the lever box. (The brace is
positioned to stop the lever from opening past 90°; for a pen with a smaller diameter,
therefore, the brace is nearer the proximal end of the lever box.) What this means for the
repairer is that any box and lever with the IDEAL Globe on the lever tab can be used to
repair any pen for which this is the right design.
Beginning in the mid-1930s, Waterman began producing some pens with shorter and
narrower levers, including the new ink-Vue line, whose specially designed levers
cannot be used to replace those in other models. This discussion, therefore, assumes that
except for the position of the pivot (discussed later), you have made sure that the lever
and box you want to use are a match for the ones you are replacing.
Here are the steps to adapt a box to a pen of a different diameter:
1. If the replacement lever is still in its box, grind or file away a little of the pivot
pin’s end so that you can drive the pivot pin out using a wire probe. The pin is
0.028" (0.71 mm) in diameter. Disassemble the lever from the box.
2. If you have the original lever, make a mark on its top surface that is exactly in line
with the pivot holes. The lever shown here has been notched, but a much
friendlier way to do this is with a very fine-tipped permanent marker.
Fit the lever into the replacement box and “close” it so that it will be positioned as it
should be when the assembly is installed in the pen. Then carefully mark one side
of the lever box in a position corresponding with the mark on the lever. A good
way to make the mark is to use the X-acto knife. Dig it into the metal and then
spin the knife as if you were drilling a hole. This will create a dimple that will
later align the drill and keep it from skating out of position.

If you have the original box, align it with the old box so that the pivot hole will be
positioned to correspond with the hole in the lever you will be using. Then
carefully mark one side of the replacement lever box in a position corresponding
with the hole in the original box.
3. On a drill press table, carefully align the lever box so that the drill will pass
through the same point on both sides and cannot shift while you are working. As
shown here, the lever box is clamped in a drill vise; this holds it properly
aligned and immovable. A nib block has been set next to the drill vise and
shimmed up so that it supports the outer end of the box to keep it from being
pressed downward, and a small piece of cellophane tape protects the finished top
surface of the box where it’s clamped in the drill vise. Using a Nº 69 drill
(0.0292"/0.75 mm diameter), drill through both sides of the box.
 CAUTION
Drill slowly and with care not to bend the box by applying too much downward
pressure on it.
5. Observe the relationship of the brace to the pivot holes in the original box. If you
are adapting the box from a thicker pen to one that is thinner, there is nothing to
be done about the brace; but if you are adapting a thinner pen’s box to a thicker
pen, you will need to file away some of the brace so that the lever will be able to
open fully.
 6. Install the replacement lever into the modified box, and use the new holes in the
sides of the box to guide you in drilling holes through the sides of the lever in
roughly the same manner as you used to drill the holes in the box.
7. You can now assemble the replacement box and lever, using the pivot pin you
removed in order to drill the new holes. When you install the assembly into the
pen barrel, the pivot pin will not fall out because it will be secured by the side of
the slot in the barrel. If you do not have a pivot pin, you will need to cut a length
of 0.028" brass wire (obtainable from hobby suppliers that cater to model
railroaders).
Replacing a Broken Lever Box Tab
Because the metals that Waterman used for lever boxes were not intended to be bent
multiple times, the proximal tab securing the box into the pen will sometimes break off
from metal fatigue when you try to reuse a lever box that was removed from another
pen, as shown here.
This can be very frustrating, especially if you’ve just spent a significant amount of time
adapting the lever box to a pen of a diameter other than the one it came from. Rather
than discarding a lever box that has lost its tab, you can fabricate and install a
replacement tab. Here’s how to do this:
1. Use the scissors to cut a piece of the brass sheet or strip 1⁄16" (1.6 mm) wide and
about 1⁄2" (13 mm) long. Flatten this tab as best you can; if it is twisted, it will not
work well.
2. Smooth and clean one surface of your tab with a piece of the sandpaper. Then use
the file to clean and smooth the outside surface of the lever box’s proximal end,
as shown here:
3. Clamp the lever box and the tab in separate clamps of the third hand so that the
cleaned areas are exposed and accessible. These parts should not be touching at
this time; clamping them is for convenience. Apply tinner’s fluid to the cleaned
surfaces with a cotton swab. Then use the soldering iron and solder to tin these
two surfaces as shown here:
 WARNING
Tinner’s fluid contains hydrochloric acid. It is poisonous. The vapor is harmful, and
the fluid can damage most surfaces, including your skin. If you get it on your skin,
wash thoroughly under cool running water.

5. Manipulate the third-hand clamps to bring the lever box and the brass tab into
contact for soldering. Make sure the parts are aligned as they should be and that
the new tab is pressing against the box so that as the solder melts, the tab will
move into a good close fit. Place the tip of the hot soldering iron right at the joint
between the two parts so that the iron will heat both parts. It may be necessary to
add a little more solder. When the solder has melted across the entire joint,
remove the iron and allow the solder to cool.
6. Clip off the excess length from your lever box’s new tab, carefully file away any
excess solder, and install the lever box as described above. In order to get the
box to fit properly with the added thickness of its new tab, you may need to shave
away a little material at the proximal end of the barrel’s lever slot.
Chapter 12: How to Restore the Filler in a Morrison
Patriot

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
The most common type of syringe-filling pen uses the basics of the Post design, with a
piston riding in a relatively short barrel that serves as the “cylinder” (the ink reservoir).
The piston shaft (with its operating knob, if there is one) is concealed by a blind cap
that is almost as long as the barrel so that it can conceal the shaft at full extension.
The Morrison Patriot's filler differs in that the cylinder is a celluloid tube shellacked to
the nipple of a standard sac-type section. The entire barrel unscrews from the section to
expose the filler in exactly the same manner as if the filler were a modern converter.

Although the Patriot is not generally considered a high-quality pen, it is actually well
made (if not always well finished). The filler presents the greatest difficulty to a
restorer because it was not designed to be reparable. This chapter explains and
illustrates one way to restore the filler. The restoration described here is a professional
procedure that produces a reliable and long-lasting result.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the new lever box, or the pen itself, is
far greater if you use inappropriate tools.

Tools Required
• No. 1 X-acto knife with brand-new No. 11 blade
• Section pliers (two pairs; see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• 3-ounce or similar “jeweler’s” hammer
• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Letter N (0.3020") wire-size drill and 5⁄16" (0.3125") drill (optional; see text)
• Nib knockout block or similar fixture for supporting the piston shaft
• Flat needle file
• 3" to 4" length of 5⁄32" O.D. brass tubing (0.014" wall) for use as a punch; ends
should be smooth and even
• Artist's paintbrush for applying solvent
Parts Required
• Three M1.8×4 Viton metric O-rings (1.80 mm C.S. × 4.0 mm I.D.)
• Alternatively, a Patriot filler repair kit (contains a new filler reservoir, three O-
rings, and a short length of 3⁄16" polystyrene tubing; available from Indy-Pen-
Dance.com or RichardsPens.com)
Supplies Required
• Blue painters’ tape, 1" (25 mm) wide
• Cotton swabs
• Water
• Short length of 3⁄16" (4.75 mm) O.D. polystyrene tubing (0.031"/0.8 mm wall)
• Small piece of 0.020" (0.5 mm) sheet polystyrene (optional; see text)
• Solvent for welding celluloid and polystyrene; e.g., methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
• 100% pure silicone grease
• Sac cement (shellac)

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Disassembling the Filler and Section
 CAUTION
In most Patriots, the section is celluloid, not hard rubber. (Some very early pens have
hard rubber sections.) Also, the tubing of which the filler is made is very thin. It can
overheat and begin to shrink and warp almost before you can react. Proceed with
great care!
Unscrew the barrel and set it aside.

Some Patriot fillers have deteriorated, usually by warping and/or excessive shrinkage,
and are not suitable for reuse. If you are going to reuse the filler that is in the pen,
follow the instructions for removing it that are in the next section. If you are going to use
a Patriot filler repair kit (see Parts Required), skip to Disassembly for a Repair Kit.

Disassembly to Reuse the Filler Reservoir

Prepare the section/filler assembly for filler removal by wrapping the filler with two
layers of blue painters’ tape, placing the tape so that its edge is aligned with the end of
the section nipple, as shown below. The tape will protect the fragile filler from some of
the heat that you will use to remove it from the section. Push the plunger in as far as it
will go. This will provide support to keep the filler tube from collapsing when you
apply the section pliers and begin heating.

Place the pliers as shown here:

Apply very gentle heat and lots of careful wiggling to remove the filler from the section.
This joint was shellacked at the factory, and you need to break the shellac loose without
heating so much that the celluloid filler deforms. As the shellac lets go, you will see the
area of the joint change from dark black to a lighter color, with the color change
progressing as you wiggle more. You can use your X-acto knife to begin the separation
process by placing the blade very carefully on the joint between the section and the
filler, pressing a little, and then twisting the knife to raise the filler away from the
section’s nipple. Do not twist very far, or you will damage the filler! Patience will be
your best friend here; it takes a significant amount of time to get the filler off with no
damage.
Once the filler is off the section, remove the painters’ tape.
Sometimes the filler reservoir will deform slightly despite your best efforts. If it does,
you can try to reshape it by using a Letter N wire-size drill. Insert the back end of the
drill into the open end of the reservoir.

WARNING
 The filler reservoir is celluloid, and it is quite thin and relatively fragile. Use heat
with extreme care; celluloid is explosively flammable!

