Hole In Metal Retaining Band

[MYU]

I have a wonderful Platinum pen that has a peculiar problem. On the end of the section near the nib, there's a retaining band or "finishing." Somehow it developed a small hole and a crack. Ink leaks through it. It wasn't a problem initially, until I gave the pen a good cleaning which caused solidified ink in that gap to dissolve, allowing ink to flow through.

 

 

What would be the best way to remedy this? Should I fill it with something like Captain Tulley's Creeping Crack Cure, or some moisture resistant glue? Or would it be better to use solder?

[Ron Z]

You'll melt the surrounding plastic if you try to solder - and the solder might not stick to the plated or corroded metal. I suspect that epoxies would let go eventually, and would be messy. I think that the better solution would be Captain Tolleys. Not perfect, but it will wick into the space between the ring and barrel, and is of course water resistant.

[MYU]

Thanks, Ron! I guess attempting to remove that piece from the section to fix separately would be out of the question? I don't know how it would be attached, if there is some adhesive or if it is bonded in such a way that would damage the section to remove. One other solution might be to obtain a compatible donor Platinum pen and cannibalize it for the nib section.

 

I wonder how this could have happened, as I don't see any sign of an impact. It looks like a possible defect with the section that allowed ink to corrode the metal and eventually cut all the way through.

[Ron Z]

It's not uncommon for ink to wick under rings like this, and for the metal to quietly corrode over time from the inside out, especially when the trim gets dipped into ink. The inside of the dial ring on early Parker 75 sections can be a real pitted, inky, rough mess inside while looking pristine outside. That may be the case here.

 

I've seen rings like this pressed on, glued on, held on with tabs molded some way or another so that ring and plastic interlocks. The Parker rings thread on. Who knows.

[MYU]

A closer examination reveals that this one spot captured in the photo isn't the only one. There are smaller ones in several other locations. It looks to me like this ring has suffered erosion to the point where it's losing integrity. Filling in the gaps/cracks would be a temporary fix. It looks like I'll have to source a replacement. I doubt Platinum would have this as a part... I'd probably have to get a whole new section.