Captain Tolley's or professional repair for cap crack?

[goldenmeme]

I just got a deal on an otherwise gorgeous Montblanc 121, but it was partially so cheap because of a small hairline crack in the cap. The crack is in a bit of an odd place, not at the lip or on a stress point (I think: I'm pretty new to fountain pens so I may be wrong) so I'm not toooooo worried, but I'd like to nip it in the bud before it spreads and the entire cap shatters or something.

I've heard good things about Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure. Would that be sufficient to prevent it from spreading? Will it effect the pen's finish? Or am I better off sending it to a professional for repair?

Attached is a pic of the crack, kind of hard to see but right smack dab in the center of the picture.

[mhosea]

Captain Tolley's is only a sealant. It will not prevent a crack from progressing because it has no significant strength as an adhesive. The good news is that it won't hurt the finish! :) The same sort of thing in the adhesive world is cyanoacrylate, aka "super glue", which was developed to wick into narrow spaces. It definitely will harm the finish, unfortunately.

The oddness of the location raises the question of whether it would progress, anyway. Does Montblanc service 121s? If so, given the skill required to "fix" something like this properly, I wouldn't imagine saving much over just having them service it.

[EMQG]

CTCCC isn't your best bet for a DIY repair - MEK is. That's what Ron Zorn (the foremost plastic repair guy at the moment) has recommended on here before, and I just finished using it on a Sheaffer Balance to seal one heck of a crack.

If you want, I'd even be happy to do it for you, or I can tell you how to do it. :) It'll cost like $35 in materials for you to do it, but it'll only take a couple weeks!

[Chi Town]

DITTO to the MEK.....IT is GOOD Solid stuff. I've used it myself.

However, that's not to take anything away from Cap't Trolley and their material.....It is a VERY GOOD material in it's own right for the correct application, which doesn't happen to be this one. I have both of these item's in my tool chest, and use them both on different occasion's......

Good Luck and Please let us know how your pen turn's out?

[goldenmeme]

Thank you all for the advice!

EMQG, I'd love to learn how to repair it myself, if you can provide instructions. I'm still on the fence about whether or not to send it to a professional (or just do nothing and hope for the best) but either way, it would be nice to have that knowledge.

[AGOTL]

Thank you all for the advice!

EMQG, I'd love to learn how to repair it myself, if you can provide instructions. I'm still on the fence about whether or not to send it to a professional (or just do nothing and hope for the best) but either way, it would be nice to have that knowledge.

It's pretty simple (but won't be quite as good as if you send it to a pro). Buy some MEK. Home Depot sells a quart of it for $10 - if you can find someone else who sells it in a smaller quantity, buy that. You only need a drop.

Buy a band clamp. Pentooling.com or penpractice.com sell them. Ask for an extra-long shim, even if you have to pay extra for it (get the long shim and the short shim, just in case).

In a well ventilated area (MEK is nasty stuff) use some toothpick to apply MEK to the the crack from the inside of the cap. Then use the band clamp to hold it shut. Leave it for a week, then take the clamp off, and you're good to go! Enjoy your pen!

Acetone works too (as does anything that melts plastic), just not as well. MEK is your best bet.


DITTO to the MEK.....IT is GOOD Solid stuff. I've used it myself.

However, that's not to take anything away from Cap't Trolley and their material.....It is a VERY GOOD material in it's own right for the correct application, which doesn't happen to be this one. I have both of these item's in my tool chest, and use them both on different occasion's......

Good Luck and Please let us know how your pen turn's out?

What circumstances is Trolley's the right tool for the job? I'm pretty new to crack repair and have only used MEK so far.

[mhosea]

What circumstances is Trolley's the right tool for the job? I'm pretty new to crack repair and have only used MEK so far.

Think of Captain Tolleys as "caulk" for a crack, not repair. I use Captain Tolley's to seal the occasional Targa inlaid nib that "oozes" ink onto the section. There's no crack there, just in imperfect seal by the adhesive holding the nib down, so ink can slowly wick and wend it's way to the surface of the section along the inlaid nib. Captain Tolley's flows into the same pathways that ink would use, but when it dries, it leaves them plugged. It dries to a soft rubbery consistency.

[goldenmeme]

Thank you AGOTL!

With this particular crack situated where it is, is the band clamp really necessary? I understand the need to hold the pen as tightly together as possible if the crack is going vertical to the cap, but would a clamp perform the same function on a horizontal crack? Maybe I should figure out a way to exert pressure from the other direction, like maybe putting it long-ways in a vice. Or am I misunderstanding the purpose of the clamp?

[EMQG]

Thank you AGOTL!

With this particular crack situated where it is, is the band clamp really necessary? I understand the need to hold the pen as tightly together as possible if the crack is going vertical to the cap, but would a clamp perform the same function on a horizontal crack? Maybe I should figure out a way to exert pressure from the other direction, like maybe putting it long-ways in a vice. Or am I misunderstanding the purpose of the clamp?

Since AGOTL took the last question for me, I'm gonna take this one! ;)

I think a band clamp would be a good choice here too, since it'll still help close the crack up a little bit. Maybe a vice padded with rubber to go lengthwise, and a band clamp to go around it. I think that's the right way to go here (I'd be interested to hear other opinions though).

[Seattleite]

I am a little late on this one but here goes. The Montblanc 121 is not a celluloid pen. It is made of what MB calls "Precious Resin", whatever that is. A compound based on a synthetic polymer, I have heard. The solvents mentioned will not take this material in to solution, though they may adversely affect it.

I'm a thumbs down on the clamping. Without knowing why the pen cracked, you can't know what will happen when introducing more movement and stress to an already compromised structure. Often, added stress is relieved by extending the crack that you are trying to remedy.

If it were mine, and it functioned well, I would use it as is. If I really liked it I would look for a replacement cap.

Take care - Bob

[Seattleite]

I am a little late on this one but here goes. The Montblanc 121 is not a celluloid pen. It is made of what MB calls "Precious Resin", whatever that is. A compound based on a synthetic polymer, I believe. The solvents mentioned will not take this material into solution, though they may adversely affect it.

If it were mine, and it functioned well, I would use it as is. If I really liked it I would look for a replacement cap.

Take care - Bob

[mhosea]

It is made of what MB calls "Precious Resin", whatever that is.

In some cases, at least, it appears to be acrylic (https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/18457-Precious-Resin?p=193547&viewfull=1#post193547).

[Seattleite]

Thanks. Makes sense.

Bob