Feed Length And Seated Length

[Pentode]

I picked up a Penol frankenpen at a flea market last weekend for next to nothing. The pen body and nib are both Penol Ambassador - late forties. The cap and blind cap appear to be from an earlier Penol pen - possibly a Special from the late 30s.

 

I have begun to clean it up and overhaul it. The pen was kind enough to come apart easily and it looks like the piston will be easy to restore.

The nib also appears to be in good shape, a little flexy and, although unmarked, quite possibly gold.

 

Where I'm left scratching my head is the feed. If seated nicely flush with the back of the section, the business end of the feed is too long for the nib. If I seat it further in I believe it will work and I don't think it will interfere much with the travel of the piston, but I've never seen a feed extend past the back of the section in a piston filler. Is it okay to do this?

 

I have no way of knowing if the feed is original to the pen (I kinda suspect it's not) and I have no qualms about replacing it if that's what's needed, but I'm still curious: would it hurt anything to have the back of the feed sticking out into the ink chamber as long as it doesn't impede the piston? If it works okay that way, should I cut it flush to the section?

Edited April 28, 2017 by Pentode

[mhguda]

Many of my eyedropper-filled ebonites have the feed sticking out of the section and into the barrel, where the ink sits. They work fine; I don't think it makes any difference, except that the volume of ink carried in the pen would be diminished by the part of the feed that now sits inside the barrel. For EDs, that's not really an issue. If you could shorten it without damaging you would not have the problem of it possibly interfering with the piston, but can you be sure it won't crack if you cut off a piece? I'd go carefully. Also, remember to really wipe off any ebonite dust left over from the cutting - that would be a cause of clogging your pen.

Whatever route you choose, good luck to you!

[Pentode]

Thanks, mhguda! My first course of action will be to try it at it's current length and let it stick out. If it doesn't negatively affect the piston I'll just leave it alone. I'm sure I won't miss the extra volume in the slightest.

 

If it does mess with the piston, I'm pretty confident I can cut it square and clean it up without otherwise damaging it but I'd always prefer not to cut anything if I don't have to.

[mhguda]

Wise words! Do let us know how it works out in the end...

[farmdogfan]

it would´nt be a penol, instead of penolo?

[Pentode]

it would´nt be a penol, instead of penolo?

 

You are quite correct. I realized it as I was on the train home, but hadn't gotten around to correcting it.

 

Yes, a Penol Ambassador from around 1947. From Denmark, I think? I wasn't able to find out much about them online, but there were two sites that had some information.

I also misspoke about the cap being from a Special. I believe the cap (or caps) to be from a deLuxe O. model from the late 30s - at least based upon the photos on those two sites.

 

I'll need to order some supplies to restore the piston and while I wait for them to arrive I'll probably spend some time fussing with the nib and feed.

[farmdogfan]

Yes, penol are danish pens, i have a few and they are good quality pens, i hope your restoration works out (some pics would be nice).

[Ron Z]

The important factors are a snug fit for nib and feed, that the feed be set tightly against the nib, and that the nib clears the end of the inner cap.

 

When you reset the nib and feed, always, always, always, check to see that the nib clears. Use an inner cap gauge, two chopsticks or whatever, one against the end of the inner cap, one against the forward end. Then hold the forward piece against the end of the section. The nib has to clear the other piece. It doesn't have to be much - it just has to clear it.

 

The feed usually stops at or before the end of the section. It won't hurt if it extends beyond. Note that many feeds have an extension or tail to reach up into the ink.

[Pentode]

The important factors are a snug fit for nib and feed, that the feed be set tightly against the nib, and that the nib clears the end of the inner cap.

 

This is precisely what prompted the original question. The way the feed is currently seated, the nib does not clear the inner cap if it's correctly positioned on the feed.

 

I was lucky in that the cap had not been cranked down so the tines are only a little disfigured rather than being totally mangled. Pretty surprising, really, considering it was just laying on a flea market table. I don't think I'll have much trouble straightening them out.

 

I don't need much to clear - maybe a little less than 1/8" of setback on that feed and I should be good to go.

 

Since the cap's not original, I have no idea what the cause of the issue is - inner cap shorter than original, feed not original, feed set incorrectly, combination of all three? ...I'll never know, so I just have to improvise.