Dunhill AD2000 Repair

[aytri]

Hi all,

I've recently acquired what I believe to be a Dunhill AD2000.

It wasn't the best writer, so I flushed it with water and took it apart for a good soaking. Whilst flushing, I noticed the converter seemed to "stick" a little and was reluctant to take up water.

It also has a medium gold nib, which is slightly bent.

So two questions really:

1. Where can I buy a new converter? I'm sure they'll only be a couple of quid so I figure it's worth replacing.

2. Is it possible to buy a replacement nib for this pen? If so, from where? I'd ideally like an italic nib. If not, the other alternative is sending it to a nibmeister. I'm reluctant to try to fix it myself, as a) I'm clumsy, b) I simply don't know enough about how to do it, and c) [most importantly] the pen has sentimental value.

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
aytri

[Wile E Coyote]

You should be able to use Pilot/Namiki cartridges or converters since the pen was made by Pilot/Namiki.

A replacement nib is another story. Your only options are to send the pen to Dunhill or possibly Pilot for service or to a good pen repair. I would recommend John Mottishaw at nibs.com considering the pen's monetary and sentimental values. He can also grind the nib to an italic but it won't have much variation since it's only a Japanese M which runs a bit fine.

Nice pen and definitely worth getting repaired.

[aytri]

I'm surprised to find that you can't simply go out and buy a new nib. I've looked and looked but I'm not getting anywhere! My Lamy Safari... no problem

[Wile E Coyote]

Pilot doesn't sell nibs and does all repairs in house.

[AltecGreen]

I'm surprised to find that you can't simply go out and buy a new nib. I've looked and looked but I'm not getting anywhere! My Lamy Safari... no problem

It's not that common for replacement nibs to be sold retail. A few modern brands sell nibs or nib units but most do not. Also, even if you had a bare new nib for your AD2000, you will need some knowledge and possibly some tools to reset the nib so that it will write properly.


As for a converter, you can use any of the three current Pilot converters. The AD2000 originally came with the Pilot Con-70 pump converter. Note that a replacement converter will not have the Dunhill logo on it. You can look on Amazon.co.uk for a Pilot Con-70.

The nib on the AD2000 was made by Pilot but has Dunhill imprints. To get an exact replacement, you would have to contact Dunhill. A new Pilot would fit but would have Pilot imprints. Dunhill might not have any of these replacement nibs since that pen was made quite a long time ago, and Dunhill no longer works with Pilot on their pens.

As for fixing the nib, if you don't have the knowledge then you will have to send it out. There are a number of people who can work on the pen. It depends on where you are and what needs to be done with the nib. Just straightening the nib, resetting it, and adjusting for flow should not be too expensive.

If you want an italic, there are different ways to approach this. If you don't mind a very fine nib and only slight line variation, your M nib could be ground down. The nib can be re-tipped and then ground into an italic of almost any practical size. There are three people who publicly advertise re-tipping work. In Europe, I would contact Alvaro Romillo. The other two would be John Mottishaw and Greg Minuskin. All three can also repair the nib. The third option is very hard. If you don't mind getting a Pilot marked nib, a replacement Pilot italic nib could be sourced. The nib on the AD2000 is probably a #15 or #10 Pilot nib. Pilot makes a SU nib in those sizes that is roughly a stub. Strictly speaking, Pilot does sell their nibs, they just don't do it retail and they rarely do it outside of Japan. A number of people in Japan can source the nibs. You just have to convince them to sell you one.