I just got a nice user-grade Targa off ebay. The nib is a really smooth broad and writes nicely...then I found out the upper section (the nib part above the gold clutch ring) is loose and leaks ink. I tried to pull it off but there's still quite some resistance and I don't want to force it. It would be nice to send it off to a professional repairman, but given the dirt cheap price I paid for it...bah, I can't justify it.

From what I've heard, the section is supposedly sealed with shellac. How, if it is possible, can pull the nib apart & by what means should I glue it back in? Is superglue (the really, really, really, SUPER glue) okay, or should is it imperative I get shellac?

Thanks!

Kuno

Hi Kuno,

The back end of the nib unit does not pull off, it unscrews from inside the back of the shell, it unscrews at the point where the gold ring is situated.

Please do not use superglue, OK it is your pen and you can use whatever you want but once it has been glued in place even if the repair doesn't work then the nib unit with its nice Broad nib is junk and B nib is Targas are not that common.

Gently warming the nib unit in a ziploc bag immersed in hot water at about 120 degrees fahrenheit will soften the sealant if there is any and will ease the fit of the collar and the shell, gently try to unscrew it gripping both parts gently and as close to the joint as possible, with luck it should come apart. I have just disassembled a spare Targa that I know not to leak with no heat or anything and on this one there is no sealant of any kind and the job is no problem.

Best of luck,

Cheers, John

As Oxonian said, the back end of a Targa nib assembly uscrews. Sheaffer used an adhesive to hold these in place. Not shellac, but often a thread sealant. The purpose was to lock the threads in position more than it was to seal. Inside the section is an 0 ring that did the sealing. These often flatten a bit, but they usually can be reused.

I recommend a hair dryer over hot water to loosen the adhesive. I find that I don't have enough strength in my fingers alone to get these apart, so you'll need someting with which to grip the threads, and then the section. One of the grippy pads for opening jars will help, or a couple of pieces of fuel line hose slit down the side will help.

You want to be able to take it apart if you need to, so DO NOT use super glue to secure it again. There's also the risk that the super glue will set before you thread things back together again, and then you're sunk! (replacement nibs are now $90!) Shellac will work, as will one of the thread sealants such as the one that Giovanni makes. I suppose that one of the Locktite thread lockers will work, but I prefer to use shellac because I know that it will come apart with some heat.