Hi guys,

I'm getting more and more interested in no-name BCHR pens with warranted nibs. I won one on eBay the other day and it arrived in the mail today - amazing semi-flex nib, and pretty well preserved. I can hear the petrified sac rattling around inside it. Since it's a lever-filler I'm going to attempt the repair myself.

I was wondering what the recommended procedure for removing the section from pens of this vintage is? I can't even tell where the section joins the body of the pen, and I don't want to do anything to hurt it. Any advice would be much appreciated!

(Photograph from the eBay seller - I wish my camera were this good)

HR responds really well to gentle, dry heat. I'd suggest heating the barrel at the threads to no more than 150 Fahrenheit (a blow drier will work well). HR is also quite tolerant of heat, more so than plastics, so you shouldn't have to worry about overheating. If it's starting to get too hot to hold against your upper lip, it's probably at the upper edge of a reasonable heating threshold.

Once warm, you should be able to gently (very gently) rock out the section using your fingers. It will come apart right above the threads; if it's fairly tight, you'll hear a frightening/satisfying little "crack" sound as it starts to break loose. If finger pressure won't do it, section pliers are called for. The only thing I'd caution against is any soaking in water to free stuck parts because it can greatly speed HR oxidization.

No-name HR pens are always fun to find. Some are of really good quality (your pen looks quite nice) and can be wonderful writers.

Good luck on your restoration quest!


Cheers,
Tom

Thanks so much Tom! I didn't know if BCHR pens dealt with heat well, or if I would need to invest in section pliers or a heat gun or some more esoteric equipment. I have a blow drier and fingers right here! I'll let you know how it turns out.

I can confirm Tom's advice. I have a pen that almost looks identical to yours (except it's a Sheaffer), and this procedure worked. Now I have a nice old pen that is a very productive writer.

Dave

I've not tried to restore a rubber pen yet. Although several people recommend staying away from hot water a source of heat for fixing such pens. As Tom suggested, use a heat-gun or a hair-drier (which is what I use) to warm up the section. With a twisting, screwing motion, work the section slowly out of the barrel. A rocking motion *might* help, but rocking also means that you stand a chance of cracking the barrel (I did that once. But thankfully, it was only a cheap pen). So twisting over rocking. And also a bit of pulling might also help.

The key with removing a section is to be *gentle*. In order of frequency - Twist, then pull, then rock back and forth. Section-pliers should be used as an absolute last resort. I used them on the pen which I cracked in half and believe me, section-pliers can be a great help, but if used recklessly, you'll snap the pen in half.

Take your time with it. Do it in the evening when you're nice and relaxed. It's fun trying to do this stuff. I remember when I did my first lever-filler. I was all: "Wwwwwwoooooooooowww...I didn't know they were made so simply..."

Getting the sac out may be a little harder. If you're lucky, it'll just drop or pull out. You say it's rattling around, so that probably indicates that its broken off the section. A pair of tweezers or pliers ought to be able to yank it out. Just make sure you don't accidently pull the pressure-bar out of the pen with it!

Hi guys!
The hair drier trick worked perfectly - less than a minute of heat on the barrel and it came out without complaints or drama of any kind. The sac was totally petrified but hadn't adhered to the walls of the barrel, so it came out with some shaking and poking. The pressure bar is springy and perfect, so I don't have to worry about that.

I've got the section out - it has quite a bit of old sac cemented to it. Do people usually remove this (carefully) with an x-acto knife? Also, any tips on cleaning the section while I have it out? There was a great deal of dried ink built up just inside the nipple (eww), and I think the feed might be pretty clogged. On a modern pen I would just dunk the whole thing in water, but I somehow think that's not such a great idea with hard rubber. Any advice? Thanks SO much for the help so far.

Congratulations, Asamsky!!!

Right, barrel & section separated, sac has been removed? Good work.

I have a bit of a 'Yeeek!' factor around sharp implements. Instead of a knife, I use a nail-file. It may take a bit longer, but I believe it's a safer option. Just file away at the section-nipple and the dried sac will just slowly powder off in little black & brown/yellow rubbery/shellacky flakes. Once the sact has been removed from the section with the file, you can use a pocket-knife blade to trim it down and make the section nice and smooth.

Once the nipple is nice and clean, you will want to remove the nib and the feed. This is best done with a knockout block. If the feed is as full of inky gunk as you make it sound like, I suggest soaking it in some cool soapy water first. Having the barrel removed gives water greater access to the feed. Soak it in water and poke it around (with a chopstick, or just your finger) and knock the section gently against the side of the sink or drinking-glass (or whatever it is you have the water in). This will agitate the water and ink and help to clean it. Basically what should happen (in my experience, anyway) is that when you tap the section against the side of the container, it loosens all the dried flakes of ink. Keep tapping and you'll see all the ink come smoking out into the water. Keep tapping, stirring and changing the water until it's nice and clean.

