I have a couple of pens which really need an overhaul. Particularly a 51 and a Duofold from the 40s? I have lots of hobbies and four young kids, but love pens... is it worth learning? Before I came here I figured it couldn't be that hard (and I am a practical chap) but never realised the intricacies. Are there quick wins or years of frustration?

Yes. Both. And it's worth learning. Just read up and learn as much as you can before you start!

And is the place to start with 'da book'?

No, I would get the new book that Ron reviewed in this area...

Thanks, thats a good tip. I may even pay him a visit next time I'm in Malvern.

It's well worth learning. And try to start with the more basic repairs. Like replacing a sac on a lever filler, touchdowns etc... Even replacing a parker vac diaphragm or a snorkel. But stay away from sheaffer vac-fills. Those things are the devil!

You can do it yourself if you are willing to read, ask a few questions and make a few mistakes. Be patient and ask questions and soon you will realize it is not as difficult as you thought. Good luck to you!

Phil

Learn. Even if you never fix more than a couple of pens, you'll have a better sense how to look after them and if something does go wrong with one you'll have an idea of what the repair will be like/worth. I've changed exactly one spark plug in my life, but I'm happier for knowing in broad terms how my car works.

By all means, learn. It's a good thing for all the reasons above, plus it's good therapy; I find a few hours in the pen cave will settle my frayed nerve endings. Now that's not to say pen repair doesn't have it's own frustrations, but of course, those are different. The advice below is from an amateur repairer with seven years of experience on a few hundred pens. I most always work on my own pens, but occasionally on pens belonging to friends.

A few things: Read all you can. Get one of the good repair books or several. Ask for advice and know how the pen is constructed before attempting to dismantle it. Practice on some junk pens first. Start with sac replacement on lever fillers if possible - Esties are great for this purpose.

You will need to make or purchase some basic tools, especially if you want to work on pens such as Parker vacumatic filler's. Get a decent heat gun - one that is adjustable with a lower end temp no higher than 140 F and an infinite adjustment - is best. Too much heat is very bad for many pen materials but heat is desirable for many repairs.

Patience is the key component of all repairs, along with knowledge, and techniques honed by practice. Of course, learning what not to try is as important as well. Don't get discouraged when you break a pen for the first (or second) time - it happens. Just be sure to learn from it and move on (of course, you want to limit the breakage to less important pens!)

Most of all, have fun! And BTW - good luck with the addiction.

Thanks all. I am inspired. I have to say I have never heard of a heat-gun until this forum. Is it like a controlable hairdrier?

A heat gun is more like a controllable electric paint stripper.

I'd be surprised if you need one to begin with. I've been able to strip down a good few Parker pens with the aid of nothing more than near boiling water from a kettle.

As for 'Is it worth learning?'. The answer can only be yes. Learning keeps the mind agile, gives interest to life and can give extra saleable skills when you need a new job.
Since joining here I've used some of the concealed joining methods found in pens in my real engineering job. They've added to the functionality and aesthetics of the work enormously - it's called 'technology transfer'. OK, I know it says a lot about the technological state of the work I'm doing that it can be improved by copying ideas from 1940's vintage pens, but it is worth learning.

Personally I'd like every adult in a western society to be capable of re-starting the industrial revolution from scratch if they needed. I know it's an impractical dream, but I think I'm mostly there myself, just need 600 million others to learn now.

Regards

Richard.

What is the newer book than DaBook please?
Thanks!

FWIW: A good heat gun for fp work has a much, much lower heat limit than any paint stripper. Avoid any tool that claims to be primarily a paint stripper.

And I would also avoid boiling or near boiling water. It will discolor hard rubber and many celluloid based plastics. The only pen repair on which I've ever seen advice to use hot water is a Parker "51" shell removal. Hot water and pens can be a bad combination.

see this site: http://www.penpractice.com/

Err.
Yes. I do apologise.
I've mostly played with P51's & look-alikes. Modern plastics generally aren't a problem with hot water, but the older plastics are much more fragile.

Regards

Richard.