Heat the reservoir gently over the heat gun, pressing gently on the drill until you can
push it far enough into the filler that its end is past the deformed area. Heat a little more
to encourage the filler to resume its original shape, being careful not to set the celluloid
filler on fire. (It sometimes helps to roll the warm filler on a hard flat surface such as a
table top.) Let the filler cool completely with the drill in place, then remove the drill.
There is some variance in size on these fillers, and you might need to repeat this
procedure with a 5⁄16" drill.

Skip to Cleanup.

Disassembly for a Repair Kit

This section explains how to remove the filler reservoir if you have a Patriot filler
repair kit (see Parts Required) and are not going to use the original reservoir. If you
intend to use the original reservoir, skip back to Disassembly to Reuse the Filler
Reservoir.
To remove the filler, use your X-acto knife, as shown below, to shave away one side of
the reservoir in the area where it overlaps the section nipple.
 CAUTION
Be very careful as you shave the reservoir away. Take small cuts, watching to ensure
that you do not cut into the section nipple. Cutting the nipple can weaken it, and a cut
nipple will also be more difficult to seal properly when you install the replacement
reservoir from the repair kit.
Shave material away carefully until you have exposed an area long enough, and wide
enough, that you can lift away the sides of the slot you’ve made.
As you lift away from the section, you will see the shellacked area turning from dark
black to a lighter color as the shellac pulls free. Work gradually around the reservoir
until it will come off the section.

Continue with Cleanup.

Cleanup
Clean off any shellac remaining on the section nipple, and set the section aside. With the
X-acto knife, carefully shave away any built-up shellac remaining inside the cylinder’s
open end. Now screw the knob off the piston shaft and push the piston out. Set the knob
aside.
The “piston head” comprises two packings, a thin red claylike one and a thicker cork
one, held in place by three celluloid washers, one at each end of the stack and one in the
middle. The shaft is stepped so that the only washer that is actually cemented in place is
the one nearest the end of the shaft. The cork will probably be ready to crumble, but the
clay packing might have ossified and become nearly rock-hard; remove them both by
destroying them, and carefully shave away any remaining crumbs.
The next step is to remove two of the three washers from the shaft. The best method, if it
will work, is to stand the shaft up on your knockout block with its front end inserted into
a close-fitting hole in the block so that the washer rests on the surface of the block, and
then knock the cemented washer loose by striking the back end of the shaft with your
hammer as shown below. This will usually require several blows; check after each
blow to see whether you have succeeded in breaking the washer loose all the way
around the shaft. When it is completely free, you can work it and the other loose washer
off the shaft.
Sometimes the washer will be too firmly fused to the shaft and will not break loose. Use
the point of the X-acto knife to pierce the fused celluloid joining the end washer to the
shaft as shown below. Work all the way around the shaft; you are cutting the washer
loose from the shaft. It is not necessary to free the washer so that it moves loosely. Now
knock the washer loose as described in the preceding paragraph.

Slide the first and second washers off the shaft. Using the needle file, clean and slightly
smooth the shaft where the washers and packings were. Remove as little material as
possible; you need only smooth the shaft down to the point at which the polystyrene
tubing will just slide over it. If you take off so much material that the tubing is a loose
fit, it will be more difficult later to get a good joint between the tubing and the shaft.
If you are reusing the original filler reservoir, moisten one end of the cotton swab with
water and scrub out the interior of the cylinder. Set the cylinder aside. Shown here are
the cylinder and piston parts as they should appear at this point. One of the washers is
included in this photo, but you will probably not be able to use it; see the last paragraph
before Reassembly, below, for more information.
Repair
Cut about a 1⁄4" length of the polystyrene tubing. Fit it over the shaft end and push it
down firmly to make a sleeve on the shaft. The sleeve should end up seated solidly
against the remaining washer as shown here:

Fuse the tubing to the shaft by applying a little solvent to the joint where the tubing sits
against the washer on the shaft and allowing capillary action to draw the solvent into the
joint. Do not fuse the other end of the tubing where it exposes the shaft!
Apply silicone grease to the styrene sleeve, and fit the three O-rings onto the greased
sleeve. The sleeve should protrude slightly beyond the third ring as shown here; if it
doesn’t, you will need to remove it and cut a slightly longer piece.
With the X-acto knife, carefully cut around the circumference of the sleeve. Use the
thickness of the O-rings as your guide so that the end of the tube, after it is cut, will be
just even with the thickest part of the O-rings.

Cut one end off a cotton swab and use the cut end of the stick to apply a small amount of
silicone grease inside the filler’s cylinder, staying at least 1⁄4" away from the open end.
Insert the piston shaft’s long end into the cylinder and start it through the hole in the
back. Push the O-rings into the opening using the brass tubing. Seat the piston all the
way at the back end, and check to see that it seals. One way to check is to apply your
mouth to the open end of the cylinder, suck a little air out, and plug the cylinder with
your tongue before releasing suction. If the cylinder remains stuck to your tongue, you
have a good seal.
Remove the piston. This will unavoidably draw some of the silicone grease down onto
the surface that will be shellacked later, and you will need to clean off as much as
possible of this grease using a cotton swab.
Ideally, you would be able to secure the O-rings to the shaft by fusing back into place
one of the celluloid washers you removed earlier, but the holes in the washers’ centers
are frequently too big to form a good joint. If neither of the washers is a reasonably tight
fit onto the shaft, fashion a washer from the small piece of polystyrene sheet. The
washer’s outside diameter should be about 9⁄32", and the inside diameter should be just
large enough to fit tightly over the end of the piston shaft. (This diameter will be
approximately 7⁄64"; start by drilling smaller, and enlarge the hole as necessary until it
just fits.) Press the washer evenly into position. Using the artist’s brush, apply a little
solvent to weld the washer back onto the shaft. Allow the fused joint to cure overnight.

Reassembly
When the piston assembly has cured, reinstall the piston as described earlier and screw
the piston shaft knob firmly onto the shaft.
Apply shellac to the first 1⁄8" of the cylinder’s inside wall and also to the section nipple.
Assemble the filler onto the nipple, being careful that the shellac makes a complete seal
all the way around; if there is any air passage from the interior of the cylinder to the
section threads, the filler will leak. Shown here are a filler restored using the original
reservoir cylinder and one restored with the repair kit.
Clean off the excess shellac and set aside to dry. When the shellac is dry, reassemble
the pen.
Chapter 13: How to Repair a Broken Z-Clip

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
The Z-clip is so called because, if you remove it from the pen and look at it from the
side, you can see that its zigzag shape resembles that of the letter Z. Here is the cap for a
pen made by the National Pen Products Company, and below it is the clip alone.
Back in the early 20th century, the number of pens with Z-clips was probably
astronomical. Today, the number of pens with broken Z-clips, while not astronomical, is
still alarming. Most Z-clips break when corrosion sets in at the bend where the clip
enters the cap. (The clip in the illustration above shows the beginnings of corrosion at
that location.) With a pen whose clip is not imprinted with a design or a brand name,
this failure is relatively unimportant because replacement Z-clips are readily available.
On the other hand, a clip that is imprinted with the pen’s brand name or an attractive
design can be virtually irreplaceable, as was the case with the clip on the lower pen
illustrated at the top of this page, a Master Pen made by the Banker Pen Company. This
chapter shows one way to repair such irreplaceable clips.
 Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.
Tools Required
• Inner cap remover
• Pointed dental pick
• Test tube brush
• Needle files
• Flat-nose pliers
• High-temperature electronics-type soldering iron
• Double “third hand” clamp
• Rotary tool with cutting disk
• X-acto knife with new Nº 11 blade
Supplies Required
• 60/40 tin/lead electronics solder
• 80-grit radial bristle brush or 320-grit sandpaper
• Sacrificial Z-clip or 3⁄16" wide strip of 0.025" (0.6 mm) brass

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Disassembly
As illustrated above, the Z-clip has a tab, inside the cap, that projects toward the cap
crown. Below is a sketch of a Z-clip, with its parts labeled. To install the clip, the tab
is inserted through a slot in the cap and clamped to the inside wall of the cap by the
inner cap.The angled bends in most Z-clips are bent more than 90° so that the angles are
acute, as shown in the photo above. The looser bends in the clip in this sketch more
closely resemble the bends in the clip on the Banker Pen Company’s Master Pen.
To remove the clip’s broken tab and create the space needed for the new tab, you must
first remove the inner cap.
 CAUTION
Do not use an inner cap remover that does not have a thrust bearing (consisting of a
circular race of needle bearings and two washers)! A remover without a thrust
bearing can easily damage the cap lip as the lip slips against the end of the remover’s
body instead of rotating smoothly on the bearing.
With the inner cap out, you can remove the broken tab. Sometimes it will fall out, but it
is often stuck to the inner wall of the cap by dried ink or corrosion. If it is stuck, use the
dental pick to pry it loose. Set the tab aside; you will use it later for a measurement.
Then clean the inside of the cap with water and a test tube brush. (Clean the inner cap,
too, while you have it out.)
Repairing the Clip
The next sketch shows the broken clip together with a replacement tab for it.
Using your rotary tool, you can make the replacement tab by cutting off the clip body
from a sacrificial clip of the same material as the original (nickel silver or gold-plated
brass); or you can fashion a completely new tab from strip brass, using your flat-nose
pliers to form the bend. The replacement tab should be shaped so that the clip overlies it
as shown by the red arrow in the sketch above. Cut the shorter arm of the tab to length
so that the two shorter arms just overlap, with each one’s end butting up against the
longer arm of the other part. Then trim the tab so that its width is the same as the width
of the broken tab. If you have no broken tab, trim the tab so that it is very slightly
narrower than the clip.
Clean the mating surfaces of the tab and clip very carefully. An 80-grit (yellow) radial
bristle brush is the best tool for cleaning the parts to ensure that you have a clean bare
metal surface on each one. If you do not have this brush, you can file the surfaces clean
or, as a last resort, sand them with 320-grit sandpaper.
Clamp the two parts in the third hand, bringing them together so that they are in exactly
the positions you want them in when you have finished soldering, as shown here:
 WARNING
Use care when soldering; the iron itself is extremely hot, and the liquid solder is
more than hot enough to give you a nasty burn.

