Hi,

I think I may have messed up the nib on my 140, the piston was getting a bit stiff, so decided to try some silicon grease Started to unscrew the nib a bit stiff but was coming off, as it unscrewed it got stiffer, eventually managed to get it out, but the nib/fed was a bit twisted and the plastic collar that holds it all together was split for about 3/4 of its length.

Greased the piston and straightened the nib/feed as best as I could without breaking the collar, applied a bit of silicon grease and screwed it back in the section, the nib/feed twisted a bit and the tines are now overlapping slightly after I write for a while and difficult to straighten because of the nib/feed problem. Nib is now a bit scratchy as the tines overlap every now and again.

I know the best way to try and fix is to take the nib out but am worried that the collar, which I think has the screw thread on it will break.

A couple of questions.

1) Will a nib from the M200/400 fit?
2) How easy is it to come by the collars and fit them to the nib/feed.
3) If the collar does split could it be 'stuck to the nib /feed and be reused?
4) If the collar isn't threaded and the thread is on the feed (unlikely, but I didn't think to look) could the nib/fed be screwed back in without the collar.

Moral here is leave vintage Pelikans alone, had a similar problem with a 400nn, but on that the collar stayed firmly in the section and just teh nib and feed came out, eventually managed to to get that back in, but flow can be a bit erratic, although turning the nib over and writing with the wrong side primes it quite well.

Any advice much appreciated.

Andy

Not for this last one but for your next venture into vintage repair, did you follow the precautions as set out here:

http://www.penboard.de/penpoint/en/filling...nPenRepairs.htm

Hi,

Thanks for the link, hadn't come across that before, now bookmarked. I did clean and soak the nib following my experience with the 400nn and it may be that the collar was already broken.

Oh well if it doesn't write properly I may try taking the nib out again, little to lose anyway.

Andy

Problem solved,risked taking the nib off again gently and manage to reset the bib, so the tines don't overlap, seems to have gone back to writing smoothly just like it did before.

Discovered that the M200 nibs don't fit and it is the collar that is threaded unlike the later models where the threda seems to be on the feed.

Andy

Actually, with vintage Pels it is probably best to pull out nib and feed if the collar is stuck hard. Note that the nib and feed are friction fitted in the collar anyway. Just don't do this every day, and you should be fine.

The problem of course is putting it back in. What you need to do is hold nib and feed, with the nib correctly aligned, very tight between your fingers when reinserting the nib and feed. I use a small rubber mat (made from a piece of cycle tube) to increase grip. Also make sure you insert it tight enough, but not too tight, or you risk breaking something as well.

I hope this helps for next time.

Warm regards, Wim

P.S.: between starting to write this post and being called away, I see you managed to fix it. Congrats!

Wim,

Thanks for the tip, I may try that with the 400nn as it hasn't been the same since I took it apart and had to 'fix' it, I hadn't realized until today that the nib is probably friction fit like the 140 and it was the collar that was threaded.

Andy

Hi Andy,

Well, all of the nibs and feeds in Pelikans are friction fitted, either in the collar, or in the section itself, especially some of the older ones (pre-1955, but I don't know the exact models and/or period). With the more modern ones, the collar has a metal ring at the end of the collar, which holds collar, nib, and feed in place. If it does have this collar, it tends to be fairly easy to unscrew the nib/feed assembly as a whole, collar included, after a period of soaking.

I recently fixed the piston seal of a 140, Forest Green, of which I had to pull out the nib and feed, as it was stuck too much. And that was after 3 days of soaking . Now I have to find a way of fixing the crack in the section, though...

BTW, I also fixed a 400NN, simultaneously; that did respond to 3 days of soaking in my case. However, since the collar of the nib/feed assembly of the 400NN is plastic only, AFAIK, it should be possible to pull nib and feed out without a problem. I did in the end with the 140 - similar assembly.

Warm regards, Wim