I bought a Platignum Silverline off eBay, and after I soaked it, I can't get the barrel to screw back on

Can I safely use something to lubricate it other than olive oil? That didn't really help, it just went on a little way and got stuck even harder!

I know nothing much about pens, and nothing especially about Platignums. I'm wondering if I've just learnt something the hard way. Good job it didn't cost much.

Any advice greatfully accepted!

Hi Delancey,
Welcome to FPN.

Soaking shouldn't have had any effect on the plastic although the smooth surface of the threads might have been roughened by having ink residues etc taken off the surface, a little silicone grease on the threads would make the screwing back together easier although it might not completely solve the problem.

The plastic on some Platignums shrink over time,not on all and not consisitently, it doesn't seem to depend on colour or even age and it is possibly batch related or totally dependent on the conditions in which the pen has been kept. I have several odds and ends of Platignums hanging about and if you have no sucess with yours drop me a line by e-mail or PM and we will see if we can sort something out to help.

Platignum is a brand used by the Mentmore Pen Co starting in about 1925 and continuing on until the 1980s, it was the 'economy' brand, these were cheap reliable and good value pens for students and such like. The early pens were in BHR and RRHR then in colourful celluloids, most used steel nibs, some were properly tipped others were crimp or spoon tipped, there were 14t nibs and these were every bit as good as Mentmore's nibs in their own brand pens. In the l950s the company came out with a range of pens that used screw in nib units these continued in production until the late 70s although the bodies changed shape and the models changed names. Like Esterbrook there were several ranges of nibs some were untipped others were much better quality with good tipping, these were found in the top end Varsity and President pens amongst others. Platignum also produced a capillary filling pen that was very similar to the Waterman X-pen.

Cheers, John

Thanks John,

I've tried again this morning with a little olive oil and managed to get it stuck fast, with still about 2mm to go! I can't get it undone now but my husband might manage to later.

As far as I can make out, the threads look a little rough, maybe it is just increased friction that is causing this problem. When I can get it unscrewed again, do you think some of that silicone stuff would work better than olive oil? I have some WD40 around here somewhere too.

Hi Delancey,
Please don't use WD40, it doesn't do plastics any favours over the long term, a little heat carefully applied to the barrel might make it easier to fit the section. Silicone grease is about the best bet though. If you get stuck, (no joke intended, really drop me a line and I'll see if I have a spare Silverline about, there should be a few somewhere. Cheers, John

Thanks, I was waiting on a reply about the WD40 before I risked it (It would have neccessitated a rummage through a horrible cobwebby garage anyway.)

I'll get some of that silicone stuff if warming it up a little doesn't help (and I'll try that this afternoon.)

Make sure you buy olive oil of good quality (Spanish is generally a good bet) and use it generously but keep it away from your pens. It may oxydize and hardenor gum up over time giving you nasty problems. And it may react with some pen materials.
Good luck...

I've ordered myself some silicone grease. if that doesn't work (I tried warming it too) then I'll endure it as it is now - half screwed in (because I like the nib!)

Sorry to hear about that. Is this a pen made of ordinary plastic? What sort of screw-in nibs does it have? I have a Platignum Silverline and it has some very cheap italic nibs. Still, I wrote with it for years and really liked it.

Does an examination of the threads give any hint as to why a simple water soak made it difficult to screw the barrel back onto the section? I see that in another posting you say that the threads appear "rough." Does the other plastic that was soaking in water appear roughened too?


I recently found my 1976, daily planner. In December of that year I noted that I'd bought my Platignum Silverline fountain pen from the Pentalic Pen Co. in Manhattan. Were 2 different companies putting out "Platignum - Silverline" fountain pens at the same time?

I wonder if Pentalic bought the pens from Mentmore? There's a little mystery here now .

There doesn't seem to have been a change to any of the plastic elsewhere. I didn't examine the threads before I soaked them, so maybe they havent changed, but if there isnt any shiny dry ink on them anymore, maybe thats just enough friction (on what seems to be four threads) to lock it up after a couple of mm.

I just did it to get the old ink out of everywhere, in retrospect I'd have just soaked the bit with the nib in, and put up with the dried ink on the insides!

I think though, I will be looking for some more of these pens, or at least one more and some nibs, I do like this one

Hmm, well I tried warming it, I tried silicone grease... it still sticks at about the same place. Ah well, as lessons go it didn't cost much!