Did I Do Well? Vintage Eversharp Symphony ~ Early Slipper Cap ~ Autograph Band

[Sridhar]

UPDATE: looks like I got burned. The pen arrived and it looks nice and clean. The clip is slightly flexed away from the cap. The big disappointment was in uncapping. The section pulls away from the body without any pressure at all and there is no sac in the body. On the other hand the nib looks okay.

 

So, dilemma. What to do with it. Who would be the best person to give this to?

 

I am feeling a little upset by this, as you can imagine, and very foolish for ever venturing into the world of Ebay 'vintage' pens.

 

EDIT: oh and the picture earlier in this thread has the guarantee covering the space where a matching pencil is clearly meant to go.

 

there was an earlier thread of yours on ebay unreliability dear cryptos - best to go with known reputed sellers on the bay.

[Cryptos]

Thank you for pointing out my personal oversights, Sridhar, much appreciated.

 

Other than needing a new sac this pen is in fabulous condition as far as I can see. When it gets back from the restorers it will make a fine addition to my very small collection.

[Sridhar]

I am sure it will….and if the nib has some flex it will, I suspect become a favorite.

[Cryptos]

UPDATE: Pen came back from the restorers looking all nice and shiny... but... there was a repaired crack in the threads and now the section feels a little mushy in there. Real shame to have to junk a nice looking pen. Unless anyone has any other suggestions.

 

Incidentally, the pen has a 1 year serviced guarantee that runs until the 1st of August 2015.

 

Once again, any suggestions welcome.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Cryptos

[Sridhar]

I did not understand Cryptos - does the section slip from the barrel ?. Where is the crack exactly?

[Cryptos]

The crack is in the threads themselves. Even after the repair the section feels like it is not firmly in the barrel.

 

Look, I consider it a learning experience. I had a bad seller and a restorer with more enthusiasm than sense. Both have led to me being out of pocket a bit, but that's the price you pay for education I guess. I'll probably offer it for parts - the nib and the cap at least look good. The restorer will not allow the guarantee on the repair to be transferred to anyone else, so I cannot pass it on as a workable pen, not even user grade.

 

At least I know what to avoid in the future. And the Symphony with the Loewy cap is no longer on my radar.

[Sridhar]

Cryptos the crack has to be either in the section or the barrel. I don't think it can be in both. Lets say its in the section. Look for one in parts or ask one of the famed eversharp sellers to help you with one.. Then proceed with transferring of the nib and feed to the new section. Putting a new sac should not be too difficult on it - As you said let this be a learning project.

 

If the crack is in the barrel, proceed with replacing with a barrel.

 

Don't let the pen go waste.

[Cryptos]

The barrel has threads on one end that the cap screws on to, yes? The crack is in the thread area, and because of this when the section is placed into the barrel the fit is not that tight.

 

 

If anyone wants to take it off my hands just PM me. It's a 703 Deluxe I think.

[pen lady]

I had a Parker Challenger with a similar problem. The crack was kind of "L" shaped and I bought some very thin brass sheets from a hobby store, cut a thin, narrow strip to match the inside circumference of the barrel thread area and using epoxy glue, stuck it to close the crack and reinforce the barrel mouth. I clamped it with a clothes pin while the epoxy was setting, masking tape would do as well though. I then sanded down the section just a little so that it would fit in the newly sized barrel mouth. I have a feeling that the professional pen technicians are gnashing their teeth, but it worked for me! As people have said in other threads "your mileage may vary".

Edited August 22, 2014 by pen lady

[Cryptos]

No. I am over this pen. I would be happy to ship it to anyone who wants it and wash my hands of the whole sorry affair. This is not a sale.

 

EDIT: Actually, never mind. I'll sling it in the junk drawer as a reminder of my folly.

 

 

One thing is certain. I will not be using that repair service again. Besides which I am sure they do not want my business seeing as I had the temerity to question the work done. To hell with them.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Cryptos

[Sridhar]

That's a pity.

[Cryptos]

Is it? I am out of pocket on this pen,both due to seller and restorer. There is no way I can sell it as a usable item because the restorer will not guarantee the work if it leaves my hands (go figure). I thought about giving it away but I would have to ask for shipping cover seeing as I already have nearly $50 in this thing - further losses are not viable. Chucking it in the junk drawer is probably the least costly option at this point. No doubt it is karma.

[Czechmauseritis]

I wouldn't give up on it yet!

 

I just got this one off of flea bay and considering how I got it... (Cheaply mostly)

 

1. Cap was frosted on the back portion

2. The sac was frozen in the barrel and twisted off I had to pick it out.

3. The section and barrel were loose to each other.

4. The pivot pin on the fill lever was pushed out.

5. The breather tube was broken off.

6. The metal threads were free spinning.

7. The liner was loose.

 

All of these issues were relatively painlessly rectified. The cap with some simichrome and a touch of sunshine cloth, cleaned the barrel and section and replaced the sac, applied a dab of epoxy to the threads to keep them from spinning out, a touch of shellac to fix the cap liner and the section to the barrel and a new section of breather and it looks vintage with a little age patina and writes like new. Voila!

 

 

I think for my personal writing style, the Vintage Eversharp nibs are hard to beat as I prefer a more flexy nib. The old Pelikan nibs are similar in feel to my hand whereas Parkers and Sheaffers are good 'stiff as nails' writers.

[Cryptos]

Interesting. I've not seen a metal threaded version.

 

On mine the restorer said the threads on the body had a crack and so they repaired it. Personally I thought the repair was below acceptable quality. I was ready to cut losses early, but the restorer kind of pushed me into taking their word that it could be repaired successfully. The final product does not support this.

 

It's a shame as another pen was restored beautifully by the same restorer.

 

My biggest mistake, other than buying the Symphony, was to have the temerity to question the restorer's work. They are definitely criticism averse, or should I say 'holier than thou'.

[Czechmauseritis]

This one is the 'First Generation' with the Loewy Slipper cap and the metal threads. Eversharp only ever made them for one year (48 or 49) and then Eversharp brass started tweaking the design to make it more like the Skyliner. I jumped on it for this reason. I'm not sure I would have been so eager had it been a second or third gen in the same condition.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Czechmauseritis