In some cases, that might be sufficient to clean it. In other cases, it isn't. I personally prefer a complete diassembly of the pen.

To do this, you will need to remove the nib and feed. To do that, you will need a knockout block. A very simple knockout block may be fashioned from a thread-spool. Select one with a small interior diameter. Small enough to fit the nib and feed into, but which will stop the section from going through as well. An ideal length of the spool should be about 2-3 inches high.

Using something thin and strong (a metal rod, a nail -- with the point removed!) as a punch, and a hammer or a crab-mallet for a hammer, your task is to drive out the feed. This is pretty easy in theory, but it can take a while. Basically, it's like hammering in a nail.

Line up the punch with the top of the feed and make sure that the section & feed & nib are firmly seated in your little cotton-spool knockout block. Then, with the punch, spool and feed lined up, use the mallet to whack the punch down, as if driving in a nail.

You will need a fair amount of force and a steady hand. The key thing is to know when your tactic is not working. If, after several minutes hammering, the feed has not moved - do not try anymore. Take the nib-unit and heat it with a hair-drier and try again. Keep hammering and heating until eventually, the whole thing will just fall apart. The feed will eventually be hammered out and the nib should fall out along with it.

Now, reimmerse the section, feed and nib into some water (I suggest a small glass). Repeat the poky-tappy-stirry thing, to clean it even more. You'd be surprised how much ink can actually be found there! For more thorough cleaning of the feed, others recommend using an old toothbrush to scrub it out.

With everything cleaned and shiny, you now have to reassemble it. Pushing the feed in from the back of the section and the nib in from the front, make sure it's lined up properly and then shove it right in. Use your own judgement to determine how far the nib & feed need to go int and overlap each other, but they must at least line up properly.

Actually, an Xacto knife may be used to remove the sac. A file will give you flat spots, instead of lifting and chipping the dead sac off of the nipple. Once the sac is off you'll find that you have an uneven surface, so use 320 or 220 grit sand paper. Rotate the section with the paper wrapped around the nipple to even the surface. Don't do this any more than is needed to get it more or less even. The advantage here is that you end up with a textured surface that will help to hold the shellac and sac in place.

Soap is not recommended for cleaning a feed. Instead, you should use ammonia diluted 10:1 in water. It'll break down the ink better than soap will. Flush using a de-soldering bulb or a cut off ear syringe, then flush with clear water. If you can't get the crud out that way, then as has been pointed out, knocking out the nib and feed is necessary.

I don't recommend using something like a spool as a knockout block. It's not wide enough to be stable, and it's a bit on the short side- your nib could hit the table and be damaged once it's out. If you don't have a knockout block, you can use a drill gauge supported by a cup or something with a wide base. Use the smallest hole that allows the nib to pass through, so that you can have as much support for the section as possible. Make sure that that you have enough clearance under the block/gauge for the nib and feed to clear the section. Use a punch that will cover most of the end of the feed but will not hit the sides of the nipple. You'll find articles on how to make tools for repair, including a knockout block on my web site, titled cheap tools.

Sometimes it takes a few sharp blows to loosen the feed.

It's usually good to try to put the nib back into the same position in the section. If you look down the section, you can usually see where the nib pressed against the inside wall. Line things up and then press into place. It's very important to make sure that the nib is set deep enough into the section that it will clear the end of the inner cap. You can make an inner cap guage out of a rod and a piece of tubing (or a piece of tubing that slides into a larger one) to measure. If you don't do this, you are likely to end up with a bent nib.

I didn't say it *couldn't* be used, I just said if I was Asamsky I'd use something else. Some people, myself included, get a little shy around sharp things.



Ron, is soap of *any* benefit in cleaning pens at all? Or should we just not try? Curious, is all. Because I hear a fair few people recommend dishwashing detergent mixed in water as a method for cleaning pens.



To each his own. I've been using it for all my repairs so far, few though they've been, and I've not had any problems or bent nibs.

Thanks again for the advice, guys. Ron, is it safe to soak a BCHR section in the ammonia solution, or should I stick to flushing? I would prefer to avoid knocking out the nib if possible. I really appreciate all the help.

Knocking out the nib and feed is part of my general restoration practices. Usually, it's only done if the nib requires some sort of major attention, but I do it purely to gain more access so that I can clean the entire pen. You don't *have* to do it, but I'd recommend it. If a decent cleaning in ammonia/water solution fixes the problem, then you can skip the knockout block.

I'll certainly consider knocking it out if flushing doesn't work. Now does anyone know if it's safe to soak a hard rubber section?

