Sheaffer Balance Burn & Bite Repair

[Oslowe]

First, my apologies for the huge files. Still learning. This is a Balance I'm working on.

 

Here it is as found:

 

 

And another picture. Most of the bite marks have been heated and filled. The major burn(?) mark near the clip has been filled twice with long rests and at this point worked with a sharp file only.

 

 

 

Starting work on bite marks and furniture:

 

 

And a Red/Green Stereo Anaglyph for good measure. This also works with Red/Cyan glasses... sort of. I will try to include other stereo formats next post if there is any interest. I have loved them since I first saw a View-master reel of the National Parks. You can see the depth of the major burn still to be filled in this shot.

 

Hope this is interesting. Will post entire repair as time permits.

 

-Oslowe

 

[pen lady]

Looking good! What are you using to fill in the burn mark please?

[Nighttown]

..... What are you using to fill in the burn mark please?

I am also very interested. Please.

[John54green]

Me too!

[Oslowe]

I started this to try a "one post, one pen" concept. I should have given myself time to finish the project before I started posting. The photography takes some time. Truth be told, I'm really doing this as an excuse to post my lackluster 3D stereo images.

 

Thanks to those interested souls who inquired - this is a celluloid pen so I'm using celluloid. With a divot this large, you will probably have to use donor celluloid from other pens. If you are evening up a bite repair or scratch, the parent pen may be able to donate sufficient material.

 

There is much information on FPN and elsewhere to help you develop your own "fill" recipe. In my experience, the slower solvents should be employed, particularly in the early layers. As an oil painter, and from experience, I also recommend "fat over lean" when/if using an oil (banana oil,cotton seed, etc.) as a plasticizer.

 

As can be seen in photo's from my first post, after the 2nd fill, and a month long rest, tiny pits have shown up that were not there initially. This is why these repairs can take months - not weeks or days. The 3rd coat should be the charm - but this is a deep divot.

 

Pretty extreme macro:

 

 

Lot of memories came out of this camera. The roughly filed repair looks better at this scale as well:

 

 

 

And a very poorly composed Red-Cyan Optimized Analglyph.

Edited May 26, 2015 by Oslowe

[Oslowe]

And a Red-Green Analglyph version:

[Oslowe]

And here is a photo of, hopefully, the last layer of black. Luckily the deepest divot was in the black portion of the pen. The major bite mark is seen here with the final fill. After a week or so, I will begin cutting off the excess celluloid I've just applied here. That black pipe is my fiber light if that is not clear.

 

 

 

Thanks if you are following this topic -- and feel free to let me know if this is unhelpful, annoying, or worse yet, boring.

 

 

-Oslowe

[delano]

I'm definitely interested in seeing the final product. Good work so far

[Oslowe]

The bite marks on the cap have been heated "up" as much as possible and were filled once. The previous owner was quite a chewer. This photo is after filing and it is now ready for the final celluloid application. The red tape is to protect the clip. If you look closely, you can notice the new celluloid applied to the burn divot in the previous post.

 

 

I worry now I'm going to forget to document a step.

 

** I'm thinking this is a Sheaffer Balance 5-30 from the mid 1930's. Does anyone know the dates for the appearance and disappearance of the "pined lever" at Sheaffer's? I would love if anyone can shed any additional light on this. The pen and I are close now.

 

-Oslowe

 

PS I'm confusing myself with all the "filling" and "filing." Hope you follow this. One uses a file, the other not.

[Nighttown]

There is much information on FPN and elsewhere to help you develop your own "fill" recipe. In my experience, the slower solvents should be employed, particularly in the early layers. As an oil painter, and from experience, I also recommend "fat over lean" when/if using an oil (banana oil,cotton seed, etc.) as a plasticizer.

 

Hi, Oslowe

 

So, from what you've said I can get the following:

- For dilution celluloid should be used the slower solvents for oil paints, not acetone.

- Add fat (oil) into received solution. What kind of oil is better to use according to your experience? Maybe camphor oil?

- To what consistence should be brought the solution for work?

 

- Ivan

[Oslowe]

Dear Ivan,

 

I don't mean to tease readers. I started this thread to see if I could resurrect this fine old balance with the worst divots I've ever tackled - but mostly to post Stereo 3d photos.

