Dear all forumers,

I just got myself a vintage lever filler couple of days ago. The lever is mobile however it doesn't draw ink at all. Anyone could point me in the right direction for a possible DIY repair? Any link to associated topic is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Shake the pen. Is there any rattling around as if from a cracked and broken ink-sac?

How freely does the lever move? Does it swing around, or does it move, but firmly, as if it's pressing against a J-bar?

There's a page on Richard Binder's site about how to repair a lever-filling fountain pen. Very easy to do if you have all the right materials.

One quick caution: Don't force the lever to operate. If the sac has hardened, which is a distinct possibility, you can damage the lever assembly by forcing it.

I've got some nearly sensible directions here, Richard has some rather good ones in his Reference area, subhead Taking Care of Your Pens, and Penspotters is worth a look, too. The great thing about most lever fillers is that the effort:satisfaction ratio is very favourable.

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Shangas, yes the pen rattles upon shaking it. Something must have been broken in it.

I'll do the repair and will let you guys know

The rattling inside will be one of two things - either the broken ink-sac (which will have petrified and which will now most likely be nothing more than hardened rubber chips - easily removed) or the pressure-bar, which has come loose (with a bit of careful bending, this can be replaced fairly easily without any damage).