Caution Casein!

[Jeph]

It is time for another installment of Jeph shows you how NOT to fix a fountain pen.

I recently got this nameless beautiful black button filler with silver grey marbling and a 14K Rupp nib. The color was absolutely stunning. (That should have been my first clue.)

I soaked everything for an hour and cleaned it up and it got even better looking.

I was able to get the threaded section loose, but not the button housing. I did not unscrew the section as that is a sure way to mangle the pressure bar. The pressure bar needs to be removed from the top before the section is removed.

I tried 3 sessions with gentle heat trying to get the button housing out and got nowhere.

I decided to give soapy water a chance, so I filled the barrel with the soapy water and submerged the button housing and about another 1/4 inch of the top of the pen in water (top down) with the pen leaned up against the side of the tub to keep it upright and the rest of the pen out of water. The next day (about 18 hours) I went to take it out of the water and the (threaded, remember?) section came straight out of the barrel. I looked at the pen and I was holding a swollen banana. My heart sank. I cursed. Alot. I realized immediately what had happened. I had read about casein pens but never expected to stumble across one. For those that don't know about casein, there is an excellent series of articles here
Pentrace casein article by David Wells

I figured that I had nothing to loose, so I got a bigger tub where the barrel could lay flat submerged and left it overnight. My hope was that it would continue to expand, but now straight without leaning against the corner of the tub and allowing mean Mr. Gravity to have his way. As expected that was no use. But, the button did fall out of the button housing. Now I am not sure if the button housing screws in or is an integral part of the barrel. How sad is it that I might not have ever needed to soak it? Oh the what-if's.

I intend to let it dry (no heat) and see if it cracks and what shape it returns to when dry. I see very little hope that it will suddenly straighten itself.

So, if the barrel decides not to crack, does anyone know of a master repairman that has had luck trying to straighten casein pens that some bonehead has soaked in water?


Casein Oops.jpg

[KrazyIvan]

Ouch. There was a time I was after a modern casein pen. After reading on how some people unknowingly soaked a pen only to discover it had dissolved into a pool of goo, I stopped looking for one.

I wonder if it can be shaped while wet?

[Deb]

Frankly, there's not much chance of returning a distorted barrel to its original shape. It can be done in some cases, in expert hands, but the value of the pen has to justify the repair which doesn't come cheap. Personally, I never soak a pen - any pen. Judicious application of heat, persistence and patience loosens whatever there is to be loosened.

Casein's a good material. It doesn't melt at the touch of a damp cloth - you've really got to soak it to get the above result. Apart from some strongly coloured pens, it's hard to tell which pens are casein and which are celluloid, which is a good reason not to soak any of them.

[Tony Rex]

I have marginally controlled a swelling on a CS International with just a wet towel over it for a few hours, then wrapped a tight bandage of stiff cellophane over afterwards. Basically, you can do whatever you like with the material when it's floppy, but it has no memory whatsoever, you need to mould it back. Perhaps a solid cylinder in the barrel and tight compression on the outside like I did?

[Jeph]

It looks like letting it dry has almost worked. I placed it on one of the small U-shaped stands I use to take pictures with the bow facing up so gravity would help pull it down.
The barrel is now as straight as any of my other pens and rolls evenly across the table. I am shocked and amazed but happy.
The section threads smoothly into the barrel.
The blind cap threads smoothly onto the end of the barrel, althogh it is slightly off perfect. That was the way it was when I got it though.
The cap closure threads smoothly onto the cap.
BUT, the barrel will not thread into the cap. I think that the threads on the very end of the barrel are slighly fishmouthed.

I have not yet decided on a course of action but I am thinking about more water and pressure but I am working on a way to get more accurate thread measurements before I start trying to design some forming fixture.
Wish me luck.


Wow this picture is fuzzy but it is good enough to see that it has a symmetrical cigar shape now.
Casein Better.jpg

[cwent2]

A grand bit of luck, that. Either that or the pen gods are smiling at Ya

Either way congratulations and good luck going forward

[Mags]

Nicely done and you have been applying physics and luck with equal success so there is hope it will eventually align and work.