Doric Repair

[hkinser]

I just got a lot of pens off ebay making a risky guess. Turns out it was a good buy- spending less than $45.00 for a Parker 51 that works, two sheaffer vac-fills, and a deep green doric.

 

The doric is in sorry shape- The barrel has broken in two just beyond the section, the cap has a nasty split in it and is missing the clip, and it is missing the nib. I am not going to be keeping it- but I am trying to figure out if it is worth my time to try and repair it or financially wise to get it professionally repaired, or if I should just sell it as is to someone who will value the pen a lot more than I do. I can see why people like them- they are beautiful! But I can't justify keeping a pen that valuable, since I don't have a desire to begin a collection, but to learn how to repair pens well, and I won't use it since there are pens that do better for much less (like the P51). So what do you all advise me to do? None of the splits are through the lips, either on the barrel or on the cap. I was thinking about placing a thin metal tube in the barrel and then using superglue to fix it, but I also don't want to ruin it any more than it is. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Also, how do I know what size it is? It has the gold seal on it, and is much bigger than the ladies sizes that I have seen in pictures, but I'm not familiar with the sizes of dorics. Thanks.

[Xof72000]

Hi !

Could you post a few pictures of it please ? It will be easier to give an advise, as my first thought, reading your description, was "throw it away !"

[Seville]

It sounds like the pen is pooched and not worth the repair costs. I would however keep the cap as it has it's gold seal as they can be handy in repairing another Doric.

 

Philip

[grinda]

It doesn't sound like it's worth repairing, but at least put it back on eBay...someone might want to use the celluloid to repair other Dorics. It's hard enough to match celluloid for repairs to old pens without the main source (destroyed pens) being trashed. Don't throw it away. It might only be worth 5 or 10 dollars, but at least you are helping someone else...

You wouldn't normally use super-glue on a celluloid pen. There are better options.

If you are interested in pen repairs, get hold of "Pen Repairs" by Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield...it's worth its weight in vintage Parker Duofolds.

[hkinser]

Thanks for the advice! My intention now is to attempt disassembly of the section out of the piece of the barrel that is stuck to it, then sell it as parts. It is beyond my skill level or tools, and the color is pretty bad once I got looking at it closely. What size would it be? I know it is not a lady doric, but I don't know the other sizes. I doubt it is an oversize, but what are the measurements for the different sizes? Thanks.

[MrSpudboy]

Now, I have never done this to a pen, but...I have used superglue to finish wooden things, like knife handlesYou can do some pretty amazing things with superglue. Super glue will fill in a small void, and when you sand, and buff it down, you usually cannot see the repair.

Just keep the acetone handy. You can use your finger to apply the glue, just don't glue your finger to anything! I always sand as much of the glue off from my finger as I can, then nature will take its course...I end up chewing off the rest LOL.

I am saying that this could be a good way to see if this works or not. You might be surprised at the results, or you might end up throwing the whole thing in the trash...I dunno. It doesn't sound like you have a whole lot to loose, at this point.

You may be able to find a reproduction, brass clip, or make one.

I dont know about the nib section though. Those may be hard to come up with.

Gorilla glue super glue is thicker than most, but not gel, and it takes longer to dry then most.

You can also buy super glue made for finishing(also spray on hardener) but they don't give it away.

Just depends if you want to mess with it, or try to resell the parts.

[MrSpudboy]

oh, buy some emory boards, and some flitz, or another polish, like white car finish rubbing compound.

[MrSpudboy]

I read the post about super glue not working on celluloid, so forget what I said LOL.

Does the superglue eat up the celluloid or something?

Inquiring minds want to know...

[Wahlnut]

I read the post about super glue not working on celluloid, so forget what I said LOL.

Does the superglue eat up the celluloid or something?

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

First gf all, Super Glue is not a restorative agent...it is a reparative agent. The difference for me is that it adds something that was not original and there are better ways to restore broken nitro-cellulose plastics than to add another bonding agent that is foreign to the original materials involved. Second some plastics will not work with superglue or for very long...some plastics are waxier than others. If you read th superglue labels they often say not for use with certain plastics. and third, Super glue is not "weatherproof" for very long so using it where there will be liquid interface is usually not a truly permanent fix. Loctite make a number of super glue-like formulas, with other materials worked in like rubber in their #480 (i think it is) that are beter than some plain ones.

 

Using the original chemistry chemicals to repair/restore plastic works best. (Acetone and camphor for nitro-cellulose for example). Also it takes A LOT of experience working with dissolving and reuniting plastic back together to get a professional result, and most folks who repair/restore casually or not very often simply do not do it frequently enough to become or stay skilled at it. DIY is all well and good if you have the skill. In my Banking career we had a saying to a customer who wanted to expand their business to far into related fields: You will make money in your profession and lose it in somebody else's.

Syd

Edited October 4, 2012 by Wahlnut

[MrSpudboy]

I would have to disagree with cyanoacrylate not being weather proof. It stands up on a knife handle as a finish. Heck, they use it to repair live coral.

As long as it doesn't eat up the material, I would think it would be worth a shot, on something that is otherwise junk. You can cover up a scratch in most finishes, like on a guitar, for instance. I would not recommend that most folks try it though. There is a learning curve to dealing with cyanoacrylate, for sure.

but, like you say, it has to stick well to the sub-straight, or your SOL.

 

 

Now I want to try it...send me those pieces! LOL

[Wahlnut]

I would have to disagree with cyanoacrylate not being weather proof. It stands up on a knife handle as a finish. Heck, they use it to repair live coral.

 

You are probably right, but I have seen posts on Wikipedia that claim that contact with water or water vapor weaken the bond, but I have seen others that say as you do that it is indeed waterproof. I know Methyl 2cyanoacrylate as used in dentistry is waterproof, but I was not sure about the more common Super Glue type cyanoacrylate.

[Estott]

I have a vest pocket Doric with a crack running completely around the cap under the pen. It flexes very slightly so I suspect the inner cap is holding things together. Should I reinforce this or leave it alone? It isn't a pen I carry or use, so far its been a drawer piece.

[sidthecat]

I was going to to use Gorilla Glue to tack down the threads that were coming off a pretty little French pen I had, but instead I sent it to Fred Krinke, who next reported that the whole thing had disintegrated in his hands.

I wouldn't have believed it if the same thing hadn't happened with a jade-green Carter about two years ago. This is not the slow rot of a Doric: this is sudden and catastrophic. I suppose it can prepare you for earthquakes, if you want to get all philosophical about it.