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Gluing Different Plastics To Each Other


scrivelry

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Let me outline my problem so my question will make sense...

 

I have a no-name gold filled pen with a flex nib that I got for what I could afford off the ___bay. (That is to explain why I am not taking the exceedingly rational course of just packing this up and sending it to someone who knows what he is doing.)

 

I managed (through injudicious use of tools in an attempt to remove a piece of pressure bar) to break what seems to be the Bakelite part of the barrel which is threaded so the cap can screw on, and smooth on the inside so the section can fit in. Little pieces of this black material are missing.

 

Given my latheless state, after much consideration I decided that probably my best bet is to fit a collar in there and then do what I can with epoxy to repair the thread part, but to rely on the collar to keep the section in. Obviously this means the section will need a little sanding after all is said and done, but I can do that by hand.

 

Looking around at what's here, it seems to me that part of the barrel of one of my 20 cent pre-FP life Write Bros. Pens will probably do the trick. Plan is to carefully mark what part of the slightly sloping barrel I need for this, cut it, make sure it fits, and then glue it in there.

 

The question is what glue to use. The barrel is soft, injection molded plastic, the other stuff really strikes me as being possibly Bakelite.

 

I do understand, as I mentioned earlier, that the optimal fix would be packing it neatly and sending it off to someone who knows what he or she is doing, but the pen was on a par with the rest of my pen budget, and a repair will require a skill and amount of time that will exceed several times the price of the pen, and which is not in the budget.

 

Any advice will be appreciated!

 

Thank you

 

T

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It is going to be difficult to give you Good information from your written description of the damage.

 

Pics would at least help some there.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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It is sketchy to recommend anything without a visual, but if you are missing pieces of the threads, as your narrative suggests, piecing this together will be dicey, with gaps in the threads. It would require care and finesse on your part to make sure the threads for the cap have continuity through the gaps, but, if you put it together optimally, you should be able to whistle past the graveyard on this one, and the cap would screw on. You would need epoxy with a decent amount of working time, at least five minutes. Having perhaps a bit more budget wiggle room than you, I would not bother, and I have thrown away pens I thought could be fixed more easily than this. Necessity is the mother of invention, however, and your need will drive you perhaps to effect a repair that will enhance your skill and confidence. The very best of luck to you in this endeavor.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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It is sketchy to recommend anything without a visual, but if you are missing pieces of the threads, as your narrative suggests, piecing this together will be dicey, with gaps in the threads. It would require care and finesse on your part to make sure the threads for the cap have continuity through the gaps, but, if you put it together optimally, you should be able to whistle past the graveyard on this one, and the cap would screw on. You would need epoxy with a decent amount of working time, at least five minutes. Having perhaps a bit more budget wiggle room than you, I would not bother, and I have thrown away pens I thought could be fixed more easily than this. Necessity is the mother of invention, however, and your need will drive you perhaps to effect a repair that will enhance your skill and confidence. The very best of luck to you in this endeavor.

 

 

Thank you for the specifics on epoxy working time, and the good wishes.

 

I do like learning new things and developing new skills and I hate throwing things out, which all come together in my penchant for trying to fix things. Sometimes I can, sometimes I fail with a big splash. .It does help keep me off the street and out of trouble...

 

I must say that so far fixing fountain pens is working out better than fixing vintage sewing machines, and my failures take up less space...

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I suspect your pen is not Bakelite.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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I suspect your pen is not Bakelite.

Ah! What would it be, then? Celluloid? It is not BHR, it is thin and sharp when cracked, almost reminds me of an old record.

 

T

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Thin, sharp shards can be a description of Bakelite. It might also describe Lucite. ("Lucite" in the US. "Plexiglass" in UK.)

It is the first acrylic that appeared in the late 1930's.

 

Good luck.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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Have you considered finding another pen of the same type to serve as a donor pen? Scarcity and availability might be show stoppers there, but getting parts cheaply is often easier than trying to put a shattered item back together. I'm saying this as my wife is involved in a project of putting together a dozen or so teacups that fell off of her sister's shelf. My contribution was to buy her the Gorilla Glue version of super glue.

 

By the way, I have never found super glue to work in any pen repair. It doesn't seem to adhere or be as strong as epoxy, and it doesn't give you much working time to fit parts together. I have a certain bunch of pens with golden trim rings around the tip of the section. These rings make a friction fit with the inner cap of the pen to hold the cap on. I tried super glue a couple of times on these, and the repair failed each time. I used 5-minute epoxy the last time and it worked and has held. The five minute set time gives me enough time to fit the parts together, and is quick enough to satisfy my impatience. I didn't use it right away, though, I gave it a day to set.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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I've seen Gorilla brand superglue (the thick gel stuff) work wonders on cheap old pens. A friend had a gallatin based pen (like casein I think) with a cracked in half cap and glued it together and it worked beautifully. But then he dropped it and it broke into crumbs. Ah well. But it worked well before he broke it more. :)

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Don't even think of using regular Gorilla glue on pen repair. It expands and foams as it begins to cure, and will make one heck of a mess. Superglue is questionable in most any pen repair application because it will eventually fail if stressed and/or exposed to ink and moisture. An epoxy would be your best bet. The hardware store variety that I've found to work best for pen repair is PC Superepoxy. Devcon makes a decent 5 minute epoxy, though it isn't nearly as good as the PC stuff, and not even close to commercial epoxies, but they cost a bundle.

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Please use email, not a PM for repair and pen purchase inquiries.

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Than k you all!

 

Ron, thanks for a specific brand referral - I find myself easily confused when looking for a type of glue as they are not always marked clearly by type on the packaging.

 

Pajararo, your wife is a good sister and a patient human being to take on this project for her sister, and as the owner of several precious tea cups I applaud her efforts and sisterly kindness- would you please tell her that from me?

 

This pen actually could be thought of as the donor pen. I got two of them, virtually identical except that one had a slightly different nib, and both were in perfect condition until I unleashed my efforts on them. I have taken the section and nib from this one, which was the better section and nib, and swapped them into the other pen, but I would still like to get this one functional again.

 

inkysloth, thank you for those links, I will look into them!

 

Sasha Royale, I appreciate the good wishes! From your keyboard to the pen gods eyes!

 

And watch_art, having experienced the joy that is foaming Gorilla glue when repairing a footstool I may pass on your suggestion for this particular application, I will keep it in mind for other things.

 

T

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I never said foaming gorilla glue. Nor would I recommend it. I said it's a type of gel super glue. And according to Ron it sounds like you should avoid it anyways. I was just telling my friend's experience. Not that it's something we should try. I was surprised it worked so well honestly.

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I never said foaming gorilla glue. Nor would I recommend it. I said it's a type of gel super glue. And according to Ron it sounds like you should avoid it anyways. I was just telling my friend's experience. Not that it's something we should try. I was surprised it worked so well honestly.

Please for give me. I really am very grateful for whatever experience anyone passes on, as I am more than capable of making every mistake once and several of them twice before I figure things out if left entirely to my own devices! If it sounded otherwise, I am very sorry.

 

T

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:)

That's cool. My experience shouldn't be followed. I suffer from a terrible disease that prevents me from telling anecdotes and stories and sharing experiences with others. After I finish a sentence my students often have a big "HUH?" look on their faces.

 

:P

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