Service Flat Top Sheaffer White Dot

[Jschles14]

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I would like to get this pen I recently acquired up and running. How do I get inside the pen to look at the sack? Do i just pull out the nib? Thanks in advance.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Jschles14

[JonSzanto]

Ick, the new forum editor burped. See the next reply...

Edited June 1, 2013 by JonSzanto

[JonSzanto]

[Aha, adding a note at the beginning: I see this is your first post. DO a good search in the Repair forum on sections and section removal, maybe resaccing, to see the many threads on opening up pens of this sort]

 

No, you don't pull the nib. To get to the sac you need to pull out the section (the black part, forward of the threads, that holds the nib and feed). This has to be done carefully, because you are dealing with 80+ year old plastic. If you are in luck, grabbing the barrel and using minimal force and the tiniest of 'rocking' motion to the section may lead to it pulling out a little. This would be good because the adhesive (usually shellac) holding the section in place isn't holding tight. (I also know that some pens are just friction fit, but I'm not sure across the board on this era of Sheaffer).

 

If nothing moves, you'll need to apply gentle heat and try, patiently and repeatedly, to pull out the section. Some people using something to help grab (I use small pieces of gripping foam, as used for lining shelves, and there are also section pliers that some of the restoration people sell). There should be plenty of threads in the repair forum about the delicacies of pulling a section out, and there are lots of tips and do's and don't's there about the heat, etc. Just bear in mind it is a bit of a delicate operation.

 

I've just recently pulled a section from an identical pen, and it was one of the easier jobs; now I just have to order up some larger sacs, as these take a pretty big size (I believe Richard Binder's chart shows a #19). I have a second one coming in the mail, and hope that one will be as easy, as I have to see which nib is the better of the two.

 

Best of luck, keep asking questions. These early Flattops are workhorses, if you want a big pen to write with that holds a lot of ink (the pristine ones can remain un-inked and in the collection for looking!)

Edited June 1, 2013 by JonSzanto

[Jschles14]

Thank! I'm headed to the repair forum now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Paul Raposo]

Thank! I'm headed to the repair forum now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

Welcome, Jschles14

 

Here is a great place to start with a sac replacement. This site is run by FPN member Ernst Bitterman, and it's a great resource for first repairs.

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=27

 

This is Richard Binders site, (also a FPN member)

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/repair/sac_replacement.htm

 

And this is another Binder article, with more pictures:

 

http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=50

 

Good luck. I love those Sheaffer Flat Tops. I haven't been able to find any nice ones up here, but I'm still looking. Remember to post some pics when you're done.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Paul Raposo

[Chi Town]

If your looking for a heat source, Richard Binder suggests getting the one from Hobby Lobby, it is a pinkish colored one for about 25.00, well that's the one that I got anyway....with a high and a low switch....Then you can get on the net and pick up a 40% off coupon to be used for this. Then I would go to Ron Zorn's website of Mainstreet pens and look up his article on using heat for fountain pens! It is a very good article.....Hope this helps you!

[chad.trent]

I just replaced the sac in virtually the same pen tonight. I heated the section with our hair dryer on the lowest setting. Heated it for 30 seconds then pulled on the section. Took three or four heatings but it came right out.

[Kelly G]

Here is the thing on using heat on fountain pens - too much temperature for even short exposures can cause problems ranging from shrinking the plastic to turning it into a fireball - that is not an exaggeration - some vintage celluloid (that is your pen's material) is quite unstable and has a low ignition temperature.

 

Shellac, which might have been used to secure your section in the barrel, softens at around 140 degrees F. So, you really don't want to expose the pen to temperatures exceeding around 145 degrees. There are several methods for assuring you don't scorch or torch your pen including making sure the material isn't too hot to hold with your fingers. In my experience (limited to repairing 150+ pens of my own) I've found that using a quality thermometer to read the precise temperature at the point of exposure is useful. Trust me on this, it is better to know the temperature with which you're dealing that experience the sick feeling of destroying a pen that has managed to survive 80 or so years before you got hold of it.

 

The best advice I received when starting down the pen repair road over a decade ago was to be patient and understand the force you are applying to the pen relative to the material of the pen. In other words, many vintage plastics can be fragile and not able to withstand too much torque. The problem is, you only know it is too much after it is too late. So, understand what materials and design you working with, go slowly, be patient, and be careful with the heat, even after determining that you are not using too much temperature.

 

The other good advice I received was to practice on lesser value pens before taking on a higher value or difficult pen. For my money, the Sheaffer Flat Top is a nice pen - even if it is not in the most pristine condition.

Good luck with your pen!

[JonSzanto]

A big +1 to everything Kelly just said.

[Ejohn35]

I am new to the site. I think I have a feed clog issue. Im into sheaffer flat top white dot fountain pens. I have done all the steps for cleaning but I think the nib and feed need to be removed from the grip. Is that such a thing? Does it unscrew or just pull apart? I dont know whats the best thing to do to unclog besides soaks. I dont have an ultrasonic machine. Ive already tried to to do the bulb. Any help would be appreciated.

[siamackz]

I am new to the site. I think I have a feed clog issue. Im into sheaffer flat top white dot fountain pens. I have done all the steps for cleaning but I think the nib and feed need to be removed from the grip. Is that such a thing? Does it unscrew or just pull apart? I dont know whats the best thing to do to unclog besides soaks. I dont have an ultrasonic machine. Ive already tried to to do the bulb. Any help would be appreciated.

I would use Rapido eze.

 

What makes you so sure you have a feed clog issue? My Flat top was ink starved because the tines were too tightly closed. I have to remove the nib feed and widen the tines. Now, it writes wet.

 

If you do need to dismantle it, the section unscrews. Then you will see an ink sac attached to the section. You will need to pull this out. Next, you will need to use a knock out block of some sort to know the feed and nib out of the back end of the section. You can find many many posts (maybe videos?) that demonstrate this. Before you knock the nib and feed out, make sure that you mark on the section where the back and front of the nib were so that you can reinsert the nib/feed in the same spot again (as the feed/nib might have created a mould for itself in the section over the decades). After you put back the nib/feed, you will need to use shellac to place the sac back on (maybe replace the sac if you destroy it while trying to take it out).

 

Remember, you don't want to remove nib/feeds unless you really need to. There is always the possibility of damage. It happens more often than you might imagine. This doesn't mean you should DIY. Just be sure you have diagnosed the problem accurately first.

 

All the best!

[Ejohn35]

Cool. I’ll do that and get rapido eze and I’ll post back in a couple weeks. Thanks!!

[siamackz]

Cool. I’ll do that and get rapido eze and I’ll post back in a couple weeks. Thanks!!

All the best!

 

Also, if you enjoy and intend on tinkering with your pens then I highly recommend that you purchase (1) a loupe - there are many posts about it. This will allow you to examine the nib more closely. And (2) 0.02mm brass shims as this will allow you to clean the slit in the nib and check to see if its too tight or just right for flow. Andersons Pens, Indypendance, etc. have this - its cheap.