Tibaldi Modello 60 Issues

[Susan3141]

I own a Tibaldi Modello 60. Today, I noticed that the pen was writing dry, and I thought that maybe it was low on ink. I emptied the pen (it still had plenty of ink, so maybe the nib just dried out a bit).

 

But, when I turned the piston to remove the ink and to rinse the pen, the nib unit turned along with the piston each time I reached either the fill point or the empty point. This worried me. I emptied and filled the pen with water several times, and each time the nib unit turned. The last few times I emptied and refilled, the nib unit remained stable.

 

Does anyone know what might be going on? The pen seems to write okay, though I noticed that ink leaked into the cap. I don't know if that happened after I refilled it with ink today, or if it leaked on the prior fill.

 

Thanks,

 

Susan

 

[Ink Blotto]

Here's a link to a picture of a Modello 60 partially disassembled.

 

http://i0.wp.com/www.bleubug.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/20090622-P1040681-59-June-22-2009-large-9.jpg

 

It came from here.

http://www.bleubug.com/2011/08/27/arco-light/

 

It sounds like the captured converter and feed have come loose from the outer celluloid sleeve. I'm not sure how much of a problem that is. If the inner sleeve is cracked that would be problematic. If things are just loose inside it could be fine or potentially make it easier for the clear plastic to break.

 

Any more signs of ink leaking out?

 

IB

[Susan3141]

Thank you. That disassembled photo is very helpful. I need to check it again to see if any more ink has leaked into the cap. So far it seems to write ok. But I'm kind of afraid to use it.

 

Susan

[coolguy684]

If the inner sleeve is cracked, one of the custom pen turners, like Shawn Newton, might be able to make a more durable replacement.

[Ink Blotto]

Thank you. That disassembled photo is very helpful. I need to check it again to see if any more ink has leaked into the cap. So far it seems to write ok. But I'm kind of afraid to use it.

Susan

Your welcome. I would be worried about it too, since it is such a nice pen. At the same time, it's too nice to not be used.

 

I think ChrisChen is right, if it needs repair there is someone out there that can do it.

 

IB

[AltecGreen]

The piston mechanism on the Modello 60 is poorly designed and is a known failure mode. This is a very common problem. Unfortunately, spare parts are long gone. Mark Bacas had acquired a lot of parts when the 2nd gen Tibaldi went belly up but he's been out for years. Contact Francis Goosens for a rebuild with a modified assembly that actually works.