Any Alternatives To Montblanc Bubble Gum Sealant

[Paul80]

Hi all

 

Up until now I have been using silicone Grease to seal the nib collars on my Montblanc 146 & 149 pens as I don't have access to anything like the Pink Bubblegum silicone that Montblanc use.

 

Is there anything like their own sealant available to use, I obviously know not to use bathroom silicone or automotive gasket silicone. Is there anything else that I could use.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[Paul Raposo]

Hey Paul.

 

Unfortunately nothing similar has been produced. Ron Zorn has experimented, but hasn't been able to fall on the correct formula yet.

 

I've used--like you--pure silicone grease; Ron Zorn's Sheaffer formula section sealant; and have been advised by a fellow FPN user, that bees wax is also a great sealant. But it must be pure bees wax, not the wax used for candles.

 

Hope this helps.

[Inkling13]

Hey Paul.

 

Unfortunately nothing similar has been produced. Ron Zorn has experimented, but hasn't been able to fall on the correct formula yet.

 

I've used--like you--pure silicone grease; Ron Zorn's Sheaffer formula section sealant; and have been advised by a fellow FPN user, that bees wax is also a great sealant. But it must be pure bees wax, not the wax used for candles.

 

Hope this helps.

It can be wax from beeswax candles, if it's 100% beeswax... although those candles are harder to come by than just a plain block of beeswax.

[Paul Raposo]

It can be wax from beeswax candles, if it's 100% beeswax... although those candles are harder to come by than just a plain block of beeswax.

 

Correct, Inkling13; it can be wax from bees wax candles. But not wax from regular wax candles, which is what I was getting at.

[Paul80]

Hi

 

Just tried Rons sealant and so far all is well, no sign of any ink creeping out yet.

 

My only thought is that should I need to get the collar out again I will have to apply some heat to soften the sealant as it goes very stiff once cold, and my 149 has the 2 piece barrel so heat will have to be applied right on the join to soften the sealant. I wonder which will give first, the collar or the barrel join.

 

Knowing how my luck goes I suspect I know the answer to that one

 

Paul

[Dr.Grace]

Are you sure? I've never had to use heat with Ron's sealant, whereas I have had to use gentle heat with the old, messy Tryphon sealant.

[GTOZack]

try beeswax, totally organic and safe wont harm or damage and is a good sealant

[framebaer]

Ron's sealant loosens at a very low temperature, so only a modest (safe) amount of heat should do it.

[adyf]

try beeswax, totally organic and safe wont harm or damage and is a good sealant

 

Francis Goossens recommended me the same thing when we discussed it.

[Paul80]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Re the Beeswax I managed to pick up this block of Beeswax, is it the correct one, and how do you use it if it as as it's very hard do I have to melt it first.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l312/Paul-80/Pens/th_20140204_095153_zps3kuxlzpf.jpg

[fountainbel]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Re the Beeswax I managed to pick up this block of Beeswax, is it the correct one, and how do you use it if it as as it's very hard do I have to melt it first.

 

Thanks

 

Paul

 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l312/Paul-80/Pens/th_20140204_095153_zps3kuxlzpf.jpg

Hi Paul,

Just melt a small piece beeswax "au bain Marie" - or heat up with an hair dryer - and apply a small amount before it solidifies.

Works perfect, but one always has to heat-up before one can apply it

I lately started to use a mixture of 50% liquid paraffin and 50% beeswax, melt the beeswax and mix it with the liquid paraffin.

Advantage being the mixture becomes and remains a thick paste which can be applied without the need to heat up every time.

Francis

[Paul80]

Thanks Francis, I shall try and find some liquid Parafifin, if its available in the UK .

 

Paul

Edited February 4, 2014 by Paul80

[GTOZack]

i used this method to fix my really leaky sheaffer targa that thing bled ink everywhere i couldnt figure out why, ( probably a bent/cracked coupler between converter-feed) first, i tried silcone grease, helped a little it but still leaked, I tried some more silicone grease but managed to make a huge slick mess. So i checked forums, behold, beeswax.

