I have just received my first Relief L-2 which I had won on ebay and it is a terrible disappointment! I should have been wary when the description simply read "...nice chunky vintage Relief Fountain Pen...14 ct gold nib...writing on the barrel is Relief No. 2-L..." However, with such a short description, I decided to ask some questions, especially since the seller is a non-refundable type:
"Hi! Are there any scratches, gouges, burn marks,personalized engravings or other cosmetic damages we should know about? Is the pen nib straight and the tip intact? is the shirt clip tight and the tip touching flat on the pen cap? Does the ink lever move up and spring back naturally to the body? Is the ink bladder or sac in good shape when water tested? Thanks for any info."

I did get an answer which made me more determined to want the pen:
"I do not see any cosmetic damage. The pen tip is straight and is intact. The shirt clip is in excellent condition as well. The ink bladder is in good condition, but I have not water tested it. Thank YOu"

(1) When the pen came, the first thing I saw was a dull and lifeless exterior, although there were no deep cosmetic damage that was evident except the usual minor scratches. Even for a newbie like me, I had purchased a set of cleaners and waxes at the outset (suggestions for which, by the way, I saw on this forum too--thank you!) so that this was not a big deal. I managed to bring out the gloss and shine in a few minutes of work on the body and gold trim.
(2) Then I worked on the shirt clip, described to be in "excellent condition", but which was nowhere near the cap body and slightly warped. I referred back to a topic on this, complete with pictures, which has proven very helpful to me in adjusting these shirt clips--thanks so much to antoniosz for such detailed instructions, indispensable for all of us who are new to this!
(3) The nib was also very dirty but a few passes with my nib cleaner returned its shine, but not its scratchiness that is very noticeable on a dry paper test. I believe that these nibs are not interchangeable? Should I get a replacement nib? Are these available? I always see the renew points but never a relief nib so maybe I won't be able to use this pen after all! I don't know if I can manage to correct this with a Micromesh? Any suggestions?
(4) Then came the most disappointing part. The lever, which I had particularly questioned, did not want to budge. I already knew that there must be bad sac problem lying inside. I removed the section from the body to inspect the sac which was also claimed to be in "good condition", when lo and behold, only the stump of a sac was still on the nipple and the rest nowhere to be seen! I set out scraping and picking at the inside to remove the petrified sac which came out in bits and pieces and when I tried to pull out the bigger pieces, the whole pressure bar and lever still attached to it came out in one piece! I was wondering if the assembly only consisted of these two-- a pressure bar with a groove where the lever could slide into--or are there other parts missing? I also noticed that the lever was just straight with no "spoonlike" end where you would normally lift it like in the other esties. However, I noticed that there was a bit of gold-like material embedded in the end of the slot where the groove started. Could this have been part of the lever or just a trim on the body before the lever? I think the pressure bar and lever are still ok when I cleaned them but putting them back is another question. What would be the easiest way to do this? I had looked through Da Book but couldn't find specifics. What size sac does the Relief take?
(5) Lastly (at least as far as I can tell!) there is a problem with screwing the pen cap to the body. It seems that the cap is slightly bigger than the body so that the threads do not align. It will catch on a bit then just loosen up instead of tightening up. I checked the threads and they seemed ok on both the cap and the body. The cap simply will not screw on the body. What could be the problem? Any easy fix?

Sorry for all these questions but instead of a disappointment, I wanted this to be a learning experience--if some of you would be kind enough to guide me through it. I am sure that some other people new to this would appreciate that as much as I would. I am just so glad I discovered this forum where I learn something new everyday. Thanks in advance for any help on the above.

I can't give you help on all of your woes,but I can possibly address the problem of the cap not screwing on tightly.
-Does the cap look like it's original to the pen? It may not be the original.
-If the screw threads on either the cap or the barrel are worn or sanded down,that would give the threads just enough to grab,but not enough to hold.

Wish I had more info to give--I hope that my paltry little bit helped.

John

Thanks, John, every little bit helps! I think the cap is original to the pen and I have looked at the threads on both cap and body--they seem to be in good condition. I did read somewhere that a small amount of heat and gently molding the cap to a smaller diameter might help--though as someone so new to this, I am afraid to give it a try!

Is your cap engaging the threads and slipping? Typically we see shrinkage in a cap and not expansion. Since you removed the section this sort of rules out shrinkage at the barrel and thus I'm more inclined to believe the inner-cap is hitting the section face and preventing the threads from properly engaging. Fixing this isn't for a first time repair.

The sac is easily replaceable. The Relief pens tend to be brittle and like to crack at the threads so go easy on the section removal.

The nib sounds a bit tweaked and thus may be improperly seated in the section. If it extends to far out, it may have hit the inner cap and caused your problem.

All in all if the pen is complete it is repairable. A picture would be helpful if you get a chance.

Todd

Hello, Todd! Thanks for the info--I do believe the nib and feed do extend too far out and may be hitting the inner cap because once I remove that assembly, I can completely screw on the cap to the body, without the nib and feed section attached. Is there an easy fix for this problem? What size sac does this take? My digital camera is currently on loan to a friend which is why I can't send any pics at this time. Thanks for any more suggestions!