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Disassembling A Parker Urban Fp


Markk

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So I know that that the Frontier simply unscrews.

 

How does the Urban come apart? Pull? Also unscrew? I'd like to take it apart and give it a cleaning (and simply take it apart for fun).

 

Any experience?

All bleeding stops...eventually

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Hi, Yes I believe it is same feed as Vector too. If that's true, I did take apart an old Vector, and very nearly ruined it. The feed plus nib come out together, straight down, no thread, but it's really tight.

I heated the whole nib unit up in hot water for ten minutes, then got a thin blade in the groove under the feed and kept levering the feed down. But the plastic is very soft and I did damage it somewhat. With hindsight I probably won't try that again. I have found the Vector is easy to keep flushed through, and doesn't need taking apart.

I don't own an Urban but if it is the same, then probably best to just flush it through often, if it writes well then I personally wouldn't risk damaging it. (See photo.)

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Hi, Yes I believe it is same feed as Vector too. If that's true, I did take apart an old Vector, and very nearly ruined it. The feed plus nib come out together, straight down, no thread, but it's really tight.

I heated the whole nib unit up in hot water for ten minutes, then got a thin blade in the groove under the feed and kept levering the feed down. But the plastic is very soft and I did damage it somewhat. With hindsight I probably won't try that again. I have found the Vector is easy to keep flushed through, and doesn't need taking apart.

I don't own an Urban but if it is the same, then probably best to just flush it through often, if it writes well then I personally wouldn't risk damaging it. (See photo.)

 

There's no glue, so you dont need to heat it, just a firm straight pull does the trick thumbup.gif

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True, it isn't really in dire need of cleaning...but I'd still like to take it apart (if it's as simple as the Frontier or Inoxcrom).

All bleeding stops...eventually

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Hi all, The reason I heated it in water, was to try to expand the outer part and so to make the feed easier to pull out. When I said it was tight, I should have said extremely tight, almost to the point the user at home cannot remove it. There probably is a special device which would fit in the groove on the feed, which would allow it to be pulled out without wrecking it. Of course we don't have that device. The problem is not only is it extremely tight, but the feed seems to be made of something like polythene, and the fins are distorted in removing it. I used an old spare Vector to find this out, but I won't be doing the same to my 1992 'M' nib, which continues to be a good writer.

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Hi All, A picture might help, here's what happened to mine.

Edited by Mike 59
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  • 7 years later...
Very useful suggestions on the Urban nib/feed removal can be found on YouTube. They are given by
  • Stephen Brown; search for the movie -> "Disassembly Line Parker Vector". There is also the movie "Disassembly Line Parker Urban ". The video about Vector is a better manual. Nib and feed form the section dissasembles in Parker Vector the same way as from Parker Urban.
  • Fountain Pen Revolution ; search for the movie -> "How to remove and replace a fountain pen nib and feed"
CLEANING.
Before you start the feed removal,it is recommended to clean the section from the old inks. Do it as thoroughly as you can. Use cold and warm water, may also use dishwashing liquid.
Yes, give it a lot of time to have best result. Use A LOT OF PATIENCE AND TIME and change water.
Yes let it stay in water even for a couple of days (if it is extremely rusty/clogged with old ink).
Yes, before the nib/feed removal make sure it is cleaned as thoroughly as possible.
When it looks "clean" you may start the nib/feed removal operation.
If it is does not go out and if it still stains with ink, -> give it more flush and time in water. Then try again.
MY PERSONAL Gina Lollobrigida (aka URBAN) disassembly EXPERIENCE
BEFORE YOU START the dissasembly - MAKE THE PICTURE OF THE SECTION.
The major problem is that the nib and feed are not easy to grip. The first time disassembly is likely to be not very smooth - it reminds pulling out a teeth.
Use a help for your fingers to grab the feed & nib
You may need something like
  • self-adhesive tape (stick it to the dry nib and pull it out) n my case the tape was really helpful.
  • or a piece of rubber to make a better grip (like above).
  • or a plastic like a credit card (put it under the edge of the feed (if possible AND do it gently not to deform the ribs - a bit risky)
  • or a kind of thread or a floss.

I DO NOT recommend USE of SCREWDRIVERS OR METAL BLADES
(or use them as a last resort with really extreme care, on your own risk and do it sloooowly).

You must be slow and careful not to deform the feed too much or to destroy the nib.

