Cracked Collar Modern Conklin

[jde]

So..... okay.... *feeling a bit sheepish...*

 

I've got a modern acrylic Conklin Crescent. I had read that the nib and feed could be pulled out of the collar. And so I pulled and nothing happened and then I wondered if I had misread and I was supposed to unscrew which was a total mistake because I immediately heard a crack. And so whaddya know the nib and feed DO pull straight out... but I cracked the collar before I did that.

 

Can I glue/weld/something this crack? It runs from the top to about midway BEFORE the threads (the part that screws back into the section).

 

Welcome all thoughts and suggestions.

--Julie

 

http://i952.photobucket.com/albums/ae9/jdejh/th_collar.jpg

[jar]

Contact Yafa.

[Ron Z]

Yeh, contacting Yafa would be the route to take. I don't know if these pens use Schmidt, Bock or Jowo nibs. But the collars do crack, and once cracked they're likely to do so in the same place even if you successfully solvent weld it back together. Tenax would be the stuff to use to try to solvent weld it back together if you're game - with the nib and feed out of course.

[jde]

Thanks, guys. Will give both a go: Yafa and Tenax.

[jde]

In case anyone cares... Yafa repair is looking to see if they can spare me a collar. Fingers crossed, as surely they do?

Haven't found any Tenax 7R yet.

[ZeissIkon]

In case anyone cares... Yafa repair is looking to see if they can spare me a collar. Fingers crossed, as surely they do?

Haven't found any Tenax 7R yet.

 

Tenax 7R and the equivalent product, Ambroid Pro-Weld, are sold in shops that sell plastic scale models. Here (North Carolina), Hobby Lobby carries the Ambroid product; I'd expect Hobby Town to have one or both as well. Plastic vendors, like TAP Plastics, are likely to have a similar product made for solvent welding Lucite or Plexiglas (both of which are acrylic), though you might not like having to buy four ounces or more as a minimum purchase.

[jde]

Excellent. Thanks for that info about the plastics stuff.

[jde]

Appears impossible to find a place with Ambroid or Tenax sold locally where I live. Hobby Lobby carries Testors. Bought some Testors "liquid cement for plastic models." Opened the packaging at home to find the hidden ingredients: "xlene, n-butyl acetate and petroleum distillates." The later sounds like "ut oh, not on my pen" type of chem. Now I'll have to get some plastic models to go with this.

 

Good news is I found some Tenax 7R from an online source. Conklin is apparently still looking for a little collar to send me.

[ethernautrix]

Troglokev suggested I learn about solvent weld, but I used Gorilla Glue to piece my Delta SPY! back together, and so far it's still holding.

 

What is this, Mercury retrograde for fountain pens?

[jde]

Troglokev suggested I learn about solvent weld, but I used Gorilla Glue to piece my Delta SPY! back together, and so far it's still holding.

 

What is this, Mercury retrograde for fountain pens?

 

:-D

 

Back away from the Gorilla Glue!

Ron hasn't steered me wrong yet.

[ZeissIkon]

Troglokev suggested I learn about solvent weld, but I used Gorilla Glue to piece my Delta SPY! back together, and so far it's still holding.

 

What is this, Mercury retrograde for fountain pens?

 

:-D

 

Back away from the Gorilla Glue!

Ron hasn't steered me wrong yet.

 

I agree, I'd avoid Gorilla Glue -- it's a polyurethane adhesive, and among other "endearing" properties, it'll foam if it encounters dampness while setting up, sometimes strongly enough to push parts apart. Yet it won't cure without some moisture, so you're always trying to walk the fine line between "too dry, takes hours and hours to cure" and "too wet, foamed up and pushed my parts apart and now I can't get them apart or clean enough to try again". It's great for gluing wood (which always has a little moisture) where you can clamp the parts (so they can't push apart) and where it might need to fill a bit of a gap (as is often the case with wood repairs). Not so good for pen parts.

[ethernautrix]

Troglokev suggested I learn about solvent weld, but I used Gorilla Glue to piece my Delta SPY! back together, and so far it's still holding.

 

What is this, Mercury retrograde for fountain pens?

 

:-D

 

Back away from the Gorilla Glue!

Ron hasn't steered me wrong yet.

 

I agree, I'd avoid Gorilla Glue -- it's a polyurethane adhesive, and among other "endearing" properties, it'll foam if it encounters dampness while setting up, sometimes strongly enough to push parts apart. Yet it won't cure without some moisture, so you're always trying to walk the fine line between "too dry, takes hours and hours to cure" and "too wet, foamed up and pushed my parts apart and now I can't get them apart or clean enough to try again". It's great for gluing wood (which always has a little moisture) where you can clamp the parts (so they can't push apart) and where it might need to fill a bit of a gap (as is often the case with wood repairs). Not so good for pen parts.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

 

TOO LATE!

 

So far, it's holding and no bad effects... eep.

 

 

 

 

 

*Keeps an eye on the SPY!*

Edited January 6, 2010 by ethernautrix

[jde]

Not that you guys care or anything but you are kinda my stand-ins for brothers:

 

My Tenax finally arrived and I managed to weld the crack in the section. I applied it very sparingly and even then was impressed by how ugly the weld was when it dried! Made me very glad I didn't pour it all over the place.

 

Put my Conklin back together and wrote without further incident for a week.

 

That's when the replacement section finally arrived from Conklin.

 

I took the nib and feed apart again, and bent the nib a bit in doing so. The pen writes although I gotta shake it when I first pick it up to get the ink flowing. I assume it's the little bend in the nib, but who knows, maybe it's how I put it all back together. I'm okay with it for the time being. Eventually I will send it to someone to fix my fix! It's a steel nib. Maybe I'll hold out until I find a gold replacement.

 

I've learned some about modern sections and nib removal, a bit about Tenax (I hope I never have to use it but I kinda know how to now), and a lot about my own impatience.

 

While I'm not really the sort who puts my hand on the hot burner when told not to, all of that learning was quite helpful as I now have a line between the types of pen tinkering I will and will not do.

 

Cheers,

Julie