Unusual repair on a Soennecken 111 Extra, never encountered !

[Fountainbel]

Hi all,
just finished a rather unusual repair on a beautiful Soenencken 111 Extra which I want to shear with you.
De piston mechanism was defective since the piston did not move properly.
These top-range Soennecken fountain pens feature a filling knob locking device, a safety which prevents one can absently activate the filling knob , move the piston and unwillingly spill ink.
Hence one always has to pull the filling knob initially slightly up before it can be rotated, allowing to move the piston down.
After disassembling i discovered the anti rotation pin in the piston shaft was missing, so I've installed a new one.
No result, the piston still blocked when trying to screw the piston down.
Checking the barrel entry I then discovered what was wrong, there was a radial groove al around the barrel bore at the depth off the axial anti rotation slot.
It looks someone forced rotation of the filling knob without pulling the filling knob out, and by doing so the anti-rotation pin effectively cut a radial groove in the barrel !
They really must have applied an enormous torque to cut such a deep radial groove, I was really astonished to see this.
As a result the build-in safety "click" mechanism did not engage most of the time, since the anti rotation pin in the piston housing had no radial back-up.
When pulling the filling knob out, the pin also shifted radially a little in the radial groove and blocked axial movement of the piston.
Now what could I do to solve this problem?
Initially I thought to fill the radial groove with 2 components epoxy, but after giving the matter some more thoughts I decided to install a slotted ring in the groove
The radial groove was rough and irregular in width, so the first thing to to was making the groove somewhat wider and deeper on the lathe.
Then I made a slotted ring in PEEK, which fit perfectly in the groove. I've used Peek since it is very hard and wear resistant.
The ring is secured in the groove with 2 components epoxy .
I've expanded the ring in the groove using an inner cap puller so it fully contact radially in the groove
Problem solved , took me some time and thinking, but I'm very happy I could bring this beautiful pen back to live !
Francis
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/fountainbel/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000985.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/fountainbel/media/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000985.jpg.html)http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/fountainbel/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000984.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/fountainbel/media/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000984.jpg.html)

[tandaina]

At least these black ones are less likely to fall to pieces than their striped celluloid 111s that just disintegrate. :( Soennecken are SUCH lovely writers when they work but they seem to be incredibly fragile and finicky.

[Jeph]

Your work is always impressive.

[Fountainbel]

At least these black ones are less likely to fall to pieces than their striped celluloid 111s that just disintegrate. :( Soennecken are SUCH lovely writers when they work but they seem to be incredibly fragile and finicky.

Thanks for your reaction Tandaina, and I agree -just as you stated - the striped celluloid is very brittle and sometimes disintegrates in crumbles and powder.
I also have such a beauty from which the top of the filling knob crumbled completely, a real shame !
Francis

[ChrisC]

At least these black ones are less likely to fall to pieces than their striped celluloid 111s that just disintegrate. :( Soennecken are SUCH lovely writers when they work but they seem to be incredibly fragile and finicky.

Thanks for your reaction Tandaina, and I agree -just as you stated - the striped celluloid is very brittle and sometimes disintegrates in crumbles and powder.
I also have such a beauty from which the top of the filling knob crumbled completely, a real shame !
Francis

Do you think that is partly why the colored Soenneckens are more rare? Did the black ones stand the test of time better than the colored ones?

[tandaina]

At least these black ones are less likely to fall to pieces than their striped celluloid 111s that just disintegrate. :( Soennecken are SUCH lovely writers when they work but they seem to be incredibly fragile and finicky.

Thanks for your reaction Tandaina, and I agree -just as you stated - the striped celluloid is very brittle and sometimes disintegrates in crumbles and powder.
I also have such a beauty from which the top of the filling knob crumbled completely, a real shame !
Francis

Do you think that is partly why the colored Soenneckens are more rare? Did the black ones stand the test of time better than the colored ones?

Absolutely. They just don't hold up. I've got a lovely grey/green one that literally turned to dust in the restorer's hands. It has become the perpetual head scratcher for all the experts that have seen it. Finding parts is impossible because they all seem to be in that kind of shape. I suspect they made fewer of them to start but over the years I'm guessing as they broke down people threw them away rather than trying to cobble together a repair.

If someone finds one whole I would certainly recommend keeping it as a collector's piece only, not trying any sort of disassembly. Mine was so fragile that just pulling the nib and feed (done by a real expert) cause the section to turn to dust. They belong in a light safe display case. :\