Leaking Senator, But Not From The Nib...

[jrkotrla]

So...

I purchased a Senator fountain pen online because the damn things are just awesome for the price. BUT, this one has a loose filler knob under the blind cap, and has begun leaking ink around the piston, into the back of the pen, and out at the loose filler knob.

 

I'm baffled. I pulled the nib out, tried to flush the pen out (but that is difficult considering there is ink behind the piston which is now leaking towards the ink chamber.

 

Is there a way to remove and .. I dunno, "fluff up" the edge of the piston? or put a glob of silicone grease in it? I can't tell where you would disassemble the body of the pen further.

 

Anyone got ideas?

[stephanos]

A close-up picture of the piston turning-knob would help.

 

Before doing anything else, have you tried removing the nib-and-feed, putting some silicone grease on a toothpick and sticking the toothpick down the front of the barrel, greasing the edges of the piston?

Of course, that assumes that the piston mechanism is in working order.

 

With the caveat that I am far from expert, and that you should proceed slowly with caution, not forcing anything...

 

Have a close look at the piston turning-knob, under the blind-cap. There may be a small indentation on both sides of the knob. If so, maybe there's a tiny piece of metal stuck in there, acting as a bar. I've never tried removing that tiny piece of metal on a Senator, but I have on another German-made pen of a similar era. It's a hassle and you have to be really careful to not lose it. If you manage to remove that, you may be able to remove the piston rod.

 

Alternatively, perhaps there is an indentation in the very end of the turning-knob. If so, perhaps there is a tiny screw there (pure speculation - you'd need a loupe with a decent light).