christof
September 12th, 2016, 01:40 AM
During the last 10 years of collecting, there is a pen model which became my main focus in collecting, research and restoring. It's the Pelikan 100. Although my collection of 100's is rather small, I see it as the core (and crown) of my pen collection.
In the past 10 years, I handled about 100 pens of this model which means that I fully restored them.
Most of the prewar Pelikan 100 are fitted originally with cork seals. In most cases and when ever possible I try to replace them by a newly made seal, made of cork as well. Cork is a fantastic material for this purpose. It's soft and flexible but stable as well. It can easily be treated with simple tools and if you pay attention to a few rules* it is possible to get very precise results.
Originally, one of the main advantages of the Pelikan 100 was the high precision in manufacturing. Every part was easily changeable and could be replaced without any adjusting. Now, 80 years later, most of the celluloid parts have shrinked a little bit and the inner diameter of the barrel is different on every pen. So making a proper fit piston seal is something that must be single made for every pen.
If a cork seal is proper fitted and treated, it will last for a very long time without the need of maintenance and lubrification, unlike seals like O-rings and similar.
That's why I really prefer cork seals than other solutions (which are available as well).
So, I thought it might be of interest to see how I make my own cork seals and install them properly. Here comes a short photostory.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8168/29000493804_39a4f376a7_o.jpg
This procedure takes a bit of time, but in my opinion the result is worth every minute.
And here's the complete piston mechanism:
https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8211/29545573711_4865bcfaee_o.jpg
Hope this was a helpful post. Let's see what's next.
Christof
*for example this: I use a power drill to sand the cork because it is extremely important that the seal is perfectly cylindrical. If not, it perhaps will be air tight, but due to use, some ink will move behind the seal over the time and clog the mechanism.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7759/29000987824_9075888479_o.jpg
In the past 10 years, I handled about 100 pens of this model which means that I fully restored them.
Most of the prewar Pelikan 100 are fitted originally with cork seals. In most cases and when ever possible I try to replace them by a newly made seal, made of cork as well. Cork is a fantastic material for this purpose. It's soft and flexible but stable as well. It can easily be treated with simple tools and if you pay attention to a few rules* it is possible to get very precise results.
Originally, one of the main advantages of the Pelikan 100 was the high precision in manufacturing. Every part was easily changeable and could be replaced without any adjusting. Now, 80 years later, most of the celluloid parts have shrinked a little bit and the inner diameter of the barrel is different on every pen. So making a proper fit piston seal is something that must be single made for every pen.
If a cork seal is proper fitted and treated, it will last for a very long time without the need of maintenance and lubrification, unlike seals like O-rings and similar.
That's why I really prefer cork seals than other solutions (which are available as well).
So, I thought it might be of interest to see how I make my own cork seals and install them properly. Here comes a short photostory.
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8168/29000493804_39a4f376a7_o.jpg
This procedure takes a bit of time, but in my opinion the result is worth every minute.
And here's the complete piston mechanism:
https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8211/29545573711_4865bcfaee_o.jpg
Hope this was a helpful post. Let's see what's next.
Christof
*for example this: I use a power drill to sand the cork because it is extremely important that the seal is perfectly cylindrical. If not, it perhaps will be air tight, but due to use, some ink will move behind the seal over the time and clog the mechanism.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7759/29000987824_9075888479_o.jpg