Vintage Aurora 88--Section threading...

[fountainpenkid]

Hi all,

For anyone who knows the vintage a88, one of the coolest things about it is the nib. The section unscrews , allowing you to easily lubricate the piston...but this also makes you have to worry about leaking in the section threads. I have taken my 88's section off twice, and i get some small lines on ink on my hands--from the ink leaking very minorly around the 0-ring. There is plenty of silicone grease. But some articles seem to imply that the section should be shellaced on...is this necessary? Can I solve the problem another way?

[duncan]

I don't have any experience with the a88, but general o-ring advice: you should have just a teeny, tiny amount of silicon grease on the o-ring or the ink might capillary around the o-ring via the excess grease. Try wiping off the grease until it is just slightly shiny and reassemble. You could also try replacing the o-ring in case the one in there is worn. If all else fails load your a88 with ink that looks good on your fingers

[fountainpenkid]

I don't have any experience with the a88, but general o-ring advice: you should have just a teeny, tiny amount of silicon grease on the o-ring or the ink might capillary around the o-ring via the excess grease. Try wiping off the grease until it is just slightly shiny and reassemble. You could also try replacing the o-ring in case the one in there is worn. If all else fails load your a88 with ink that looks good on your fingers

Oops--not an o-ring but a clutch ring...much like those waterman's crusaders from the 50's.

[dannzeman]

After any repairs have been made the section should be sealed on to prevent leaks. A small application of shellac or sheaffer's section sealant would be a good idea.

[fountainpenkid]

So should I remove the silicone grease that's on there right now? If so, how could I remove the silicone grease?

Thanks!

[inky]

I've used diluted dish soap (original dawn) and cool water to remove silicone grease from Noodlers Flex pens. I use 2~3 drops in 8~16 oz of water and just let the parts soak for 20 minutes or so. I wouldn't do this with ebonite or pure celluloid though. I usually wipe off as much of the grease as I can with a paper towel first. Seems to work okay for the Noodlers pens. Also Ron Zorn seems to have some section sealent that dosn't harden like shellac incase you want to be able to open up your pen again easily. I havn't used it but it keeps popping up over and over in the forums.

[fountainpenkid]

I've used diluted dish soap (original dawn) and cool water to remove silicone grease from Noodlers Flex pens. I use 2~3 drops in 8~16 oz of water and just let the parts soak for 20 minutes or so. I wouldn't do this with ebonite or pure celluloid though. I usually wipe off as much of the grease as I can with a paper towel first. Seems to work okay for the Noodlers pens. Also Ron Zorn seems to have some section sealent that doesn't harden like shellac incase you want to be able to open up your pen again easily. I haven't used it but it keeps popping up over and over in the forums.

Thanks for the info! I'm not worried about alcohol or other chemicals with this, as the section is HR, not celluloid, which is damaged by alcohol... I'm not seeing Zorn's "magic sealant" on his site, so I don't know where I would get it. Also, is this sealant really better that silicone grease?

[dannzeman]

Thanks for the info! I'm not worried about alcohol or other chemicals with this, as the section is HR, not celluloid, which is damaged by alcohol... I'm not seeing Zorn's "magic sealant" on his site, so I don't know where I would get it. Also, is this sealant really better that silicone grease?

The sealant is his reformulated Sheaffer thread sealant, and yeah, it's a whole lot better than silicone grease for sealing a section.

[fountainpenkid]

Thanks! I'll send him an email about it!