How To Lubricate A Pelikan Piston

[WOBentley]

I have a Pelikan desk pen (a bit of a rare "bird" I guess) and the piston is a bit stiff (but still moves) I have heard of lubricating the piston but am not exactly certain of how to go about his. The nib unit screws out. I have silicone grease... Just need to know how, where and how much to apply (if that is the right lubricant).

I don't think the pen has been used in a very long time (if ever). Is there anything else I should look out for or do before using the pen?

Thanks for your help!

Edited December 16, 2012 by WOBentley

[JonSzanto]

I've done this with my wife's 400NN. All you need is a thin 'something', long enough (a couple inches) to reach in there. On a tip from another FPN'r, I found the handiest tool: Starbuck's "splash stick". It's a little green plastic stick, about 4" long with a handle on one and and just a small little flat-round piece on the other. You can pick up just a tiny bit of silicone grease on the tip, put it in the pen and wipe it around the inside of the barrel, best back by the piston (which should be drawn fully back).

 

The stick is both soft and flexible, so I don't think there is any worry of scratching the inside of the barrel. Err on the side of too little grease, and then run the piston a couple times; if it is still tight, try just a bit more. While her's wasn't really stiff, it still responded well to this treatment.

[HDoug]

That's the right lube, pure silicone grease. I got a lifetime supply (a 1/3rd oz glob) from pendemonium.com . I put the tiniest bit on a q-tip with good result.

 

Doug

[Draless]

cut the tip off of a q-tip and use that

[TMLee]

Thanks, I shall give this a try.

[tenney]

People post here about having to flush new pens to get any oils out of them from manufacturing that cause the ink to not flow. Doesn't silicone also "block" ink? How do you lube a pen as described here without the silicone getting into the ink system and causing problems?

[HDoug]

People post here about having to flush new pens to get any oils out of them from manufacturing that cause the ink to not flow. Doesn't silicone also "block" ink? How do you lube a pen as described here without the silicone getting into the ink system and causing problems?

 

Use only the tiniest bit required to smooth the piston and you should be okay, else run the risk described in your question. And it is a good question.

 

Doug

[Twohazel]

I have the same problem, but with my Sheaffer "Tuckaway". I don't know how to get into it..Any thoughts? Thanks!

[JonSzanto]

I have the same problem, but with my Sheaffer "Tuckaway". I don't know how to get into it..Any thoughts? Thanks!

In a nutshell, you can't. I am assuming it is a vac-fill: unscrew the blind cap, pull it out and there is a thin metal rod (which is attached internally to a washer/gasket assembly). I'm not saying it is impossible for a "user" to service a Sheaffer vac-fill pen, but it requires some tools, possible access to thrid-party parts, and good workbench skills and the right knowledge of what to do. Definitely something *I* would send to one of the repair guys, myself, at least compared to the Pelikan situation.

 

Ah, if only Sheaffer nibs unscrewed from the section...

[Twohazel]

Ok, thanks for that! -- twohazel

[Ron Z]

A Pelikan piston seal is about 1/4" wide (0.250"), with two contact areas, so lubrication is needed because it has a fairly wide contact area. The head gasket on a Sheaffer on the other hand is, or should be, 0.026" thick, 1/10 that of the Pelikan piston seal.

 

Most of the stiffness on a Sheaffer Vac/plunger fill is on the plunger rod. The ink acts as a lubricant in the barrel. Lubricate the rod with pure silicone grease. Don't try to remove the nib to lubricate the head gasket inside because the nib is very difficult to remove, and you risk damaging the nib if you don't have the right tools.

[WOBentley]

Wow! Great information, Thanks to all. I have some silicone grease I got for "sealing" the threads on eyedropper pens so I am good to go. Will give this a try and report back!

[JonSzanto]

Most of the stiffness on a Sheaffer Vac/plunger fill is on the plunger rod. The ink acts as a lubricant in the barrel. Lubricate the rod with pure silicone grease. Don't try to remove the nib to lubricate the head gasket inside because the nib is very difficult to remove, and you risk damaging the nib if you don't have the right tools.

Thanks for that info, Ron. Fortunately, all of my vac-fills have come to me already restored, but this is good future information.

 

Also,, I just had the opportunity to put the 'dab of silicon grease' in a 400NN that just came to me. Cleaned everything, flushed, etc, and then used just the tiniest amount. The piston went from being *very* stiff to perfectly smooth. Good hygiene and proper maintenance makes pens happy!

[WOBentley]

Piston lubricated, pen filled with Noodler's Blue eel and pen writing for the first time in many, many years...what a wonderful smooth, wet fine/medium nib. I am loving this pen! Thanks to all of you for the help!

[lowks]

This thread is an absolute god send .... my 400 nn started leaking out of the blue from the piston yesterday and I did not have the necessary tools ... so I tried the soaking a day method ... but being too impatient ... I kept on kicking myself because my piston just would not dislodge. Finally when I came across this thread I did just what Jon said and it worked like a charm ! No more leak and the piston has never worked so smoothly. Million thanks Jon!

[Chi Town]

What great information!

[mbankirer]

This kind of sharing of knowledge is why I love pen people and pensM

[Mister Mont Blanc]

 

Use only the tiniest bit required to smooth the piston and you should be okay, else run the risk described in your question. And it is a good question.

 

Doug

I was just about to start a thread asking this question and I'm so glad I found this! I'm dealing with Montblancs instead but had always wondered if in lubing the piston, you are essentially getting silicone grease where ink is and if this just doesn't mix or causes problems. I've also heard differing ideas about taking the piston out to apply to the seal or leaving it in and applying to the barrel wall. I guess I'll have to experiment to find out!

[Ron Z]

With a Montblanc - say a 146 or 149, I prefer to pull the piston. The sections are sealed with a two part silicone compound, and though you can use a rosin based thread sealant, the compound is better.

 

Note the comment on a very little bit of silicone on the seal. I like to say that if you can see it, or see a blob, you have WAY too much. But if you don't lubricate the seal, it can wear, become scored and leak.

[Millefleurs]

With a Montblanc - say a 146 or 149, I prefer to pull the piston. The sections are sealed with a two part silicone compound, and though you can use a rosin based thread sealant, the compound is better.

 

I apologize for hijacking the thread, but the piston on my 149 is stuck (as in, I can't move it at all and am scared of breaking it if I pull too hard. Gentle pulling can't get it to budge). There are no threads that I can see at all. I'm not even sure how I would get silicone grease in there. I'm not sure what I should do and have considered sending it out for repair. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.