 

ever since the targa stopped leaking.

[Paul80]

Managed to get some liquid paraffin, got from my local Pharmacists, apparently its a laxative anyway, just made my first batch so will see how it goes.

 

Paul

[Pincel]

Is liquid electrical tape a possibility?

[rsilver000]

AAHH as a beekeeper, all I can say is use lots and lots of beeswax. Keep us in business. Actually if you have a local beekeeper, talk to them, We get oodles of wax every time we open up a hive. You really only need a small bit for what you want to do. Old wax is dark and new wax that will be from around areas of new comb development will be light yellow. Get the new wax.

[storyteller]

Hi Paul,

Just melt a small piece beeswax "au bain Marie" - or heat up with an hair dryer - and apply a small amount before it solidifies.

Works perfect, but one always has to heat-up before one can apply it

I lately started to use a mixture of 50% liquid paraffin and 50% beeswax, melt the beeswax and mix it with the liquid paraffin.

Advantage being the mixture becomes and remains a thick paste which can be applied without the need to heat up every time.

Francis

 

Just to keep this thread and information updated...

 

I have used Fountainbel's piston tool on my Montblanc pens for many years now, with absolutely no problems. Thank you Francis.

 

However, I have only just plucked up enough courage to tackle the nib unit on my 149 (18K from the late 1980s with a split ebonite feed). It has been in use almost constantly since I purchased it new and has been fed a very varied diet of inks including iron gall and some other reputedly dodgy inks......

 

Much to my surprise it unscrewed with only the slightest of pressure exerted on the tool and was removed together with the bubble gum sealant without further ado. Quite boring actually after all the horror stories I had read about. I even had a spare barrel and section standing by, just in case (thanks here to Sue and Tom at Penboard). The tool left no mark on the nib/feed housing notches either, a feat some professionals cannot guarantee.

 

Anyway, the only problem remaining was how to re-assemble the pen after inspection and cleaning. Should I bid on eBay for more of the pink bubble gum and risk having a more difficult removal in the future, or should I opt for something a little more "sustainable."

 

I opted for the "improved" beeswax formula that Fountainbel outlined in this thread. Getting the right consistency is crucial - it has to be solid enough at normal temperatures but soft enough to be used as a thread locker/sealer. As a starting point, I used 1 teaspoon of 100% pharmaceutical grade liquid paraffin mixed into 1 tablespoon of liquefied ("au bain marie") beeswax pellets. I let the mixture cool and it was right first time.... second bit of luck..... As you can imagine, your mileage may vary depending on your ingredients and you have to be careful to only apply it where it is needed....

 

However it works.

 

Screwed only finger tight!

 

I should also point out that I use the "Vaseline" (actually, in France, I use 100% pharmaceutical grade petroleum jelly) ritual for lubricating the piston.

 

For information, the pen showed absolutely no signs of deterioration or residue, neither to the barrel, nor to the seal, nor to the ebonite of the feed where it joins the ink reservoir. I rinse the pen frequently, once a week (every fill), but it would appear that the all iron gall ink (and petroleum jelly) that I have used has had no ill-effect on the pen.

 

Prior to my first intervention on the piston, I had noticed a spot of corrosion on the brass mechanism behind the seal; this has never occurred a second time.

 

Thank you again Francis

Edited February 24, 2016 by storyteller

[fjf]

Vaseline is mineral oil, a little more viscous, and easier to find.

[storyteller]

Another update.

 

For various reasons (upon which I will not elaborate), I have decided to stop using Vaseline/petroleum jelly to lubricate the piston seal and now use 100% silicone grease....

[Stylomeister]

Not sure if anyone has tried using non setting joint sealant. Its essentially a non-bonding silicone which easily breaks apart and peels off when you open up the pen part again. I've tried this on a couple of sections and a removable nib. I don't believe its going to eat away at your pen as its made for jointing plastic pipes but don't take my word for it.

 

I do however want to try Ron's special recipe based on the Sheaffer's sealant but have spent far too much money in recent weeks and need to stop spending for a while :-(

Edited March 5, 2016 by Stylomeister