Sweat-solder the parts together by applying heat to one edge of the joint and allowing
the iron to heat the clip and tab until the solder, applied to the opposite edge of the joint,
melts and flows between the parts by capillary action. The red line in the sketch above
shows where the solder should be. Remove the soldering iron and allow the joint to
cool enough to set completely before removing the clip from the third hand.
Using needle files and the X-acto knife, clean away any excess solder from the edges of
the joint and from the front face of the tab and the back face of the clip. The goal is to
produce a repair that looks as if it never happened, except that the place where the short
arms of the two parts are overlapped is twice as thick as the rest of the clip. If the
soldering process got the clip hot enough to oxidize the plating, you can remove the
oxidized surface with a Sunshine Cloth or other chemically treated non-abrasive
jeweler’s cloth.
Now, using a cutting wheel in the rotary tool, carefully grind away the portions of the
replacement tab that are visible at the overlap. Lay the clip against the flat surface of the
wheel as shown here; do not try to “sculpture” the material removal using the edge of
the wheel.

Do not cut into the material of the original clip; the object is to create the original
appearance of a single thickness of metal. Done correctly, this operation creates sloped
surfaces on the underside of the clip, leaving at the exposed edge only the single
thickness of material that should be visible. The sketch below shows how the sloped
surfaces should look.
 Note
This step emphasizes the need for a good solder joint. If the joint is insufficiently
heated to cause a good flow-through of solder, there can be air pockets in the joint,
and a joint with air pockets will be very weak.
Making It Fit
The extra thickness of the clip where it will enter the cap means that the clip will no
longer go into the cap as far as it needs to. The solution to this problem, however, is
very easy. Use the X-acto knife to shave away a little material from the bottom edge of
the slot in the cap wall, as shown by the red line in the sketch below:
Take off only the minimum amount of material necessary to allow the clip to fit into the
cap. If you remove more than needed, the clip will fit sloppily in the opening and will
able to wiggle. This can enlarge the hole, further exacerbating the problem. The end
result can be a cosmetic nightmare as well as structurally unsound. To ensure that you
do not remove more material than needed, cut away only a very thin shaving of material
and try the clip in the slot. If it won’t go through, take a little more, “walking” the
opening wider step by step until the clip just fits.
Finishing Up
With the clip and cap modified, all that remains is to reassemble things. Slip the clip
into position and then insert the inner cap. Some inner caps are flattened or notched on
one side to allow the clip’s tab to fit, and if yours is one of these, you will need to be
careful to align the relieved area of the inner cap with the clip before pressing the inner
cap home. With everything lined up, push the inner cap into the cap until it stops. Shown
here is the finished repair on the Master Pen that inspired the writing of this chapter.
Chapter 14: How to Repair the Seal in a Waterman Glass-
Cartridge Pen

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
The primary problem facing the would-be user of a Waterman glass-cartridge pen is
making the pen work. The pens are solid, as you would expect, and the cartridges are
quite robust. One often finds a perfectly good cartridge inside one of these pens. What
wasn’t robust was the rubber seal that Waterman used to connect the cartridge to the
nipple and seal the ink inside. This chapter illustrates a quick and easy method of
replacing the dead rubber seal. The repair technique described here is one that I learned
from David Nishimura. It’s not a difficult repair, but it’s one that seems not to be well
known.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.
Tools Required

• Section pliers (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

• Heat source (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Ultrasonic cleaner (optional)
• Sac removal tools (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)
• Sharp scissors

Parts Required

• Nº 19 straight latex sac (see Tools, Parts, and Supplies)

Supplies Required

• Paper towels (optional)

Disassembly, Cleaning, and Seal Removal

In most cases, the pen will screw apart at the joint between the barrel and the section. If
your pen is struck, you can apply gentle heat and use the section pliers. There is another
screw joint about 2⁄3 of the way along the barrel; if your pen shows evidence of ink
leakage into the barrel, you should take that joint apart as well and clean the insides of
both the barrel and the blind cap using water and a paper towel with one corner twisted
into a long point (often called a twizzle).

CAUTION
Be a little careful with twizzles. Too much pressure on the inside of a fragile cap or
barrel can crack the part.
Do not immerse the blind cap; it contains a spring mechanism that is made of steel and
will rust if allowed to remain wet.

As you follow the instructions in this chapter, refer to this cross-sectional drawing of
the pen’s section to identify the various parts:

To get the guts out of the section, first carefully work the nib out. This might free the
feed, dead seal, and locknut so that you can push these parts out the back. If they are
stuck, soak for half an hour in clear cool water, or run through an ultrasonic cleaner for
five minutes, and try again. You might find it necessary to use a dental pick to break out
as much of the dead rubber seal as you can get out, after which you can soak the
assembly again. Eventually, you will be able to push the feed and other parts out of the
section.

With the feed, dead seal, and locknut out of the section, you can finish removing any
detritus from the dead seal and then screw the locknut off the feed. If the locknut has not
loosened during your soaking operation, you can apply a little heat. These parts are hard
rubber, and they will soften if you apply too much heat, so go carefully.

With all the parts separated, clean them thoroughly in cool water. Here are all the parts
except the cap, cleaned and laid out for inspection:
Note the notches on the locknut. Waterman assembled the locknut onto the feed using a
spanner that fit into these notches, but you will not need this specialized tool because
you do not have to fit the locknut down inside a molded rubber seal.
The components we care about right now are the section (top left), the feed (bottom
center), and the locknut (bottom right) that screws onto the back of the feed. When
Waterman built the pen, the assembly of these components also included the rubber seal,
whose remains you have removed during disassembly.

Making a New Seal

The first step in repairing the pen is to make a new seal. For this we use a Nº 19 latex
sac. (Do not use a silicone sac; the pen relies on the elasticity of the latex for a good
seal.) Cut 15⁄32” (12 mm) of the closed end and snip a small hole in the very tip. The hole
should be too small to fit over the tail end of the pen’s feed; if it is too large, the pen
will leak when reassembled.
Installing the New Seal

To install the seal, force its small end (with the hole you snipped) over the back end of
the feed. Screw it down until it stops against the main body of the section. Evert it to
expose the threaded part of the feed. Install the locknut with its slots on the side away
from the rubber seal, and screw it down as tightly as it will go without risking damage.
The tightness of this joint is critical for a good seal.
With the locknut installed, return the sac to its original shape:

Reassembling the Pen

Insert the feed assembly from the back of the section. Align the nib with the feed and
start it into the section. Rest the back end of the feed on your workbench with the nib
pointing straight up. Press downward on the section to press the feed as firmly in place
as possible, and seat the nib to its correct depth as determined by the feed. If necessary,
heat-set the feed. Here is the completed section assembly:
Test-fit the empty cartridge:

If all seems in order, you are ready to fill the cartridge using a syringe or a transfer
pipette. Install the filled cartridge, screw the barrel onto the section, reinstall the blind
cap (if you removed it for cleaning), and enjoy your pen!

Note
Waterman intended that users would unscrew the blind cap to install or change
cartridges, leaving the section/barrel joint assembled all the time. Using this method
provides better protection for the rubber seal. You can try it with your newly
repaired pen; if it works, great! Just remember that you have to keep a filled cartridge
with its open end upward, or you might find yourself wearing a few drops of ink.
Chapter 15: How to Convert a Fifth Avenue or Skyline
Eversharp CA to Use Modern Refills

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
Eversharp’s original CA appeared in two models, one styled to match the very
successful Skyline and one styled like the Fifth Avenue, which was moribund but not yet
dead when the CA made its entrance in December 1945. Either of these two
“companion” pens can complete a very presentable three-piece set comprising a
fountain pen, a ballpoint, and a “machine gun” click-click mechanical pencil. The only
problem is that CA refills, assuming you can find them, don’t work. They really never
did.
This chapter explains how to convert a Fifth Avenue CA to use a modern Parker
ballpoint or gel refill. It’s possible to make a quick and easy conversion simply by
unscrewing the refill/tip assembly from the nose cone and replacing it with the matching
parts from a disposable ballpoint such as a BiC Stic, but the result is likely to be less
than satisfactory to a serious collector. The conversion described here is a professional
modification designed to produce an attractive and reliable—and refillable—ballpoint
or gel pen.
The process for a Skyline CA will be essentially the same, the only difference being the
size of the barrel spacer that holds the new refill in position within the modified pen
body.
The process for a cap-actuated retractable CA is described in Chapter 16.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.
Tools Required
• Machinist’s lathe (hobby size is fine), with a very sharp cutoff tool
• Hobbyist’s razor saw (Zona or X-acto)
• Flat needle file and 400- or 600-grit sandpaper
• No. 37 drill bit (0.1040"/2.65 mm dia.)
Parts Required
• One Eversharp CA pen, Fifth Avenue or Skyline style
• One BiC Stic or other disposable ballpoint pen, preferably exhausted
• One Parker ballpoint or gel refill

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
The illustration below shows the CA with its barrel opened in preparation for replacing
the refill. (This is how Eversharp intended that the pen come apart.)

