Help A Newbie With Stuck Lever

[lablandphoto]

Hi all. I received my first vintage pen fountain pen, a Waterman 52v, from Fountain Pen Hospital today. I got some ink in the pen today after reading how to fill a Waterman fountain pen with a lever fill. I wrote a half a page until whatever ink was in it ran out. I then attempted to clean out any leftover ink by filling it with water using the same method. However I was unable to get the lever to close back down. It is stuck halfway open and won't move. I haven't tried forcing it either. Here are a couple of pictures of the lever open and partially closed.

[lablandphoto]

Nobody can help me with this?

[estie1948]

Hello and welcome to the Fountain Pen Network. I'm glad you have joined us, but I am sorry you have had to come with such a problem. This is a fountain pen brand that I am not familiar with except for a relatively newly produced pen that is a cartridge/converter. Still, this is a lever fill pen. Unless I miss my guess, the problem must be caused by 1) a broken, bent, or slipped J-bar; 2) a missing J-bar which has allowed the lever to catch on the sac; or, 3) a pen holding part of the lever box that has slipped or broken. We will get you some help. Let me suggest that you post this question and pictures on both the repair forum and the Waterman forum. You may get knowledgeable help sooner. In the mean time, I will do some research on this particular pen.

 

Now, I don't want to cast accusations about, but if this pen was sold to you as a "restored" pen, this should not have happened. At the same time, I believe the Fountain Pen Hospital has a pretty good reputation.

 

-David (Estie).

[drop_m]

it is not a complicate filling system, so the range of problems your pen can have is limited.

My first guess: a problem with the ink sac, probably somehow twisted.

Edited October 5, 2016 by drop_m

[pen lady]

I believe the lever in this model Waterman has lugs that slot into sides of the the pressure bar. You may have over-extended the lever and it has slipped past the "stop" tab on the pressure bar. If you can get the pen into someone who knows what they are doing, it would be a good idea.

[LukeSkyliner]

I agree with Estie that this is invariably a j-bar (or "pressure bar") issue. Something slipped in there. But given that you only got a half-page, I think there's probably not a viable sac.

 

If you are confident, you may peer into the slot with a tiny flashlight or cellphone flash, and see what the other end of the lever is stuck against. Maybe push against the obstruction gently with a toothpick to see if it frees the lever.

[redbike]

Have you tried contacting Fountain Pen Hospital to see if they can help you with the pen you purchased from them?

[lablandphoto]

Thank you for the replies. I did call Fountain Pen Hospital and they advised me to send it back to them for repairs. Kind of disappointing, since I had just received the pen the very same day.

[RMN]

I don't do repairs myself, but this sounds indeed like the innards were stuck.

 

 

You wrote you got this pen from FPH. How was it described to you? If it was fully serviced this should not happen. I would contact them.

 

As was mentioned above, the lever may be over extended. General rule: never force levers or pushbuttons on pens. These pens are old, and the material will have oxidised some. Levers and J-bars can easily break and rubber sacs get brittle and may tear.

 

Again, write /mail FPH, tell them what has happened.

 

 

D.ick

[peterg]

My only advice is don't try to force it. Those lever boxes are notoriously fragile and will fracture at the pivot point.

[FarmBoy]

As mentioned the pressure bar on this pen has two grooves in the edges that two small tabs on the end of the lever slide into and there is a stop to prevent the bar from sliding out. Most likely is the bar has moved to a spot it doesn't belong or the sac is gooey and the bar is stuck to it and it isn't returning to the rest state.

 

You will ultimately need to take the pen apart to fix it correctly. I would give the Ed and the Brothers W a call and see if they can help you out.

[redbike]

Thank you for the replies. I did call Fountain Pen Hospital and they advised me to send it back to them for repairs. Kind of disappointing, since I had just received the pen the very same day.

I'm glad that they have agreed to take the pen back since you just purchased it from them. If the problem is with the pressure bar as Farmboy describes above, it will need the attention of someone with experience. Good luck.