Been struggling with a couple of these, to get them apart, thought one of them might be particularly awkward, till I got another one and that has proven to be just as difficult to seperate.

Tried heat and water, both with no success, anybody got any ideas.

Thanks,

et

Hi et,

The answer to this depends on which version you have.

The earlier open nib lever fill version has a friction fit section, which in general is just a good friction fit, however if someone has been careless with the shellac at sometime in its life it can be a bit of a PITA, heat from a heat gun carefully applied should soften the shellac then a straight pull with a little wiggle should do it, it has on all of mine so far.

The later semi hooded nib button filler version has a screw fit section, the separation occurs above the clutch band, these can be tight due to the sac adhering to the pressure bar which fits down the side of the section, if you can remove the button it is possible to withdraw the pressure bar after crumbling the perished sac, a soak and the section should come unscrewed much more easily. The surface of these pens can be very hard to grip for some reason so use the classic piece of split rubber hose or heavy elastic bands to grip both parts as close to the clutch ring as you can.

Best of luck, John

Thanks for that John,

It is actually the Mentmore "46" pen I should have been referring to, I have tried the methods stated, but with not too much force/effort. I came across a platignum pen recently wich appears to have a purely capilliary action filling system. Maybe similiar to the Parker 61(though I have never seen one in the flesh). The section unthreaded clock wise.

Will persevere, thanks again.

et

Hi et,

The 46 can be warm (140 fahrenheit) soaked, it unscrews in orthodox anti clock undo, clockwise tighten same as late model Diploma, has same problems the bar and sac seem to have a near fatal attraction, the sac can remain sticky in some of the later Mentmores and this can make you learn new Anglo-Saxon words and to use them in new and creative ways.If you don't have any luck drop me and e-mail and I will have a look at it for you if you want and might even have one for spares hanging about.

The Platignum 100 Capillary pen is a totally different kettle of fish and a much underated pen when clean and sorted they write far better than many people would think, unlike the Parker 61 the Plat fills through the nib but like the 61 they are a PITA to clean thoroughly but are well worth it.

Best of luck, cheers, John

Thanks for the help Oxtonian, now How do I get the feed and nib back into the section again, alreadyy damaged one ofthe feeds and i like the pen, so don't want to risk damage to the other one I have.

They appear to be an exteremly tight fit.

Hi,
The temptation is to say carefully and sign off but as its Sunday I won't.
Reassembly is the reverse of dismantling and is usually straight forward, we are still talking 46 not Diploma aren't we?

How did you damage the feed?

I am just off out on a car boot pen hunt, i'll be back at about 11am and will check in again then. Drop me an e-mail if its complicated.

Chhers, John

Im glad to hear its not just me that is having trouble with mentmores. I have just about given up on two Mentmore Diplomas, but will now try some of these ideas. Thank you !

Hi auscan,

Which Mentmores are giving you trouble? Most of them are straight forward to take apart but the fit is sometimes very good indeed and gentle persuasion is needed.
The later Diplomas are very similar to the 46 in working bits and materials so most of what goes for the 46 holds good.

Best of luck,

Cheers, John