The original CA refill has no ballpoint tip. It screws into the tip, which Eversharp
designed as an integral part of the pen. (This design was one of the problem points with
the CA, as the ink from a new refill might not bridge the gap between the refill and the
interior of the tip. There was also a risk of mess from the exposed ink at the end of the
refill.) Here are the pieces of this assembly, except that this particular refill welded
itself into the tip and cannot be removed.

Modifying the Pen

Unscrew the barrel and set it aside. Unscrew the refill/tip assembly from the nose cone.
Remove and discard the celluloid sleeve.

WARNING
Running a lathe too fast or carelessly can cause the workpiece to break, go flying,
and cause serious injury. Always wear approved eye protection when using power
tools!
Chuck the assembled tip and refill in the lathe, clamping on the refill tube so that the
ballpoint tip is exposed, touching the exposed faces of the chuck jaws. Mark the point
on the conical tip where you want to make your cut (as shown in the engineering
drawing here), and position the cutoff tool accordingly before turning on the lathe. Turn
on the lathe. Advancing the cutoff tool very slowly to avoid bending the refill, cut off the
end of the tip as shown here:
Chuck the No. 37 drill into a Jacobs chuck in the lathe’s tailstock and drill through the
tip to create the bore through which the Parker refill will extend. It is critical that this
bore be straight. As before, cut slowly. Withdraw the drill frequently to shed chips. If
necessary, deburr the exposed end of the tip with a file or sandpaper. Here is the
drilling operation.
Remove the refill, and make a mark (on the refill tube) exactly 0.750" back from your
new cut end. Reinsert the refill in the lathe chuck with your mark exposed. Line up the
cutoff tool with the mark. Turn on the lathe and advance the cutoff tool very slowly to
cut the tip and its short length of refill tube free from the remainder of the tube. Deburr
the cut end of the refill tube with a file or sandpaper if necessary. Here are the cutting
process and the finished tip unit:
Here is the Parker refill test-fitted into the tip unit:
Making the Barrel Spacer
Reinstall the tip unit into the nose cone. Insert the Parker refill into the nose cone,
slipping it into the back end of the tip unit, until it stops. Measure the distance from the
clutch ring to the back end of the refill, and call the distance X:

Insert the back end of the disposable ballpoint (without its cap) into the barrel until it
stops. Make a mark on the disposable ballpoint exactly at the point where it emerges
from the barrel. Use a sharp instrument such as an X-acto knife for precision.

Remove the disposable ballpoint from the barrel. Measure distance X from your mark
along the pen toward the back end and make a second mark. The two marks in the
following image were made with an X-acto knife; I filled them with black paint to make
them visible here.

Using your razor saw, cut off the end of the disposable ballpoint’s barrel at your second
mark. The end piece, open at one end and closed at the other by the pen’s original barrel
plug, is the new barrel spacer for your CA.
Final Assembly and Adjustment
Insert the new spacer into the CA barrel, open end first. Screw the barrel and nose cone
together until the nose cone stops when the refill comes up against the barrel spacer’s
end plug. This will happen before the clutch ring touches the barrel, leaving a gap
whose width is roughly twice the height of the disposable ballpoint’s end plug (green in
the photo above). Don’t force it tight! Take note of the gap’s width.
Disassemble the pen again. Shake out your spacer and trim its open end, shortening the
spacer by about half the gap you saw when you assembled the pen, and retest the fit.
Repeat this procedure until there is just a slight resistance just as the nose cone mates
completely with the barrel.
Congratulations! Your newly renovated Eversharp CA is now ready for use.
Chapter 16: How to Convert a Cap-Actuated Retractable
Eversharp CA to Use Modern Refills

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
Shortly after introducing the original CA, which came in models styled to match the
Fifth Avenue and the Skyline, Eversharp rolled out the cap-actuated retractable CA
shown above in retracted (upper) and extended (lower) positions. The company
eventually got the ballpoint thing right, but at the outset its pens—including the
retractable version—really didn’t work very well. This chapter explains how to convert
a retractable CA to use a modern PaperMate ballpoint refill. The conversion described
here is a professional modification designed to produce an attractive and reliable—and
refillable—ballpoint pen.
The process for a Fifth Avenue or Skyline CA is described in Chapter 15.

Note
If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
 inappropriate tools.
Tools Required
• Machinist’s lathe (hobby size is fine), with a cutoff tool and an ordinary facing
chisel
• Nº 31 drill bit (0.120"/3.05 mm dia.)
• Small-diameter drift punch, end must fit inside the PaperMate ballpoint refill
listed below (see illustration in text)
Parts Required
• One cap-actuated retractable Eversharp CA pen
• One PaperMate replacement refill, Nº 56407 (medium black) or equivalent

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
First, disassemble the pen. This is a simple process because Eversharp designed the
pen to be taken apart for refill replacement. Here it is all laid out on the table:

Pull the cap off, then just unscrew the retracting mechanism from the barrel and dump
the refill out. The refill is actually the only part of the pen that we need to deal with. We
need to save the spring and the big turned piece of aluminum on the back end.
First, remove the spring. The trick to removing the spring is to note that the spring has a
death grip on the refill. In order to remove it, you need to expand its coils slightly.
Instead of unscrewing it, then, turn it the “wrong” way, as if you were screwing it on.
This loosens its grip, and you can simply pull it off.

Modifying the CA Refill

You need to save the cylindrical aluminum piece at the back end of the refill and make it
suitable for reuse with a refill that is unlikely to be the same diameter as the original.
(The original is 5⁄32" in diameter, while most modern replacement refills are smaller,
about 1⁄8" in diameter.)

WARNING
Running a lathe too fast or carelessly can cause the workpiece to break, go flying,
and cause serious injury. Always wear approved eye protection when using power
tools!
Modifying the refill is a three-step process.
Chuck the aluminum piece into the lathe. Position the tailstock, with a Jacobs chuck
mounted, close enough that the end of the refill will just extend into the opening of the
Jacobs chuck. Do not tighten down here; the Jacobs chuck is merely stabilizing the refill
so that it won't bend off at an angle when you have cut almost through the tube’s wall.
Use the cutoff tool to cut the tubing off just at the exposed end of the aluminum piece,
advancing the cross-slide slowly to avoid having it grab the tubing.
Use the Nº 31 drill to drill a hole 1⁄4" deep into the bit of tubing that remains in the
aluminum piece. Run the feed slowly by hand to keep the drill from binding and
possibly ripping the tube out of the aluminum piece. Stop when you feel the drill run up
against the bottom of the hole in the aluminum piece.
Clean up any roughness on the front face of the tiny piece of tube that remains pressed
into the aluminum piece.
We now have a reusable back end for our replacement refill.
Modifying the PaperMate Refill
Start with an ordinary blister-packed Paper Mate refill from an office superstore. I used
a Nº 56407 refill, with black ink and a medium point; your color and tip size preference
are up to you. Because it will be necessary to cut the refill shorter, we must drive the
back-end plug farther down the length of the tube, as shown here. The upper refill has its
plug in the original location, while the lower refill’s plug has been moved to its new
home.
Shown here is the drift punch I use; the long thin tip is the essential design feature so that
you can use it to push the refill’s plug.

To make the modification with only two hands, lay the punch on the workbench with its
end fitted into the refill, and strike it repeatedly with a jeweler’s hammer that you slide
across the work surface.
The plug is far enough down when you can measure just 3" from its back surface to the
tip of the refill. Now cut off the back end of the refill, leaving a finished length of 31⁄16".
Attach the aluminum piece, and you’re ready for the spring. Screw the smaller end of the
spring onto the front of the refill for a couple of turns, to lock it securely onto the ears
that would normally rest against a spring in a Paper Mate pen. You can see from the
photo here how far you should go.

Reassemble your pen and write with it. When you extend the refill for writing, you will
notice that the refill does not fill the opening in the pen barrel’s nose; there is a way to
make it fit more attractively, but that’s a lot more work and not really necessary.
Chapter 17: How to Repair the Piston in a Tibaldi
Modello 60

Estimated Level of Difficulty

Introduction
First, let’s get one thing straight. The word “Modello” is not part of the pen’s name. It’s
Italian for “pattern” or “model”; the pen is actually a Tibaldi with a model number of
60, like the Parker 61 and 75.
Among modern pens, the Tibaldi 60 has deservedly achieved a strong following. It’s an
excellent pen, attractive and well made, and good in the hand.
But it suffers from a fatal flaw, in the form of a design error. The piston’s seal is an O-
ring held in place between two flanges molded into the one-piece piston. To allow for
more lateral play and smoother operation, the pen’s designers chose to make the shaft on
which the O-ring rides slightly smaller in diameter than the ring’s inside diameter.
Normally, this design would allow ink to leak between the O-ring and the shaft; but the
designers also placed the two flanges slightly closer together than the thickness of the
O-ring, clamping the O-ring between the flanges and making a good seal. The flaw is
that the flange at the end of the piston is not sturdy enough, and it breaks under the stress
of squeezing the O-ring. Its failure destroys the sealing integrity, and the pen will no
longer draw ink. This chapter explains one way to repair the piston.

