Unusual Repair Of A Soennecken 111 Extra, Never Experienced !

[fountainbel]

Hi all,
just finished a rather unusual repair on a beautiful Soenencken 111 Extra which I want to shear with you.
De piston mechanism was defective since the filling knob did not lock-down when screwing the piston fully up.
These top-range Soennecken fountain pens feature a filling knob locking device, a safety which prevents one can absently activate the filling knob , move the piston and unwillingly spill ink.
Hence one always has to pull the filling knob initially slightly up before it can be rotated, allowing to move the piston down.
After disassembling i discovered the anti rotation pin in the piston shaft was missing, so I've installed a new one.
Now the piston blocked when trying to screw the piston down.
Checking the barrel entry I then discovered what was wrong, there was a radial groove al around the barrel bore at the depth off the axial anti rotation slot.
It looks someone forced rotation of the filling knob without pulling the filling knob out, and by doing so the anti-rotation pin effectively cut a radial groove in the barrel !
They really must have applied an enormous torque to cut such a deep radial groove, I was really astonished to see this.
As a result the build-in safety "click" mechanism did not engage most of the time, since the anti rotation pin in the piston housing had no radial back-up.
When pulling the filling knob out, the pin also shifted radially a little in the radial groove and blocked axial movement of the piston.
Now what could I do to solve this problem?
Initially I thought to fill the radial groove with 2 components epoxy, but after giving the matter some more thoughts I decided to install a slotted ring in the groove
The radial groove was rough and irregular in width, so the first thing to to was making the groove somewhat wider and deeper on the lathe.
Then I made a slotted ring in PEEK, which fit perfectly in the groove. I've used Peek since it is very hard and wear resistant.
The ring is secured in the groove with 2 components epoxy .
I've expanded the ring in the groove using an inner cap puller so it fully contact radially in the groove
Problem solved , took me some time and thinking, but I'm very happy I could bring this beautiful pen back to live !
Francis
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/fountainbel/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000984.jpghttp://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h89/fountainbel/Repaired%20Vintage%20fountain%20pens/P1000985.jpg

[penwash]

Now, that's a high-class restoration project.

Filling a groove (more like a gash) with a ring, I wouldn't have thought of that.

 

What is PEEK? Is it the type of metal?

[fountainbel]

Now, that's a high-class restoration project.

Filling a groove (more like a gash) with a ring, I wouldn't have thought of that.

 

What is PEEK? Is it the type of metal?

Hi penwash,

Thanks for your reaction.

Ketron Peek is a high tech plastic with high wear resistance and high tensile strength.

Francis

[handwriter]

I am the happy owner and I can't wait to receive the pen, ink it and try it. Is amazing what Francis can do for a pen with problems, even if the pen and the problem are challenging ones. This is not the first Soennecken 111 I have sent to Francis for help, and the results have been always impressive. Thanks, Francis!!!

[fountainbel]

I am the happy owner and I can't wait to receive the pen, ink it and try it. Is amazing what Francis can do for a pen with problems, even if the pen and the problem are challenging ones. This is not the first Soennecken 111 I have sent to Francis for help, and the results have been always impressive. Thanks, Francis!!!

Hi handwriter,

Thanks for your kind words.

Package left Monday, hope your pen arrives soon !

Francis

[Flounder]

Ingenius Francis. I'm quite surprised the barrel withstood that kind of treatment with just a furrowed groove as the result!

[handwriter]

I have received the pen a few hours ago, and by now has become my clear favorite. Francis has done a terrific job, as always. In addition to repairing the mechanism, which was the theme of his post, he fixed the cap bands, which were starting to get lose, a common issue with the Soennecken 111 pens, and a difficult one to cure. He also fine-tuned the nib, which is now smooth and with its tines perfectly aligned. Once again, Francis, thanks a lot!!!

[chunya]

Hello Francis,

I've just sent you a message and here are the photos of the pen.

It's a Soenneken 111 Superior, in what seems to be the dark tortoiseshell (but could be wrong), and as you can see it seems to be suffering from the same problem as above, and also missing the thin cap band.

 

 

[fountainbel]

Just repaired another 111 having a similar problem.

On this pen the groove cut by the anti rotation pin was not all around, but only 15° in both directions.

Consequently one felt a serious rotation restriction on the filling knob when entering and leaving the widened guiding slot

The problem is triggered when one is trying - forcing ! - to rotate the filling knob without pulling the filling knob out…….

Francis