Crack In Section Resin (Sugestions And Success Stories Welcomed)

[Tintafuego]

Right to the point: my beloved workhorse wich I received from my father came with a small crack. It is a Generarion with a fine, or medium, I think? nib with a snap cap, really nice and smooth, portable, I love it and it loves me back. I have been using it with cartridges but a few months ago I found a converter for it. I had so far kind of bearing with the fact that when I uncap the pen there ink ends up in the section and inside the cap. But now with the higher ink capacity of the converter and the horrible high summer temperatures we are having in my end of the world the problem is bothering me quite a bit. I do use the thing all day. So do any of you kind souls have faced a problem like this one? I can't afford sending it to MB for a new section (I suspect it wil be expensive, but I don't know for sure), and I have consulted with a couple of restaurations specialists in the U.S. that have told me that MB resin is an impossible beast to tame for restoration sake. I asked Shawn Newton if perhaps he could make a new section, and same answer. I'll leave you some pics, and I thank you beforehand for all the knowledge and explaining you can share. By the way, if some of you have a 12, 14 or 22 that sees little use, PM me so we can fix that and have that pen writing all the lines it deserves to write! Sorry for the quality of the photos. The point is you can see the crack

 

 

 

 

[OMASsimo]

Hello,

 

I have the same pen with exactly the same issue. I bought it new in the early 90s and after a few years of regular use it developed a crack on the side of the nib. At first I didn't even see it and was annoyed about always having ink on my forefinger. In the early 2000s I was fed up with it and turned it in to Montblanc through a dealer. I wrote a polite letter that I like the pen but was a bit disappointed that it didn't even last 10 years. They repaired it beautifully for free, it looked like new. But guess what, the crack came back within two years and I decided to retire the pen. I'm afraid this is a faulty design, unfortunately.

 

Good luck

[meiers]

This is a common issue with the generation pen.

I am curious if there is anyone who has attempted a repair at home.

Maybe our very own FPN member fountainbel can advise you. I'd send him a pm.

[meiers]

Is there a plastic filler that would do the trick?

Edited January 23, 2017 by meiers

[penparadise]

Why don't you send the pen to the Montblanc service center?

[meiers]

Why didn't I think of that?

[CS388]

Why don't you send the pen to the Montblanc service center?

 

Why didn't I think of that?

 

OP didn't send it to MB service because they can't afford it. I can understand that. MB service is good value for money (imho) - but when I haven't got the money, it's simply expensive.

 

However, I fear that a replacement part may, indeed be the only fix for this? The crack is right on the stress point and a repair would be under constant stress, until it fails again. OMASsimo points out that, even with new parts, the crack returned, leading to the conclusion that this may be a design fault?

 

OP, you've got nothing to lose by trying various glues and fillers. Fingers crossed, but, I fear you may have to hold out until you are lucky enough to find a spare part, or somehow find the cash for a MB service visit.

 

Good luck.

[meiers]

Is there a plastic filler that would do the trick?

Isn't there a cheap do-it-yourself solution?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Isn't there a cheap do-it-yourself solution?

Black nail polish.

[Ron Z]

The problem is that the black MB resin doesn't respond to any of the solvents that we use for solvent welding. The one that it has responded to resulted in the piece literally falling apart.

 

There isn't enough contact area for any adhesive to hold. The stuff may be able to withstand several hundred PSI, but the "SI" (square inches) involved is minimal here because the material is thin. The same stresses that cause(d) it to break in the first place would likely cause it to break again in short order. An attractive pen, but not one of their better designs.

[Studio97]

Years ago I sent Montblanc my roller ball. The cap had a crack near the clip. $80.00 and good as new or maybe they replaced the cap with same serial numbered clip. All good.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Years ago I sent Montblanc my roller ball. The cap had a crack near the clip. $80.00 and good as new or maybe they replaced the cap with same serial numbered clip. All good.

 

But the Generation (as much as I enjoy the one I have) isn't really a high-value pen, and as Ron Z said, the crack near the nib is part of a design flaw. Since the Gen isn't 'precious resin' as such, the OP might try the nail polish trick, and after it cures, don't let the section soak, and try not to be heavy-handed in writing.

 

I've cured a couple of less-expensive pens this way, specifially a Met and a Sheaffer student pen with an interesting nib.

[RoSpectre]

Tough... I have no direct experience with MB materials, but have had limited success with various epoxies for high-stress fixes. Certain glues should melt the edges of the crack enough to fuse them together when clamped... but if other more knowledgeable folks are saying resin won't do this then I wouldn't disagree. And of course this would be a functional fix but not by any means a restore!

