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View Full Version : Old Sheaffer with a problem--easy fix or no?



Cathy Johnson (Kate)
May 8th, 2013, 05:00 PM
I bought a lovely old Sheaffer pen on eBay (Sheaffer Golden Brown Striated Balance 875 Lever Fill Fountain Pen w/ 2T Nib) and the seller said it needed a new sac--I'm okay with that, but not sure that's ALL it needs. The old sac had hardened and disintegrated inside, and came out in shards when the pen came apart (the good news is that the lever now works!) (I didn't TAKE it apart, by the way--I don't know enough to do that, it just came apart in 2 pieces.)

The problem is that the body and the nib section won't stay together, and I don't know enough about these old pens to know WHY. Will a new sac fix that? Is that what holds them together normally, or is there something else wrong? I've had a fair number of vintage lever-fill pens, and new sacs installed on several of them--you've done some of them! NEVER had one in two pieces, though...

The seller's just being lovely about this, and says if I don't feel it's worth it to repair, to send it in for a refund. What do you think?

Thanks!

Best--
Kate

KrazyIvan
May 8th, 2013, 05:02 PM
Without seeing a picture, it is hard to say but it does not sound right.

dr.grace
May 8th, 2013, 05:09 PM
After you install a new sac, normally you use shellac or a rosin-based sealant to secure the section in the barrel.

Ray-VIgo
May 8th, 2013, 05:45 PM
A new sac will not make them fit together. It sounds like the section and barrel are no longer a snug fit. This can happen for a number of reasons. Check the mouth of the barrel near the threads to make sure there are no cracks or breaks. If everything is good and nothing is cracked, you build up layers of shellac on the section and let them dry. This widens the section to the point that it becomes a snug fit in the barrel. Then heat both gently and put the pen back together.

Cathy Johnson (Kate)
May 8th, 2013, 06:07 PM
A new sac will not make them fit together. It sounds like the section and barrel are no longer a snug fit. This can happen for a number of reasons. Check the mouth of the barrel near the threads to make sure there are no cracks or breaks. If everything is good and nothing is cracked, you build up layers of shellac on the section and let them dry. This widens the section to the point that it becomes a snug fit in the barrel. Then heat both gently and put the pen back together.

Thanks, Ray, that makes sense. I don't see any cracks.

Cathy Johnson (Kate)
May 8th, 2013, 06:09 PM
Without seeing a picture, it is hard to say but it does not sound right. I got a photo, but I don't think it's good enough that you can tell anything. It just shows the body of the pen, the nib section, and the cap. Thanks!

jacksterp
May 15th, 2013, 01:03 PM
Kate - Did you ever get this sorted out?

Cathy Johnson (Kate)
May 15th, 2013, 03:18 PM
Kate - Did you ever get this sorted out?

I think so! I sent it off to Pendleton Brown, thanks!

Flounder
May 15th, 2013, 03:21 PM
I'm in the middle of some rosin sealant experiments, and in my last vid, I mentioned something called "Prout's Glue", which stuck in my mind specifically because it was for troublesome sections. I've now managed to find the site I was thinking of, have a look here (http://www.penworkshop.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=21). The seller calls it "the traditional and most effective way of curing ill fitting sections [if the substance is anything like rosin sealant, possibly because it can be made quite thick?]"

Cathy Johnson (Kate)
May 18th, 2013, 11:02 AM
I'm in the middle of some rosin sealant experiments, and in my last vid, I mentioned something called "Prout's Glue", which stuck in my mind specifically because it was for troublesome sections. I've now managed to find the site I was thinking of, have a look here (http://www.penworkshop.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=21). The seller calls it "the traditional and most effective way of curing ill fitting sections [if the substance is anything like rosin sealant, possibly because it can be made quite thick?]"

Thanks! So far so good, it came home much better than it left, but I'll keep that in mind.

Chi Town
May 19th, 2013, 05:24 AM
+1 on the Prouts glue!

Chi Town
May 19th, 2013, 05:27 AM
I also was thinking of using the thread sealant from Mainstreet pens, it's awfull sticky / gooey and I would thing it would be perfect for this job.