Sheaffer's Imperial I Touchdown Nib Removal?

[andymcc]

I recently bought 2 SHEAFFER'S Imperial I pens and I'm trying to give them a good clean but I'm not sure how to take the nibs out or even if it's possible, can anyone advise me please?

The pens have different filling systems too, one is the touchdown type but the other I'm not sure of, it looks like maybe a cartridge filler but again I'm not sure. The picture below shows a little of the maroon pens section but I haven't had a chance to take a better photo yet, there's no touchdown plunger so the barrel is one piece which is why I'm thinking cartridge but can anyone tell me what type of filling system it uses?

Thanks

 

http://i59.tinypic.com/n6pzy9.jpg

 

[andymcc]

UPDATE:

I've cleaned both pens but can't remove the nibs, the nib on the black pen has some corrosion from the breather hole to the tip of the nib and is barely writing. The filling system on the black pen works really well but the ink isn't getting to the tip properly and unless I can find a way to swap the nibs over the pen is useless. The maroon pen won't accept a Sheaffer cartridge or the converter I have, the cartridge is too big and gets stuck in the barrel.

Not my finest purchases and I loss of £18 ah well, my hunt for a touchdown filler will continue.

 

 

UPDATE 2:

 

Rather than give up and bin the pens I thought I'd try to get the nibs out of both pens using force, I used rubber and pliers and was able to pull the nibs out, however I don't think they're meant to be pulled out of the front as both nibs chipped the sections a little. The chips are tiny and if the pen works I'll never notice them, it took quite a bit of fiddling but I was able to get the maroon pens nib into the black pen. Once the nib was in I realised that one tine was a fraction higher than the other so I got out an emery board and carefully smoothed the nib out, the nib is now fairly smooth and writes a very fine line.

I'm now the proud(or at least satisfied) owner of touchdown filler, I got lucky with the nib as I prefer fine and the maroon pens nib is F or EF and writes well on even cheap paper. At some point I may fine tune the nib more but for now I'm happy with it

Edited August 8, 2014 by andymcc

[AKMA]

Two questions about repairing an Imperial I — first, to what does the sac attach? Mine doesn't have an obvious stem onto which I should shellac it.

 

And second, how ought I go about replacing the O-ring? I don't see how to get at it to replace it.

 

Many thanks —

[Ernst Bitterman]

I've never tried to open the section of an Imperial I, but I'd assume its something similar to the other models; warming and unscrewing the threaded portion at the back, then pushing the rest of the works out through the big hole that leaves. In fact... I'm pretty sure that one must remove the threaded ring to change the sac on that version (my books aren't at hand-- it's definitely in the Marshall & Oldfield second edition).

 

As far as o-rings go, I think the mechanism of this pen is less like the usual run of TDs and more like the Esterbrook take on the matter. If I'm right about that, it means there's no o-ring to worry about, and a budget of tears to be had trying to take the thing apart.

 

Andy-- the red one should take (or.. have taken, I guess) a regular Sheaffer cartridge. If it doesn't, it might speak of shrinkage.

[Ron Z]

You'll find reference on how to repair the TD mechanisms in the Marshall and Oldfield book on pen repair. They're not your typical TD with a screw in the blind cap, but fortunately were made for a rather short period of time. Find a copy and buy it - you should anyway if you're going to do pen repair in general.

 

Pulling the nib was not the best idea. The black connector threads unscrew from the barrel. You'll need heat to soften the sealant on the threads inside and cushioned grips so that you don't damage the threads. Once out, the feed and nib should come out the back end.

 

Tip - be patient and dig for information when you come across something in a pen that you haven't seen before. A rush to do something, anything just to get a pen working, can lead to permanent damage.

[andymcc]

I've never tried to open the section of an Imperial I, but I'd assume its something similar to the other models; warming and unscrewing the threaded portion at the back, then pushing the rest of the works out through the big hole that leaves. In fact... I'm pretty sure that one must remove the threaded ring to change the sac on that version (my books aren't at hand-- it's definitely in the Marshall & Oldfield second edition).

 

As far as o-rings go, I think the mechanism of this pen is less like the usual run of TDs and more like the Esterbrook take on the matter. If I'm right about that, it means there's no o-ring to worry about, and a budget of tears to be had trying to take the thing apart.

 

Andy-- the red one should take (or.. have taken, I guess) a regular Sheaffer cartridge. If it doesn't, it might speak of shrinkage.

Thanks I tried a standard cartridge that fit but didn't feel secure so maybe there has been shrinkage, the black pen work well though so at least I have one working pen now

 

You'll find reference on how to repair the TD mechanisms in the Marshall and Oldfield book on pen repair. They're not your typical TD with a screw in the blind cap, but fortunately were made for a rather short period of time. Find a copy and buy it - you should anyway if you're going to do pen repair in general.

 

Pulling the nib was not the best idea. The black connector threads unscrew from the barrel. You'll need heat to soften the sealant on the threads inside and cushioned grips so that you don't damage the threads. Once out, the feed and nib should come out the back end.

 

Tip - be patient and dig for information when you come across something in a pen that you haven't seen before. A rush to do something, anything just to get a pen working, can lead to permanent damage.

Thanks for the advice Patience is not always a virtue I have especially when working on cheaper pens, when working on more expensive vintage pens I do tend to take things slower and spend longer seeking out information but as I found very little about getting the nib out of these pens I thought I'd experiment in my own elephant footed way, I got lucky this time but I'll definitely heed your advice for future repairs