Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator Repair/service Advice Needed

[shah]

I picked up a used Pelikan M1005 Demonstrator, because I am a sucker for demonstrators and I didn't have any Pelikan M100x in my collection.

 

However it came in worse shape than advertised and I could use some expert advice from the veterans here. While I am not new to fountain pens, I am new to tinkering with them.

 

I have got the pen in mostly working condition, and would like to avoid having to buy a new barrel (judging by M1000 replacement barrel prices, the total cost would be above the current going rate for M1005).

 

Piston:

 

The pen came with piston disassembled and the piston not sitting flush with the barrel. The seller claimed that before shipping, while cleaning the pen and operating the piston, he accidentally unscrewed the piston assembly from the barrel and couldn't assemble it back in. Is it possible to accidentally do that?

 

I am inclined to believe that the pen might have been dropped and that's why the piston got "disassembled". Reason being there is small but substantial scratch on the filler knob, that one can feel the nail digging in when running it through. There is also a scratch on the brass connector and small white scratches on the piston end of the barrel. I will try taking pictures and posting them later tonight (but it's notoriously difficult with my phone camera).

 

In any case, after a few tries and using Hari's excellent piston disassembly post (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/243286-m800-m1000-piston-filler-unit-under-the-hood/) I managed to lube it up and get it flush using my TWSBI tools. It's still not as smooth as my M800, but there is no resistance while operating it.

 

However the filler knob rattles a little when touched (think about going down a rough patch of road in an old car), which is the case when I am writing with it. I think this is my biggest issue, but it distracts me while writing and also make the whole pen feel very cheap. Is there any fix for this? I was unable to unscrew the hollow nut out of the filler know and didn't want to force it.

 

Barrel:

 

The barrel was stained with brown/copper ink (the seller didn't know which ink was used).

 

Managed to clean most of it with just water with few drops of dish soap and those medical foam swabs, but there is one band on the inside below the feed that won't budge. I am thinking of picking up the Koh-i-noor Rapido-Eze (http://www.amazon.com/Koh-I-Noor-Rapido-Eze-Pen-Cleaner-bottle/dp/B000KNNI24/), is this safe to use with the demonstrator? Or can anyone recommend something that worked. I am not too concerned about this, since this is after all a demonstrator. Also is using polywatch (http://www.amazon.com/Polywatch-Plastic-Crystal-Scratch-Remover/dp/B00E3T237C) safe on the outside of the barrel to polish of superficial scratches? Again not too concerned about this, but would be nice to get as good a shape as I can.

 

Speaking of inks: Are Akkerman blues (royal blue and binnenhof blues), Iroshizuku blues and lavender (asa-gao, kon-peki and murasaki shikibu), and MB irish green safe? Or will they stain?

 

Nib:

 

The nib on this one is fine, which puts down a generous flow (too wet I think). Even with the wet flow, it is very scratchy (and my M800 XF are very smooth). Looking through the loop, the tines seem to be aligned properly. I tried on Rhodia (80 gsm), Clairefontaine (90 gsm), HP premium (120 gsm) and Staples sugarcane paper with my trusty Pelikan 4001 ink. HP fared the worst, and rhodia/clairefontaine were not too bad. While I don't mind sending the nib out to a nibmeister, their wait times are in months, so is there anything I can do to smooth it out a little and reduce the flow?

 

 

Even with these flaws, I do like the pen. Nicely balanced in the hand and not as big as I thought. My first priority is to get the piston knob rattle fixed (or somehow make peace with it), followed by smoothing the nib out a little.

 

Would love your thoughts or advice.

 

Thanks!

Edited October 22, 2015 by shah

[fplover01]

I am not an expert in tinkering, but I have never heard of a piston that accidentaly got unscrewed from the barrel in a non defective pen. I have had about 15 M800s or so.... The piston should only normally be disassembled with a wrench and this is a procedure that pelikan doesnt intend the user to perform.The fact that M800 and M1000 pistons can be disassembled, doesnt mean this is a routine procedure that should be done without very serious reason. There is no real reason to disassemble the piston in normal use. I would suggest there is an issue with the integrity of the barrel. A drop wouldnt unscrew the unit by itself but could have damaged the barrel and the threads and thats why the unit doesnt fit properly. If this is the case, the barrel might fail at some point in the future. Of course it might simply be, that the seller or someone before him tried to disassemble the piston, and he couldnt put it back together properly, so when the seller tried to clean the pen, it just disintegrated. But it is difficult to tell without high resolution pictures. All this is just speculation.