Note
 If you do not have access to the right tools and the skill and experience to use them
properly, I recommend that you not attempt this procedure using makeshift
techniques. The risk of damaging or destroying the pen is far greater if you use
inappropriate tools.
Tools Required
• Machinist’s lathe (hobby size is fine), with a very sharp cutter tool
• 2-56 tap, with a pin vise to hold it
• Flat needle file and 400- or 600-grit sandpaper
• Nº 50 drill bit (0.0700"/1.78 mm dia.)
• Nº 43 drill bit (0.0890"/2.26 mm dia.)
• Sharp 8" scissors
• No. 1 X-acto knife with brand-new No. 11 blade
• Toothpick or wooden match (for seating parts during reassembly)
Parts Required
• 2-56×3⁄8" flat-head screw, preferably extra-tough Nylon (available from Amazon
Supply); brass will also work
• Small piece of 0.040"/1 mm sheet polystyrene (available at hobby shops that
cater to model railroaders)
• M2.0×4 metric Viton O-ring (2.00 mm C.S. × 4.0 mm I.D.) (optional; see text)
Supplies Required
• Cotton swabs
• Water
• Short length of 9⁄32"7.24 mm (0.031"0.79 mm wall) styrene tubing (available at
hobby shops that cater to model railroaders)
• Orange shellac
• 2-part epoxy glue
• 100% pure silicone grease

CAUTION
Read the following instructions completely before starting to work. Make sure you
understand what you are about to do before beginning each step. Do not hurry; take
your time.
Disassembly
To disassemble the pen, unscrew the nib unit. Unlike most similar pens, the 60 has a
standard plastic nib sleeve cemented into a threaded metal ring with two notches on the
exposed surface for a pin spanner.
The nib unit screws into a transparent plastic reservoir in which the piston runs. With
the nib unit free, you can now push the entire mechanism/reservoir assembly backward
out of the barrel.
Inside the front end of the reservoir is a metal collar that serves to compress an O-ring
against a removable plastic disk to seal the reservoir. Remove these three parts by
carefully fiddling them out with a dental probe. (Be careful not to damage the sealing
surfaces!)
In most cases, the failure of the piston results in a flood of ink into the back end of the
pen. By continuing with the disassembly, you can clean all this ink out. The actuating
mechanism is secured to the back end of the reservoir by a threaded collar that screws
onto the threaded end of the reservoir. Operate the piston knob to drive the piston as far
down toward the front end of the reservoir as possible, then unscrew the collar and
remove the mechanism. Now, if the piston hasn’t fallen out, you can use a long probe to
push it al the way out of the reservoir. Use the cotton swabs and water to clean out the
interior of the barrel as well as both the exterior and the interior of the reservoir and the
piston mechanism. Here is the pen in pieces after cleaning. The piston knob can be
pulled off the knurled shaft of the mechanism, but there is no need to do this, and I
recommend leaving it as it is.:

The piston’s failure seems always to consist in breaking across the center, with half
folding away from the O-ring. Here is a close-up of a broken piston:
Repair
Absent a replacement piston, the only possible repair is to create and install a
replacement for the broken flange. (And given the cause of the original failure, simply
replacing the failed part doesn’t seem all that attractive anyway.) So the necessary
procedure is to remove the remains of the broken flange, cut a piece of plastic sheet for
a new flange, and find an appropriate method of fastening the new flange to the piston.
The fastener I chose for the first 60 I did was a brass 2-56 flat-head screw as illustrated
in this chapter; but I have since switched to extra-tough Nylon to eliminate the risk of
corrosion. Here’s the cleaned-up shank with a square of white polystyrene sheet and the
screw:

WARNING
Running a lathe too fast or carelessly can cause the workpiece to break, go flying,
and cause serious injury. Always wear approved eye protection when using power
tools!
Make a protective sleeve for the piston by facing one end of the 9⁄32" plastic tubing in the
lathe. Sand the end smooth.
Chuck the piston in the lathe, protecting it by inserting it into the sleeve you just made.
Cut away the remains of the broken flange. Drill a Nº 50 hole in the end of the shaft,
going at least 1⁄2" deep. The hole must be deep enough that the screw can seat all the way
down to its head. Shown here is the drilling operation:

]
Tap the hole using the 2-56 tap in the pin vise, making sure the screw will indeed screw
all the way in. (This operation can be done in the lathe, but there is a significant risk of
splitting the shaft by going past the bottom end of the drilled hole.)

Cut a 1⁄2" square from the polystyrene sheet. The quickest and easiest tool for this
purpose is the sharp scissors I list in the Tools Required section. Drill a hole through
the center with the Nº 43 drill. (It’s not necessary to locate the exact center.) With your
X-acto knife, bevel the edge of the hole on only one side to create a countersink for the
flat-head screw. Cut just far enough to reach the other side; do not go so deep that you
enlarge the hole. Test-assemble the square to the shaft. There should be a little of the
screw head protruding above the surface of the plastic sheet. Remove the screw, apply
shellac to its threads, and secure the plastic square firmly to the piston shaft with the
screw:

Cut away most of the extra plastic with scissors, then chuck the assembled piston into
the lathe again to finish turning the new flange to its final size (the same diameter as the
remaining original flange.

Cover the face of the piston with epoxy to secure the screw and, if the screw is brass, to
prevent corrosion. The epoxy also creates a smooth surface, preventing ink buildup
under the edge of the screw head. Set the repaired piston aside overnight to allow the
epoxy to set completely.

Reassembly
In most cases, the original piston O-ring will be perfectly usable. If it is damaged,
replace it with an M2.0×4 O-ring (preferably Viton for long wear).
Grease the O-ring lightly, assemble it onto the piston, and clean excess grease from the
exposed face of the piston. (See the photo above.) Reinsert the piston into the reservoir,
using a probe or a length of the 9⁄32" tubing to push it all the way to the back. Reattach the
piston mechanism to the back of the reservoir, being sure to screw the threaded collar
down firmly but not with so much force that you crack the reservoir.
Reinstall the piston/reservoir assembly in the pen body from the back, being careful to
align the notches on the reservoir’s front end with those on the inside of the section as
you slide things together.
Insert the plastic disk into the section, using a probe to make sure it lies flat against the
shoulder of the reservoir. Insert the O-ring and the metal collar. Use a toothpick or a
wooden match to seat the collar against the O-ring, then screw the nib assembly in
firmly.
Chapter 18: Surface Restoration
There are as many different techniques for cleaning the surfaces of pens as there are
pens and pen restorers. The following sections describe some of the techniques that I
use.
Cleaning the Dirt Off
Most pens that need restoration have some dirt, dried ink, or other schmutz on them and
will need to be cleaned. Usually, it’s best to do the cleaning work after you have
disassembled the pen; that’s when you can get most easily to all the areas that need
cleaning. The following paragraphs apply to all pens except those made of casein; you
can’t soak casein, and you shouldn’t expose it to more than an absolute minimum of
water.

Shown here are the parts of a Sheaffer flat-top barrel, disassembled for cleaning. In
addition to ink in the threads and on the inside near the open end, this barrel has some
sort of dried adhesive residue stuck on it, making an irregular brownish raised area
along the upper edge in the photo.

A damp cloth of 100% cotton flannel will clean off a surprising amount of surface dirt.
It can’t get dried ink out of barrel and cap threads, and it usually won’t take off heavy
layers of dried ink from the section or feed. For this more strenuous cleaning, turn to
Rapido-eze, a product that is designed to clean pens that have been used with India ink.
A cotton swab dipped in Rapido-eze is good for loosening dried ink inside the barrel
and cap, and also for cleaning the bore of the section. Scrubbing the barrel and cap
threads with a swab will clean them remarkably well.(I’ve learned by experience that
scrubbing both along the threads and across them will do a better job than just going
along the threads.) You can clean the outside of the section easily with rag or swab, and
for the section’s bore you can use just a swab or two.

Note
One good place to get cotton flannel rags is in the cleaning aisle of an auto parts
store. The rags to look for are yellow, and they come packaged by threes.
Soaking the feed in Rapido-eze is the most effective way to loosen dried ink; after a
good soak, scrub crosswise on the comb fins and lengthwise along the channels with a
fingernail brush of natural bristle, not Nylon or other synthetic, and most especially not
brass or steel. If the feed has a breather tube or internal channels, you can use an ear
syringe and transfer pipettes to flush Rapido-eze through the various tubular parts.
If there are spots of gooey adhesive (or its dried residue) on the barrel or cap, use Goo
Gone or another citrus-based cleaner to remove them.
Flush all parts thoroughly with water when done, and dry them with paper towels. To
dry the insides of barrels and caps, twist a corner of a paper towel into a twizzle.
The barrel parts shown above are the same ones shown at the beginning of the
discussion of cleaning. Note the bright appearance of the lever. Because this is one of
Sheaffer’s early solid levers, there is gold only on the upper surface, which is exposed
when the lever is closed, and that allowed me to use a 3M radial bristle brush
(sometimes called a “pinwheel”) in a rotary tool to clean the sides and underside of the
lever for a like-new appearance.

