Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 43

Thread: No Name Brand Pen Repair

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Hi! I'm a newbie to fountain pens and new to the forum. I bought several inexpensive pens off eBay to repair but I'm having difficulty figuring out how to find the correct parts. All of them need ink sacs, most of them need clips and at least one of them needs a finial. How do you find spare parts for pens that were mass produced and don't have brand names?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Posts
    11,404
    Thanks
    6,876
    Thanked 10,363 Times in 3,978 Posts
    Rep Power
    24

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    You might be able to get the correct size sacs by measuring the nipple diameters and buying sacs that fit that size nipple. Or just buy a selection of sacs.

    Many no name brand pens were cheaply made and spare parts were never made available as they weren't designed to be repaired. So you would have to find and use clips, nibs and finials that fit. Pen shows, auctions, yard sales and thrift stores may be the places for these.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Chrissy For This Useful Post:

    Bunk2019 (February 1st, 2020), Chuck Naill (February 1st, 2020)

  4. #3
    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Highlands of Scotland
    Posts
    1,747
    Thanks
    2,351
    Thanked 1,927 Times in 842 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Most of us who repair pens gradually build up a parts holding over years. If you provide photos of your pens someone may be able to help you with parts. Chrissy's advice about sacs is good. Just buy a starter pack.
    Regards,
    Deb
    My Blog

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Deb For This Useful Post:

    Bunk2019 (February 1st, 2020)

  6. #4
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Thanks Deb and Chrissy. I bought 4 pens off eBay because they were inexpensive and I wanted to see what they were like inside. I've been able to remove the ink sacs from all of the pens. They still need to be cleaned up before new ones can be added. I also have Frank DuBiel's book and am reading that. I'm stuck on how to select replacement clips and finials. Are they sized? Do you just rummage around in a box until you find something that fits?

    I'm having some difficulty posting photos but I'm going to keep trying. Two of my pens are marked with brands. One is a Packard pen/pencil combo that is missing a bit of decoration (a brass ring?) on the cap finial which is also heavily chewed. The other is marked Clifford and is missing the clip which probably was attached through the center of the cap finial. I'll post the pics as soon as I can figure out how!

  7. #5
    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Highlands of Scotland
    Posts
    1,747
    Thanks
    2,351
    Thanked 1,927 Times in 842 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Sorry to say that I won't be able to help you with parts as my spares are almost all British. Someone else may help. Bite marks can often be removed by heating. There are various ways of posting photos. I resize them to about 900 pixels, copy them over to Fotki and paste them into a post from there. Frank Dubiel's book is rather outdated now and some of his practices would no longer be recommended. The recommended source of repair information nowadays is Pen Repair by Marshall & Oldfield and, of course, you can always ask for help here!

    I mostly deal with quite high-end pens so I want all the parts to be correct, but for inexpensive pens for practice/use, yes - rummage around in the box to see what will fit.
    Regards,
    Deb
    My Blog

  8. #6
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair


  9. #7
    Senior Member Fermata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    488
    Thanks
    187
    Thanked 598 Times in 298 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    I may be wrong but I suspect that Clifford is the name of first owner.

    Is that a crack down the section of the green marbled pen?

    These pens need a lot of work and good luck, if your target is to have some vintage pens in as new condition then you have a steep hill to climb.

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Fermata For This Useful Post:

    Scrawler (February 7th, 2020)

  11. #8
    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Highlands of Scotland
    Posts
    1,747
    Thanks
    2,351
    Thanked 1,927 Times in 842 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    They will be good pens to learn repair.
    Regards,
    Deb
    My Blog

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Deb For This Useful Post:

    Bunk2019 (February 1st, 2020)

  13. #9
    Senior Member Fermata's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    488
    Thanks
    187
    Thanked 598 Times in 298 Posts
    Rep Power
    8

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Quote Originally Posted by Deb View Post
    They will be good pens to learn repair.
    Absoblinkinglutely. Must admit that I served my apprenticeship with worse pens than that, its just that if you want originality then its going to be difficult and not much reward, other than an education.

  14. #10
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    4,003
    Thanks
    6,231
    Thanked 3,424 Times in 1,716 Posts
    Rep Power
    17

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    They look like fun!
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  15. #11
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Quote Originally Posted by Fermata View Post
    I may be wrong but I suspect that Clifford is the name of first owner.

    Is that a crack down the section of the green marbled pen?

    These pens need a lot of work and good luck, if your target is to have some vintage pens in as new condition then you have a steep hill to climb.
    No, the section on the marbled green pen isn't cracked. That line appears to be a seam from the mold -- there's an identical line on the opposite side of the section.

