A Matador Safety BHR with snake clip. I've posted elsewhere but not much of a response received except for Dillo's comments and offer to recork. I'm trying to figure out how the pen opens to look at seals which are leaking. May try fixing or sending it out if it's beyond my ability.


Pen capped. That is a spot of ink at the blind cap leaking onto the scanner. It is filled with H2O to try rejuvenating the cork seal. I can't figure out how to open the pen to work on the seal. Any suggestions?

The nib is a wonderful broad flex. However pressure on the nib while writing causes the nib to retract if pressed too hard.
Here the nib emerging from the body.
Nib detail.


Detail of the snake clip posted on end cap. The leak is at the blind cap joint. If there is a joint to the right side of the knurled section on the body I don't see it with magnification.

Imprint reads "Matador (M) Standard"

This is a beautiful writer. It needs a new seal to stop the leak which is a nuisance. After read "Da Book" more carefully to see if it offers any suggestions as well as Richard's site I'm still puzzled by how to take apart. As it stands I really don't dare trying to open the pen. The blind cap turns easily, the nib moves in and out smoothly. What comes apart to remove the innards remains a puzzle.

Hope all enjoy the little photo essay.

If no comments, I'll slip back into the shadowland of the lurkers.

Hi Richken,
Although your pen is marked being a Matador, it looks strikingly identical* to a "Kaweco
special No 1" made arround 1929.(*only cap is different)
In Lambrou's "Fountain pens of the world" you can see an uncapped Kaweco No1 on page223, being picture 14.
All the features are there, including the knurled knob.
I don't know if there is any historical evidence, but it looks to me Kaweco produced this pen for Matador.
I hope "Kaweco"- our fellow FPN member will zoom in on this interesting topic.
Given his profound knowledge, Kaweco can surely tell you how to disassemble this pen.
I'm not sure, but I expect the knurled part is an enclosure nut - axially enclosing the innards- which screws on the barrel.
If this is the case - and I'm not sure ! - the threads could be right or left handed, the later f.e being the case on the old Pelikan 100 piston cartridges.
I suggest you also send a PM to Kaweco, I'm sure he can help you out;
Very interesting, nice pen, please let us know how it works out !

Francis

RichKen (I hope the Rich part is really an adjective )
Safety Pens tend to be real complicated mechanisms....
If I owned one, I doubt I would try to work on it.... from what I have read it does not take much to cause a problem....
I would definately think of sending the pen to one of the more experienced restorers, like Richard Binder

Francis

I'm looking at FPOTW now and the pen shown certainly is like mine. Laying my safety next to the illustration the match up is almost identically in size. The knurling seems to be grooves cut into the body of the pen on mine, not a "knob". I've had a Pelikan 100 apart so I'm familiar with your reference. There seems to be no joint between the knurling and the smooth portion of the pen's body. I'll certainly try getting Kaweco's attention. Thanks for the referral.

OldGriz
You are probably right, Richard would be the man to restore this pen allowing for the time (that line is awfully long) and costly. Unfortunately the Rich is not an adjective.... Thanks for the response.

Richard

Richard,
The reference Ive made the the pelikan 100 only referred to the alternative LH thread.
I'm not stating the construction is identical, to the contrary.
I expect the"straight' knurled part of the barrel is a sort of a collar nut, featuring internal (female) thread which screws on male threaded barrel end.
Just curious reading Kaweco's input !
Francis

Hi Rich
At the blind cap you will find a needle fine hole with a metal cotter. Flatten the point of a middle thick sewing needle and hammer it into the hole to remove the cotter.
Remove the blind cap. Inside the barrel, between barrel and axis is the back cork seal, maybe it needs some grease. Don`t use liquid silkon oil or water soluble creams.
Polish the cotter and grind one side to a stub point. Applicate the blind cap again that the holes are in- line through the blind cap and the axis, test with your sewing needle. Hammer the cotter into the holes, maybe you have to try several times to find the right way through the tunnel
If you want to remove the gearing inside, you have to replace the back cork seal.
Goto grocer`s shop and buy a good bottle of wine for your mother/ girlfriend/ wife, because you have damaged her last sewing needle.
Kind Regards
Thomas

Thank you for the reply Thomas.

I've looked very hard (using a 30x loupe with a 10x optivisor) at the blind cap for signs of a pin (cotter) and I haven't found any part of the blind caps surface that reveals where a pin penetrates the surface.

What is the possibility of internal threads in the blind cap attaching to a threaded post within the pen. Or perhaps a lock pin as in Watermen safety pens which binds the blind cap to the spiral shaft.

I appreciate your offering your help with this.

I may require that bottle of wine myself and hope that I don't damage anything more than a sewing needle.

My best,
Richard

Hi,

It is tricky to take the pen apart, but the hardest part is fitting the seal properly.