 

But for clarity is the issue you want fixed the leaking ink or the cosmetic appearance? Glue or nail polish might stop the leak, and since your writing didn't cause the crack maybe it won't crack again immediately? Even some well placed silicon grease might stop the ink from leaking out.

 

As far as replacement parts, keep an eye on auctions; I know price is a barrier but you might be able to find a scrap pen or that particular part for cheaper than repair services.... maybe in the ballpark of say $15USD if you're lucky.

[dadbar]

Do you have access to methylene chloride and a syringe? That stuff works wonders

 

squirt sparingly and press the pieces together. Be careful as excess will melt other parts

[empliau]

I say this every time, and it's always true: Brad Torelli can repair Montblanc resin. I swear he can work miracles. He can even explain how he does it. I can't guess how much it would be, but I'd send him an e-mail. It can't hurt to ask. No affiliation, but a satisfied customer - he has worked wonders with two of my pens.

[meiers]

I say this every time, and it's always true: Brad Torelli can repair Montblanc resin. I swear he can work miracles. He can even explain how he does it. I can't guess how much it would be, but I'd send him an e-mail. It can't hurt to ask. No affiliation, but a satisfied customer - he has worked wonders with two of my pens.

Yes

[Tintafuego]

The problem is that the black MB resin doesn't respond to any of the solvents that we use for solvent welding. The one that it has responded to resulted in the piece literally falling apart.

 

There isn't enough contact area for any adhesive to hold. The stuff may be able to withstand several hundred PSI, but the "SI" (square inches) involved is minimal here because the material is thin. The same stresses that cause(d) it to break in the first place would likely cause it to break again in short order. An attractive pen, but not one of their better designs.

 

Hello,

 

I have the same pen with exactly the same issue. I bought it new in the early 90s and after a few years of regular use it developed a crack on the side of the nib. At first I didn't even see it and was annoyed about always having ink on my forefinger. In the early 2000s I was fed up with it and turned it in to Montblanc through a dealer. I wrote a polite letter that I like the pen but was a bit disappointed that it didn't even last 10 years. They repaired it beautifully for free, it looked like new. But guess what, the crack came back within two years and I decided to retire the pen. I'm afraid this is a faulty design, unfortunately.

 

Good luck

 

This is a common issue with the generation pen.

I am curious if there is anyone who has attempted a repair at home.

Maybe our very own FPN member fountainbel can advise you. I'd send him a pm.

 

Tough... I have no direct experience with MB materials, but have had limited success with various epoxies for high-stress fixes. Certain glues should melt the edges of the crack enough to fuse them together when clamped... but if other more knowledgeable folks are saying resin won't do this then I wouldn't disagree. And of course this would be a functional fix but not by any means a restore!

 

But for clarity is the issue you want fixed the leaking ink or the cosmetic appearance? Glue or nail polish might stop the leak, and since your writing didn't cause the crack maybe it won't crack again immediately? Even some well placed silicon grease might stop the ink from leaking out.

 

As far as replacement parts, keep an eye on auctions; I know price is a barrier but you might be able to find a scrap pen or that particular part for cheaper than repair services.... maybe in the ballpark of say $15USD if you're lucky.

 

I say this every time, and it's always true: Brad Torelli can repair Montblanc resin. I swear he can work miracles. He can even explain how he does it. I can't guess how much it would be, but I'd send him an e-mail. It can't hurt to ask. No affiliation, but a satisfied customer - he has worked wonders with two of my pens.

 

Dear everyone, I am sorry for the delay in feedback. I was sure nobody had replyed since I didn't received any mail notification on this thread. I must have done something wrong.

Thank you so much for your advices. I am looking for a functional repair, but I would like it to be as clean as possible. As I said, this is my workhorse. I do not have a death grip and I do not write with a heavy hand, and this pen never had any accidental drops, so like some of you wrote, I also asume this crack is a design problem. empliau, I will look his email adress and ask him about this. Will report what he says, since this seems to be of interest to others. Thanks to all.

[meiers]

Contact information: email brad.torelli@gmail.com.

 

http://torellipens.com/

Edited February 3, 2017 by meiers

[koolpep]

I say this every time, and it's always true: Brad Torelli can repair Montblanc resin. I swear he can work miracles. He can even explain how he does it. I can't guess how much it would be, but I'd send him an e-mail. It can't hurt to ask. No affiliation, but a satisfied customer - he has worked wonders with two of my pens.

 

 

I can confirm that Brad did a phenomenal job with my MB Generations which had the exact same issue!

 

Totally vouch for Brad - he is such a great guy!

 

EDIT: and my Generations is writing like a champ again.

 

Cheers,

Ralf

Edited February 7, 2017 by koolpep

[jpierson]

Agree on contacting Brad. He is great at this stuff!