A Swan 3160 Clip Replacement

[Deb]

I got this pen for very little because of the bad state it was in. It's a Swan 3160, the smallest pen in the late 40s/early 50s range. The clip had been snapped off, leaving a small part of it in the cap. I should have taken photos all the way through the repair, but I didn't so this next photo is one of the seller's ones. A fuzzy, out of focus effort it is too, but I think you can see that there is a piece of metal in the cap where the clip once resided.



I applied heat in short bursts, letting it build up enough to reduce the brittleness of the material. Then, using my dentistry skills, I pulled out the sliver of metal with needle-nosed pliers. I had a donor cap of the same size and as it was already damaged I applied considerable heat to loosen things up. A small flat-bladed screwdriver was used to lever the clip out and a few taps of a plastic mallet seated it in the cap of the 3160. It's a good clip, with just a little loss of plating on the ball end.

Unfortunately that isn't the end of the problem. The nib that had been fitted in the pen came from a Conway Stewart. It's a nice stub nib but it isn't right and, at the moment, I don't have a No 1 Swan nib so this pen will need to await the arrival of one. That's how it was when pens were just the tool you used every day. The repairer fitted whatever nib he had of the right size to allow you to continue using your pen.

[eckiethump]

I get a lot of these Deb, its a mystery why so many of the clips break. I drill out the remnants of the old clip, then insert the sacrificial replacement with Liquid Weld. Nickel clips, like Swan No. 1 nibs, seem to be far less common than GF, or Swan No. 2 nibs.

[Deb]

You are so right! No 1 nibs and nickel clips are as rare as hens' teeth. I used to glue the replacement clips in but I found that if I heat the cap and pull out the remains of the old clip (not always possible, of course) I can tap the replacement into the socket and it is held very firmly without glue.

Don't be stuck for parts. I might have what you need.

[migo984]

I have a little Swan 3170 (it’s a mid denim blue colour) in quite nice condition. The lever, clip and narrow cap band are gold fill. I’m very lucky that it has its original (I assume) No. 1 14ct Swan Mabie Todd nib, which is a chunky medium. There’s no getting away from it being a Swan; both the black section and the underside of the feed are stamped “Swan”, plus it has all the usual Swan “self-filler”, trademark and Mabie Todd & Co Ltd barrel imprints!

I’m very fond of the little pen. It writes really well and is surprisingly comfortable to use for such a dinky little thing. In fact, it’s actually smaller than my posted vintage Pilot Elite pocket pen. Mind you it looks positively chunky compared to my Burnham No. 44! 🙂

[Deb]

The 70, which is described as pastel blue, is quite an uncommon colour. Can you post a photo? They're great little pens. I don't find them too small, but they're about at the limit for me.

[migo984]

The 70, which is described as pastel blue, is quite an uncommon colour. Can you post a photo? They're great little pens. I don't find them too small, but they're about at the limit for me.

I wouldn’t describe it as pastel blue. I’ll post a photo sometime later today. 🙂

[Deb]

I know. Some of the Mabie Todd descriptions are very strange. There are, for instance, some patterns described as "mosaic". They're multicoloured but bear no resemblance to mosaic.

[migo984]

As requested here are a few photos of my 3170. Apologies that they’re not very good. I’m no photographer!

I hope you can make out the details ok. As you can see the pen is actually quite a darkish blue. I’d say a mid denim. I placed a pale pastel blue coloured pencil adjacent to it as a comparison of the colour.

The nib is quite soft, with a nice spring and a slight amount of flex; the ink flow is generous and the pen writes very well indeed.

I bought this from Cob at a London Geeks’ meeting, a few years back. He was always bringing vintage pens, with great nibs, to tempt me with! 🙂

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[RuiFromUK]

Those photos remind me of my dear Swans. They are still in storage since we left UK as our house is still like a construction site. I agree, I wouldn't call that colour pastel blue either as I think I also have one (really Rui? ) but it might have darkened a bit with age.

[Fermata]

Perhaps RAF Blue would be close enough?

[Deb]

Your pen looks great. I agree about the colour.. Cob is a very good restorer.