Blackbird Bt Self Filler Information.

[Daveeho]

I have recently acquired a Blackbird BT 200/81 fountain pen, and can find very little information about it. The pen is approx 12 cm in length and the barrel is marked 'Blackbird Self Filling Pen. Patent Applied for Mabie Todd and Co.Ltd, Made in England' and has the familiar Blackbird motif on barrel and clip. The cap is marked Blackbird and the barrel is marked BT 200/81 around the base. I would appreciate any information about the pen, particularly about it's filling mechanism, there appears to be a ridge on the barrel about 3 cm from the tapered end, should this unscrew to allow filling? I am reluctant to do anything to the pen until I know more about it.

 

Thank you,

 

David

[Greenie]

This is the Blackbird Topfiller. Interesting pens, and at times, infuriating.

The best and most detailed information is at Penpractice.com

http://www.penpractice.com/page12.html

 

The back is a blind cap and unscrews. Inside there might be a standard bulb filling mechanism. But this is probably a replacement by the factory.

 

The real mechanism is a sac that covers a spring and a "stick". Some are removable (and restorable), and some are not at all (but I have one of this and managed to get it working, but not exactly "restored")

 

http://www.penpractice.com/_wp_generated/wp49ce9bd8_06.png

[birchtine]

Greenie was here first

Edited May 7, 2017 by birchtine

[Greenie]

Greenie was here first

[Daveeho]

Thank you Greenie, for such a comprehensive reply, I will attempt to unscrew the top, it will not be without some trepidation!

 

David

[Greenie]

It won't be stuck at all. Part of old pens is knowing what SHOULD come apart and what should not. It is a blind cap and should come off easily, especially after getting it unstuck the first time. Warm it up with a hair dryer a bit and give it a standard unscrewing direction twist.

 

The the interesting part. Which version do you have????? Please post!

[Daveeho]

Hello Greenie,

Did just as you suggested and the cap came off easily, now what?!? It doesn't look too good.

 

David

[Greenie]

The restorable kind! Congratulations! The threads that hold the cap section are a removable threaded piece. Here is Dr. Olfield's picture of the pen parts. His site will give you the steps.

 

http://www.penpractice.com/_wp_generated/wpde582f5b_05_06.jpg

[Daveeho]

Wow! That looks like one complicated pen. Are all the parts still available?

 

David

[Greenie]

Wow! That looks like one complicated pen. Are all the parts still available?

 

David

 

Of course not! This is vintage pen repair! The challenge is not breaking anything when you take it apart and put it back together.

 

In all seriousness, these are uncommon pens and few people work on them.

[Daveeho]

Perhaps just one to admire in my collection then

[Cob]

Yes you are very lucky to find, as Greenie says, the restorable type. I had one of the hopeless other ones. I used the cap with its gold-plated clip for a Frankenpen Blackbird.

 

Cob

[Greenie]

I managed to "futz" a bit and get a non restorable one working functioning. These are pretty cool little pens, not seen often.

[Cob]

Well Greenie, I bow to your superior patience: I had a brief "explore" and the bloody thing fell to bits!

 

Cob

[Greenie]

It has held through a couple of fill and empty cycles. But I expect it to need a little tune up from time to time if used regularly.

 

Just chip our as much sac as you can on the barrel end. The end button you push on unscrews. Remove the sac residue from the button and remove the metal band. And forget about the metal band. Put the end button back on. Cut the sac to length per the good Dr.'s recommendations on the link prior in this thread. Slide it over the spring. Then just put some shellac in the place where the sac goes on the barrel and try to insinuate the sac in a mm of you can, and push the sac down a little on the spring to hold the sac down. Let dry a long time. Like overnight. Add another bead of shellac 360 degrees around the sac/barrel junction and let dry a long time. Then shellac the other end on to the end button.

 

Inelegant. And won't hold forever. But it works better than nothing.