Help: White Tortoise Falling Apart (Yes, Literally!)

[mamajones]

Somewhere around 2005, my sweetheart (now sweetheart-husband) gave me a Pelikan White Tortoise fountain pen. (He is pretty good with the gift-giving!)

 

A few years ago, it started leaking. I figured it might have been some problem with the nib unit. So I stopped using it as much, content to use others from my burgeoning flock and mostly just looked at it instead of using it.

 

This year, I went to my first Pelikan hub, and I decided to fill each of my beauties with a different color ink so as to show them off to other Pelikan people. But immediately after I filled the White Tortoise, ink started leaking from it. Knowing more about pens now, I started to examine the pen, and unfortunately, the problem was pretty easy to spot: the whole white top section of the barrel (the part that ends with the cap threads) was actually separating from the tortoise part (would that be the binde?).

 

So my gorgeous White Tortoise Pelikan is falling apart, obviously no longer usable. In fact, I can definitely (gently!) wiggle the white section enough that I can see about 0.5 mm of space opening up between it and the other part of the barrel, so I am pretty sure it would snap it apart with little pressure.

 

My husband asked whether it could be repaired by the manufacturer, but I told him that at this point I doubted it since he bought it at least 12 years ago, probably from Levenger, and no box, warranty, or receipt remains! Since it's the M400, I could get another for a reasonable price (a little over $200). But before I give up and just buy a new pen (or ask him to buy me a replacement!), I thought I'd ask the experts: could this be repaired? Or is it just done?

[alaskazimm]

You could try Ron Zorn over at Main Street Pens a holler. I believe I've seen that he has repaired a similar problem before.

 

Good luck!

[pajaro]

Somewhere around 2005, my sweetheart (now sweetheart-husband) gave me a Pelikan White Tortoise fountain pen. (He is pretty good with the gift-giving!)

 

A few years ago, it started leaking. I figured it might have been some problem with the nib unit. So I stopped using it as much, content to use others from my burgeoning flock and mostly just looked at it instead of using it.

 

This year, I went to my first Pelikan hub, and I decided to fill each of my beauties with a different color ink so as to show them off to other Pelikan people. But immediately after I filled the White Tortoise, ink started leaking from it. Knowing more about pens now, I started to examine the pen, and unfortunately, the problem was pretty easy to spot: the whole white top section of the barrel (the part that ends with the cap threads) was actually separating from the tortoise part (would that be the binde?).

 

So my gorgeous White Tortoise Pelikan is falling apart, obviously no longer usable. In fact, I can definitely (gently!) wiggle the white section enough that I can see about 0.5 mm of space opening up between it and the other part of the barrel, so I am pretty sure it would snap it apart with little pressure.

 

My husband asked whether it could be repaired by the manufacturer, but I told him that at this point I doubted it since he bought it at least 12 years ago, probably from Levenger, and no box, warranty, or receipt remains! Since it's the M400, I could get another for a reasonable price (a little over $200). But before I give up and just buy a new pen (or ask him to buy me a replacement!), I thought I'd ask the experts: could this be repaired? Or is it just done?

 

You are saying that the cap that turns the screw for the piston is coming off? It has come off?

 

I had this happen with a black M200, which has the same mechanism. I think I just pushed the endcap back onto the screw end, and it stayed on and works today. No glue of any kind should be needed, because this might have to be removed if something goes wrong with the piston.

 

I also had the section come off that holds the nib unit. This part I put back on with a very small amount of five minute epoxy. This part is not supposed to come off.

[mamajones]

 

You are saying that the cap that turns the screw for the piston is coming off? It has come off?

 

I had this happen with a black M200, which has the same mechanism. I think I just pushed the endcap back onto the screw end, and it stayed on and works today. No glue of any kind should be needed, because this might have to be removed if something goes wrong with the piston.

 

I also had the section come off that holds the nib unit. This part I put back on with a very small amount of five minute epoxy. This part is not supposed to come off.

 

No, not the cap over the piston. But the thing you said in the last paragraph: the part that holds the nib unit (which I believe is technically called the "section") is separating from the rest of the barrel. The knob that drives the piston is fine, as is the piston itself. And there seems to be no leakage from around the nib itself which screws in and out just like it should.

