Replace Crescent Fill Locking Ring

[distaffcreations]

While browsing eBay, I spotted a pen I like, but it is missing the locking ring. Is it even possible to restore a crescent filler in this condition or is it just good for parts?

[Ron Z]

I've made the locking rings, and it's a pain in the rear to do. Time consuming because you have to get the radius on the ring just right to fit it through the crescent. Time consuming = expensive. The more cost effective thing to do is to replace the ring from a donor pen, if you can find one.

 

But parts pens are a good thing, so if you like the Conklins and the price is right, buy it.

[distaffcreations]

Thank you for the information, that helps immensely with my decision. Although it is a lovely Spors, it is not the right opportunity for me. Here is a link for those curious, http://www.ebay.com/itm/171885110570?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[terim]

I've found those Spors pens to be really fragile .... You are wise to avoid.

[Vintagepens]

Ron was clearly thinking Conklins, as was I until you mentioned it was a Spors.

 

Spors are so cheap and so badly made that you should have no trouble getting a replacement lock ring from a broken pen. The lock rings on Conklins are the design's weak spot. On Spors pens, it's virtually everything else.

[BamaPen]

I have a Conklin that was missing its lock ring and found a Spors with a ring that fits the Conklin perfectly. The Spors ring, like David says, seems very strong and has served well on the Conklin. The pattern imprinted on the Spors ring is different than the Conklin, but it beats not having a ring at all.

 

We will run out of donor pens someday and someone will make a mold and cast replacement Conklin rings - or 3D print them. The same person could also make jewels for Esterbrooks.

[BamaPen]

sorry, multi clicks

Edited August 12, 2015 by BamaPen

[Vintagepens]

We will run out of donor pens someday and someone will make a mold and cast replacement Conklin rings - or 3D print them. The same person could also make jewels for Esterbrooks.

 

Molding or 3D printing would not give as good results as CNC machining, at least for the lock rings.

[FarmBoy]

I have a Conklin that was missing its lock ring and found a Spors with a ring that fits the Conklin perfectly. The Spors ring, like David says, seems very strong and has served well on the Conklin. The pattern imprinted on the Spors ring is different than the Conklin, but it beats not having a ring at all.

 

We will run out of donor pens someday and someone will make a mold and cast replacement Conklin rings - or 3D print them. The same person could also make jewels for Esterbrooks.

I keep thinking we will run out of Esterbrooks and then one of your buyers shows up with 82 of them in a baggie.

 

Note to David: Manual machining is becoming a lost art.

[BamaPen]

 

Molding or 3D printing would not give as good results as CNC machining, at least for the lock rings.

But surely the Spors lock rings were molded...at the price they sold for they almost had to be molded, and they are quite strong and sharp looking.

[Ron Z]

 

 

Manual machining is becoming a lost art.

 

That's all that I do. Machining the ring manually is not profitable. I can't charge enough to cover the time. The problem with molding the things (assuming good rings to use as a form) is finding a material that will be hard enough to keep its shape.and tension on the barrel. Not that it doesn't exist, just finding it in a form that we can use that is the problem.

[Vintagepens]

There are plenty of materials that would be suitable for molding. The problem is, none would pass for hard rubber.

[Tinjapan]

Eboya in Tokyo makes ebonite pens and relacement parts.

 

Just FYI.

[BamaPen]

There are plenty of materials that would be suitable for molding. The problem is, none would pass for hard rubber.

David,

I am curious as to how the Spors lock rings may have been made. Do you think that they were machined, or were they molded. If they were molded, what is the material? It seems very strong and durable and a reasonable facsimile of hard rubber.

My comments are based on a very small sample of Spors pens, maybe 4 at the most.

John

[Vintagepens]

The Spors rings are molded of a shiny plastic, with a finish that is much rougher than that of Conklin lock rings.

[BamaPen]

The Spors rings are molded of a shiny plastic, with a finish that is much rougher than that of Conklin lock rings.

The Spors rings have a different pattern on their surface than the Conklin - cross-hatch vs parallel lines - and the Spors has more smooth surface area than the Conklin, making the Spors appear shinier. But, when I visually compare the reflectivity of my Spors lock ring and the barrel of my near-mint Conklin 2NL, I can't see any appreciable difference. The 2NL has lived most of its life in its original box and shows no noticable oxidation or discoloration, so I assume that it is a pretty accurate measure of what the hard rubber pen looked like when new, and it is quite shiny.

 

edit added later:

 

I guess instead of just spouting off here I'd better get in gear and see if I can have a ring molded from suitable plastic...

Edited August 24, 2015 by BamaPen

[martinfs]

I have a Conklin crescent filler 20 with a broken locking ring and another Conklin crescent 20 with a cracked body. Is it possible to remove and replace the ring from on Conklin crescent without breaking the replacement ring? Has anybody done this successfully?

[BamaPen]

Yes, it is possible, I've done it more than once. However, the lock rings can be brittle, so be very careful when spreading it to get it out of the groove. I'll bet warming it with gentle heat would be a good idea - I did not do that, but it seems like a good idea nevertheless.

[Vintagepens]

You definitely want to warm the ring, and remember that you will remove it by sliding it off the end of the barrel -- not by pulling it off sideways, which will guarantee breakage.

[BamaPen]

Oh, yes, I failed to describe that...definitely sliding it off the end.