Pelikan 400 question

[Linkinyeah]

Received what I thought was a great deal on this Pelikan 400. The nib is great and flexible. This is the first Pelikan and vintage piston filler I have ever owned. Sometimes when I pick up the pen I notice small amounts of ink around the bottom black piece that turns on the barrel. Does this probably mean the piston is leaking? I have seen posts about cork pistons. Would this be my issue? Any thoughts on how to repair. I would have posted in the repair section, but I first wanted to make sure this was the issue. Any thoughts?

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[fountainpenkid]

Yep, a leaky piston seal is almost definitely the issue. But the cork bit, not as much. The 400s were the first Pelikans to come with synthetic seals from the get-go. If the barrel has any clarity left (yours looks to be quite good) you might be able to see what the seal is made out of if you turn it around in front of a light. A cork seal would indicate a non-factory repair. The cork isn't an issue per se--they work just as well when properly maintained--but after years of dry-out, it might take a long time (a week, even) to resaturate, or, depending on how it was left to sit, the cork may be permanently damaged.

[Linkinyeah]

Okay, any tips on how to fix the piston seal myself?

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[christof]

I really hate to say this but your pen seems to me to be an incorrect assemblage of parts of different pens.
The cap is clearly from a Pelikan 400NN from 1956-65.
The nib is from an early Pelikan 400 from 1950-1954.
But the barrel could be from a Pelikam M400 from 1982-97 (would need more an better pictures of the section to proof this).
In this case, there is no reasonable way to fix the piston seal by yourself.
C.

PS: check this:

[Linkinyeah]

The barrel is the top picture, with no visible threads. The cap says 400 on it, but not 400nn. It is unfortunate that none of the pieces match, but why do you think it is not repairable?

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[Linkinyeah]

While we are on the subject, this is another pelikan I bought from the same person. It has the barrel like the lower picture. Any thoughts on its build? As of now it doesn't have any issues, other than what I find annoying. The ink will kind of puddle in small drops on the side of the nib.

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[fountainpenkid]

If they came together, the seller might have switched their caps!

[christof]

The barrel is the top picture, with no visible threads. The cap says 400 on it, but not 400nn. It is unfortunate that none of the pieces match, but why do you think it is not repairable?

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Pelikan 400/400N/400NN are all stamped with 400 at the cap band.
The M400 from the 80's is of different design. The piston mechanics is not friction fit and can't be removed by amateur repair persons (me included). Sad but true.

C.

[christof]

While we are on the subject, this is another pelikan I bought from the same person. It has the barrel like the lower picture. Any thoughts on its build? As of now it doesn't have any issues, other than what I find annoying. The ink will kind of puddle in small drops on the side of the nib.

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Hard to say from this picture, but this one seems to be also a mismatch. Cap seems from a 400 and barrel from a 400NN.

[christof]

If they came together, the seller might have switched their caps!

possible.