Loose Nib

[Paddler]

I just bought a nice Sheaffer Balance with the military clip. White dot, Lifetime open nib, visulated section. I gave it a soak, resacced it, and it writes very well indeed. Problem is, the nib is a bit loose. After writing a while, the nib yaws to one side and ends up cockeyed on the feed. If I grab it and wiggle it a couple of times, it will slide right out of the section. If I slide it back in, it goes in easily and stops right at the correct depth and won't wedge itself in properly. I haven't tried to remove the feed from the section because the rear of the feed is long and narrow and is bent up against the inside of the sac nipple. It looks like a knockout would be dangerous. Is there any safe way to tighten the nib?

 

Paddler

 

[MT4]

I have seen quite harsh solutions as, for example, nibs thickened with tin.

 

I usually try with less invasive solutions: You can add a small square of scotch adhesive tape (yes, the most common one) to the side of the feed that is not in contact with the nib or just the other way round (the side of the nib which is not in contact with the feed).

 

A nicer solution (if not such a thickness is required) is to coat with shellac either the nib surface, or the inside of the section, and let it dry before assembly.

 

I'm sure there are wiser solutions among more experienced repairers in this forum.

 

HTH.

 

Martin

[OldGriz]

I have seen quite harsh solutions as, for example, nibs thickened with tin.

 

I usually try with less invasive solutions: You can add a small square of scotch adhesive tape (yes, the most common one) to the side of the feed that is not in contact with the nib or just the other way round (the side of the nib which is not in contact with the feed).

 

A nicer solution (if not such a thickness is required) is to coat with shellac either the nib surface, or the inside of the section, and let it dry before assembly.

 

I'm sure there are wiser solutions among more experienced repairers in this forum.

 

HTH.

 

Martin

 

DO NOT do any of the suggestions listed above... all you will do is cause problems to the nib and feed.....

More than likely the feed is going to have to come out of the pen and the nib and feed reset.....

[SMG]

under properly trained hands the feed can be expanded to fill more of the section and thus grip the nib more securely. This is something which you would want an expert to do really.

 

Cheers,

Sean

[Ray-Vigo]

I would reset the thing and see if that helps.

[Paddler]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. I was considering slightly reducing the curvature of the nib at the very back end. That should put the back of the nib under a little tension and hold it in place. It could conceivably also lead to a crack in the future.

 

Paddler

 

[Ron Z]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. I was considering slightly reducing the curvature of the nib at the very back end. That should put the back of the nib under a little tension and hold it in place. It could conceivably also lead to a crack in the future.

 

That's not going to do it for you. A nib is a wedge - going from thin at the tail to thicker the closer you get to the tip. In this case the nib is thin enough that it will simply be pressed back into shape - maybe scoring the sides of the section in the process, providing a path for a leak.

 

What happens is that the section and the feed both cold flow, taking on the impression of the nib. Instead of being wedged tightly in position, the nib can wiggle around in the enlarged space. There are ways to correct this, but it can be tricky to do. It's also not technique that can be applied to all pens. The later plastics in some Watermans, and especially Skylines will be damaged if you try the same techniques that you use on celluloid and hard rubber. Some of the Skylines (and some Vacumatics) have plastic, not hard rubber feeds. The novice is likely to find out the difference when they fry the feed.

 

Twenty years or so ago, when learning to repair pens, I tried things like tape and shellac on the feed. They don't work. Don't try to wick in super glue or shellac either. I just repaired a Montblanc in which that had been tried. The adhesive wicked into, and clogged the feed. The owner had to pay me to pull the thing apart and get it working again.

[MT4]

Hi,

 

Though I was not the original poster, this raised my curiosity. I have a couple of HR Watermans (Watermen?) which would need this (a 52V ripple and a 52 1/2 V ringtop). Up to now I have always (well, not THAT many times, in fact) done in the way I've suggested above, and I haven't yet clogged nor ruined any pen. I have always painted a thin layer of shellac either on the nib or on the feed. Of course I have avoided the surface between nib and feed, so it's either the top side of the nib or the down part of the feed. When a thicker coat was required I have opted for a nylon sheet instead of several shellac layers.

 

Another thing that sometimes vary with time is the section. When a section has been kept in a good shape it most probably has a round hole, but sometimes (maybe because it has been heated, I don't know) it becomes irregular (oval or three-oval).

 

OK. After all this introduction, the question is: How should I reset a hard rubber feed? Just heating it mildly?

 

Sometimes, even the things you think you know might change!

 

Thanks.

 

Martin