Osmia 884

[Cob]

Hullo,

As I mentioned in the Recent Acquisitions Thread I have just got my hands on an Osmia 884; I love it even if I have had to fit a cap from my junk box...

Osmia Nib.jpg

Of course the piston filler doesn't work: I introduced water via the nib end using a rubber bulb; water then pees out of the other end!

What I would like to know is first how to take the pen apart without breaking anything and then where to buy the appropriate cork/rubber seals.

Thanks very much in advance.

Cob

[Jeph]

If you take off the blind cap you should see the piston housing screwed into the back of the barrel.
Try soaking your existing cork in water before messing with it. If you are lucky it will swell instead of disintegrate.
If it does you are golden. If not, well, I have yet to see an advertised source for cork seals.

[Cob]

Thank you very much Jeph.

I did a little research today and found that some Osmia types have to soak their pens for DAYS!

If one cannot find cork seals, then that lovely nib is going to have to go into something else!

Thanks again

Best wishes

Cob

[Jeph]

That is definitely an option, especially with no cap, but a complete 884 is a VERY nice pen so don't lose track of that nib!

[Cob]

Yes, well in my junk box I have found a reasonably respectable cap that fits!

Osmia with cap.jpg

Shame about the clip - but one cannot have everything can one!

Rgds

Cob

[Jeph]

Yes, the nibs are nice. So soak that cork seriously now. If that short of a soak got it to draw you might be able to bring it back with just time and water!

[Cob]

You can bet your life it's soaking right now!

Best wishes

Cob

[whych]

The cork may have just dried out.
Chuck the whole pen into a dish of water and work the piston to get water into it and leave it for a day or so. The cork could start to seal again.

[Cob]

Thank you very much; dish of water coming up!

Best wishes

Cob

[whych]

If it works, either store the pen with water when not inked or soak again before use.
Those old Osmia nibs are really great to use. The Supra nib is meant to be more flexible than the standard nib.
Like the old Pelikans, they just don't like poor quality paper because they are really wet.

[Cob]

If it works, either store the pen with water when not inked or soak again before use.
Those old Osmia nibs are really great to use. The Supra nib is meant to be more flexible than the standard nib.
Like the old Pelikans, they just don't like poor quality paper because they are really wet.

Thank you I'll follow that advice. Yes, the nib is wonderful: it has the lovely line variation that my Watermans No 32 has (Ideal broad stub) but coupled, as you suggest, with good flexibility. It really is quite outstanding I think.

I should that it doesn't write particularly wet - after the first dribbles that is!

Hmm, yet another "keeper"!

Rgds

Cob

[Cob]

Well, after about 72 hours' soaking, it is not much better, so hopes are fading; I'll give it until the end of tomorrow and then I'll be asking about a) dismantling and b) cork seals - or better still some modern substitute.

Thanks in advance!

Cob

[whych]

You may be lucky and find that a couple of O-rings will fit.
Post a pic of the back with the blind cap removed and I should be able to give you some pointers on how to dismantle it.
(Tip: there should be a little hole in the shaft that goes into the pen body - not the piston shaft. bend a paper clip to fit into the hole and use the paper clip to unscrew it.
It should be a standard right hand thread - only Pelikan used left hand threads)
Meantime leave it soaking.
Perhaps we need to club together and get ourselves a decent cork cutter - I have quite a few pens that need corks, as does Jeph I would assume. That way we can all get to cut the corks we need.

[Cob]

Hullo again.

I tried to fill it this evening - with ink of course - after three days of water! It pulled up a fair bit of ink, and I wrote a bit with it, but you wouldn't want to wear it in your pocket as ink dribbles out the end!

OK here a couple of pictures of the end as you asked.

Filler Knob S 1.jpg

Filler Knob 2.jpg

This is the only plunger filler I have - and I'm not keen to have any more after this lot! Perhaps I'll remove the guts and turn it into an eye-dropper - but filling from the arse-end!

Best wishes

Cob

[whych]

If you wrap some masking tape around your pliers and use the rounded part, you should be able to grip on the threaded piece to unscrew it without damaging the threads.
The whole piston should come out with it. (Screw the piston halfway up to the 'filled' position first to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the barrel.)
It could be that the cork is sealing, but the 'leak' is just water from the top of the piston that was left from the soak.

[Cob]

I'm very grateful for your suggestions; thanks. We'll leave it soaking for another day - I read somewhere that for one chap, four days is the norm! To me the action of the filler feels far too slack for something that is supposed to be keeping ink away from my clothes (for a change). I did check the leak carefully after filling with ink, there was inky-coloured water dripping out after a few seconds - not nearly as bad as the first day though, so something has changed.

I looked at the construction and did think that section pliers might tackle it, but I like the masking tape idea - I'll buy a roll tomorrow!..

Best wishes

And thanks again,

Cob

[Cob]

If you wrap some masking tape around your pliers and use the rounded part, you should be able to grip on the threaded piece to unscrew it without damaging the threads.
The whole piston should come out with it. (Screw the piston halfway up to the 'filled' position first to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the barrel.)
It could be that the cork is sealing, but the 'leak' is just water from the top of the piston that was left from the soak.

WHYCH you're a star - I tried the section pliers and it unscrewed easily - as it should after three and a half days underwater!. I was surprised that there is only one seal - a bit optimistic in my view, but that could be my automotive experience showing. I haven't dismantled the plunger assembly yet as it's getting late and that's when one should be relaxing with a ciggie rather than breaking things on valuable old fountain pens! But looking is not risky: the cork looks pretty shot to me, and I might, after dismantling take the thing to some engineering type places and see what they have in the way of O-rings - ore perhaps brake seals from a motorbike master-cylinder might be in the vicinity; I'll have do some measuring and searching.

Best wishes and once more, thanks.

Cob

[Cob]

UPDATE

Well I'm afraid that the cork has really had it, so another solution must be found.

Watch this space!

Rgds
Cob

[RuiFromUK]

UPDATE

Well I'm afraid that the cork has really had it, so another solution must be found.

Watch this space!

Rgds
Cob

What size of cork do you require? Hopefully another pen's cork could fit there or even some o'rings as mentioned already.

Diameter and height would be useful to see if one of us can help. Also the diameter of the inner hole please.

[Cob]

Thanks Rui.

The (60-year old and worn-out!) cork measures approx. 9mm in diameter and 4mm tall. The internal bore is 5mm.

Rgds

Cob