Where To Begin?

[elly]

my grandmother recently gave me an old osmiroid 65. I have no idea how long it's been since she used it and I no nothing about pen cleaning, much less restoration. I don't even know what to look for in order to determine what needs to be done. so, I guess that's what I'm asking. I looked around and couldn't find what I'm looking for.

 

when you acquire a vintage pen and it's in your hands for the first time, what do you do?

[Hallel]

Post a picture.

[elly]

ah. that I can do tomorrow...

[ANM]

Osmiroid 65 is a lever filling pen. Here is a picture of two 65's with different clips. These pens have a rubber ink sac inside that is squeezed when the metal lever is lifted. If the lever does not lift easily don't force it as the sac may be petrified. If it lifts easily, put the point in water and life the lever again, then put it back down. If there are bubbles in the water, the pen is probably working and you just need to put the pen in a bottle of ink and draw up some ink. If it doesn't write with ink in it, it probably needs cleaning.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/DSCN1700_zpsfa8d6f5e.jpg

[elly]

awesome! thanks.

[ANM]

Here is the pen with the section removed and the ink sac exposed. The nib (pen point) screws out and they made several different nibs to fit these pens, including calligraphy nibs, music nibs and several more for writing.

 

 

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/DSCN1704_zps935126d0.jpg

Edited August 27, 2014 by ANM

[elly]

cool. i'll have to look into the nibs once I have my pen working.

[elly]

ok, so I tested it like you said last night. the lever moves easily and produced bubbles when I lifted it under water. however, I'd like to go ahead and clean it before I try putting ink in it. so I was wondering how I go about doing that? I have pictures today! but I can't figure out how to share them...

[majorworks]

ok, so I tested it like you said last night. the lever moves easily and produced bubbles when I lifted it under water. however, I'd like to go ahead and clean it before I try putting ink in it. so I was wondering how I go about doing that? I have pictures today! but I can't figure out how to share them...

 

Basically, you want to repeatedly fill the pen with water and expel that water, repeating this process until the expelled water is clear (or nearly clear). One thing you want to know about lever fillers is that you don't want to let the lever flip all the way over, either when sucking up water (or ink) or when expelling fluid. When the lever is perpendicular to the barrel, stop there and return it to the starting position. That's the point at which the lever is exerting the most force on the J bar that compresses the ink sac.

[elly]

thank you. i'll try that tonight.

 

I would like to know how to share pictures, though, because there is also some kind of build up or tarnish or something on the nib and reservoir, and the lever is rusty, so I was wondering how to clean that? it all seems so delicate. also, the reservoir doesn't seem to line up with the central track of the nib, so I don't know if that will effect writing. pictures would make this a lot easier.

[ANM]

The nib and the lever won't line up because the nib is screw-in and wherever it stops turning is where it is. It won't affect performance. If you have ammonia, you can add a little to the water the first few times you fill the pen with water, then flush it out. Ammonia does a quicker job of cleaning the pen under the nib if it has dried up ink under there. Simichrome polish will help shine up both the plastic and metal part of the pen.

[majorworks]

thank you. i'll try that tonight.

 

I would like to know how to share pictures, though, because there is also some kind of build up or tarnish or something on the nib and reservoir, and the lever is rusty, so I was wondering how to clean that? it all seems so delicate. also, the reservoir doesn't seem to line up with the central track of the nib, so I don't know if that will effect writing. pictures would make this a lot easier.

 

When you're typing in the Reply box, you'll notice in the toolbar at the top of that box a little icon that looks like a picture. For me, it's in the second row of the toolbar but that depends on your screen resolution, etc.

 

If you click that button, you'll get a little pop up that asks you for the URL of the image you want to put into your reply. What that implies is that you'll need to upload your images to either your own server or to a hosting site of some kind. I use Photobucket for this purpose but there are other options. If you create a free Photobucket account and upload images, you'll see that it's pretty easy to copy the direct URL to your clipboard and then paste it into the little dialog here that asks for it.

 

Go here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/115296-how-do-i-faq-under-development/ for some helpful threads on posting images.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited August 28, 2014 by majorworks

[elly]

here are my pictures! I found out how to simply upload photos to the post (if you go to the full reply page by clicking the more reply options next to submit you have the option of adding attachments, fyi)

 

you can see the rust on the lever and gunk on the nib. in the last detail photo (sorry for the quality) you can kinda see what I mean by the reservoir not lining up with the nib. that's what I was wondering about in regards to a possible effect on writing.

[ANM]

The nib can be moved over to align with the feed with your fingers unless it is stuck with dried ink. It may not be off enough to make a lot of difference though. That nib looks like it might be a copperplate. If so there should be some flex in it while you write.

[Hooker56]

Elly,

 

Welcome to FPN

 

Where in Texas? I'm in N. Dallas. There's a pen show coming up in late Sept. If you haven't been, it's pretty amazing. I'll post a link:

 

http://www.dallaspenshow.com/

 

Cheers!

 

Clayton

[elly]

the nib says copperplate on it.

 

ok, so i'll try to wash it out with water first before I buy some ammonia, and semichrome polish is what I need to clean up the nib and the rest? also, I can't unscrew the section easily, I'm afraid of breaking it. is there a safe way to loosen that up?

 

thanks so much for all the help. I know I have a lot of questions.

 

and I'm a bit north of Houston, actually. so not too far off.

Edited August 28, 2014 by elly

[Hooker56]

Once you've flushed it well with the ammonia/water solution, leave it full and set it nib down in a shot glass of the solution so that the section is just covered. Leave it for several hours. You'll probably see more ink in the water. Then take it out, rinse it and flush it really well with fresh, cool water. Dry it and using a hairdryer, carefully warm it to be very warm to the touch. The section should then unscrew and you can clean the section and nib better. (also, you can check the condition of the sac).

[elly]

thank you so much! i'll do that.

 

ok, shopping questions. ammonia is used primarily for cleaning, correct? so can I pick that up at a supermarket or walmart? I've never bought it before. also, I need to get some ink for when I've got it clean, so I was wondering what ink you guys prefer. I have a hobby lobby, so if I can't get it there it'll have be online, and I'd rather not pay shipping...

 

oh, and flushing it just with warm water seemed to help a lot. the nib and feed? (is that what it's called?) look a lot cleaner already, and the water flowed easily. maybe my grandmother hadn't let it sit as long as I thought. anyway, the section still won't turn, but the nib releases easily, now. I still plan on getting some ammonia, though, just to be thorough.

Edited August 29, 2014 by elly

[ANM]

Get a fountain pen ink from a stationery shop. DO NOT get a calligraphy ink, india ink or any pigmented ink. Hobby Lobby probably has the wrong kind of ink. Don't take a chance that you will get something that will ruin your pen. For starts get something like Sheaffer Scrip, Parker Quink or Cross ink.

Edited August 30, 2014 by ANM

[elly]

thanks for the heads up. i'll be careful.