Waterman 52 Lever Box Missing Inner Tab...who Can Solder?

[eaudom]

I saw some one solder a new brass tab on a Waterman 52 lever box...on youtube. Is there anyone on fpn who does this? Regards, Don

[Pentode]

You can!

 

No, really... I'm not being a smart*ss. With a little practice you could easily learn to do this yourself. Soldering irons aren't terribly expensive, nor are solder or flux.

If you get the brass stock (from a hobby shop or model railroad shop) you can cut extra pieces to practice on and it's a skill that comes in handy in all sorts of ways.

 

I'm sure there are generous souls here on FPN who are local enough to you that they could just take care of it, but I really suggest just diving in and learning to do it. It's not rocket surgery. Good luck!

[eaudom]

Hi Pen....good point. To be sure, I was/am going to pay someone for the service...but I will try to do it myself. I see all sorts of brass sheets available on thebay.....or maybe

i could use an old brass donor pen part, such as a broken nib...which might be the right thickness...

[tamiya]

Haven't seen any brass nib before.

 

What exactly does lever box tab look like? Pop up a pic & i'd be happy to assess what could be done.

[eaudom]

Hi Tamiya, I attach a side view and top view, On the side view, to the left, you see an outer and inner tab, which holds the back of the box in place. To the right, you see the bottom tab is missing.

Edited July 15, 2017 by eaudom

[BamaPen]

I have had a local jeweler laser solder a brass tab to repair a clip - similar situation, where the tab stuck inside the cap to hold the clip in place. I provided a small piece of brass from a local hobby shop and he cut it to the right size and soldered it in place, all for less than $10. If I can get this done by a local jeweler in Alabama, I am certain that you can there in Brooklyn!

 

John

[Pentode]

If I can get this done by a local jeweler in Alabama, I am certain that you can there in Brooklyn!

 

I'm pretty sure the OP is in Canada, John, but they have jewelers there, too!

[tamiya]

Box looks like it's constructed by folding sheet brass? It's a very small area with a lot of stress.

 

I don't think soldering or brazing will work long term if you're planning to use it again, the solder material is much softer than the brass. It will act as a hinge & break again soon.

 

Welding is better as it fuses together the base metal without adding a softer filler material. Laser welding is the latest tool used by jewellers & watchmakers, very fine work can be achieved.

[tamiya]

btw how are those boxes installed? I assume it's inserted into the barrel from outside (as lever has fat handle that won't go thru from underside), are the 2 (or just 1?) inside tabs bent over after inserting?

[praxim]

You could also buy a new lever box, if repair to this one fails. They are available on ebay. Instructions on replacing them are here or on Richard Binder's site or somewhere. I looked into it myself once, but wound up buying a new barrel with box which is much easier when the pen is plain black hard rubber.

[eaudom]

Tamiya, the missing tab would be rebuilt at 90 degree angle to the box, then bent forward after installing the box on the pen...thanks all, will seek out a jeweler who does laser weld....

[Pentode]

Laser welding would be very nifty, but solder is more than strong enough for this job if laser welding proves to be hard to find or exclusively expensive. The brass does not fold on the solder itself, but just below the solder joint as you know.

[ac12]

IF there is enough room, I would do the tab fix as in the pix.

 

Make a straight piece out of .002 or .003 sheet brass.

Then solder one end to the end of the lever box.

Put the lever box into the barrel.

Bend the tab down.

 

In this way, you are not bending on the solder joint.

 

The trick is to solder it without the solder being visible once installed, as the solder WILL flow.

Edited July 25, 2017 by ac12

[eaudom]

Thanks Museum, some very helpful points...but not sure how to prevent solder from running toward the top side..perhaps by soldering with the new tab pointing down, ie with the box outside up?

[ac12]

When I solder I usually WANT the solder to flow, so I am usually not concerned with keeping the solder confined.

 

Likely the trick will be clean the joint WELL, flux,

then tin the pieces (melt a little bit of solder onto the pieces),

put them together, then heat and let the tinned solder bond together.

 

gud luk

[Pentode]

Thanks Museum, some very helpful points...but not sure how to prevent solder from running toward the top side..perhaps by soldering with the new tab pointing down, ie with the box outside up?

 

Solder tends to follow the heat so it will collect most where the tip of the iron contacts the work.

 

So... if you follow your own advice and orient the work so that the tab points down and follow ac12's advice to tin the pieces beforehand and focus the heat more toward the bottom of the lever box (near the edge where you will later bend the tab), the solder will flow properly through the joint via capillary action, but will not run up over the edge to the top of the lever box where it would be visible.

 

You should not need very much solder at all to make this repair so it shouldn't be hard to avoid big blobs. The key is to practice on scrap several times, mocking up a similar joint so you'll know in advance how the solder will behave.

[Pentode]

 

Make a straight piece out of .002 or .003 sheet brass.

 

.003 is awfully thin for a repair like this. I doubt very much it would hold the lever box for very long.

You'd need something more along the lines of .012" to .015" in order to get the strength necessary to hold the box firmly.

[BamaPen]

 

I'm pretty sure the OP is in Canada, John, but they have jewelers there, too!

Looks like that I failed to scroll to the OP's first entry, and yours was just below it, but my thought is still quite likely valid...

[ac12]

 

 

 

.003 is awfully thin for a repair like this. I doubt very much it would hold the lever box for very long.

You'd need something more along the lines of .012" to .015" in order to get the strength necessary to hold the box firmly.

 

Just going by some sheet stuff that I have, and .003 in a short length "seems" stiff enough.

When you bend it, there is only a short length that it needs to go to hold it on, less than 1/8 inch.

But the stiffer the better, since the lever would be pushing the lever box up and out of the pen.

 

As you recommended, I would first mock up the repair and test it, before doing the actual repair on the lever box.

 

[FarmBoy]

Just weld on a new tab.