Montblanc 324 push button mechanism (novice repairer)

[profdavid]

Hi everyone,

This will be my first repair project with my button-filler MB 324 which has a lovely oblique nib I am very fond of. It was a daily writer and shirt pocket pen until about a year ago when ink leaked through the blind cap end and congealed. Finally, I got up the courage to take it apart and have a look. As expected, the ink sack had corroded away (see photo).

Now I can buy a new ink sack and fit it; probably not too difficult... But firstly, what about the button filler mechanism, it looks somewhat corroded and is in two parts. There is a small hole in the middle of both metal bars, I presume these were supposed to be attached, if so how? Looking online I can’t find one like it but then have no idea if it is original or not. Any tips much appreciated.