 

Perhaps I should ask to have this moved to photography. I don't advise anyone to work with these materials as there is inherent risk due to their nature, and all safety precautions should be stringently followed.

 

I would advise an owner of pens in this condition, to seek out a professional pen mechanic, of which there are some number who do this work on FPN -- our moderator, Ron Zorn, being one of the best.

 

It is a very slow meticulous sort of repair that suits my artistic temperament.

 

I very much appreciate you reading the thread and hope you've found your 3d red-cyan stereo glasses. Thanks again.

 

-Oslowe

[Nighttown]

It's very intersting and nonordinary solution to show image in 3D Anaglyph version. I like it very much.

 

- Ivan

[Oslowe]

Thanks Ivan - my teachers in school often described me as "non-ordinary."

 

Here is today's quiz:

 

Of the six objects pictured here, which one will not be useful for the repair and use of this Sheaffer Balance?

 

 

 

Red-Cyan Analglyph:

 

 

Red-Cyan Dubois Analglyph.

 

Hint: it will prove very helpful in applying just a tiny amount of celluloid.

 

Hope to support "Google Cardboard" and their free viewer and app very soon. Not sure if I'll get to 3D Virtual Reality vintage pen repair videos... but I'm trying.

 

 

-Oslowe

 

PS My new motto is: if you don't provide a 3D photo, it didn't happen!

[delano]

Of the six objects pictured here, which one will not be useful for the repair and use of this Sheaffer Balance?

 

 

Hint: it will prove very helpful in applying just a tiny amount of celluloid.

 

 

Granted I usually don't know what I'm talking about, but this confuses me.

[Nighttown]

.... - my teachers in school often described me as "non-ordinary."

 

I would like to know your knowledge of my native language - russian. What number of mistake you'll make?

 

-Ivan

 

 

to All: Sorry for offtopic.

[Oslowe]

Ivan,

 

I was trying to make fun of myself as being a bit odd. It certainly was not meant to be at your expense. Your english is wonderful. Great apologies to you. I very much appreciated your comment.

 

-Oslowe

[tmenyc]

Just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed this thread -- partly for learning your technique, partly for the advanced photography, which could if I let it become yet another hobby, but also for your ability to keep three or four only tangentially related topics in play, something I'm often accused of. Keep it up!

 

Tim

[terim]

I'm gonna have to get my stereo camera out of mothballs!

[Oslowe]

Tim and Teri - Thank you both for your more than gracious comments. You are both too kind. I hope Ivan is not still mad at me. I was completely thoughtless in my quote -- and apologize once again.

 

Quiz Answer: I guess it was a trick question in that this 'thing' is a Vacumatic pellet pusher of my own peculiar design... and therefore would serve no purpose on this Balance lever filler. I do wish I had used the orange shellac on the grip as well as the stand. Nothing warms the heart like that warm orange glow.

 

It is made simply of birch dowel, basswood, 7/32" and 3/32" brass tubing. I expanded the 3/32" tube with a steel shot held in a pair of forceps, filled with solder and re-penned, then finished off with Squadron White Putty. I used the same steel shot and Simichrome for the final internal polish of the cup. The larger 7/32" piece was then edge sharpened with a file and driven into a 1/2" long piece of basswood. That was then drilled for the smaller tube. On the second model I made the hole very near the edge, which gives a tiny bit of leverage when twisting. The brass working end was then polished up to 12000.

 

(click to enlarge photos)

 

I like the pistol grip design as it helps me to use the thumb and forefinger to get a slight stretch on the diaphragm to thin the rubber as it's inserted. I carved the grip to suit my fingers and added the "Os" brand. All but the brass got a few coats of tung oil.

 

 

Here you see my knock-out tube made of 5/32" brass. I soldered a small brass screw in place and polished up the working end to 12000 - meaning, it's time to get back to work on this pen.

 

So now you know I use the plastic drinking cup somehow. Thanks for taking the time to view this thread.

 

 

 

-Oslowe

 

PS More Stereo in next post.

[Nighttown]

Hi, Oslowe.

 

Am I angry? Shouldn't think of it. It doesn't metter. It often happen and not only with me.

 

The photos are very beautifull, made in very interesting way and showed unordinary (3d).
But I more interested in technical way of the matter. I recover pens similarly by my own. Should get additional knowledge and experience.

 

-Ivan