    Edited to add: I just read on Richard Binder's site that the nib is called a spoon nib and is often found on "third tier" pens. I wonder if that's why the section shows the mold seams? I'm already learning so much!
    Last edited by Bunk2019; February 1st, 2020 at 11:23 PM. Reason: Edited to add additional information

  16. #12
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Thanks for the input, everyone. My goal is to get them all writing and I'd like to have them look close to what they once did -- with clips, finials, etc. I'm not aiming for perfect vintage restoration but just want the experience of tackling the different challenges with the expectation that I'll learn something and maybe wind up with a pretty pen at the end of this experiment. I bought cheap pens with obvious problems for a reason! So, now I'm back to where I started. I want clips and finials but don't know where to find them and do not have a box of them sitting around and am not sure that there is a flea market with treasures to find in my area. I have seen lots of sites that sell ink sacs, j-bars, etc but I don't think I've seen any clips or finials listed on the sites I've visited. Does anyone know of a source for those parts?

  17. #13
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Posts
    238
    Thanks
    45
    Thanked 97 Times in 71 Posts
    Rep Power
    5

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Odd named brands can sometimes be tracked to a more known maker. I've noticed older British pens with Typhoo tea name on the clip, and some of them look very promising. I've discoved a Danish phenol factory produced pens under varous brand names, and I think I have a piston filler of their origin, gold nib and nice marbeled stripes. I would grab the next one I come across. You can get lucky with pens like this, even though most of them aren't particularly noteworthy.

  18. #14
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Where pigs run free!
    Posts
    4,003
    Thanks
    6,231
    Thanked 3,424 Times in 1,716 Posts
    Rep Power
    17

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    The butterscotch/gold pen is very attractive. I might try filling that hole in the cap with layers of artist's acrylic resin, then black paint.

    We had a bunch of no-name clipless, finial-less beaters that became nice little writers.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to Sailor Kenshin For This Useful Post:

    Bunk2019 (February 1st, 2020)

  20. #15
    Senior Member Deb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Highlands of Scotland
    Posts
    1,747
    Thanks
    2,351
    Thanked 1,927 Times in 842 Posts
    Rep Power
    12

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Quote Originally Posted by arrow View Post
    Odd named brands can sometimes be tracked to a more known maker. I've noticed older British pens with Typhoo tea name on the clip, and some of them look very promising. I've discoved a Danish phenol factory produced pens under varous brand names, and I think I have a piston filler of their origin, gold nib and nice marbeled stripes. I would grab the next one I come across. You can get lucky with pens like this, even though most of them aren't particularly noteworthy.
    The Ty-Phoo Tea pens generally attract some interest. They appeared in various versions over the years, the earliest being attactive mottles hard rubber pens with warranted nibs. Some of the later ones were almost certainly made by Langs.
    Regards,
    Deb
    My Blog

  21. #16
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor Kenshin View Post
    The butterscotch/gold pen is very attractive. I might try filling that hole in the cap with layers of artist's acrylic resin, then black paint.

    We had a bunch of no-name clipless, finial-less beaters that became nice little writers.
    I really like that one, too. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll give that a shot! What sort of paint should I use? Could the resin be colored instead of painted?

  22. #17
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Quote Originally Posted by arrow View Post
    Odd named brands can sometimes be tracked to a more known maker. I've noticed older British pens with Typhoo tea name on the clip, and some of them look very promising. I've discoved a Danish phenol factory produced pens under varous brand names, and I think I have a piston filler of their origin, gold nib and nice marbeled stripes. I would grab the next one I come across. You can get lucky with pens like this, even though most of them aren't particularly noteworthy.
    I read that many "big box" brands were made by National Pen Company but I don't know how to search for pens that have no markings on them. Is there a database somewhere I haven't found yet?

  23. #18
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Carlisle, Pennsylvania USA
    Posts
    4,909
    Thanks
    1,396
    Thanked 6,390 Times in 2,505 Posts
    Rep Power
    18

  24. The Following User Says Thank You to FredRydr For This Useful Post:

    Bunk2019 (February 1st, 2020)

  25. #19
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    Thanks. I can't seem to join the Fountain Pen Network. Their very rigid registration protocols have marked me as a spammer and there is no redress for this except to create a new email address just for the forum. Annoying.

  26. #20
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    27
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    Rep Power
    0

    Default Re: No Name Brand Pen Repair

    http://oldfountainpensjustforfun.blo...edal-pens.html . I just found a link to a blog with photos of two pens that look very like my green "Clifford" pen. The first example has a clip that attaches at the top of the finial which is probably how my pen's clip originally attached. Fun! I feel like Nancy Drew!

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •