Well My Pen Broke In Half

[Sasha Royale]

Yes. Go with an experienced repair professional. Sorry to say that you should be prepared for diagnosis

that this is catastrophic and unrepairable. However, there be magicians here.

 

Good luck.

[OcalaFlGuy]

You, are 100% wrong. The guy I know that can fix it just a couple weeks ago received a Sheaffer snorkel with the barrel in about 5 pieces, the next day you couldnt tell.......

 

You are the one who is 100% wrong if you think the Sheaffer in the pic you sent was Repaired in 24 hrs. It Never happened. The damaged pieces may have been REPLACED in 24 hrs, but they Weren't Repaired in 24 hrs.

 

I never said it was impossible to repair the Combo. I Said, No one will be fixing That One. It's a 3rd shelf pen, the repair from a professional would cost Many Times what it can be replaced for.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Guest Ray Cornett]

 

You are the one who is 100% wrong if you think the Sheaffer in the pic you sent was Repaired in 24 hrs. It Never happened. The damaged pieces may have been REPLACED in 24 hrs, but they Weren't Repaired in 24 hrs.

 

I never said it was impossible to repair the Combo. I Said, No one will be fixing That One. It's a 3rd shelf pen, the repair from a professional would cost Many Times what it can be replaced for.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

It wasn't mine. It was a pen he bought in pristine condition on Ebay but the seller just put it in a padded envelope and it arrived in pieces. I saw it live on his webcam and the next day it was done. As for the cost I am not sure how much he would charge for the job but to some of us it is about collectible resale value. It's about what it means to the owner and how much they like it. If I had a pen that would maybe sell for 5 bucks and it costs 30 to fix, if it meant enough to me id pay it and so would many. Its not all about money to all of us.

[KBeezie]

You are the one who is 100% wrong if you think the Sheaffer in the pic you sent was Repaired in 24 hrs. It Never happened. The damaged pieces may have been REPLACED in 24 hrs, but they Weren't Repaired in 24 hrs.

 

I never said it was impossible to repair the Combo. I Said, No one will be fixing That One. It's a 3rd shelf pen, the repair from a professional would cost Many Times what it can be replaced for.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

You could always put him to the test, he's taken out holes and dings in mine and it's the same barrel and all, also some celluloid and raddite materials can be reformed and polished again.

 

I don't know about the Ops damage being fixed in 24 hours but he does offer a 2 to 3 day turn around time upon receipt of the pen and the cost usually includes shipping back and usually a 1 year warranty on the restoration.

[lahlahlaw]

Ouch, it broke right where the lever pin goes, that's a hard fix. If the OP really likes how it writes I'd find another of the same and swap in the nib. These combo pens can be found pretty cheap.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Well.

 

This is interesting.

 

I contacted the person who says they did the Sheaffer repair. They are Absolute. Steadfast. in not saying Anything about how they repaired it other than it took "a few hours". EVERYTHING else they considers a trade secret. Not even the general method, a solvent weld or glue, would they disclose. Period. End of conversation. Sorry, I don't need to deal with the NSA or CIA on a pen repair. Were I a prospective customer with a cracked pen, I have the right to know GENERALLY how the repair will take place. IMO. The general method of a repair is not a trade secret to me.

 

Here is what I DO KNOW. A proper solvent weld Should cure 5 to 7 days. That would be Before any fill in work. Still, that Sheaffer isn't A Crack, it's s Few Cracks. I can't imagine waiting Less than 2 days to add to a solvent welded area with another weld.

 

I could see it being glued back together with epoxy and filled in. And, yes, that would be much faster than a solvent weld. I still would be SHOCKED to hear a Richard Binder or Ron Zorn say that Sheaffer could be repaired fully in 24 hrs.

 

And everything I typed on the Combo stands. The repair would either have to be a charity one by the restorer or would cost at least 3-4 times what you could replace the pen for.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[KBeezie]

So you're only doubting the 24 hour time frame? Not that it can be done?

 

Seems you're so hard up on knowing exactly how it's done... but maybe ask Richard Binder how it's done? See if the response is any more detailed than Seans?

 

And price wise I don't think it's charity if it doesn't take that long to do with actual man hours. Just seems like you don't work in the restoration business full time.

Edited March 26, 2014 by KBeezie

[KBeezie]

Me being clumsy I dropped it 4ft onto a hard floor. I can still write with it, the ink loading mechanism broke but I can squeeze the ink sack manually. What else can I do?

 

13410482514_65fcbae723_b.jpg

 

 

CrimsonM , Contact Sean @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Write-on-Time-Vintage-Pens-Watches-Restoration-and-Service/208871225809681

 

Reference this thread.

 

He'll fix your pen for FREE with a 2-day turn around time upon receipt of the pen.

Edited March 26, 2014 by KBeezie

[montserratplay]

Fascinating complication in the story. I just wanted to offer some empathy. Sorry about the damage and I hope that it will eventually be fixed.

[Fountainer]

I liked the brass sleeve idea. I was just thinking about putting something in, maybe covering the inside with fiberglass, filling that hole too, then start using it as an eyedropper. But listen those experts, i only tend to do these home fixes designed without proper knowledge.

[Sean Nicholson]

I will in fact fix this pen for FREE as Karl said! OP just contact me via my Facebook page!

[OcalaFlGuy]

I can't wait to see the before and after pics.

 

Any restorer who would do That repair for someone for free should be applauded.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Guest Ray Cornett]

Ok guys, here is the shattered pen I originally meant to post. You think the other one was bad? That ain't nothin.........check the befores and after........

Edited March 26, 2014 by Ray Cornett

[KBeezie]

Repairable or not, I'd still cry if one of my pens ever looked like the one the Op posted... well maybe just a small tear, I'm a man after all...