CLEANING the feed with a toothbrush. Yes the feed of Gina should like a toothbrush.
When you remove the feed you may freely inspect if it there is old dried and dissolved ink.Then do not hesitate to brush it gently with a soft tooth brush and tooth paste. When necessary give it more time in water.
Do not hurry. Especially if it is clogged with an old ink. Dissolving old dried ink takes a lot of time. Yes, use a brush, water and time.
REASSEMBLING
Before reassembly make sure the feed and nib looks as clean as a brand new ones.
They assemble rather easily, just align it and push to the limit.
Refer to the previously done picture to assure you placed the nib & feed deep enough.
Disassembling the nib and the feed was the first thing I did to each of my three Ginas. All 3 of them were brand new and clean. I wanted to make sure I will be able to maintain them clean in future.
I love my Gina as Queen of Sheba in gold&black, Lola in silver and as Esmeralda in silver&black.
I love all three of them.
Why? Since the beginning each of my Ginas start writing instantly, They are clean and reliable, not to mention their delicious curvy shapes ;-)

Edited by Lodzermensch

Mężny bądź, chroń pułk twój i sześć flag.

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Wondering if it's worth it for me to watch the videos. I got a replacement Urban under warranty from Parker (for other issues) and the nib unit seems to have connected itself to a stable wormhole to the "ink universe". And no, I don't think I'm joking there....

I flushed and soaked and flushed and soaked I don't know how many times, and I STILL had ink leaking out from the collar onto the top of the nib. I've seriously considered just pitching the thing in the trash. At this point it's long out of the extended warranty period (but I was glad that I had signed up for that when I got the pen).

And the only reason I HAVE the replacement is because I had to severely dope slap some chick in France about how the brand name Parker used to stand for something, after their lousy customer service response to my FIRST repair issue totally peeved me off (in the first instance, I had to search all through their website to find contact info, then carefully wrap and insure the package. Got zero communication, then they sent me the pen back in a padded envelope -- at least it was in a decent plastic semi-hard sleeve -- with a snotty note.

Of course, my personal recommendation is that the pen is NOT worth the time and effort you spend trying to disassemble and reassemble....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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@ inkstainedruth Dear Ruth,

my personal recommendation is YES - Gina is worth the time and effort you spend trying to undress her and dress her up. And it is easy.

BECAUSE all the 3 of my Gina incarnations: Queen of Sheba in gold&black, Lola in silver and Esmeralda in silver&black work perfect and look tempting.
Always qiuck starters, no leaking, no dirty fingers, no drying (so far).
I test them with inks: Parker BlueBlack, Pelikan BlueBlack and Hero WashableBlue filled with cartridge via a syringe. Once with a converter from the bottle. So far so clean and under control.
Well, I have quite a long experience with really cheap pens back at school. I can appreciate when a pen makes no problems. My Gina is a NO PROBLEM companion.
YES - it is a simple pull out, push in action to disassemble and reassemble (with a reasonably aplied force).
YES - when it is just about a little fix, especially cleaning or correcting the nib alignment. It is a nib, a feed and the body of the section. Just 3 parts. Very simple & very reliable (if clean and well done).
YES - if it worked O.K. for many days/weeks before and stopps to operate after ink drying out as a result of being too long (weeks? months?) untouched
I would say NO - if there would be any kind of factory fault in the product that cannot be simply corrected by a regular user.
When there is anything wrong about the product you should refer to the shop or the producer , use your warranty rights and get a replacement/professional repair (beyond regular cleaning).
My Lola seems to have a problem about the ring, the metal collar at the end of the section. It makes sounds, it silently crunks. It seems the collar is not well melted into the plastic section.
The action of disassembling and reassembling helped me to catch this phenomenon. That gives not much space to repair it myself especially when the pen is on the warranty and it looks like a factory very hardly detectable mistake.
No other visible problems but just in case I will ask for replacement.
This adds one more reason to be able to disassemble and reassemble your pen and to inspect your new pen carefully before you fill it with ink.
Edited by Lodzermensch

Mężny bądź, chroń pułk twój i sześć flag.

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@ inkstainedruth Dear Ruth,

my personal recommendation is YES - Gina is worth the time and effort you spend trying to undress her and dress her up. And it is easy.

