I find myself taking apart and marveling at these pens. I think I'd like to try my hand at repairing - very simple stuff. Could someone suggest a "starter" set of pen tools? It seems "Da Book" is an essential. What about hand tools? Please think limited budget, then a second purchase once I gain a little experience and confidence. Aren't they remarkable little bits of industrial design?!!

There's a healthy dose of info at: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...l=repair++tools

You might search the repair forum for repair tools as well.

Cheers,

John

Thanks John.

Aaaah, you found my thread!

Some of the tools in my own repair-kit are:

- Torch. A small, bright one. Useful for peeking into caps & barrels.

- Nail-file. For filing/hacking away at dry sac and for smoothing section-nipples.

- Small sharp knife (pocket-knife?) for cutting away at dried sac.

- Tweezers. Must be long and thin and grabby. For removing...dried sac! but also for removing (if necessary) pressure-bars. For some reason, I have three pairs of these!

- Scissors. Small pair.

These are all things you can find around the house, so they won't be hard to get.

You might also want a powerful loupe (magnifying-glass, used by jewellers). They're pretty cheap and they're great for checking out small things like nibs and cracks and whatever. I have a pair of loups, one 20x, one 10x.

Torch = flashlight (not anything to do with actual flame). Gotta watch the Aussies!

Instead of Da Book, get the new repair book by Marshall & Oldfield. It's $50, but easily the best investment you'll make in the hobby.

John

Torch, flashlight, shiny-thing-on-stick, whatever! Just make sure it's bright and concentrated!

A small knife and 180 or 220 sand paper would be better. Unless you are careful, you can end up with flat spots on the nipple. It's also easy to go past the sac and onto the nipple, resulting in taking too much material off of the nipple.

The tool that I reach for much of the time for removing old sacs is a mini utility knife. One of the little guys that's about 3" long. It has a short, stiff blade that's ideal for chipping off the bits of sac (wear glasses or some type of eye protection), and a large flat handle for a good grip.

If you're interested in making some of your own tools, take a look at my articles on cheap tools. They're written for folks who are just starting out. I encourage thinking outside the box, but there is a fine line between being adaptable and using something that can damage your pen.

I also highly recommend the new repair book by Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield. I've suggested "Da Book" for years but have had issues with a number of Frank's procedures. With this new book on the market, I'm retiring my copy of Da Book for good.

Follow this link to take a look at my review of the new repair book.

(my 'bold')
With that strength of recommendation from Ron, I think it's obvious that the Marshall/Oldfield book is a classic in the making.

Regards

Richard.

Ron's suggestion about the fuel line hose in the "cheap tools" link he gave you really is one of the most useful tools that you can have. I have about five pieces cut to various sizes for gripping different parts of pens. The pieces can be used with your fingers as well as with pliers and are always handy to have around.

Other things I use frequently--
dental pics,
Loupe
polish (Mothers and Tryphon's XP is what I use)
heat source
micro abrasives--both micromesh and sometimes mylar--you can just get a couple of the strips if you're on a budget.
You'll need shellac for resaccing and refitting sections
Something to floss and perhaps spread the nib tines
occasionally need very small pair of needle nose pliers
parts specific for the pen you're refitting, such as sacs, obviously
if you already have any fine whetstones they can be used for nib smoothing. The finer the better.

I think if you have all that along with some of the items mentioned above you should be good for simple pens that don't need specialized tools.

Ron, you make that new book sound like a bible. I must get a copy of it!

My tool kit for the road consists of:

small fishing tackle box with divided sections (about 6" x 4" x 8")
2ml syringe for cleaning difficult sections, feeds etc
very thin, 4" long jaw needle nose pliers
jewelers pliers with padded jaws
sac spreader from pendemonium
small bottle of orange shellac with the built in brush
1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 wet or dry sandpaper
small bunch of steel wool for j-bar cleaning
alligator forcepts for removing particularly stubborn sacs
tryphon, mother, simichrome polish of your choice
small tube gel super glue
section pliers (K D spark plug pliers with padded jaws)
zip lock type baggies in proper pen sizes (to keep parts together)

My home version adds a set of hemostats in several sizes and configurations, jeweler's rouge polish, led flashlight and loupe.

Some tools are going to be more brand specific, especially if you are working on piston fill pens. Some of these are available commercially some are made because of a particular need.