Cleaning Tarnish Off Metal Parts

The principal tool for cleaning moderate tarnish from gold or gold surfaced (filler or
plated) parts is a Sunshine Cloth or other similar nonabrasive jeweler’s cloth that is
impregnated with a chemical to remove tarnish.

CAUTION
Some jeweler’s cloths are abrasive. Do not use these cloths; they can remove the
plating from gold-plated parts.

CAUTION
 If you are working with a cheap pen, the gold plating on the metal parts can be very
thin, and on very cheap pens there is no chrome plating under it. On many such pens,
even rubbing with a plain cotton cloth can remove the plating.

CAUTION
Some chrome plating, such as that on Parker Vacumatics, can be soft enough that even
a Sunshine Cloth can strip it from the base metal. Take extreme care when working
on chrome plating.

Solid gold parts and nickel-silver parts such as clips or levers on many early hard
rubber pens can be buffed with a power buffer and red rouge.

Many high-quality pens of the World War II era have gold-filled clips, bands, and
levers in which the base metal is silver instead of brass. These parts are particularly
prone to a type of tarnish that turns them to a gunmetal-like gray color that is often so
uniform that it looks like an intentional finish similar to the dark nickel plating on some
modern pens. The clip on this Sheaffer Tuckaway cap is a good example:

This discoloration is not ordinary tarnish on the gold; rather, it is pure silver that has
migrated up through the gold layer to become a crust or skin on the exposed surface,
where it has then tarnished in the normal way. For these parts, the solution is
Simichrome on a cotton flannel rag. Yes, Simichrome is abrasive, but the gold layer is
thick enough that you can remove the silver from atop it without risking removal of the
gold layer as well. The results of this treatment can be dramatic, as illustrated by the
Tuckaway cap after cleaning.

Polishing Out Micro-Scratches on Resin and Hard Rubber

Surface wear almost always manifests as a random pattern of micro-scratches on the
surface of the cap and barrel. It makes no real difference whether the parts are hard
rubber, resin, or metal, although the scratches are not so deep on metal as on plastic.
The easiest and fastest way to deal with this kind of wear on resin or hard rubber parts
is to break out the Simichrome metal polish. Some restorers have a hatred for
Simichrome, but it turns out that the primary reason for this is that many users leave
Simichrome deposits squirreled away in cracks and threads, under clips, and so on. The
watchword, therefore, is. “Get all the Simi off when you’ve finished working with it!”

The photo below shows part of a Parker “51” barrel that is

covered with micro-scratches. Note the overall dull appearance of the finish.
 CAUTION
Do not use Simichrome on chased hard rubber parts. It will wear away the chasing.
Also, on unchased parts, it will wear away imprints. Protect them as described in the
text.

CAUTION
Always use Simichrome with a 100% cotton flannel rag, never with any synthetic or
blended fabric. Some of the fibers used in synthetics are harder than some of the
materials used for pens, and they can make the scratches worse, not better.

If possible, prepare the parts to be polished by removing clips, levers, and other
protuberances so that you will have a smooth and unobstructed surface to work on. Then
use cellophane tape to mask over imprints. Cut the tape so that its edges like as close as
possible to the edges of the imprint to be protected, being sure that none of the imprint is
exposed.

CAUTION
If you are working with a cheap pen, the gold plating on the metal parts can be very
 thin, and on very cheap pens there is no chrome plating under it. Simichrome can take
this kind of gold plating off faster than you can say, “Oh no!” Protect these parts by
masking them with cellophane tape. If the cap band is loose enough that it will come
off the cap, remove it. With the band off, you can clean out any dirt or crud that is
hiding in the band’s groove.
Apply a small dab of Simichrome to your rag, spread it on the surface of the part, and
then rub rapidly and firmly in a lengthwise direction. I generally lay the part on the
bench and press down with thumb and index finger as I rub. You will feel some heat
generated by friction if you’re rubbing firmly enough. Shift the part frequently to expose
more of the surface, replenishing the Simichrome as needed. Be sure to work all the
way to both ends of the part. If you can’t remove the clip, you will need to press as
close as possible under the edges of the clip on both sides to polish the surface
immediately adjacent to it; it’s often helpful to work a fingernail (inside the rag) into the
crevices along the sides where the clip is mounted. To do above and below the clip,
you’ll have to rub laterally around the surface. Take your time, checking frequently to be
sure you get everywhere your fingers and fingernails can reach.

The photo below shows the same “51” barrel that was illustrated earlier, after the
micro-scratches have been polished out. No other work was done to this part.

Polishing Out Micro-Scratches on Metal

On polished metal, buffing is the best and easiest way to remove micro-scratches. A
power buffer is best for this, but you can also use small muslin buffing wheels, about an
inch in diameter, with a Dremel or other rotary tool.

For polished stainless steel, as found on the bands of Parker Lustraloy caps (and all
over on some caps, such as those of the “51” Special), use a green rouge; this rouge
designed to work well on harder metals. Mask off the matte portion of the cap, if any, so
that you can buff the polished cap-band area without worrying about overlap.

CAUTION
Do not try to polish out scratches on matte-finished or brushed stainless steel, as
found on Parker Lustraloy caps and Flighter caps and barrels. Any polishing you do
will reduce the surface roughness that creates the matte or brushed appearance.

On chrome- or nickel-plated and gold-surfaced parts (plated or filled), use a red rouge,
designed for softer metals. Work gingerly on plated or filled parts; it’s important not to
take off too much of the surface metal and thereby expose the base metal beneath.

CAUTION
If you are working with a cheap pen, the gold plating on the metal parts can be very
thin, and on very cheap pens there is no chrome plating under it. Simichrome can take
this kind of gold plating off faster than you can say, “Oh no!” Think twice about
buffing gold-plated caps or trim on cheap pens.

CAUTION
Some chrome plating, such as that on Parker Vacumatics, can be soft enough that even
a Sunshine Cloth can strip it from the base metal. Take extreme care when working
on chrome plating.
Restoring Matte Lustraloy and Brushed Finishes
At different stages in its history, Parker used different techniques to create the surface
texture of its matte-finished Lustraloy caps. Early caps were lightly brushed, while later
ones were apparently brushed and then sandblasted with very fine grit.
 Note
The following procedure is not for the casual worker. It requires a metalworking
lathe and a rotary tool, and it will also require some practice to perfect the technique.
Expect to ruin a cap or two as you learn. Remember, do not learn on pens you care
about!

To restore an early matte-finished cap, first remove the clip. Use 2000-grit wet/dry
sandpaper to prepare the surface where there are burnished areas. The photo here
illustrates burnishing from the cap ball and from a little pocket wear.

Mount the cap (with its clip removed) on a mandrel of some type, such as a dowel that
has been shaped to correspond to the inside configuration of the cap or, if you have one,
a mandrel from Laurence Oldfield’s or Stuart Hawkinson’s cap de-dinging set, so that it
cannot wobble, and chuck the mandrel into a metalworking lathe. Protect the cap band
area with cellophane tape.

Mount a set of four red (220 grit) 3M radial bristle brushes (“pinwheels”) on a standard
Dremel mandrel, paying attention the the direction of rotation, and chuck the mandrel
into a variable-speed Dremel or other rotary tool. Remove the tool holder from the
cross-slide and crank the cross-slide back all the way. Crank the carriage to the right far
enough that you can rest the rotary tool diagonally on the tool rest with the pinwheels to
the left, in position to contact the cap when the carriage moves to the left, as shown in
this photo:
Set up the leadscrew gearing for a pitch of 48 threads per inch (0.5 mm pitch if your
lathe has metric markings).

Run the lathe forward at about 360 RPM, and set the rotary tool to a relatively slow
speed (but fast enough that the drag when it is working on the cap won’t slow it down
too much). Engage the leadscrew and hold the rotary tool firmly so that it does not slip
on the tool rest. As the leadscrew drives the carriage to the left, adjust the positioning of
the rotary tool so that all four of the pinwheels brush against the cap but are not pressed
so hard that the friction drags the rotary tool’s speed down too far. Hold this adjustment
until the carriage has traveled far enough to the left that all four pinwheels have passed
the cap, then remove the rotary tool and stop the lathe.

Here is the result of the brushing; the cap band was also buffed, and the cap is ready to
be reassembled.
To restore a Parker Flighter’s brushed finish, use the procedure just described, but
instead of the four red pinwheels, use two yellow ones (80 grit).

For Lustraloy caps whose finish was created by sandblasting, the only way to restore
the finish is by sandblasting.

Removing Toothmarks from Resin and Hard Rubber

Toothmarks (“toothies” or “chewies”) mar the appearance of resins and hard rubber,
snd they are the bane of pen collectors. In some cases, this kind of damage can be
mitigated or even removed entirely.

WARNING
Do not use the technique described here on metal parts. It will not work in any case;
but, more seriously, metal parts absorb heat faster than resins or hard rubber, and you
can very easily burn yourself.

CAUTION
Do not use the technique described here on chased hard rubber parts. Chasing is a
deformation process, not a cutting process, and the patterns it produces will react to
heat in the same way as toothmarks.
To mitigate toothmarks, carefully heat the part with your hot-air gun, rotating the part
continuously to expose all the toothmarked area to the heat. Test the temperature
frequently by touching the part to your lower lip; if it’s too hot to touch, it’s at or near
the danger point for celluloid. For hard rubber, keep an alert nose: if the part begins to
smell like burned rubber, it’s at or near the danger point.