BECAUSE all the 3 of my Gina incarnations: Queen of Sheba in gold&black, Lola in silver and Esmeralda in silver&black work perfect and look tempting.
Always qiuck starters, no leaking, no dirty fingers, no drying (so far).
I test them with inks: Parker BlueBlack, Pelikan BlueBlack and Hero WashableBlue filled with cartridge via a syringe. Once with a converter from the bottle. So far so clean and under control.
Well, I have quite a long experience with really cheap pens back at school. I can appreciate when a pen makes no problems. My Gina is a NO PROBLEM companion.
YES - it is a simple pull out, push in action to disassemble and reassemble (with a reasonably aplied force).
YES - when it is just about a little fix, especially cleaning or correcting the nib alignment. It is a nib, a feed and the body of the section. Just 3 parts. Very simple & very reliable (if clean and well done).
YES - if it worked O.K. for many days/weeks before and stopps to operate after ink drying out as a result of being too long (weeks? months?) untouched
I would say NO - if there would be any kind of factory fault in the product that cannot be simply corrected by a regular user.
When there is anything wrong about the product you should refer to the shop or the producer , use your warranty rights and get a replacement/professional repair (beyond regular cleaning).
My Lola seems to have a problem about the ring, the metal collar at the end of the section. It makes sounds, it silently crunks. It seems the collar is not well melted into the plastic section.
The action of disassembling and reassembling helped me to catch this phenomenon. That gives not much space to repair it myself especially when the pen is on the warranty and it looks like a factory very hardly detectable mistake.
No other visible problems but just in case I will ask for replacement.
This adds one more reason to be able to disassemble and reassemble your pen and to inspect your new pen carefully before you fill it with ink.

 

 

You don't understand. That WAS the replacement pen -- which I got under warranty. And it was worse than the first pen was. The first pen got sent back because I tried using an older style twist converter, which broke. The snotty note came with a replacement slide converter -- which then got stuck in the barrel, the way the twist converter had. So it went *back* to Parker -- along with some rather pointed words to France about how it was the converter THEY SENT ME! They did, that time, send a Priority Mail box to me (although I still had to pay the insurance). Again, no word from them. The replacement came in the mail with an included cryptic work order for a "defective barrel". And the new pen is what leaks.

At this point the pen is long since out of the extended warranty period. I'm happy for you that your Urbans work. Because mine is a piece of [expletive deleted] garbage, IMO. I have an extremely low opinion of modern Parkers (other than for Vectors, which I have a soft spot for) as a result -- Parker's QC is variable, and their customer service is just plain lousy. And trust me -- I have loads of vintage and semi-vintage Parkers, including having just picked up a couple of 45s in the last few weeks for cheap ($5 US at an estate sales company's warehouse sale a couple of weeks ago, and $4 on Saturday which was an antiques mall's find).

As for the Urban? I'll never buy another one. I can't even sell this one in good conscience -- I'd feel too guilty for cheating some unsuspecting customer who paid 10¢ for it.... :(

As for disassembling it and reassembling it before first use? It was a brand new pen, and I shouldn't have HAD to. That's Newell-Rubbermaid's job.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Dear Ruth,

yes I do understand You. You had no luck about quality of your pen twice in a row.
I feel sorry for your bad experience and I understand what you may feel. TWICE IN A ROW is nothing nice :(
What makes me even much more sorry for you is my personal good experience about the same model. My good experience with Gina is what brings me back to the pen world. I was lucky with Gina. And (generally speaking) I was lucky 3 THREE TIMES IN A ROW :)
BUT YES, I am conscious about the reality of modern world, the industrial products and QC
We are talking about is a factory product. A bug may happen.
So far I detected only one potential and so far a minor bug in 1 of 3 of my pens (the collar looks like not perfectly melted into the plastic section).
The topic here is about HOW TO disassemble A Parker Urban Fp (shown and explained a few posts above)
AND YES. It is good idea for a user to know how to disassemble and reassemble any pen.
I do not say that any user must disassemble a new pen before use (or any old pen).However, personally I prefer to be able to service my things. I just do it myself as I find it useful for me. This is my personal aproach to the products I use.I am a practical person.
I just pointed out that it might a good idea to disassemble a pen when it is new, when it is clean, when it disasambles easier. This goes easier when a new pen. This may be easier when it is new unused & a clean pen. Doing it the first time with a clogged, dried pen may be more problematic.
But of course you should be careful not to deform the feed or a nib and conscious that this may be a reason to void the guarantee (sorry I repeat myself)

Mężny bądź, chroń pułk twój i sześć flag.

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