Al-Star outer sheath is loose - opinions wanted

[lisantica]

Hello,
I purchased this silvergreen Al-Star in this known condition because I didn't have one and wanted this color represented.
I can live with it the way it is, but thought I'd ask opinions about it.

Is this something LAMY would repair?
Ideas as how the sheaths are held in place?
Here's a photo for you to see:

[tandaina]

Weird, I'd assume they use some sort of adhesive? Wouldn't hurt to contact them and see what they suggest I suppose. Worse comes to worse maybe use the same stuff you'd use to install a sac? But that's a guess, I'm no chemist!

[lisantica]

I will likely contact them at some point. The pen is perfect in every other way.
Thank you for responding, I like reading opinions.

[Lady Onogaro]

Would shellac hold onto metal the way it would ebonite or plastic?

You do have me wondering, Lisa. I never realized that the innards would even come out of the metal body. Thanks for the pics.

[lisantica]

Thank you for your thoughts Lady Onogaro.
I was thinking that the bonus is we get to see inside the pen.

[tandaina]

Would shellac hold onto metal the way it would ebonite or plastic?

You do have me wondering, Lisa. I never realized that the innards would even come out of the metal body. Thanks for the pics.

Yeah that was my question as well. Shellac is such a safe thing I suppose it probably wouldn't hurt to try it at least. But there are probably folks on here who have fixed an Al-Star so...

[inklord]

Thanks for posting this. Another, more reversible way to fix this is to wedge the outer aluminum sheath to the inner barrel by shimming it with thin paper, such as tomoe river, or thicker (50-70g/m2) if needed. This would simply hold the two pieces together by increased friction until a more permanent solution, perhaps from Lamy, can be found!

[cwent2]

or Teflon tape

[Chrissy]

First, I would contact Lamy and ask them what they suggest.

If they suggest nothing, then I would consider shellac or even a more permanent adhesive. I would never stick paper or tape in there since that might do more harm than good, also in case I wanted to put it in the USC at a later date.

On the other hand, maybe this could be what caused the outer la sheath to come off in the first place?

[Armstrong]

When dealing with plastic and adhesives you have to be careful. Usually you need to know the type of plastic to avoid possible damage or more likely the adhesive not adhering to the plastic. My guess would be a friction fit design and that the tolerances have slipped a slight bit at the plant or in the raw aluminum stock. Enough to let the body slide off. With aluminum you could have quite a bit of dimension change with the temperature also which might have caused the initial release. Certainly contacting Lamy is a good idea, but I doubt shimming with paper or whatever will cause any damage. That is unless the shim is too large. I would try it but try to select a shim material with a thickness that will allow the shim to be removed at a future date if you need to send the pen in. That is if it is still in warranty.

[mhosea]

What we do sometimes with friction-fit sections is build them up with layers of shellac and then let the shellac dry before reassembling. This is, in fact, the primary method for that problem. In that case, shimming is to be discouraged because the barrel may crack. You're pushing outwards against the inside of a circular arch. In this case the outer piece is not a vintage plastic barrel, rather a piece of aluminum. It seems rather unlikely that shimming will break the inner piece, as the force will be pressing against the outside of an arch. So I think it will be OK. Nevertheless, I can't seem to shake the feeling that shimming is somehow "Flintstonian". Shellac seems so much more civilized, despite that it's made from bug secretions.

[Armstrong]

What we do sometimes with friction-fit sections is build them up with layers of shellac

Agree, across the board. The shellac build up would be a good permanent solution, assuming it will stick to whatever plastic was used. If it isn't the 'waxy' types of plastics it would probably be OK but I have zero experience with shellac so I can't say for sure. I like that you could do a thin layer then try it, and repeat until it fits. A good safe approach that if done with care should give one an excellent, safe fit. And it does have a certain vintage approach to it ;-)

And yes, shimming a vintage pen of whatever manufacture would make me nervous. Often the materials were not as durable as modern plastics or metals. Metallurgy has come a long way over the last century which maybe isn't as apparent as the progress plastics have made. As some people have learned who tried to shoot a 'vintage' Colt revolver from the late-1800's using a modern cartridge. Metal alloys these days are much tougher and harder than they were a century ago. Aluminum alloys, especially, have undergone tremendous development.

[lisantica]

Thank you all for your replies.
I am going hold off on doing anything with it myself as I'm not skilled enough to try a shim nor shellac, so I best send it in for a Lamy repair.

[Jon Szanto]

Thank you all for your replies.
I am going hold off on doing anything with it myself as I'm not skilled enough to try a shim nor shellac, so I best send it in for a Lamy repair.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Doing the shellac routine is about as difficult as putting on nail polish, really! The bottle I have actually has a little brush. You'd put on a very thin coat, let it dry on the body, and then slide the outer on. If it is still a little loose, do one more light coat. No kidding, this is not only easy, but reversible, too, so if it doesn't work, THEN you can send it off. At least give it a try.

[inklord]

I can't seem to shake the feeling that shimming is somehow "Flintstonian"

...well, as I wrote, this would be an easily reversible remedy until...

[Armstrong]

Doing the shellac routine

If you don't mind, could you share your source of shellac? Or is it the regular furniture type?

[mhosea]

It's the amber kind, but almost any ordinary non-pen-related source will require you to buy a lot more than you'll need.

Here's a recent thread on the subject, and my own suggestion on where to get some (in the US).

[Armstrong]

Excellent, thanks Mike.