Taking apart Omas 72 Super

[tandaina]

OK y'all. I've got an Omas 72 Super. It's a lovely hooded nib type pen, slip on cap. The nib is lovely, but it is so dry it doesn't write, well it puts down a bare thread of ink. I'm guessing the nib and feed need cleaning and adjustment. Anyone know how hard this pen is to disassemble? Suggestions on if I should attempt this myself or send it off to someone, and if so, *who*?

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[fountainpenkid]

You could try contacting the owner of zona900.it (info@zona900.it--the owner is extremely knowledgeable about all things vintage Italian.

Best of Luck!

[tandaina]

So I heard back from Paolo and he said to just pull the nib with my fingers. He doesn't know if the feed comes out but the nib supposedly just "pulls from the feed" and bingo you can clean it.

I have no idea how one might do this. My fingers just slide right off the nib if I try pulling. I use well designed German nibs that thread out easily darn it. I've tried grippy kitchen stuff but there isn't anything to GRAB except the feed, so I'm stumped as to how to pull just a nib?

[elaineb]

I'd probably soak it first for a while, to loosen up any ink that might be glueing the nib to the feed. This spring I had a P51 worked on at the Boston Pen Show, and the repairman used a pair of small plastic pliers to pull the nib out of the hood assembly to adjust the flow for me. ("Don't tell anyone you saw me do this," he intoned as he carefully pulled the nib out. "And don't use anything but these sorts of pliers if you tell someone and they want to do it themselves.") The pliers looked like these: http://www.amazon.com/Products-Plier.../dp/B0015A3LIW

[tandaina]

So I soaked this puppy overnight and the nib and feed now pull out fairly easily (feed comes right with it.

It is clean as a whistle. Very clean, nothing gumming it up. Still so dry it hardly writes. Have to FLEX the nib to get any ink going and dries up again. I'm pretty sure the tines are too dang close together, the nib slit is jammed against itself as hard as it can go.

I've tried the "grasp the wings and spread" technique. But the minute you slide the whole thing back into the pen, because it is a hooded nib it just gets all smashed back together. How does one give a hooded nib some breathing room?

[whych]

As long as the nib is making contact with the feed, try a shim between the nib tines. A feeler gauge should work, not too thick.
Before doing this, try leaving the pen filled and capped standing nib down for a day or so. It may just be that it takes time to saturate the feed.

[tandaina]

I've tried the brass shims the Goulets sell and it didn't seem to make a difference. Will try that again. The nib and feed sit VERY tightly together. The pen has been inked for quite a while, not a starved feed I'm afraid.

[whych]

What happens if you put just the feed back without the nib?
You should get ink on the feed if there is nothing blocking the ink flow.