I have read in a few posts from the professionals, that it is NOT safe to soak hard rubber. Soaking it might cause discoloration. (However, I have not tried it. I thought it is better to believe the masters.)
If a pen with a hard rubber section is clogged, I would either fill it with water, or, if that's not possible, and I have to open it up anyway, I would knock out the nib and feed. (But, I am yet to see a clog that was caused by ink so bad that I cannot fill the pen with water. Caused by india ink, yes. But, luckily, not in a really nice pen.)

Sorry, I disagree. With nearly 20 years experience in repairing pens, I've encountered many problems. You simply haven't bent a nib yet. The spool is not nearly deep enough, nor is it stable enough. I have found that it is wise to have a fairly deep, stable knock out block so that it doesn't slip while knocking out the nib and feed. If it slip, you could damage the nib or crack the sac nipple. Then you're into an expensive repair. Been there, done that, don't want others to do the same thing.

To answer the question about soaking. Soaking hard rubber can cause it to discolor. An ultrasonic with some ammonia may produce minor discoloration, but no more than can be easily polished off. I use an ultrasonic in one or two 3 minute cycles, and then flush the pen. A soak of a celluloid section is OK, but you need to be certain that it is celluloid. It's also worth noting that the hard rubber made after WW I is less prone to discoloration, which is not to say that it is immune to discoloration.

The reason that I don't like to knock out a nib and feed as a matter of routine is that 1] it can be difficult to get them lined up properly and 2] the nib and feed may be loose in the section, which involves one of a number of processes to get them snug again. and 3] it isn't always necessary. There are those who disagree with this, but careful examination before you start often will give you a clue as to what needs to be done.

BTW, it's usually useful to do the cleaning and flushing even if you plan to knock out the nib and feed. It softens the ink and makes it easier - and reduces the stress on the hard rubber parts.

Just as a general comment about knocking out a nib & feed:

Knocking it out gives you the best chance of really getting the bits clean.

The plusses of this are:

1) Full unobstructed ink flow,

2) Truer ink colors. No matter how much you flush a nib/feed/section assembly, you'll seldom get all the old ink out. If you use any lighter colors (ie not black or blue), the old ink will tint it into something else. This need not occur instantly with the first ink fill and may happen several loads of ink later.

The minuses are:

3) You might expose hidden damage (in the nib, feed or section) that did not affect prior functionality but will make it difficult or impossible to reassemble,

4) Fresh breakage is very possible. Remember you're disturbing a mechanical relationship that may be 80 years old,

5) Reassembly seems easy, but as Ron indicated it's a good idea to get the pieces back into their original position. Even then you can have pesky additional ink flow or outright leak around the feed/nib,

6) The reinstalled nib will have pressures exerted on it differently than before (subtle but still different). This can affect the alignment of the tips in all directions resulting in toothy nibs, dry nibs or overly wet nibs. Sometimes this is easy to compensate for, other times not.

So, you can see, grasshopper, that you must weigh the risk/rewards before you do it. I've got a somewhat compulsive nature, but I've learned to stop & study each nib/section and ask myself if I really need to tear it apart (and go looking for trouble) or just flush the living cr*p out of it.

***** End of long boring story from school of hard knocks. *****

Happy restoring!

John

Always having to make do with limited tools, I've been known to fill my mouth with water and blow it out through the feed (not the other way around!). It may not be the classiest thing to do, but it has had fairly good results for me :-).

Thanks again for all the advice! I'll try conservative soaking before I think about knocking out the nib and feed.

Thanks for the reply, Ron, but you didn't answer another question I had, which was: Why do you not recommend soap as a cleaning-material for pens? I only ask because every here and there, I see people recommending that the person with the problem soak his pen in a cup of water with dishwashing soap in it.

Is there anything actually *bad* about soaking a pen in soap & water? Or is it just not effective/worth the effort for the results provided?

Hi guys -
A three minute soak and and whole lot of flushing cleared the feed - no discoloration or other problems. Now I just have to wait for the sacs to arrive from Tryphon and I'll be ALL SET! Thanks for the help!

The pen is restored and writing perfectly - my first sac replacement! Thanks for your help everyone.

Just because "some people" recommend it, does not make it right.... just as "some people" recommend repair procedures that could be harmful to a pen...
Soaps may contain additives that might be harmful to certain pen materials...
"Some people" recommend using a drop of dishwashing soap in ink to make it flow better... something else I disagree with since there is a perfectly good additive already on the market that does that...

Basically, when someone like Ron or Richard say to not use something... I think that people might want to take that to heart....
I have learned more from Ron and Richard (on line and in person) over the years that I have from any book written...

Griz, I never said it was right. All I want to know is why I shouldn't use it.

And I NEVER said you did... I just answered the question....
Why are you so argumentative...