How To Begin The Disassembling Of A Vintage Aurora 88?

[cmd]

Hi folks,

 

Any suggestions on how to get the section off of a vintage 88? The plunger on mine when flushed well with water moves reasonably freely, but when filled with Aurora Blue ink it becomes very hard to move.

 

I would like to take the section off to begin disassembling it to clean things up inside but don't want to force anything or risk damaging it.

 

Oh, if anyone has suggestions on how to get the plunger working smoothly without disassembling that would be nice.

 

Chris

[Freddy]

Chris...suggest you read this first...

http://www.dannzeman.com/2010/01/19/vintage-aurora-88-tear-down/

Hths

 

Fred

Edited May 5, 2011 by Freddy

[knitknitfrog]

Opps I can't open that page (server can't be found message),

I am keen to see as I just acquired a vintage 88 that works but has not been restored so one day I expect to have to deal with that one day

 

Edited - link now works, fantastic resourse - thanks

Edited May 5, 2011 by knitknitfrog

[cmd]

Chris...suggest you read this first...

http://www.dannzeman.com/2010/01/19/vintage-aurora-88-tear-down/

Hths

 

Fred

 

Very good info there Fred, thanks for the link.

 

I'm having trouble unscrewing the section though - it seems glued on. Does anyone know how to break the seal to get the section to unscrew?

[kaushla]

Chris...suggest you read this first...

http://www.dannzeman...a-88-tear-down/

Hths

 

Fred

 

Very good info there Fred, thanks for the link.

 

I'm having trouble unscrewing the section though - it seems glued on. Does anyone know how to break the seal to get the section to unscrew?

 

It is not easy to get the section to unscrew from the barrel. It requires careful application of heat, hot enough to to soften the shellac sealant on the but not so hot that it warps or melts the celluloid barrel. I am informed that the melting points of shellac and celluloid are quite close. Direct heat from a flame may ignite the barrel. A hair dryer or heat gun are supposed to be useful but the heat applied has to be built up gradually. Wrenching force may not work. I wish I could say that I have succeeded in opening the section but I have not. The best advice I have received here and elsewhere is to proceed with care and to persist. Any excess of heat of force will end in disaster.

Kaushla

[kaushla]

It is not easy to get the section to unscrew from the barrel. It requires careful application of heat, hot enough to to soften the shellac sealant on the but not so hot that it warps or melts the celluloid barrel. ...... I wish I could say that I have succeeded in opening the section but I have not....

Kaushla

Sorry to revive an old thread but this may be relevant. I used an embossing heat gun (set at the low heat) applying heat on the recalcitrant Aurora 88 barrel-section joint and just below it in short 10-15 second spells, turning the barrel all the time. The end of the heat gun nozzle was about three inches away from the pen. After about 5 minutes of this, I dipped the joint into cool water and applied torque with a bicycle inner tube. The joint opened a little reluctantly. Some blackened dust was seen which might have been hardened shelllac and/or black ink residue. I should mention that most experts advise a heat gun with continuous temperature control and I used the embossing type. A trial run on a shattered Eversharp Skyline barrel warped it in about 30 seconds. So the advice to be careful with the heat is to be taken seriously. I should like to thank David Nishimura, Paolo (Sanpei) and Hanamizu for their advice.

Chhayanat

[benn093]

I don't know if anyone is still monitoring this thread, but I am having the same problem with an 88 - section firmly wedded to the barrel. I have tried applying heat from a hairdryer to no effect. Before trying a heat gun, does anyone know of a suitable repair-person in British Columbia? I could then at least get an estimate of the job prior to having to purchase a heat gun and potentially ruin a nice pen!

 

Many thanks!

 

Alan

[dabrez]

I just disassembled an 88P. The section was difficult to remove. Heat from a hair drier didn't work at first. I soaked the nib end then tried heat again and the section finally came loose. A little heat, then a little soak...repeat as necessary seems to be the rule of thumb.

[benn093]

Thank you - shall try that this weekend.

 

Alan

[paolino_paperino]

Be careful with soaking, as sections can discolor quite severely, being made - at least in earlier models - in hard rubber.

 

If your purpose is to repair the piston, then I would recommend opening the pen from the other end, as you'll minimize the risk of breaking the rather fragile piston head.

 

Here are the steps I have successfully used to repair my thirty-something vintage aurora 88s (the steps are appropriate for 88, 88K and 88P models):

1. immerse the nib in a few millimeters of water, taking care not to cover with water the section too. Leave the pen in water for an hour at least;
2. move the piston to the empty position, by turning the blind cap counterclockwise. Do not force the piston, as it's rather fragile. If you can't move it go on with the steps anyway;
3. remove the plug at the end of the blind cap, using a needle. It's usually black, but can also be found in other colors (colors indicated the nib type). Under the plug you'll find a screw. BTW, if you lose the plug, you can fabricate a new one by cutting a disc in a suitably thick (1mm or less) sheet of black plastic;
4. remove the screw that keeps the blind cap in place and then remove the blind cap too. Under the blind cap you'll find an assembly like this: a metal rod with two flats filed in it (it's the distal end of the screw that operates the piston); a metal cylinder connected to the rod with a through-pin; a plastic cylinder encasing the rod and protruding from the end of the barrel. The earliest 88 model had rods of a grey metal that's prone to rusting, and a hard-rubber case; these are pretty difficult to open without breaking and are the only models for which I prefer operating from the nib end. The later models had a brass rod and a case made of robust whitish/greenish plastic;
5. heat the end of the barrel - a hair drier will produce enough heat - till it's almost, but not quite, too hot to touch with your lips;
6. unscrew the whitish/greenish plastic case from the barrel, using pliers;
7. remove the piston, likely left behind in the barrel, by pulling it with long-nosed pliers. Use as little force as possible;
8. repair the piston by unscrewing the plug that keeps the barrel seals in place and remove the old seals. David Nishimura sells replacement seals on his site;
9. put the replacement seals in place, lightly coat them with silicon grease, screw the plug in place;
10. screw the piston and the piston housing together;
11. screw the piston assembly back in the barrel;
12. screw the blind cap on the piston assembly;
13. put the black plug back in the blind cap

