Question About Damage To A Vintage Mb During Repair

[oldcards]

Didn’t know if this should be in the MB section or the repair section….

 

 

I want to cry.

 

I decided to replace the cork on a wartime 333 ½. I setup my heat gun and tools and got to work. It came apart very smoothly and very clean. It took much less heat than I thought. (The heat gun was set to 145f and the thermometer read about 120f on the surface when the section pliers moved).

Everything went great. I disassembled the entire pen except for the nib and feed. Removed the piston and old cork and cleaned everything. I was ready to silicone and put it back together. I took one last swipe with the Q-Tips and paper towel. As I wiped the top of the threads on the body, a piece chipped off.

I couldn’t believe it.

I knew the risks but everything went perfect up until that point.

 

My question for the experts, Is this something that could be repaired/rebuilt? Or am I S.O.L. and only hope is to find a donor 333 ½ or maybe a 334 ½ parts pen?

 

(Anyone happen to have a body?)

 

Thank you for any help.

 

I will now return to my beer and start my cry.

[slippery when wet]

I think you will struggle finding a replacement barrel, there are a small handful of people on this forum who are capable of making this repair and I am sure it would be worthwhile considering your 333 1/2 is somewhat rare.

Edited March 21, 2015 by slippery when wet

[johnkim424]

No need to cry, I had same exact thing happen to me at least couple of times if not more. Celluloid near the thread is most weak and vulnerable part of the pen. It probably had nothing to do what you did. No matter what you do celluloid gets brittle over time. You can slow the process but you can not stop it. As I understand it there is only one way to fix this. A new front section has to be made from a blank celluloid on a lathe and fitted to the rest of the barrel. A very labor intensive and tedious process. Here is my MB 234 1/2 PL that had a crack on the thread. I sent it to Mr. Lutz of interpens.de and he restored the pen. You can see the results for yourself. Max and Fountainbel can also perform this kind of work. As for the price, mine was a no brainer since 234 1/2 PL is very pricey and rare but since a decent 333 1/2 can be had for $200-$300 range so it might work better if you sought out a donor barrel. Fixing the crack probably will cost about the same depending on who does the work.

Edited March 21, 2015 by johnkim424

[FredRydr]

Johnkim pretty much sums it up.

 

If your barrel is in such poor condition that the celluloid is too risky to keep, a whole barrel can be turned and then re coated.

 

Osman Sumer and Brad Torelli are two others capable of the repair. Brad has devised the method to repaint the lines inside the barrel. Osman has been doing this for so long he might have the vintage parts required. The four names given are excellent choices. Ask each if they have the materials and the strategy for repair.

 

Old celluloid that's getting older is fated to weaken and deteriorate. It is happening to all our celluloid pens, some more rapidly than others.

 

Fred

[oldcards]

Thank you everyone for the great info. I know 333's aren't that rare. This one has the palladium nib but I assume the celluloid barrels were the same over the run of 333's. I will check with the names given and see what they say as well.

[Frank C]

Thank you everyone for the great info. I know 333's aren't that rare. This one has the palladium nib but I assume the celluloid barrels were the same over the run of 333's. I will check with the names given and see what they say as well.

 

You can find Osman at many pen shows. I bought a 234½ from him at the LA Pen Show. He had a similar pen in his pocket. He was there with his tools and many parts. Many people say that he is the go-to guy in Germany for Mont Blanc repairs.