Jinhao Broken Cap Fix

[knappinman]

First of all an introduction. I am new to the fountain pen network but I have benefited greatly from the information here so instead of simply an introduction I thought some others might be able to benefit from some simple tinkering. I realize that the Jinhao is a cheap pen but on a teachers budget it is all i can afford for now. Two of my X450's had cap issues as soon as I received them I put them in the box until I could figure out a fix for them. That is where they have been for a long time. Till today. Then as I was inspecting the cap in good light this morning, I noticed a hex pattern at the bottom of the cap liner! it dawned on me that if I found a hex wrench big enough I might be able to take the cracked liner out and repair it. I did find one. it wasn't marked so I have no idea how big it is but it was the largest I had in my hex set. Nevertheless I fixed it and I took pictures to show you how if you need to.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/toolsneeded.jpg

 

Here is everything you need to do this. As you can see it is a big Hex wrench. Just cotton thread and a some sort of good glue, anything flexible would work but I like the e600 stuff for general repairs. I got mine at a local store. super glue would work too but you can't spread it with your fingers!!! you'll see what I mean in a minute on with more pictures.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/tools.jpg

as you can see the hex that fits this is huge!! turn it counter clockwise (left) to unscrew it and remove it.

 

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/capallenwrench.jpg

 

You can see the crack, It wraps around the other side and makes it impossible to seal the cap.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/crackonpen.jpg

This picture shows the cap liner on the pen with the crack expanded as it would if it were inside the cap.

 

Now I will tell you the goal is not necessarily to get the glue inside the crack, the glue only acts as reinforcement, the thread actually does all the work, There is not much room on the inside of the cap so you have to be careful not to build up too much glue or thread or it wont fit back into the cap.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/thread.jpg

 

unroll about 6 feet of thread BEFORE you put the glue on. Spread the glue liberally and then wind the thread so it wraps the covered area. Then put some glue on the outside of the thread and spread it equally as liberally. Look on the inside of the cap liner to make sure no glue squeezed into the inside, Use a toothpick or something else to scrape out the inside just in case. when you are done it should look like this.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/generousglue.jpg

 

It doesn't take tons of thread just one single wrap of thread. As long as it wraps around cap liner and closes the crack you will be fine. Try it before you put it back in the cap. here is what mine looked like.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/crackonpen2.jpg

 

Here are the two pens I repaired in about 10 minutes total for both pens and they are probably stronger than they were when I first bought them.

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh562/knappinman/450s.jpg

 

Hopefully I didn't post too many pics. And I hope this helps somebody else. Pull some of those pens out from the parts drawer and fix em up.

 

 

[richardandtracy]

Interesting repair.

I must look at my wife's Kaigelu 322 to see if there is a similar hex in the cracked cap liner on that pen. Thanks for the idea!

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[bobaroo]

I love this kind of hands on solution, impressive and thanks for posting the process.

[Flounder]

What an excellent post.

[knappinman]

Glad it worked and could be useful to others, I have a drive to figure out how everything works and love anything I can tinker around with. I think that is one of the reasons I love fountain pens, they require maintanance and upkeep and occasional tinkering to keep them up. I also love flintlock guns for the same reason.

[whoelse]

I recently us this hard plastic glue and have good experience.

 

http://www.powertoolsdirect.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/o/bostik-hard-plastic-clear-adhesive-20ml_1.jpg

 

It is liquid and very hard when dry and transparent, waterproof too. I recently use it to join a feed that snap into 2 and seal hairline cracks on a Parker 51. I sand the fill surface evenly and buff it to high gloss.

 

See the hood near the screw, a layer of coating but the result is good.

 

[ncwclark]

Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks. A lot of peoole knock cheap pens but like you, it fits my budget an I actually like the way it looks.

[KBeezie]

Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks. A lot of peoole knock cheap pens but like you, it fits my budget an I actually like the way it looks.

 

Plus they're hefty enough to tinker with without it just falling apart in your hands.

[lisadan]

Thanks for the tips. I'm sure they'll come handy.