 

I would worry about putting epoxy on the pen since I would be afraid it would block the ink from flowing from the barrel into the nib unit.

Edited November 19, 2017 by mamajones

[hari317]

At least two of my Pelikans failed at the section barrel joint after years of usage. However Pelikan service in Germany repaired the pens on both ocassions free of charge.

 

You simply send the complete pen off with a covering letter and return address. It comes back one fine day after a few weeks all repaired.

[chromantic]

Contact Ms. Witt, she should be able to assist you.

 

 

Christiane Witt

 

Group Intercompany Order Management

Customer Service Export

 

fon: +49 (0) 511 6969-826

fax: +49 (0) 511 6969-212

e-mail: christiane.witt(at)pelikan.com

Christiane Witt

[Bo Bo Olson]

Hari and Chronmatic covered it.

[Parker51]

If you can't get a satisfactory response from Pelikan, please be aware that Levinger will likely replace your pen if you contact them and send it to them. They guaranty the products they sell and will honor that guaranty, but with the one pen I has problems with, a Waterman, they replaced it, with the same model pen, but as it was not available in the origonal color, in a different color. So, if you contact Levenger, and they tell you they have a record of your purchase, so go ahead and send ii back,,you may get a new 400, but who knows the color.

[andyk]

At least two of my Pelikans failed at the section barrel joint after years of usage. However Pelikan service in Germany repaired the pens on both ocassions free of charge.

 

You simply send the complete pen off with a covering letter and return address. It comes back one fine day after a few weeks all repaired.

Pelikan Europe are very helpful, a few years back the nib collar on a late 1950s 400 split and they replaced it free of charge even though the pen was over fifty years old at the time.

 

Andy

[sargetalon]

Sorry to hear about your issue. It certainly sounds like the section is separating from the barrel. While not unheard of, this is an uncommon failure that can happen after years of usage. That is a known weak spot. If you are in the US, Pelikan will usually redirect your correspondence to Chartpak. Your options are;

 

1) Contact Ron Zorn of Main Street Pens for repair

http://www.mainstreetpens.com

 

2) Contact Chartpak for an out of warranty repair which is basically a barrel swap (provided that they have stock)

https://www.chartpak.net

 

3) Purchase a replacement M400

 

I hope that you are able to get it sorted with little difficulty. I have listed to above options in order of likely least cost to highest cost.

[Nyanzilla]

The same happened to my grey M200 a couple of months ago.

I was able to glue it in place. But I also asked Pelikan Germany. They told me it could be repaired. So if this happened again (I hope not), I'd send it to them.

[Chrissy]

I'm confident that Pelikan will fix it for you.

[Tweel]

I hope Pelikan will fix this production problem. As I understand it, the binde and section are loaded into an injection mold and the acrylic barrel is then "shot" into place, and apparently the grip between section and barrel isn't always entirely successful. I had an M320 arrive separated in the box. The dealer is very reputable, so it must have happened in transit. It then took 6 months before the repaired pen was finally returned to me.

[mamajones]

Thanks to everyone for their very helpful replies!

 

Because it was bought well over a decade ago, I don't think that either Levenger or Pelikan will repair my pen, but I may be wrong. I seem to remember that back in the 1990s, both Levenger and Pelikan had a lifetime "material defect" warranty, but no longer: the latest warranty details I can find are 1 year for Levenger, 3 years for Pelikan.

 

(In fact, I clearly remember returning their big slanted desktop "Editor's Desk" to Levenger after more than 5 years just because I never used it, not because it was defective. Ah, the "good old days" of the 1990s...)

 

I think I will try Joshua's list and see what Ron Zorn and/or Chartpak might say before giving up and just getting a new pen. After all, I'd like to save some money since I have my eye on an Ocean Swirl. Not to mention that it is getting close to 2018, and my favorite color is green (as in "olive green" ink of the year). My wallet groans in despair!

[Lelouch]

The same thing has happened to my M101N Red Tortoiseshell! At the joint of the ink window and barrel, I had been using it all August, then on the last day, towards the end of my shift, i uncap it to write a note and find ink on my fingers. Long story short, I also discovered a gap when wiggling.