[Bo Bo Olson]

Ocalaflguy knows much more than I do about pen repair. ...so I'd take his point of view....magic wands are hard to find.

 

I'd send my to an established master of pen repair, rather than some one who has a secret way of doing things; that none of the masters can match.

 

At pen shows from my reading, the masters get together in the evening and share their knowledge...'scientifically'. Alchemy was no sharing of knowledge. So I think abrakadabra, hey presto! While waving Harry Potter's spare magic wand is not the way I'd go.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[Guest Ray Cornett]

If it works I personally do not care how it is done. If it gets my pen back to looking normal again I don't need the secret to how. Same as I don't need every restaurant secret recipe just because I eat there. I don't not eat there if they don't give me the secret recipe. Do you?

Every business is entitled to their own proprietery secrets. Some may share but they are sharing what is already known if you do your research. They, too, have secret methods to things. We all have our own way of doing certain things. That being said, that they do have their own secrets even if they don't tell you they do........every repair business has that one repairman with bigger money behind him than the rest.

 

Let me give you an example of what can happen. I am in the blues and rock harmonica realm. I know personally several men who make literally their entire living off of customizing harmonicas for pro players all around the world. They can make hundreds per harmonica with custom combs, custom reed tuning and adjustments, adjustments to the covers of the harmonica, etc.

There is one specific harmonica repairman who has big money behind him and as a result has been able to develop a bigger rep than most. He is an "industry" bully and threatens many of the other guys with lawsuits over the smallest detail left and right. If this guy were to find out one of the trade secrets of one of these smaller time harmonica customizers he could literally take that secret and patent it, copyright it, register it, etc because he could afford it but the guy he stole the idea from could not. In the end big jerk makes tons of money off of little guys secret. Little guy goes out of business.

 

I have only been seriously in the FP world for 2-3 months and already have seen FP repairman with money who came off as seedy to me with the potential to be like the jerk I described above. Let the little guy have his proprietary ideas. All of them do whether they tell you or not. There are things those guys who share their "ideas" with the world freely, yes. But you can bet your butt there are things they do to your pens to improve them that they don't even mention. That way they dont have to even hint at the fact that they have secrets, leading to conversations and drama like this where people try to get the secrets from the little guy.

 

Loose lips sink ships and small ships sink easier than big ships......

Edited March 26, 2014 by Ray Cornett

[Ron Z]

If it works I personally do not care how it is done.

But a lot of people do care, I'm one of them, along with a lot of my clients.

 

I have only been seriously in the FP world for 2-3 months and already have seen FP repairman with money who came off as seedy to me with the potential to be like the jerk I described above.

I think that perhaps you haven't been around long enough then. Kick back and quietly read a while,and I think you'll find that you're wrong. I know most if not all of the pen repair people pretty well. I don't know of any who have "money" behind them. We all work on a rather slim margin and have worked very hard producing quality repairs to develop our reputations. There's a lot of support and encouragement between the professional pen restorers. A picture taken at last year's Baltimore show showed a bunch of pen repair people sitting around a table at breakfast one morning. It wasn't staged. We just naturally gravitated to the table because we wanted to sit with our friends, people who we respect at many levels. We are colleagues, who freely share information with each other. I will admit that I will share information with THEM that I won't share on a pen board or with the general public because I know their work ethics.

[watch_art]

There are also a lot of things you don't share on the boards b/c without experience and knowledge it's real easy to break something or make a problem a lot worse than it started.

[Ron Z]

There are also a lot of things you don't share on the boards b/c without experience and knowledge it's real easy to break something or make a problem a lot worse than it started.

Indeed.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Let me be more clear.

 

Again, I did not ask this repairperson to divulge any trade secrets or "secret information". There is a MASSIVE difference between telling the exact steps being taken in a repair and divulging the general method(s) being used. I have YET to encounter Any professional pen repair person who would not divulge to either a potential client or fellow repairperson the General Method used for any commonly done repair.

 

(Yes, there Are exceptions. The Aces of P-51 Lustraloy refinishing keep their methods pretty close to the vest. The machines that did that finish originally no longer exist. These repairpersons in this instance Have developed Themselves procedures that likely They were the First to ever use. Of Course, that is the type of information you wouldn't necessarily want to divulge. Even general information here might be enough to have someone else duplicate the heretofore unknown procedure. However, this is also a Way Different circumstance than "just" fixing broken plastic.)

 

We are talking antique fountain pens here, not brain surgery. Yes new "tricks" and new materials to make repairs with come along but the basic repair principles Don't change That Much IMO. (Generally speaking. Yes, there Are exceptions there too like Sheaffer Vac repair.)

 

I asked the general method used to help ME determine whether it could have been done in the stated 24 hrs. as One of the Two repair methods most often used for that type repair Can't Happen in just 24 hrs. Repair methods can vary dramatically for the same issue. Some may be more risky but offer a better chance of success. And the other way around, some may be much easier and quicker but offer less chance of success. Again, I never asked Any specifics on the repair procedure, just Generally the method that was used. The same exact question *I Would Ask* ANY repairperson before I sent them a valued pen of mine with my promise to pay them for their repairs to it. The most prevalent reason the pros Don't go into detail when they won't is they are protecting the beginner from attempting something the pro knows they have little if Any chance in succeeding in without destroying the pen. (As Watch Art mentioned.)

 

Ron mentions his repairperson breakfast. I haven't had the pleasure of being invited to one or attending but I would suspect if a participant there made it clear that he was there to Only Take In OTHER'S information without providing Any of his own, his invite to said breakfast would be short lived.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl