Swap A Lever Betwen Two Watermans

[drop_m]

Hi, i've a question for you all:
I'm waiting for this couple of broken waterman bought via ebay:

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2ise4r5.jpg

since the lever box of the brown one - a 515 - seems intact apart for the lever, i'm thinking to use the lever of the black one - a 501 with the strange-shaped nib i ever seen and a crack on the cap - as a replacement.
Since i've not yet the pen in my hands, i'm just speculating and i've made this mockup to check if the "sane" lever will fit the 515:

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/281tv8o.jpg

What you think? is this a viable modification?

[drop_m]

Update #1

The pens have arrived today and i start to work around the problem. Hoping it will be useful for someone, i will describe my steps (sorry for the probably bad english )

- The black one has a [new discovered]bad crack on the barrel so, regretlessly, i proceeded to pull off the lever. Not the easiest thing ever, by the way, but not impossible.

- On the Brown one, i've took off the lever-box. Unfortunately one of the bars who secured the box to the barrel broke during the process, i've read that is a common behaviour. I will procede to solder another bar to replace it.

- with the lever and the box in my hands, i checked - for the first time.. maybe i would have done it earlier - if the two parts was compatible... Drum rolls... They are!
Preparing to make another pair of holes in the lever-box, i filed the inner walls of it and removed the pin who secured the old lever.

For now it's all, i will go ahead in the next days.

Edited January 5, 2016 by drop_m

[FarmBoy]

Usual would be to replace the entire damaged assembly with a good one. Repairs (welds) to cracked lever boxes and levers are not typically done.

[drop_m]

I agree with you but unfortunately i haven't any other lever-box assembly and buy a replacement would raise a lot the cost of this project. These two pens were part of a lot and none of them was the aim of my buy.
Concerning this matter: anybody knows someone who makes brand new lever boxes?
For what concerning the solder i have to do, i've read it on Richard Binder's site where he tells how to repair a lever with the same problem of mine, but i'm on the beginner-side of this kind of repair, i'm completely open to suggest and aids, of course

[FredRydr]

Lever-box pliers for Waterman's pens would make the job easier. I was with two colleagues last weekend. One had an original Waterman's tool, and the other had a pair of "reverse" pliers bought off eBay that he was going to modify to match the jaws of the original. I'll try to get photos.

 

Fred

Edited January 9, 2016 by FredRydr

[drop_m]

i've done some researches before start to work on the pens and i've never heard about those pliers. I would be happy to see some pics!

[drop_m]

UPDATE #2

 

- I had to abandon the idea of make new moles on the lever-box because they would have been too close to the original ones. I've mounted the lever in the lever-box using an homemade pin made by filing a little rod of metal.

- i've cutted a strip of metal - from an old dip pen, for remaining in the context - and soldered it to the lever-box in replacement to the broken fixing-bar.

- i've finished the work mounting a j-bar, a new ink sac and a Waterman's W5 nib instead of the #2, I think is a better solution for the 515's feed and section:

http://oi67.tinypic.com/jilt79.jpg

[terim]

Lever-box pliers for Waterman's pens would make the job easier. I was with two colleagues last weekend. One had an original Waterman's tool, and the other had a pair of "reverse" pliers bought off eBay that he was going to modify to match the jaws of the original. I'll try to get photos.

 

Fred

Please do, I'll be very grateful.

[Rick Krantz]

Here is a link from Gary Lehrer's website, Go-Pens that shows various lever box tools.

 

http://www.gopens.com/images/Waterman%20Tools/Waterman-Vintage-Pens-Lever-Box-Tools-lg.jpg

[Rick Krantz]

I agree with you but unfortunately i haven't any other lever-box assembly and buy a replacement would raise a lot the cost of this project. These two pens were part of a lot and none of them was the aim of my buy.

Concerning this matter: anybody knows someone who makes brand new lever boxes?

For what concerning the solder i have to do, i've read it on Richard Binder's site where he tells how to repair a lever with the same problem of mine, but i'm on the beginner-side of this kind of repair, i'm completely open to suggest and aids, of course

 

scroll down to waterman parts....

 

http://www.vintagepens.com/catill_nibs_parts.shtml

[FredRydr]

Thanks Rick.

[terim]

Please do, I'll be very grateful.

Thanks so much .... Time to hunt down some reverse pliers!

[Flounder]

I've never had a Waterman, but I'll file this tip somewhere in my noodle. Swappable - head (squeeze to squeeze & squeeze to prise apart) circlip pliers might do the same job as the reversible pliers, I'm guessing.

[Rick Krantz]

I've done two levers over the last couple of days. one tip, read thru Richard Binder's instructions several times, be careful of that main tab. treat it with care

[drop_m]

Thanks for the tips.
I've seen the photo with the lever pliers. It doesn't seems to be difficult to shape a reversal plier in that way but i can't figure out how they should works to take out a lever from a barrel.

[FarmBoy]

Thanks for the tips.

I've seen the photo with the lever pliers. It doesn't seems to be difficult to shape a reversal plier in that way but i can't figure out how they should works to take out a lever from a barrel.

The Waterman tool is used to install a lever box not remove it. Waterman had no need to remove the lever boxes and I suspect this is why no specific removal tool existed.

 

Removal of a broken box is usually not an issue. Removal of the donor box is often accomplished by cutting the barrel in half.

[drop_m]

It makes sense