Examine the marks frequently to see whether they are becoming less prominent. Hard
rubber has a phenomenal shape memory, and toothmarks in hard rubber will often
disappear entirely. Celluloid’s memory is not as good, so that the marks will usually
become less prominent but not disappear entirely.

When your judgment tells you that the marks are gone as far as they will go, you can
treat them like scratches.

Removing Scratches from Resin and Hard Rubber

For removing scratches, you can use 2000-grit wet/dry sandpaper and
2400/4000/12000 grit Micro-Mesh nail buffers (pink/white/gray or black/white gray).
All sorts of Micro-Mesh products—sanding blocks, abrasive files, pads, nail buffers,
swabs, and more—are available, but I find that these three-grade buffers serve very
well for all my pen working needs.

Note
I’m not sure why the manufacturer offers these nail buffers in two different color
combinations with identical grit specs, but trust me: the pink and black ones are both
the correct 2400 grit.

It is best, when possible, to remove metal parts from a cap or barrel. If you can’t
remove the clip or cap band, mask them with cellophane tape.

Start with the nail buffer. For minor scratches, the 4000-grit portion (white) might be
sufficient. Wet the abrasive with water, and sand with a circular motion, rotating the
part under the buffer so that you do not create a flat spot. Take care also that you do not
round the edges of slots where a lever or clip will be reinstalled. Check your progress
frequently, and stop as soon as the scratch no longer shows when you dry the surface.

Switch to a small square (about 1" or 25 mm) of the wet/dry sandpaper, and again using
the abrasive wet, sand gently to smooth out the surface. As you sand, wrap the
sandpaper around the part, as shown in the photo below, to blend the edges of the
sanded area into the untouched surface.
 Note
It might seem odd to switch from 4000 grit on the nail buffer to 2000 grit on the
sandpaper, but Micro-Mesh grit grading is not the same as the grit grading on
sandpaper. White Micro-Mesh (4000-grit) actually corresponds to 1500-grit
sandpaper.

With the scratch sanded away and the area smoothed, refinish the matte surface with
Simichrome as described in Polishing Out Micro-Scratches on Resin and Hard
Rubber.

For more serious scratches, start with the 2400-grit Micro-Mesh (pink or black), and
use the same process described here, progressing to the finer abrasives as soon as
possible. The much rougher 2400-grit abrasive will create more serious micro-
scratches than the finer abrasive; this is just the “cost of doing business,” and the finer
abrasives will smooth things out. Working gently, instead of with heavy pressure, will
minimize the scratching from the 2400-grit abrasive.

CAUTION
Sand with extreme care on Sheaffer Ebonized Pearl. There is a very thin coat of
clear material over the embedded abalone flakes, and it is very easy to sand through
the clear surface material, exposing the edges of the abalone flakes.
Tools, Parts, and Supplies
This chapter lists and describes many of the specialized items mentioned throughout this
book. In most cases, sources are also listed; but I cannot guarantee that the listed source
will still be in business when you need the items, so be prepared to search the Internet if
necessary.

After the lists of tools, parts, and supplies, you will find a set of tables indicating sac
sizes for many common pens (and a few less common ones).

Tools

• Section Pliers. I use section pliers daily, often two pairs together, and I’ve
settled on what I think are the best. The pliers shown here, K-D Products Model
KD 135, are actually intended by their manufacturer for use in the automobile
industry. They are available from some online pen dealers, including Indy-Pen-
Dance.com. Don’t be lured into buying cheap lookalike pliers, though; I’ve used
several brands of lookalikes, and they don’t work alike.

• Sac removal tools. I use various implements such as hooks and dental picks and
scalers. Shown below are a hook and two dental scalers. Hooks are ideal for
grabbing sacs and dragging them out of barrels. To make a hook, form a loop on
one end of a length of heavy-gauge coat hanger wire for hanging and to provide a
 “hold onto”; form the other end into a hook and fire harden it by heating it red
with a butane torch and quenching it in cold water; and then grind the hook point
into a flattened scraper shape that can slip between a sac fragment and a barrel
wall. Scalers are particularly useful when it comes time to chisel pieces of
petrified-in-place sac away from barrel walls and section nipples. You can get
dental picks from a variety of online suppliers, and you can reshape the tips to
suit your needs.

• Heat source. I think the best option for heat is a heat gun. It need not be an
expensive or fancy one. I use, and recommend, the inexpensive “embossing” gun
(shown below) that you can find in the rubber-stamp section of many craft stores.
I have one mounted at my bench so that it points straight up, and I control the heat
by how far above the gun I hold the pen and how long I hold it there. It’s a good
idea to have a small pan of water handy for dousing celluloid fires, just in case.
• Alligator forceps. With their long, thin shaft and very short jaws, alligator
forceps enable you to get deep down into barrels and caps for removing and
installing anything from bits of sac to pressure bars and levers. Do be aware,
however, that alligator forceps are not designed for heavy-duty use, and
repeatedly applying too much pressure can bend the jaws so that they will no
longer close tightly.
• PFM Section Tool. This is a square wrench of the proper size to fit into the
grooves in a PFM’s threaded ferrule so that you can disassemble and reassemble
the ferrule with the nib/shell unit. You can get a good one from
MartinsPens51.com.

• Vacumatic tool. This tool screws onto the threads that are exposed when you
remove the blind cap from a Vacumatic-filling pen, and two styles are available
as pictured below: the Vac wrench (left) and the Vac block (right). Vac
wrenches, which are preferred by most professional repair people, come in two
sizes; Oversize Lockdown and Speedline Senior Maxima fillers need the
oversize tool, while all others need the standard size. Most Vac blocks, like the
one shown here, accommodate both filler styles. You can get Vac tools of both
 types from Pentooling.com or WoodBin.ca. Both sources have single-size
wrenches and dual-size blocks; Pentooling.com also offers an innovative dual-
size wrench.

• Jewel remover. This is a Nº 5 pure white gum rubber bottle stopper. Neither a
cork nor a black rubber stopper will work for removing jewels because they do
not have the right compressibility or coefficient of friction. As you use a jewel
remover, it will gradually become soiled and lose its grip. Clean it with acetone
to restore the grip.

• Rubber gripper squares are made of a material similar to rug padding. They are
about 6" (15 cm) square, and they are ideal for gripping a pen barrel with lots of
friction to keep it from rotating in your hand as you remove the section.

• Leather punches. Essential for making all sorts of gaskets and washers for pens,
leather punches are available in sets from craft suppliers such as Tandy Leather
Factory. I recommend you consider purchasing sets of small and large punches.

Parts
• Sacs, diaphragms, etc. Sacs are available from several online pen dealers. (See
Sac Size Tables for information on choosing the correct part for your pen.) I get
most of my sacs from Indy-Pen-Dance.com. For more serious repairers who
need large quantities of sacs, I recommend the Pen Sac Company for latex sacs;
for silicone and Pli-Glass sacs I go to VintagePens.com. The Pen Sac
Company sells a bewildering variety of straight sacs, necked sacs, tapered sacs,
Ink-Vue sacs, and Vacumatic diaphragms. They offer a couple of assortments as
well as individual sacs.

Silicone sacs are sometimes a better choice than latex because silicone doesn’t
outgas sulfur vapor that can cause some celluloids to turn brown. It’s also
transparent, a nice feature for demonstrator pens. But silicone is gas permeable,
and if you store inked pens with silicone sacs lying horizontally or nib
downward, they will leak.

• O-rings. The correct exact-replacement O-rings for Touchdown, Snorkel, and

PFM pens are available from several online sources, including Indy-Pen-
Dance.com. Do not buy standard off-the-shelf M1×7 or M1×8 metric O-rings;
these parts are not the correct size and will yield an unreliable filling action. If
the vendor’s information does not say that the O-rings are exact replacements for
the original Sheaffer parts, don’t chance it.
 • Snorkel and PFM Point Holder Gaskets. AndersonPens.com offers an exact
replacement Point Holder Gasket for standard Snorkel models and a modified
version of the Sheaffer part for the PFM. VintagePens.com also offers Point
Holder Gaskets; their parts are both modified versions. Parts from either source
will work equally well.

Supplies

• Sac cement. This is nothing more than high-grade amber (orange) shellac; that’s
what the pen companies used from the beginning of self-filling pens, and it’s what
all competent restorers still use. Some pen suppliers, including Indy-Pen-
Dance.com, can sell you sac cement; most offer small bottles with an applicator
brush for about $5.00. For more serious repairers, a quart can of Bullseye Amber
Shellac from a paint store will serve for a long time. If you’re going to buy a can
of shellac, I recommend that you also buy one bottle of sac cement with an
applicator and refill it with shellac as needed. This way you can keep the
contents of the can from drying out prematurely.

• 100% pure talcum powder. Do not use baby powder or ladies’ dusting powder,
or any powder that contains fragrances, cornstarch, zinc oxide, or other
additives! Some of these products are oiled to protect delicate skin, and oil eats
rubber. Others are abrasive instead of slippery, and that can be just as bad. If
there’s no plain talcum powder in the house, buy some. Several online pen
dealers, such as Indy-Pen-Dance.com, offer it in small quantities; for a lifetime
supply, look for it online at vendors of supplies for making cosmetics.

