Any Tips On How To Restore This Vintage Wahl-Eversharp?

[hu-327]

 

I bought this pen on eBay recently and thought I'd stumbled on a wet noodle pen (seller had this in all caps in the title) for a steal at ~$62. Problem is, this pen is almost certainly not a wet noodle, as defined by going off of what I know of them, based on me trying to flex the tines. There's a fair amount of scratching, damage, and bite marks to it, which brings me to my next point. The section and barrel won't come apart, and the lever filler clip stops at a certain point. As someone who is totally inexperienced with restoration, could I restore it on my own or would it be better to send it off to an expert? I could deal with the latter, but as a student, if it costs too much, I don't know if I can.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1555954263__img_e4474.jpg

 

 

 

[hu-327]

Sorry for the grimy fingers! An incident with Iroshizuku Kon-Peki has left stains on my fingers for well over a week now.

[joss]

Lever filler restoration is generally not complicated, theoretically. But as with any skill you do need practice because restoration practice does not always follow restoration theory.

 

The barrel is friction fit and gently warming the bottom part of the barrel might loosen it from the section. The material of these pens can be very brittle though.

The lever might be stuck against a petryfied rubber sack inside the barrel.

 

The decorative gold band on the barrel looks a bit odd to me, as if it is not orginal to this pen.

[hu-327]

How would one go about cleaning out the petrified rubber sack if it's stuck to the lever? And would the lever start working again once the sac is replaced? I'm going to heat it up tonight and see if it comes apart.

[joss]

The barrel is possibly shellacked to the section. I would start by putting the bottom part of the pen (up to the area where barrel connects to section) into luke warm water for at least 30 min. Then gently try twisting the barrel while holding the section firmly.

 

Petrified sack remnants can be removed from the barrel using a slender & pointy stick (eg a toothpick, although this will not reach the barrel top). Be carefull not to damage the pressure bar and/or the lever.

 

Always proceed with care and much patience.

[crescentfiller]

OP, I would not advise putting the pen in water, warm or otherwise. Use a hair dryer to apply dry heat, using what your fingers can tolerate as a guide to temperature. Gently gently. It may well take several (many) cycles of heat and gentle persuasion to open it up.

Good luck!

[hu-327]

Thanks for the repair advice everyone! I think I might attempt repairs in the future but for now, I think I'm going to just send it to Danny Fudge for repair. I don't want to accidentally go too far and damage it in any way, as this will be my first American vintage pen. Up to this point, I've only used Japanese pocket vintage pens, which are neat little things, but a completely different ball park. None of those are really any older than the 50s though so I've never had to deal with any repairs so far.

[eckiethump]

I think I'm going to just send it to Danny Fudge for repair.

A wise move, some of these Wahl pen barrels have an aluminium inner lining which has oxidised, making it extremely difficult to safely remove the sections for full servicing.