I can take them apart with the knock-out block. But how do you put them back together?

The big fat Sheaffer's I can probably figure out a place on the tip of the feed to push, but how do I put my Pelikan M200 nob and feed back into the collar? I jammed it in there as tight as I can, but it should go farther.

Some sections have a very subtle flat spot that you have to rotate the feed and nib to match up with to get them to go all the way back in. Don't know if this is the case with yours but you may want to look.

You need a knock-in block. Hard to find.....

Sorry, I couldn't resit. I push them back by hand. Sometimes it helps to heat the section. You may also need to "set" the feed after installation. Often it is difficult to get the nib/feed back to the proper depth unless you have it orientated in the same way as it came out. If you look carefully and the section you will often see a bulge on one side of the hole where the nib sat. Putting it back in this same orientation is the only way to go.

Todd

Thanks guys.

I also slapped my forehead and took out Da Book.

Apparently, with these old pens I might need to ream the section a little tiny bit. Frank also suggests soaping everything, which I will try.

M200 nibs have an alignment feature on the feed that fits into the collar that threads into the section. Take a closer look when it is apart and you should see a post on the feed that slides into a slot in the collar. I do not know when this feature was brought in, but if the nib is recent that should be there.

This arrangement orients the nib and feed to the collar in the correct rotational alignment.

Cheers,
Sean

Hi James:
If you expect to be putting nibs back together more often, consider buying a "nib vice" from the Fountain Pen Museum in the UK. Here's a link

http://www.penmuseum.co.uk/spares.htm

This little dandy, designed by the late and great Arthur Twydle, allows you to push the nib and feed into the section with both hands and with great control while keeping the nib exactly lined up with the feed. Besides, it's a beautifully crafted tool that will look nice on your workbench. With shipping from the UK, it might set you back about $70, but it will last a lifetime.

Cheers,
Gerry Berg

PS: This tool is NOT for use with threaded feeds. Use it only for friction fit nib sections.

I would not recommend doing either. If the feed and nib fit the section before, they will fit it again (note the comments above regarding alignment and the use of heat). Removing material will only lead to trouble. Soap is more likely to lead to hands slipping and a nib drawing blood.

I was wondering about the soap advice, after reading it in Da Book. Wouldn't the soap be difficult to fully soak out, and end up polluting ink for several fills? Anyone tried that?

I have indeed seen a knock-in block in a local pen shop here. It has D shaped slots on a wooden block, you manually insert the nib and feed upto a certain point, then invert the pen nib down to slide the nib feed into the D slot where it is held by friction and lightly tap the pen barrel from behind (with a mallet) to seat the nib feed in fully.

Actually, before reaming, I had similar problems with a vacumatic section (tried soap, aligning to the original position) and could not get the nib in. It was pretty hard to get it out in the first place too. The fit was so tight that the section had warped to a silghtly triangular shape. In the end, I got a pair of stainless steel sissors and slowly removed some material using one blade. The nib was still a tight fit but with as much strength as I could muster, pushed it in right.

It's supposed to be a rather tight fit. When you encounter a loose nib and feed (other than in a Waterman) the most likely cause is that the section and feed have cold flowed, and left an impression in both nib and feed. With a very tight nib and feed, rather than ream the section out, the best thing to do is to start the nib and feed, and then heat the section before you try to press them home. Not too much, but heating it will allow it to stretch a bit so that the nib and feed go in. It may take several tries, and you want to be careful not to over heat the section to avoid damaging it.

If the nib and feed were in there before, they will go in again. Once you remove material, you make it impossible to get a proper fit down the road, and may very well end up with a loose nib.