Edited August 11, 2013 by paolino_paperino

[stephanos]

This is both detailed and very useful. Thank you.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I know what my first step on a vintage 88 repair would be.

 

 

 

 

Finding the right box to send it off to someone who knew what they were doing.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[PDW]

I've opened my 88p from the section end. When I drive the piston down the barrel from its closed position it seems to come off the end of the screw thread near to (but not at) the open end of the barrel, but with a slight push it goes back on to the mechanism and then operates normally.

 

Is there any possibility of removing the piston and its shaft from the section end (might need to hook it out), leaving the blind cap end mechanism in place, reworking the piston, then re-inserting it from the section and and pushing it back on to the driver assembly? If this worked it would save a fair deal of disassembly.

[hughdrbf]

I know what my first step on a vintage 88 repair would be.

 

 

 

 

Finding the right box to send it off to someone who knew what they were doing.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Precisely what I did when mine arrived from a fleaBay win. Beautifully vintage and flexible in great cosmetic condition. Next day it went immediately to Dr. Zorn. When he sent it back fully restored I was speechless at how wonderfully and perfectly it operated and wrote.

 

Concur 100% Bruce. There are many vintage pens that I have and would again restore on my own. Much of what I know I learned from Ron. A nice vintage Aurora 88 goes next day right to him.

 

Hugh

[fountainbel]

I've opened my 88p from the section end. When I drive the piston down the barrel from its closed position it seems to come off the end of the screw thread near to (but not at) the open end of the barrel, but with a slight push it goes back on to the mechanism and then operates normally.

 

Is there any possibility of removing the piston and its shaft from the section end (might need to hook it out), leaving the blind cap end mechanism in place, reworking the piston, then re-inserting it from the section and and pushing it back on to the driver assembly? If this worked it would save a fair deal of disassembly.

Yes PDW,it is possible to take the piston out and replace the piston seal from the section side.

In fact I always do it a such.

You don't necessarily have to remove the blind cap nor the piston mechanism.

Once the piston seal is replaced, put some silicone grease inside the female threads of the piston spindle and on the piston seal.

Then I clamp a 6mm diameter bar in my workbench vise , introduce the piston in the barrel, spindle concentric with the barrel bore, push piston in till it contacts the screw spindle and then push lightly on the piston on the bar clamped in the workbench vise while slowly screwing the blind cap.

At a certain point you will feel the hexagon spindle entering the its mating hexagon anti rotation guiding bushing and your set

Piece of cake !

Wishing you success !

Francis

[PDW]

Thanks, Francis, for this advice from an expert!

 

A couple of queries, though, before I start the tricky bit:

 

1. Once the piston and shaft assembly is off the screwing mechanism, how do I hook the piston assembly out of the barel with minimum damage - when fully unscrewed it's just inside the barrel.

 

2. Is it possible to recondition a worn seal without replacing it. Mine seems it have a very slight leak only.

 

3. So far I've been able to get the piston assembly back on to the screw mechanism by pushing it gently down and even more gently twisting the blind cap until it all fits, holding the barrel in my hand and without a vice. Will this work after completely removing the piston etc. from the barrel.?

 

.

[fountainbel]

Thanks, Francis, for this advice from an expert!

 

A couple of queries, though, before I start the tricky bit:

 

1. Once the piston and shaft assembly is off the screwing mechanism, how do I hook the piston assembly out of the barel with minimum damage - when fully unscrewed it's just inside the barrel.

I use a small set of pinchers, sometime a needle lifting the piston out.

 

2. Is it possible to recondition a worn seal without replacing it. Mine seems it have a very slight leak only.

Could be that you can increase the axial tension of the inclosure nut and create a slight radial expansion, but be careful, the plastic is rather brittle ! Personally I would not hesitate to replace the piston seal.BTW, David Nishimura sells appropriate replacement O rings.

 

3. So far I've been able to get the piston assembly back on to the screw mechanism by pushing it gently down and even more gently twisting the blind cap until it all fits, holding the barrel in my hand and without a vice. Will this work after completely removing the piston etc. from the barrel.?

 

The radial pretension of a fresh seal will logically be higher, so I doubt if you will be able to reengage by hand. in case you don't have a vise you can ask someone to hold the pin - or even a pencil - sticking over a the table so you can back up against it

 

.

[PDW]

 

 

2. Is it possible to recondition a worn seal without replacing it. Mine seems it have a very slight leak only.

Could be that you can increase the axial tension of the inclosure nut and create a slight radial expansion, but be careful, the plastic is rather brittle ! Personally I would not hesitate to replace the piston seal.BTW, David Nishimura sells appropriate replacement O rings.

 

 

 

.

 

 

Replacement seals ordered ... now I just have to wait!