Uncooperative Cap Threads

[royalewithcheese]

Hey all,

 

I have a Sheaffer tip-dip touchdown fill pen (cadet i think) that i found at an antique store and the cap threads don't seem to engage. They appear to be intact on both the pen and the cap. I know its not a fancy pen or anything, but I like how it writes (and that the internals are intact) so if anyone has any tips to make the cap stay on I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Thanks

[pokermind]

could be that the original cap was swapped out and replaced with an incorrect cap. You may want to try wrapping a single layer of teflon tape around the threads to help them catch. This is generally not considered a good idea (too much tape can stress the cap), but I have seen it done.

[c4bb0ose]

could be that the original cap was swapped out and replaced with an incorrect cap. You may want to try wrapping a single layer of teflon tape around the threads to help them catch. This is generally not considered a good idea (too much tape can stress the cap), but I have seen it done.

this will help me with a scroll fountain pen thats lost its threading on the cap from over use I presume, does the tape go by any other name?

[Remy]

this will help me with a scroll fountain pen thats lost its threading on the cap from over use I presume, does the tape go by any other name?

 

PTFE tape... you can find a spool of it in the plumbing section. Plumbers use it as a lubricant for pipe threads, so that fittings screw on easily and come off just as easily 10 years later. The tape is white and soft to the touch. Not too sure if it will help you though.

 

If the cap with worn threads simply falls off, you may try buying a tube of clear silicone rubber and applying a barely-noticeable amount inside the cap... by that i mean like 0.3mm, barely any... once it cures (24 hours), the rubberized layer should provide some grip

[c4bb0ose]

 

PTFE tape... you can find a spool of it in the plumbing section. Plumbers use it as a lubricant for pipe threads, so that fittings screw on easily and come off just as easily 10 years later. The tape is white and soft to the touch. Not too sure if it will help you though.

 

If the cap with worn threads simply falls off, you may try buying a tube of clear silicone rubber and applying a barely-noticeable amount inside the cap... by that i mean like 0.3mm, barely any... once it cures (24 hours), the rubberized layer should provide some grip

Interesting, the silicon rubber might help another pen, an opal one this time, it looks like someone has plundered the tip off the top with the pocket hanger, either for parts or perhaps it was for scrap metal smelting, at any rate the only thing keeping it on the pen is some bluetac. As the pen writes rather nicley, despite it's looks.

[Remy]

Interesting, the silicon rubber might help another pen, an opal one this time, it looks like someone has plundered the tip off the top with the pocket hanger, either for parts or perhaps it was for scrap metal smelting, at any rate the only thing keeping it on the pen is some bluetac. As the pen writes rather nicley, despite it's looks.

 

Hmm..

 

One more thing though,

 

When working with a pen that's old, please keep the piece well-ventilated while the silicone is curing, due to the fact that uncured silicone outgasses methanol, ammonia and vinegar. If the fumes are allowed to concentrate, it might possibly destabilize older plastics

 

 

But i do wonder if on some pens with stripped threads, it might be possible to coat the "good" side in some release agent and the damaged side in clear epoxy, screw it on and let epoxy cure. Nine times out of ten, it won't be a good idea, but in pens where one component is metal and the other is resin, it would allow to reconstruct a working screw closure.

 

It there's two of the same pen, and one has undamaged threads, it's a lot easier, since you can fill the part with warm wax and then let it cool off, place it in the fridge and then freezer, before unscrewing the wax impression. Then you can use the impression and clear epoxy to repair the broken cap or whatever.

[ANM]

Many years ago- maybe 25 or 30 years ago- before people told me I shouldn't.. before anyone told me anything about pen repair, I had Parker Challenger with a cap that didn't screw on and tighten. I painted the inside with a layer of clear lacquer. It worked. I still have it and it still tightens up and stays on.

Edited October 7, 2013 by ANM

[ANM]

FYI about the above pen I mentioned, I was in an antique store in Arkansas looking at a bunch of pens. This one had the end of the cap look like it had been in an ash tray because the very end was melted, the clip was some strange shape that I didn't know was a rare Parker clip, the cap didn't fit as I mentioned before and it was too dirty to read the inscription. I wasn't interested. The dealer lowered the price three times and I declined. Finally he lowered it to a dollar. I took it and had no concerns about trying to repair it since I thought it was a worthless peice of junk. I think it cleaned up pretty well, don't you?

 

 

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/DSCN0772_zpsb795b11c.jpg

[balson]

FYI about the above pen I mentioned, I was in an antique store in Arkansas looking at a bunch of pens. This one had the end of the cap look like it had been in an ash tray because the very end was melted, the clip was some strange shape that I didn't know was a rare Parker clip, the cap didn't fit as I mentioned before and it was too dirty to read the inscription. I wasn't interested. The dealer lowered the price three times and I declined. Finally he lowered it to a dollar. I took it and had no concerns about trying to repair it since I thought it was a worthless peice of junk. I think it cleaned up pretty well, don't you?

 

 

man, that is gorgeous, good find!

[OcalaFlGuy]

ANM I completely see how that Royal Challenger could have thrown you off.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[ANM]

That long ago, I was not familiar with Challengers. The only way I knew the pen was special was when I got home and looked it up in Glen Bowens price guide.