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Townsend Cap Repair


Arklawboy

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Good morning, folks. Yesterday, I received my latest Townsend in the mail - a Medalist rolling ball. I purchased it on eBay for a good price. When it arrived, the top of the cap appeared loose and the rest of the cap "rattled." Hard to explain, but the clip appeared securely attached to the cap, and the cap fit securely to the body of the pen. The very top (the gold part on the Medalist) is just not snug.

 

The pen was described as new, and I've already reached out to the seller (and received a very defensive, testy response).

 

My question is whether anyone knows if there is a way to tighten the connection between the top of the cap and the rest of the top. When I tried turning it, it just spun. If this is a manufacturing problem, I think I'll have a bit of a fight to return the pen. If I can fix it with minimal effort, I'd rather do that, keep the pen, and just won't deal with the seller again.

 

Repair recommendations welcome. I will try to post a picture or a short video of the problem, but my efforts to do that yesterday were pretty bad.

 

Many thanks!

 

Chad

Please see my current classifieds!

 

Looking for a Cross Century 2000 RB and/or FP in Chrome: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/classifieds/item/43765-wtb-cross-century-2000-rollerball-andor-fp-in-chrome/

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I do not know this pen/cap

 

But the top jewel is often fastened either by being a "screw-on" itself, or is fastened by a screw from the inside. You may have to remove an inner cap to reach the screw..

 

 

D.ick

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KEEP SAFE, WEAR A MASK, KEEP A DISTANCE.

Freedom exists by virtue of self limitation.

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You may want to consider sending it off to Cross for repair--the Townsend has a lifetime mechanical warranty, and sometimes Cross waives the $10. handling fee.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good morning, folks. Yesterday, I received my latest Townsend in the mail - a Medalist rolling ball. I purchased it on eBay for a good price. When it arrived, the top of the cap appeared loose and the rest of the cap "rattled." Hard to explain, but the clip appeared securely attached to the cap, and the cap fit securely to the body of the pen. The very top (the gold part on the Medalist) is just not snug.

 

The pen was described as new, and I've already reached out to the seller (and received a very defensive, testy response).

 

My question is whether anyone knows if there is a way to tighten the connection between the top of the cap and the rest of the top. When I tried turning it, it just spun. If this is a manufacturing problem, I think I'll have a bit of a fight to return the pen. If I can fix it with minimal effort, I'd rather do that, keep the pen, and just won't deal with the seller again.

 

Repair recommendations welcome. I will try to post a picture or a short video of the problem, but my efforts to do that yesterday were pretty bad.

 

Many thanks!

 

Chad

 

They have a lifetime warranty. My US made Townsend had a problem with capping, I think the plastic inner cap broke, so cross provided me with the address here in UK where I sent it. Got it back three weeks later, good as new.

I know they are now Chinese pens but I think the lifetime warranty is still the same.

Inked: Sailor King Pro Gear, Sailor Nagasawa Proske, Sailor 1911 Standard, Parker Sonnet Chiselled Carbon, Parker 51, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Platinum Preppy

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Thanks. I sent the pen back to Cross about 3 weeks ago; they reported a 4-6 week turnaround, so I should be receiving it back in the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to getting it back and adding it to the rotation!

 

Since then, I purchased a used Townsend black / rhodium roller ball. When I post the cap to the end of the barrel, the cap spins and spins. More of an annoyance than anything. The pen is perfect otherwise, so I'm not inclined to return it right now. I do think it strange that two recent Townsends I purchased had cap issues. Of course, it hasn't dampened my love of them! Great pens.

 

 

Please see my current classifieds!

 

Looking for a Cross Century 2000 RB and/or FP in Chrome: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/classifieds/item/43765-wtb-cross-century-2000-rollerball-andor-fp-in-chrome/

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  • 1 year later...

I have a new Townsend Rollerball that has this cap issue. Did Cross repair the pen under warranty and did it stay fixed? The other Cross pens I have fit snugly, so it appears to be a defect.

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I had a similar problem with my Cross Townsend fountain pen. It was easy to fix.

 

Get an allen wrench to engage the nut on the underside of the cap which holds the top "derby: finial in place. You may need to hold the derby still with a pair of coated pliers to prevent scratching. If you apply enough pressure, you can unscrew the nut from underneath and disassemble the cap.

 

Once apart, you can wrap some dental floss around the bottom of the set screw to take up some slack and reassemble the cap. That takes up the play in the cap and makes everything tight again.

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The same thing happened with mine. Cross did a great job repairing it. I can't say enough good things about their service.

My fingers are always inky and I'm always looking for something new.  Interested in trading?  Contact me!

 

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I had forgotten about this issue! I did send the pen to Cross and they did repair it - and it has remained in good condition since. Very easy process, and I think it was even returned to me ahead of schedule. Good luck!

Please see my current classifieds!

 

Looking for a Cross Century 2000 RB and/or FP in Chrome: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/classifieds/item/43765-wtb-cross-century-2000-rollerball-andor-fp-in-chrome/

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I had a similar problem with my Cross Townsend fountain pen. It was easy to fix.

 

Get an allen wrench to engage the nut on the underside of the cap which holds the top "derby: finial in place. You may need to hold the derby still with a pair of coated pliers to prevent scratching. If you apply enough pressure, you can unscrew the nut from underneath and disassemble the cap.

 

Once apart, you can wrap some dental floss around the bottom of the set screw to take up some slack and reassemble the cap. That takes up the play in the cap and makes everything tight again.

 

Your repair method with dental floss is called Gerry rigging. I wouldn't recommend this form of repair. It would be best to send the pen out to Cross so they can "properly" repair it. I bought a gold Century II rollerball from eBay last year and the cap on it was loose too. I sent it right back to the seller and got a refund. Beware of these sellers who claim that their Cross pens are brand new and NOS. They aren't. Most of these pens were given to people as gifts and they were put away in storage or lightly used and then stored away. Also, a lot of the sellers on eBay buy damaged/defective brand new Cross pens directly from Cross and then they try to resell them as brand new and NOS pens. I went thru 2 eBay sellers and 6 Cross pens before I found the 2 Cross rollerballs that were problem free. The only reason why I bought mine from eBay is because I didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices that Cross charges on their website and in dealer websites for an overpriced Chinese pen.

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I sent the Townsend back to Cross today. I am looking forward to see how they do. It was purchased directly from Cross, was brand new, and problem surfaced almost right away. Otherwise, the best rollerball I have ever used. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

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Your repair method with dental floss is called Gerry rigging. I wouldn't recommend this form of repair. It would be best to send the pen out to Cross so they can "properly" repair it. I bought a gold Century II rollerball from eBay last year and the cap on it was loose too. I sent it right back to the seller and got a refund. Beware of these sellers who claim that their Cross pens are brand new and NOS. They aren't. Most of these pens were given to people as gifts and they were put away in storage or lightly used and then stored away. Also, a lot of the sellers on eBay buy damaged/defective brand new Cross pens directly from Cross and then they try to resell them as brand new and NOS pens. I went thru 2 eBay sellers and 6 Cross pens before I found the 2 Cross rollerballs that were problem free. The only reason why I bought mine from eBay is because I didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices that Cross charges on their website and in dealer websites for an overpriced Chinese pen.

Call it what you will. I just didn't feel like spending $10 to send the pen back for repair....only to have Cross send me a new pen from China.

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