 

I do not know what your agreement with the seller was but if he promised you a pen in working order and you got one with a disassembled piston, then something doesnt add up in this deal. I would simply return the pen and ask for my money back. Of course things are different if the pen you bought was described as defective.

 

I do not have experience with Iroshizuku inks to answer to that question.

 

About the staining I would put the pen in an ultrasonic cleaner first. Then try to clean with amonia solution (1:10).

Edited October 23, 2015 by fplover01

[whych]

Look at this thread on how to put the piston back together:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/243286-m800-m1000-piston-filler-unit-under-the-hood/

Once you have the piston out you may be able to use a cotton bud to wipe the barrel and get the stain out.

Check the alignment of the nib.

All Pelikan nibs are wet writers and will bleed and feather on cheap paper. IG inks are best for cheap paper and give less bleed on cheap paper.

[DrCodfish]

a couple comments:
If you are interested in someone working on the nib, check out Mr. Danny Fudge (The Write Pen) if you are in the US. His turn around is weeks, or days.

 

As for the inks: If you are into demonstrators you are probably aware that is the red hued inks which tend to stain (or so it seems to me). I have found that the key to avoiding staining is to not leave inks in these pens for long periods of time, especially reds, pinks, violet, orange etc.

 

I hope the pen was a bargain because it sounds like the seller was something less than forthcoming with details. I would a least least ask him for a partial refund as you are obviously putting in a fair a mount of repair time and may be spending money to put the pen right.

[shah]

If you are interested in someone working on the nib, check out Mr. Danny Fudge (The Write Pen) if you are in the US. His turn around is weeks, or days.

 

Thanks DrCodfish, I will probably end up sending it to Danny Fudge. I have mostly managed to get the tines aligned properly and smooth it out a bit and now this nib is quite a joy. Now it sings/squeaks a little on horizontal strokes. I know some people prefer that, but my notes often includes equations and formulas and that sometimes distracts me.

 

As for the inks: If you are into demonstrators you are probably aware that is the red hued inks which tend to stain (or so it seems to me). I have found that the key to avoiding staining is to not leave inks in these pens for long periods of time, especially reds, pinks, violet, orange etc.

 

Yeah, I mostly stick with blues. However my recent favorites are Rohrer & Klingner Salix (iron gall) and MB permanent blue due to their quick drying. While they haven't been a problem in my TWSBIs, I am a little hesitant to ink the 1005 with them.

 

I hope the pen was a bargain because it sounds like the seller was something less than forthcoming with details. I would a least least ask him for a partial refund as you are obviously putting in a fair a mount of repair time and may be spending money to put the pen right.

 

Funny how the problems usually show up after the deal and right before shipping, and how busy they get after the sale. I will try asking, but it seems futile at this point. Also funny how they specifically mention with papers and warranty but it shows up with an unstamped one.

 

At this point I have mostly managed to tone down the piston knob rattle, and I think the give now is manageable. While this wasn't quite the deal of the century, I am still happy. But I will eventually like to/have to pick up a new barrel when the time comes, hopefully Pelikan still makes this part a couple of years down the line.

[zuhandensein]

Funny how the problems usually show up after the deal and right before shipping, and how busy they get after the sale. I will try asking, but it seems futile at this point. Also funny how they specifically mention with papers and warranty but it shows up with an unstamped one.

If you bought the pen through an established website, don't forget to report the issue if description was innacurate or misleading. This kind of sellers should be banned. And some websites like Ebay also offer a sort of warranty for these cases (if I am not wrong).

[empty]

Is that band below the feed located where the section overlaps the barrel? Ink always gets stuck there in all my Pelikan demos, a quick dip of the section in an ultrasonic cleaner usually gets it out. If you don't have an ultrasonic try unscrewing the nib unit and place the pen in a cup of water with the section submerged. Be sure to suck up some water into the barrel. Eventually the ink will get diluted in the water and will clear up. Flush out the water from time to time as it gets colored by the ink. How long it takes depends on the ink.

Edited October 27, 2015 by empty