Reviving A Pencil

[Ernst Bitterman]

I will gloat briefly-- I got a mixed bag from an internet source that included three Eversharp pencils, an Esterbrook Safari, and a 1949 Parker "51" in addition to some purely parts items, all for $17.75 including postage. Semi-sumgai, at any rate.

 

The pencils are a pair of undecorated gold-filled clipped models, and a chevron-chased silver-plate (No.31 in the 1925 catalogue, although I think this is an earlier mechanism as the clip has no strengthening ridge). The gold ones work just fine, but the silver one is jammed solid; you'd think it was carved from a single lump of metal for all the play there is in the crown. The mechanical problem is the ONLY problem with that item, as it is pretty much without blemish, and I'd like to see it working again. My first and almost certainly wrong impulse is to lower the whole thing into a bath of light oil for a couple of days' soak. My second and better impulse is to look in here and see what folks who have studied on the matter think is the right way to proceed. Any thoughts?

Edited September 20, 2011 by Ernst Bitterman

[jbb]

I've gotten a few vintage mechanical pencils to work by pushing a straight pin into the nozzle and both force-pushing the mechanism and clearing out any old lead debris. It ain't pretty... it might not be what you're supposed to do but it has worked. I have also dropped some sewing machine oil down the nozzle. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I have never made one of my mechanical pencils worse. :ph34r:

[fpman]

+1 to the oil and needle combo. On those nonfunctioning mechanical pencils I've been able to restore, most took a combo of both. Be aware though that using the machine oil before cleaning out the old lead will likely create a gucky mess - leads much easier to dig out dry. That said, if the lead is too hard, a little lubricant will loosen it up.

 

Disassemble the pencil as much as you can before you add the lubricant. I've tried all kinds of lubricants - machine oil, vegetable oil, lithium grease, silicone, wd40 - to varying degrees of success (the thicker stuff seems to do better if only by staying where you put it, assuming you put it where you need it). I haven't noticed any of them damaging any of my pencils.

 

As you clean out the lead and use the lubricant, if it is a twist advance, turn it to advance and retract the lead. If it is one of the types that doesn't retract, turn the mechanism both ways anyway.

 

I must admit that I still have several old gold and silver MP's and some of them I've never been able to get to work, no matter what I tried. And no inkling why.

[jonveley]

The nice part about the old Wahl Eversharp pencils is that there really isn't anything to break. Repair kits of the day included a 1mm drill that is used to clear lead jams in this very circumstance. If you don't have one, a straight pin is an excellent substitute.

 

I'm not sure that oil is going to do much other than create goo. Remember that lead is composed of clay and graphite, a lubricant. The lead has likely swollen with moisture or was the wrong size (square lead in particular causes jams).

 

I do cover repair procedures for pencils in my new book - went to press Monday and I'm told will be available on Oct. 17 or so. More info on the "books by Jonathan Veley" tab at the Museum (link below).

[Ernst Bitterman]

The trouble appears to be either with the interface of the follower's tail and the threaded interior wall, or with the crown itself (and I'm extremely happy to have a couple of working models to compare to). The tip is altogether free of lead. I'm inclined to think that the crown has somehow been jammed down or overtightened, as I can't unscrew it to get at the lead storage; there are, however, no evident dent or crimps.

 

EDIT: I was considering the thing after writing this, and find it's a newer moder than the gold ones. It may well have the single lead store above the mechanism rather than the side-by-side arrangement in the old ones, which doesn't amend the fact that the crown is stuck firmly against both rotation and withdrawal, but might be useful for those hinting at cures.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Ernst Bitterman

[nxn96]

I've had some luck using one of those compressed air containers that they sell in office supply stores to clean out the "clutch" mechanisms such as those on the Parker "51" Aero pencils. Sometimes it seems as if there is just enough pencil "dust" and "chips" in the mechanism that simply need a blast of air to dislodge. Keeping the mechanism "open" as you aim the compressed air nozzle into the chamber can be a small challenge, but it's often been the trick needed to get the pencil working again.

 

Hope this helps.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Here's a report of... progress? I did end up dribbling some oil down the lead-hole in the point, and left the pencil sitting tail-down in a glass for a couple of days. Then, gripping the barrel firmly in one hand and the crown in the other, T O R S I O N.... and it turns! It TURNS!

 

However:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/takematsu/DSCN2039.jpg

 

What was turning was the nose-cone. I've threaded it back on to avoid loosing it. The crown remains fast to the inner barrel, and I'm considering smaller vessels to drop it into for a more thorough oil-soaking.

Edited September 26, 2011 by Ernst Bitterman

[twopens]

Find a couple of fresh sticky 1/2" wide rubber bands and, using only your fingers, see if you can either pull the crown off the eraser or unscrew the crown and eraser together. Use one rubber band to grip the crown and the other to grip the mechanism. Don't use section pliers or you'll just dent something! The crown is often stuck rather firmly to the eraser sleeve, but you ought to be able to unscrew the eraser. If this doesn't break loose the mechanism and you can at least get the eraser out, then you can try penetrating oil or an ultrasonic cleaner. The later pencils w/ the long tip are made such that when the lead follower is screwed all the way forward, the mechanism releases and can be pulled straight out of the inner barrel w/o having to "unscrew." You may have corrosion or a chunk of broken lead jamming the threaded end of the lead follower or lead jammed between the lead storage and inner barrel. Good luck - you've already been fortunate to have the tip unscrew so easily!

[Vintagepens]

I suspect whatever is gumming up your pencil's innards isn't lead. First, have you tried heating it up? If that doesn't work, skip the machine oil -- it's not the optimal de-freezer. What you want is either penetrating oil or something like naphtha or kerosene. Consider yourself warned about the danger of fire and fumes, soak in a closed container.

[Ernst Bitterman]

An update: Took it out of the oil, gave it a good wipe-down, applied lashings of WD40, and... still stuck tight.

 

But gosh, it is nice to wrestle with something one can apply oils and such to without a terror of the thing dissolving, crumbling, or unrecoverably changing colour.