I have a jade green Duofold Streamline and I can't get the section out of the barrel so I can replace the ink sac. I've tried using a heat gun and that didn't do anything. Some help please?

Less heat over a longer period of time? Get on it with some section pliers after to give you some much needed leverage. But of course do so with care (I'm sure that goes without saying).

Ok, I'll give that a try. I'm just wondering if some moron might've shellaced (sp?) the section in place at one time cos I've never seen anything like it before.

Thanks.

I might try soaking, but then I'm not sure if the barrel material can take it. I destroyed one vintage pen via soaking... cap became about as soft as taffy.

Also, there might be a "light solvent" you could trying soaking into the pen through the nib that could help loosen the section. But I hope (heh, was going to say "hopefully") that one of the vintage pen experts chimes in with more empirical advice.

I've never tried to disassemble a Duofold, so I don't know if they are friction fitted or if they screw on. I had similar frustration with my Esterbrook pens, however, which are friction fitted. No matter how hard I pulled, the sections would not come out. To my horror, I even cracked the section of one of my pens trying to remove the section with a pair of padded pliers. After stopping my efforts in disgust for a few weeks, I tried to simply rock the section firmly but gently. That did the trick. Slowly at first, and then more rapidly, I was able to ease the section out. I've since removed the sections from several Esterbrooks in the same fashion. The bottom line is that those bad boys just refuse to be pulled straight out. They need to be coaxed.

Now I just have to learn how to re-sac the pens.

Heat the barrell but not the section, hair drier is hot enough. Even if it is shelaced the shelac is designed to give loose at higher temps. Don't use regular pliers on the section as it will for sure damage it. My friend has strips of thick rubber to give him a little more grip on the section when he pulls it. Give it a slight twisting motion as you pull on the section. I believe you said it was a Jade Duofold so I would also caution to not put point pressure on the barrel but distribute your grip so as not to crack the barrel while you are pulling on the section.

Resacing is really simple. You just need the right sized sacs, shellac, and a tiny paint brush. I'm not going to try and explain it all because I'll just confuse you. I'm sure there are people around here who can give you the information, or you can search replacing sacs on google. Just be specific.

It's also possible that the sac is hard, and is wrapped around the pressure bar. That can keep the section from rotating and coming out. You should take the pressure bar out of the back end of the pen before you try to remove the section.

A streamlined Duofold has a slip fit section. Some times they do stick and can be difficult to remove, even if shellac was not used.

I used to work on antique tractors as a hobby. I learned to let time, solvents, heat, and rocking become my friends.

I had a Waterman Commando that was a slip fit and very, very tight. Using a hairdryer, I heated up the barrel and let it cool on successive days. No twisting, no rocking. Just heat and cool. Then I tried rocking one last time. It was like magic. The section rocked out very easily.

I hope you have success with your pen!

Well she does like LedZep after all

et

One question, how do you go about doing that? I've never worked on a Duofold before this being my first.

Removing the blind cap to show the button, the button needs to be pulled out, carefully gripped with pliers being sure not to grip too hard too mark it, but enough to be able to tug it out. This will reveal the pressure bar, with luck, but unlikely this will then be able to be pulled out with pliers again, releasing the grip that it, and the sac have on the barrel, allowing the section to be removed, with a bit of heat and patience.

Not very composite instructions, and hopefully others will chime in with more elaborate and careful details, given the pens that have suffered at my hands..........

All the best,

et

On Duofolds under the blind cap there is a filler button. This is pressed into the small hole in the back end of the barrel. Use a pair of pliers (needlenose work for me) and pull the brass filler button straight out of the barrel. You can either get teh needlenose jaws up under the lip on the button and use them to pull on the underside of the lip, or just grab it and pull it out. Do not lever the button out as this might bend it or crack the barrel. When this comes out there is a small metal piece which is c shaped in cross section which is the pressure bar. Grasp this with pliers and pull it out the back. It is bent just under where you can see into the barrel, so it needs to be manipulated out, take a look at pressure bar pics on Woodbins site for more idea of what I am trying to describe here.

Once this is out, the dried sac can rotate in the barrel with the section while you try and remove it. Again, heat the barrel as you are trying to expand it, not the section. Use section pliers with rubber to protect the section and attempt to spin the section out of the barrel. If you can get it to rotate independantly from the barrel, it will eventually come out. I would caution against any type of solvent as this can ruin the pen, and is not usually needed. Repeated heatings and coolings may help as well, and are way better than just getting the barrel stinking hot.

This is where restoration people will talk about seeing with your fingers, you will eventually get to know when you are using too much pressure and are at risk of hurting the pen. If that is the case, take a break, let it (and you) cool down and try it again. The section will probably make a nice cracking sound when it lets go, so don't be alarmed. Just stop and evaluate if that sound was the section moving, or the barrel cracking. I am pretty sure that the barrel will be fine, but the crack sound of the section letting go can be really disconcerting if you aren't aware (or expecting it) of the different sound and feel between a good crack and a bad crack sound.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
SG

No one's mentioned it, so... Shellac softens at 140 degrees F. thus you don't need over 145 degrees or so, applied to the barrel threads. Celluloid will start to soften around 165 degrees, so you don't want to go there. And I'm sure you're aware if you get celluloid too hot, it turns into a flare. I use a decent meat thermometer to check the temperature of my heat gun to make sure I'm not over heating the material.

You may have to heat the barrel for several minutes to soften the shellac (if that's the issue). More time at 145 degrees is way better than a shorter time at 160 degrees!

Good luck.

Thanks everyone. I got it open using SMG's advice. Once I pulled the pressure bar out, and knocked out as much of the old sac out as I could. I heated it and it came right open. It did have a lot of shellac on it, but I think the sac was the problem.

One last question- should I buy a silicone sac for it or a regular latex sac? I've only bought sacs from the Pen sac company, and never wood bin's and if I should buy a silicone sac which size should I get? There are no sizing charts there.

If it is a Jade, buy a Silicone sac. There is a size chart on the Pen sac Co page. You can also measure the diameter of the sac nipple on the section. Convert that measurement to 64ths of an inch and that is the number sac you need.

I cannot recall at the moment which size pen you have, or the sac that goes into it. If I did I would just tell you, but it's been a long weekend. Anyway it's better to know the measurement technique above anyway. Now you can apply that to other pens you work on.

Cheers,
SG