Heart-Wrenching Bidding

[inkstainedruth]

Well, thank you for not calling me childish for dancing around at 10:00 at night like a lunatic!

 

Well, given that *I* was screaming like a banshee at 1:30 in the morning when I discovered that I HADN'T been outbid on a Plum 51 Demi.... (I almost didn't check -- the auction ended about 4 PM on a Saturday afternoon when I was out at something, and then we went to a party after dinner; I had assumed I'd have been long since outbid, but I didn't even hit my intermediate maximum!).

Of course, things got somewhat interesting the next day, a Sunday, when I discovered that I had ALSO won the bidding on a black 51 Vac I had completely forgotten about (I had been so focussed on the Plummer I had not expected that nobody else would bid on the other pen; I ended up getting it for my minimum bid, the starting price...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParkerDuofold]

Isn't the diaphragm that little button that fills the pen?

Hi Surprise,

 

No. That's the little button you press to fill the pen.

 

The diaphragm is a flexible cup-shaped sac inside the barrel that fills with ink when it is compressed and released by a metal or plastic ball inside the barrel that is activated by a spring when you press that little button under the blind cap.

 

The diaphragm often deteriorates with age and usually has to be replaced; the metal ball, (later pens used plastic balls because of corrosion issues), and spring can also suffer from corrosion. Sometimes, they are too far gone and have to be replaced.

 

Vintage inks were often quite corrosive, with pH levels around 2.0 to 3.5; so sac deterioration and corrosion to metal parts are relatively common.

 

Hopefully you should be alright, though, because you said the seller said it was working and in very good condition,... so let's hope for the best.

 

That said, if you want to pursue vintage pens, I strongly encourage you to get "Da Book" by Frank Dubeil... it costs around $20 and it will teach you how to restore and service most vintage pens.

 

Another great book, though pricier, is "Pen Repair" by Marshall and Oldfield... look for the Third Edition with the green cover... that's the latest one, I believe.

 

You'll also need a few tools, but one thing at a time. I recommend the books first... they'll give you an excellent foundation on how vintage pens work.

 

Enjoy your new, old pens.

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

EDITED to correct and clarify text.

Edited December 13, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[ParkerDuofold]

Just to follow-up,... you may want to spend a few hours of your spare time studying these pages:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/index_m.html?page=ref/00_refp.htm

 

Here's a breakdown of how the Vacumatic system works:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/index_m.html?page=ref/00_refp.htm

 

 

Be well.

 

 

- A.C.

 

 

EDITED to add extra link.

 

EDIT 2: The Vacumatic link takes you back to the general page... I forgot Richard Binder's site is a little primitive and (bleep)-eyed, so you'll just have to scroll down the page.

Edited December 13, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[FarmBoy]

Skip Frank’s book and get M & O.

 

I don’t see a picture of the pen in the linked auction with the blind cap off.

 

Cup shaped isn’t fair. It is shaped more like a condom...and I’d know... I think I’ve been called a vending machine for said product here!

[inkstainedruth]

It's not a bad plan to have both books. Remember -- he's a kid in middle school and has just dropped nearly $70 of his allowance (he's not old enough to get working papers unless he's doing something like delivering newspapers) on pens this week.

The advantage of "Da Book" is that it's cheap. The advantage of M&O is that it's got better (color) pix, and the information is both updated and (probably) more correct over the long haul -- but OTOH it's also a $60 book.... Heck, when I had the initial choice several years ago (the first time I went to Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC) *I* bought "Da Book" too. Eventually I was able to afford to get M&O as well.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ron Z]

It's not a bad plan to have both books.

 

Not.

 

I have all three editions of the Marshall and Oldfield book for a reason. They are I believe, far better and the information more up to date. Repair techniques have advanced quite a bit in the last 10 - 15 years. While there are some things that I would do differently than M&O, there are many things that Frank suggested that I very much disagree with.

[ParkerDuofold]

 

Not.

 

I have all three editions of the Marshall and Oldfield book for a reason. They are I believe, far better and the information more up to date. Repair techniques have advanced quite a bit in the last 10 - 15 years. While there are some things that I would do differently than M&O, there are many things that Frank suggested that I very much disagree with.

Hi Ron, et al,

 

I know some of Frank's techniques are viewed as controversial today, but Da Book still does give you a lot of the basic fundamentals,... which are absolute, (and only glossed over in the M&O books; which tend to favor more model specific issues),... at a price a 12-14 y.o. can afford... or at least has a fighting chance to afford.

 

I think BOTH books still have a place on our shelves.

 

 

- Anthony

[Ron Z]

OH I have his book, and look at in on occasion.. I just caution people to be very careful following his advice once you go beyond the basics. I don't recommend whacking your pen against the edge of a table to loosen the section like Frank did. Basics BTW, can be found in other places like Richard Binders website, or copies of some of the original manufacturers repair manuals. All I had when I started were the reprints from the Pen Fanciers Club.

 

I really should write an article or blog post about what I consider to be the problems with Da Book some time. I met Frank once, at my very first DC show I think it was. IIRC he died shoveling snow that winter. Frank was sitting at a table selling copies of Da Book, and the conversation literally went like this:

 

Me: "Frank Dubiel! Please to meet you. I have a copy of your book, and found it to be interesting reading. There are a few things that I disagree with though...."

 

Frank (in his Boston accent): "There's nothing wrong with open flame."

 

Me (to myself): "Bingo!"

[ParkerDuofold]

OH I have his book, and look at in on occasion... I just caution people to be very careful following his advice once you go beyond the basics. I don't recommend whacking your pen against the edge of a table to loosen the section like Frank did...

 

Agreed.

 

 

...I really should write an article or blog post about what I consider to be the problems with Da Book some time...

 

I agree; I think that would be very helpful because some of what he suggests can be hairy... actually, I'm a little surprised you haven't done that already.

 

 

...I met Frank once, at my very first DC show I think it was...

 

...Frank was sitting at a table selling copies of Da Book, and the conversation literally went like this:

 

Me: "Frank Dubiel! Please to meet you. I have a copy of your book, and found it to be interesting reading. There are a few things that I disagree with though...."

 

Frank (in his Boston accent): "There's nothing wrong with open flame."

 

Me (to myself): "Bingo!"

 

I never got a chance to meet him; he was dead before I got into pens, but what from what I've heard about him, I think in his heart, he was a native New Yorker.

 

 

- Anthony

Edited December 13, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[Chouffleur]

OH I have his book, and look at in on occasion.. I just caution people to be very careful following his advice once you go beyond the basics. I don't recommend whacking your pen against the edge of a table to loosen the section like Frank did. Basics BTW, can be found in other places like Richard Binders website, or copies of some of the original manufacturers repair manuals. All I had when I started were the reprints from the Pen Fanciers Club.

 

I really should write an article or blog post about what I consider to be the problems with Da Book some time. I met Frank once, at my very first DC show I think it was. IIRC he died shoveling snow that winter. Frank was sitting at a table selling copies of Da Book, and the conversation literally went like this:

 

Me: "Frank Dubiel! Please to meet you. I have a copy of your book, and found it to be interesting reading. There are a few things that I disagree with though...."

 

Frank (in his Boston accent): "There's nothing wrong with open flame."

 

Me (to myself): "Bingo!"

Joan of Arc once felt that way too. But she ... er ... reconsidered.