Cap Won't Close

[cordover]

I recently discovered a Colibri fountain pen in my drawer. Can't recall how I came by it. It has "Colibri R.O.C." stamped on the gold colored band on the bottom of the cap. My problem is that the cap does not snap closed. I don't know if something has come off of the pen body or out of the cap. The cap just falls off. I would like to try to use it for sketching, since it as a very fine nib, but I dare not put in a cartridge for fear of it drying out.

 

1. Any ideas how it can be fixed? Is this pen worth enough to bother getting it fixed?

2. Anybody know anything about the model Colibri?

 

Thanks.

[Joe in Seattle]

I am not an expert, But IIRC, Colibri is a brand used on cheap watches made in China. If that is the case, the pen is not worth fixing. One would also be unlikely to find repair parts.

[ac12]

If it uses a plastic snap ring, the ring might have aged and cracked, no longer providing the snap hold.

There may be jury rig methods of getting the cap to stay on, but as Joe said, probably not worth it, time to get a new pen.

 

If you are really bored, you could try putting a tape on part of the plastic snap ring inside the cap, and see if that gives it enough friction to hold the cap on. But this is only holding the cap on, not providing a good seal.

 

gud luk

[Mike 59]

It's fairly common for the cap liner to split, so that it won't hold onto the section. If the liner is still there there is a chance to repair it with epoxy or tape.

It's also possible that you might have another cap that would fit the pen, or just a cap from another non-fountain pen that would keep it from drying out.

Also with pens like this, it's an idea to store them in a plastic bag, rolled up, which can help to keep the air out.

There's also a good chance of fitting this pen's nib + feed into a different pen, many of these pens use the same size feeds.

[cordover]

Thanks for the insight. It's not the value of the pen so much as my Mr. Fix-it nature that attracts me to the problem. Sounds like I can either try to find the snap ring in the drawer or jury-rig one. Am I correct that it is held on by the place where the the section screws into the body of the pen, or is there something deeper in the cap that grabs the forward part of the section?

[cordover]

Anybody know?

[FarmBoy]

I have on occasion had this happen to me on eBay pens. Best one I remember was a Sr Duofold couldn't get the cap to go on in any way, shape, or form. Looked in the cap and found a spare nib.

Go figure.