Wahl Lever Won't Go Down!

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Just got a little Wahl ringtop and the lever won't go down! With the springbar pulled out, it will lay flat, but you can't squish the sac with the lever, only rip it. Messy.

 

And the lever in this thing is some sort of weird little two piece job. Right now I've got a plain old mini j bar in there b/c I can't get the stinkin two piecer back in.

 

 

Any help or links or... something?

 

The lever stuck up even before I took out the original pressure bar thingy.

 

thanks!

[viclip]

Towards the bottom of page 19 of Da Book, mention is made of some sort of apparently common spring gizmo which is incorporated into Wahl-Eversharp pens. The sides of the spring stick out & are supposed to help lock the lever in its closed position. Frank included detailed drawings. I have no experience with these springed lever designs, but maybe you've got such a pen that's missing the spring or whatever.

[Wahlnut]

From the photo, I think you will need a new lever. That one looks bent (probably by someone trying to lift it against an ossified sac) and that is very hard to straighten. Go ahead and take it out of the pen and see. The part toward the front looks down and parallel to the barrel, but at the lever fulcrum pin it is bent upward which send the tail high when the lever is down. Funny things happen when there is no presser bar on the lever, like allowing the lever front to come up enough to give the appearance of proper seating, only to be over-ruled by the limiting movement when the presser bar is pushing up from within (the presser bar cant push past the inner barrel surface and can not push the lever front any higher to get the lever tail down.

 

The little spring inside the lever that has ears that protrude through 2 little slots on the sides of the lever and forma a catch that locks the lever down when not in use that the other reply mentions will never be strong enough to hold a bent lever down. The very early Wahl pens had 2 funky presser bar constructions, but they did work well, just more complicated than the style that Wahl eventually licensed from Sheaffer that ended up in the later pens.

 

Anyway, I think the simplest way to go is to replace the lever, and use the original presser bar mechanism.

 

Syd

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Ouch. Okay. Do you have a spare lever?

[empyrean]

I have an Eversharp Gold Seal (1930s) with the same type of two-piece j bar thingy. A bear to get back into the barrel, plus line up the lever. And yes, the lever on your pen is definitely bent. If I had an extra one, you could have it, but alas, I don't. Good luck with fixing your pen! It can be done!

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I'm gonna heat it up and try to straighten it out if I can't find another.

[empyrean]

I'm gonna heat it up and try to straighten it out if I can't find another.

I think that's the best way to go; chances are, there isn't one just like it floating around. Besides, you are keeping its original intact!

[Wahlnut]

Ouch. Okay. Do you have a spare lever?

 

Maybe. WHat is the diameter of the pen barrel? What is the length of the lever? It is easiest to match a new one to the old if it were "in hand" and simply hold up next to one another to be sure.

Syd

Edited May 7, 2011 by Wahlnut

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I can get the measurements, but if you'd like, I could just send you the barrel and lever. I'm not using it right now.