Dillon

Let`s have a look inside.
On the following pic you can see the dismanteled safety with the screw- in gear.
Its a Kaweco, not a Standard- Matador. The round block below nib and fed is the front seal, here: made of hard rubber, not cork. You see the snail gear with a cotter. You reported, that the nib disappears while writing with pressure. It could be that the cotter is (or has become) too short, so it could jump over the snail groove.
Kind Regards
Thomas

I found some Standard- Matador safeties but all of them have the cotter fixing in the blind cap. Look below in the pic, you will see the metal pin in #1 and#2.
If there is no pin in your fp it could be a screw- in gear. I screwed off the demo model below a little bit. Try only with medium force, the old hard rubber could be brittle.
Thomas

Thomas,
Very helpful post. Thank you. I'll now sit back and digest all the information that has been posted for a few days. I'm thinking right now my pen is the screw out type. I will post my decision on how I'll proceed and post any success, failure or results. This should keep me busy for awhile.

FPN can certainly be a wonderful place.

Richard

Thomas,

That Safety demonstrator is wonderful - what a great piece to have! They must be as rare as hen's teeth. Thank you for posting it.

Rich - best of luck! sounds like a great pen.

John

Here's an update on my Monitor Safety adventure.

Did the sit back, digesting, fired up the heat gun and am doing the proceed and post any success, failure or results parts.

I tried removing the blind cap fruitlessly using heat very cautiously. I used plastic tubing to wrap the parts that I want to get no heat. Didn't accomplish much of anything. I put it all away and filled the pen with H2O (water) to check for leaks - it did at the blind cap joint but not alot. Returned to Da Book where Frank notes "some people insist making these pens ink tight. Many don't bother since few would write with these pens". Many don't bother sounded good to me at this point. Since the leak weak seemed to be much less after all the heat I applied to the joint I chose to fill the pen with ink and try it out. What a fun writer it is. Trouble is the more I used the pen the more it began to leak. The cork was reconstitued but just temporarily.

Need to take it apart and here is what I found. This was no easy task. Unbelievably there was a joint between the knurling and the smooth part of the pen's body. I was convince that there was no joint there - looked at it many time with magnification - WRONG I was. Apart it came with cries of Yippee.



And there was the cotter in the helix and the cotter in the pens shaft that holds the blind cap assembly in place just as Thomas described. Getting the cotter holding the blind cap out took courage and quite a bit of careful hammering followed by heat and gentle pulling.



The blind cap was released when the cotter was removed and the mystery of the seal was revealed.

Tis cork, the seal - old cork, ... old disintegrating cork.



OK - back to the "now sit back and digest " part to figure out how to proceed. Need a cork out of a bottle of wine methinks. Any suggestions out there?

Pleased with myself, result a success so far!

Richard

Thanks for sharing and updating the information - must feel good getting done - please also tell use when you fit the new cork - and where from?
Thanks

Matador Safety Restored - Secrets of the Nibmiesters Revealed

Here is a composite of the Matador's status after all this exchange of info. I've been sketching, scanning and recording the events working on the pen. The pen is filled with black Parker Quink and is not leaking at the blind cap. The problem I had to resolve of course was the cork seal. I again had to sit back, digest, and hope for inspiration if not corking skill. I opted for inspiration. Taking a remnant left from resacing a Sheaffer Snorkel with a thin wall #14 sac I slid a short section of the sac onto the shaft of the blind cap. The cork seal was deteriorated the most at the end of the nut and the shaft slide into place greased with silicone and the blind cap rotated with the shaft in position within the nut.

I reassembled the pen. It went together much easier than it came apart. It has been leak free since January 19 using the sac / original cork repair and although not an authentic repair the pen in now in service and hands are without ink stains. The nib no longer retracts while writing undoubtedly because the shaft is held firmly at the rear seal now.




I've developed a real fondness for this pen. The nib is a flexible pleasure to use. Some of the oxidation was removed from the body with gentle buffing. It is a handsome pen. Looking at FPOTW I've noticed quite of few pens that are remarkably similar to the Matador. I am a Pelikan and vintage Montblanc fan so it is no wonder that the pen caught my attention buried away in the Oregon antique mall.

The learning experience was great fun, the information shared enlightening. Thanks to all and particularly to Thomas who's posts were incredibly useful. Now I must research working with cork. I do have several Pelikan 100s - using cork would be useful skill. And I could revisit this repair and do it properly. Meanwhile I'm recording my thoughts with the Matador...

Enjoy these secrets.
Richard

Bump to front

Hi Rich
You did an absolute professional work and you get my congrats and the congrats of the old Kaweco cracks in my avatar! The idea with the rubber sac was very good. I am sure you will learn to make seal corks from wine bottle corks with a drilling machine. You have the "drive" to do it! Have long lasting fun with writing and old techniques, it`s really a great hobby!
Kind Regards
Thomas

Thomas,
Your comments are appreciated. Thank you. It is a great hobby.

Best Regards,
Richard