Dry Heat To Open An Mb Barell

[siamackz]

I bought an MB 622 some time ago to add to my vintage collection. It's a wonderful writer! But, I just cannot get the barell to unscrew so that I can disassemble the nib and feed and clean it properly.

 

I have tried soaking overnight. No luck. Then, I tried blow dryer heat. No luck.

 

I am starting to think it might be stuck with superglue instead of shellac. Assuming this is true, what do I do? Persist with the dry heat? If so, how hot can I take it to safely? Hot enough that my hands start feeling discomfort while holding the pen (or is that too much). Also how much time at that temperature should do the job?

 

The pen is made of some kind of thermoplastic I think.

 

Thanks!

[PaulS]

some pens require a lot of patience, and may take weeks of occasional heating and having a go. Proper section pliers will help to get the all important grip when attempting to twist - hands can perspire and really don't give the degree of grip needed - sometimes it helps to have two pair of section grips holding the pen .... one each side of the line you're trying to part. There's a thinnish pliable material sold as a non-slip plastic for a variety of uses, no idea what it's called, but it has a grip that's an improvement over naked skin.

Try confining the heat to the barrel - by masking off the section - this should give maximum expansion to the barrel threads. It might have shellac in there, but hopefully perseverance will win in the end.

Regret I don't know anything about your pen model, and it might be wise to double check on the nature of the plastic before going too hot - my suggestion would be to persevere with dry heat.

Edited March 19, 2017 by PaulS

[siamackz]

Thank you for the thoughtful response!