• J.B.’s PERFECT PEN FLUSH. This stuff is a special formulation of surfactants and
cleaning agents. I developed it, but I don’t offer it for sale; you can buy it from
several online dealers, including Indy-Pen-Dance.com. I’ve been using J.B.’s
for many years, and I think it works very well. If you don’t have it and don’t have
time to purchase a bottle, a solution of 1 tablespoon (15 ml) clear household
ammonia—not sudsy ammonia, and most definitely not lemon scented—in 2⁄3 cup
(158 ml) of water will work almost as well.

• Sheaffer thread sealant. This sealant is a yellow-colored non-hardening rosin-

based substance made to the exact same formula that Sheaffer used in its factory
and repair center. You can obtain it from MainStreetPens.com.
• Rubber plunger-head gasket sheet. This sheet material is needed for repairing
plunger-filling pens such as the ones that Sheaffer made during the 1930s and
1940s. The original material that Sheaffer used but other ’30s pen makers did not
use, a graphite-impregnated rubber, is no longer available. You can obtain a
specially-selected replacement rubber sheet of the correct durometer and
thickness from MainStreetPens.com.
Sac Size Tables
The following tables are a guide to choosing appropriate sac sizes for various sac-
filling pens. The sizes listed here are not the sizes the original manufacturers used. Pen
manufacturers chose the largest sacs they could cram into their pens in order to yield the
greatest possible ink capacity, but there are some drawbacks to that method:
• A larger sac is more difficult to insert into the barrel. Even if coated with talcum
powder, it can bind against the barrel wall or the pressure bar, and it can twist
and crinkle as the repairer tries to stuff it all the way in.
• Because modern repairers are dealing with used pens, pressure bars can be
distorted and there can be buildup on the surface of the pressure bar or barrel
wall. These conditions make it even more difficult to fit a sac of the original size.
• Because more of its surface is in contact with the barrel wall, a larger sac
absorbs heat from the user’s hand more readily than will a smaller sac. This
causes any air in the sac to expand, increasing the pen’s flow unpredictably and
possibly causing the pen to blot, especially when it is nearly empty.
For these reasons, the tables recommend sacs that are usually one or two sizes smaller
than the sizes originally used; but in some cases, the difference can be as great as four
sizes. In most cases, the smaller sac size vitiates the need for a necked sac; unless
otherwise specified, all sacs listed here are straight sacs. For pens not listed, choose a
sac that drops freely into the barrel with the pressure bar in place.
In the tables, necked sacs are indicated by the letter N, tapered sacs by the letter T.

Note
If you are using a modern two-piece replacement pressure bar (illustrated here),
choose a sac one or two sizes smaller than indicated in the table. (Go by the “drops
freely into the barrel” criterion.)
Sac Sizes by Brand

Chilton Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Chiltonian 18
Golden Quill 18
Wing-flow (standard girth) 18
Conklin Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Duragraph (lever filler) 21
Endura (slender girth) 17
Endura (standard girth) 21
Minuteman 15
Glider 17
Symetrik (standard girth) 17
2NL, 2P, 20, 20P Crescent-Filler 17
25P Crescent-Filler 15
3NL, 3P, 30, 30P Crescent-Filler 17
4NL, 4P, 40, 40P Crescent-Filler 18
5NL, 50 Crescent-Filler 20
6NL, 60 Crescent-Filler 21
75 Crescent-Filler 22

Esterbrook Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
C, CH (J-series “purse” pens) 16
Deluxe (SM, LK) 16
Dollar Pen Size B (standard girth) 18
Dollar Pen Sizes A and H (slender 18
girth)
J, LJ, SJ 16
M2 (squeeze filler) 16
Safari (lever filler) 16
Safari Plunger-Fill Ink-Vue (full size)
Wahl-Eversharp Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Coronet 16
Doric (slender girth); includes Doric 15
Junior
Doric (standard girth); includes Popular 16
Doric
Fifth Avenue 16

Metal pens, Nº 2 nib (ringtop, 33⁄4" 15

long)
Metal pens, Nº 3 nib (clip or ringtop, 16
43⁄8" long)
Metal pens, Nº 4 nib (clip, 5" long) 19
Metal pens, Nº 5 nib (clip, 47⁄8" long) 20
Personal Point (oversize) 20
Personal Point (slender girth) 16
Personal Point (standard girth) 18
Sixty Four 16
Skyline Demi 161⁄2×21⁄4 NT
Skyline Executive 18
Skyline Standard 161⁄2×21⁄4 NT
Slim Ventura (squeeze filler) 15
Symphony, 1st generation (Loewy) 151⁄2×23⁄4 NT
Symphony, 2d & 3d generations 17
Ventura 16

Chas. H. Ingersoll Pens

Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Bakelite twist filler 20
Metal twist filler 22

Moore Hard Rubber Pens

Pen Model(s) Sac Size
82, L-82 13
83, L-83 14
84, L-84 15
85, L-85 17
86, L-86 20
92, L-92 13
93, L-93 14
94, L-94 15
95, L-95 17
96, L-96 20

Moore Celluloid Pens

Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Finger tip (96-B) 17
82, L-82 14
83, L-83 15
84, L-84 16
85, L-85 18
86, L-86 15
92, 92-A, L-92 15
93, L-93 16
94, 94-A, L-94 18
95, L-95 20
96, 96-A, L-96
Parker Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Duette Jr. “Thrift Time” 15
Duette Sr. “Thrift Time” 17
Duofold Geometric (“Toothbrush”), 15
slender girth
Duofold Geometric (“Toothbrush”), 17
standard girth
Duofold Jr., Duofold Special 16
Duofold, Lady 16
Duofold Senior 19

Duofold, Striped, Junior (button-filler) 16

Jack-Knife Safety 20, 201⁄2 15
Jack-Knife Safety 23, 231⁄2 15
Jack-Knife Safety 26, 261⁄2 19
Moderne “Thrift Time” (Canadian) 15
Pastel (larger size) 15
Pastel (smaller size) 12
Premier “Thrift Time” (Canadian) 17
Raven 15
True Blue 15
Vacumatic Junior, standard girth Std diaphragm
(Lockdown)
Vacumatic Maxima (Speedline or Std diaphragm
plastic plunger)
Vacumatic Oversize (Lockdown) O/S diaphragm
Vacumatic Senior Maxima (Speedline) O/S diaphragm
Vacumatic Standard (Lockdown) Std diaphragm
All Vacumatic-filling pens not listed Deb diaphragm
VS 16
“51” Aero-metric Demi/Slender See note 1 below
“51” Aero-metric Standard See note 2 below
Notes

1. A correct Pli-Glass sac is not available for the Demi. A Nº 14 vinyl sac (often sold as “silicone”) will fit when
cut to 2" long; there are also some vinyl sacs available that resemble the original “51” sac but are too small
for a full-size “51”—these sacs will work well in a Demi.

2. The correct Pli-Glass sac, as noted in the table, is available from Indy-Pen-Dance.com and
VintagePens.com. These sacs are the exact same material, size, and shape as the originals that Parker
used.

Sheaffer Pens
Pen Model(s) Sac Size
Autograph (postwar, largest size) 19
Balance (oversize) 20
Balance (slender girth) 15
Balance (standard girth) 17
Fineline 17
Lifetime Flat-Top (celluloid, slender 15
girth)
Lifetime Flat-Top (celluloid, standard 16
girth)
Lifetime Flat-Top (celluloid, oversize) 20
PFM 171⁄2×17⁄8 N
Snorkel 14×21⁄4 N
Touchdown TM See note below
Touchdown (1940 “fat”) 171⁄2×17⁄8 N
Nº 2 Self-Filling 14
Nº 4 Self-Filling 16
Nº 5 Self-Filling 17
3-25 15
5-30 (slender girth) 15
5-30 (standard girth) 17
7-30 19
Nº 22 Student Special 14
Nº 46 Special (slender girth) 14
Nº 46 Special (standard girth) 16
Notes

1. The correct size sac for the Touchdown TM is 15×21⁄8" Necked. At the time of this writing, this sac was not
available from any known source. Substitute a Nº 15 straight sac cut to a length of 23⁄8".

Waterman Hard Rubber Pens

Pen Model(s) (see note below) Sac Size
5 “Ripple” 15
7 “Ripple” 16
12 PSF, 12V PSF 15
121⁄2 PSF, 121⁄2V PSF 13
14 PSF 15
15 PSF 16
16 PSF 18
52, 52V 15
521⁄2, 521⁄2V 13
54 15
55 17
56 19
94 16
Patrician (black only, uncommon) 18

Notes

1. Overlay pens use same sac sizes as basic models; e.g., 452 uses same sac as 52.

Waterman Celluloid Pens

Pen Model(s) Sac Size
3, 3V 16
5 16
7 17
32, 32V 16
52 16
92, 92V 16
94 17
Citation (Taperite or open nib) 16
Commando (ladies’) 14
Commando (men’s) 16
Crusader (Taperite or open nib) 16
Dauntless (Taperite or open nib) 16
Emblem Pen Standard 15
Emblem Pen De Luxe (oversize) 18
Hundred Year Pen Standard 15
Hundred Year Pen De Luxe (oversize) 18
Ink-Vue (Type 1) Ink-Vue (full size)
Ink-Vue (Type 2) (See repair chapter)
Lady Patricia Ink-Vue Ink-Vue (Lady Pat)
Lady Patricia lever filler 14
Medalist (Taperite or open nib) 16
Patrician 18

Stalwart 16
Stateleigh (Taperite or open nib) 16