Pelikan Repair Advice (140 and 400NN)

[Ste_S]

Recently recevied a 140 and 400NN as presents.

There's a crack in the 140 section with some leakage from it, I'm assuming I'll need a doner barrel/section ?
The 400NN is in much better shape, although the tipping has mostly gone from the KEF nib. I had originally planned to swop the 140 nib into it (they're both screw in ?) but the nib units on both pens seem to be stuck. What's the best way to loosen these up ? Keep on soaking ? Heat ?

[whych]

Keep soaking and flushing the pen at regular intervals. The nibs will eventually loosen to unscrew. Don't force them.

The tipping on the old Pelikan nibs is not the blob you get on modern nibs, so more than likely the tipping is still fine on the nib.

[Ste_S]

Thanks. Will do some more soaking until they start to loosen.

The KEF nib on the 400NN is a bit scratchy and can get caught in the paper - much like a sharp italic. Is this about right ?
I must admit I'm more used to medium and broads than Extra Fines. Still an amazing semi-flex nib though

[Jeph]

The KEF should not catch on the paper. The Kugel tips were actually slightly rounder than the other tipping although still not the modern blob as Whych already explained. The tines are probably slightly misaligned. Or, it could be possible that some of the tipping has broken off but a slight alignment issue is more likely. Do you have a loupe to check with?
I have Pelikan EF's, DEF's and a KF (but not a KEF, alas) from that era and none of them are scratchy or catch on the paper. The KEF should be smoother than the others as the rounder tipping (Kugel = "ball") allows more leniency with the rotational angle of contact between the nib and the paper.

[Ste_S]

The tines where misaligned, don't know why I didn't think to check in the first place, doh ! Anyhoo, sorted now. Seems to a bit better and doesn't catch on the loop of y's as it did before.
Tipping seems to be more of a coating over the end of the tines rather than the big blob of today's pens. This about right ?

[tandaina]

Yup! The regular Pelikan nibs of the era (non K) have my favorite tipping of any pen, ever. Anything bigger than a B is basically a lovely soft stub. I'm not a fan of modern "blob" tipping.

[Ste_S]

I quite like both. Current modern favourites are Pelikan and Delta steel broads, they're wet and smooth and make some inks sing.

Flow is somewhat inconsistant on the 400NN, and coupled with the fact the nib unit still isn't unscrewing, probably means theres dryed ink still in there.
Any problems with leaving the nib and section end of pen to soak in ammonia solution overnight ? Also considering buying a ultrasonic cleaner, any problems with dunking the pen in one of those ?

[whych]

I quite like both. Current modern favourites are Pelikan and Delta steel broads, they're wet and smooth and make some inks sing.

Flow is somewhat inconsistant on the 400NN, and coupled with the fact the nib unit still isn't unscrewing, probably means theres dryed ink still in there.
Any problems with leaving the nib and section end of pen to soak in ammonia solution overnight ? Also considering buying a ultrasonic cleaner, any problems with dunking the pen in one of those ?

No problem in putting either pen (140 or 400) into a US cleaner.
Even now, put the whole pen into a bowl of water and work the piston with the pen submersed. This will get rid of any ink that has got to the back of the piston over the years.
Leave the pen soaking and keep working the piston at regular intervals and changing the water till the water runs clear from both ends.

[Ste_S]

I think it's time for an ultrasonic cleaner. They've both been flushed and soaked off and on last week, and last night submerged them in water and worked the piston every now and again. Water is coming out clean, but the nib units are still stuck firm and flow is still inconsistant on the 400NN

[Jeph]

You can try some GENTLE heat on the section but it should not take much.
I mean gentle enough that you could try holding the section with a finger firmly wrapped around it for 30 minutes while you watch some silly TV show. That nearly 100 deg F should be sufficient without any risk of overheating anything.
Also, please make sure that you are holding the nib unit firmly in one hand and trying to turn the pen barrel instead of trying to twist the nib unit itself.
Another thing is to add a drop of standard dishwashing detergent to your water for soaking.

Stiff nib units are common on pens that have not been disassembled in a long time. Patience is your most important tool.

[Ste_S]

So ultrasonic cleaner arrived. I've given it four cycles with the cleaner and still no joy with removing the nib unit.

Will more cycles/soaking/flushing (with patience) pay off, or is this likely to be stuck/damaged ?

[whych]

More cycles will help.
When you leave the pen with water in it for a couple of hours, does the water run clear?
When you cycle it in the cleaner after a couple of hours of soaking, does any ink still come from the nib?

It has taken 30 years or so for the ink to build up and it won't disappear now without a fight.

[Ste_S]

Water is clear, which makes me wonder if the threads are broken in someway.

I've inked it up again. If I get a consistant flow of ink from the pen, I'll be tempted to leave it alone for now

[whych]

It may be that you have got a pen that has a push fit nib. There were some batches of 140s and 400s that were made with press fit nibs. I even have a 120 with a press fit nib.
As long as the feed is clear of old ink, the pen should have no problems feeding.
If it does give a problem directly after filling, leave it capped and standing nib down for a while after filling.

[Ste_S]

Inconsistant flow still...
Pen writes fine with a full feed, but writes a lot dryer and skips after the feed is emptied and relying on ink from the barrel.

Back in the ultrasonic you go ! I guess there's no obvious way of telling if it's press fit or screw other than trying to pull the nib ?

[Jeph]

A press-fit nib unit would (should) have come out already with all of the fiddling.
Don't pull on the nib unit; a press fit nib unit can still be twisted without harm (using the proper grip.)
Maybe it is time to seek out a professional. The pen itself is worth the trouble and the money.