Beat-up Pelikan 120 Restoration

[Tony Rex]

Hi Geeks! Here's some repair pr0n for you...

The Plan:



During the Execution:






The Result:


The full story is in my blog, but basically that's that. Not bad for $3 plus ten shipping..

[earthdawn]

WOW

Great job and what a steal!

Thanks for sharing the process.

[Jeph]

A steal because he can fix the cracks. These are often undervalued but even I have never landed one for $3.
Nice Job.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Awesome. And where might this blog be?

[brewsky]

Awesome work! How did you get the piston knocked out? I have a 140 with a squeeky piston i would like to knock out and lube.

[Tony Rex]

Awesome work! How did you get the piston knocked out? I have a 140 with a squeeky piston i would like to knock out and lube.

It depends. Under normal circumstances I just knock (friction fit) pistons out. Sometimes you can even just keep rotating the grip (the correct term of "blind cap") and the piston unit will knock itself out. But on this one I had to "push and pull", because it was so damn hard. I won't elaborate the unsafe method. It was unique anyway because the spindle had been detached from the grip and got stuck inside. And the cracks on the threads I couldn't use them for grip. Despite the neat pictures above, it was a proper nightmare really.

Tbh I wouldn't risk the above just to fix the squeaks, since you can always do it while doing urgent jobs later, like changing the seal etc. It is literally one tap away from cracking the barrel or splitting the piston housing aka. Instant Death.

But if you insist, I have some tips:
1. Before doing anything, soak the bugger beforehand. Work the piston under water. Soak overnight.
2. Grab the barrel by hand, and rest your hand somewhere stable.
3. Multiple gentle taps are better than one hard punch, and make sure the puncher is dead centre at all times.
4. Take your time.

Good luck buddy.

[tandaina]

The easiest way to grease a Pelikan piston is to remove the nib unit and use a toothpick to put silicone grease onto the barrel. Then move the piston past that point and bingo, greased. Not perfect but helps.

[Tony Rex]

The easiest way to grease a Pelikan piston is to remove the nib unit and use a toothpick to put silicone grease onto the barrel. Then move the piston past that point and bingo, greased. Not perfect but helps.

Yep, that's correct for lubing the piston seal.

But in Brewsky's case it's the either the spindle or the piston shaft (or both) must be slightly lubed to remove the squeak, and to do that the piston unit must be punched out and taken apart first.

[brewsky]

Thank you all for the helpful tips! It seems as if the squeeks are coming from the threads under the piston knob, and not the piston seal! I will have to think a little about if I want to risk knocking out the piston for a simple squeak.

Thanks again!

[whych]

Just make sure you have the piston screwed to the 'full' position: ie the piston as close to the top of the barrel as possible. This cuts down on the chance that you may pop the blind cap abd damage the threads when you push it out.

[Athanas]

Quite interesting -- thanks for posting. I always enjoy seeing "schematic" pics like those you've shared.

I've got a later 120, one of the M&K green ones, but do have a secret admiration for the earlier, 140-sized 120s.

Just one thing: your pen in no way resembles a giant shrimp.















[See the OP: "Here's some repair pr0n for you..." -- get it? ]