Removing Hood From Nib/feeder

[Sharingtimeagain]

Hello,

 

My mother has this (hero?) pen and I talked her into using it some since it is a nice ornate pen. I filled it full of ink but it will not write well. Lots of light ink and skips. This pen as a hood over the nib/feeder. I need to pull it off to check for issues. All attempts to twist and pull have been ineffective. Any insight into how I might remove it without damage? And I am a noob so I hope hood is the right term.

 

 

[Pickwick]

Before you attempt any dismantling and causing irreparable damage, and if it is an aerometric filler have you filled and emptied the pen a few times in order to expel any air? If that doesn't work then you might want to flush it through with a few drops of dish soap diluted in warm water.

[ac12]

CLEAN the pen, without taking it apart.

Taking a pen apart risks damaging or destroying the pen.

 

Work the ink bar on the sac to draw ink water, and flush it out.

Keep doing this till the water is clear.

 

Put the pen nib down in a glass and fill water to just below the top of the plastic hood. Don't get water into the sac protector.

Work the ink bar to fill the sac with water, then leave for 8 hours or so.

Ink "should" start to drift out of the pen. Change the water when it looks inky.

Every 8 hours or so, flush the water out of the pen, refill it with water, and continue to soak.

Keep doing this till no more ink is in the water when left overnight.

[Flounder]

I have a very similar pen, and judging by the quality of materials am inclined to believe it's about twenty years old or possibly more. It's quite likely to have been used in that time and conversely, quite unlikely to have been cleaned.

 

Mine was certainly heavily choked with black ink. I think a good clean is in order before looking for any actual manufacturing faults! Avoid a USC to be safe with that interesting diamond shaped inlay. Just fill with water, and let it sit with the nib & feed hole immersed in water for a few days, empty, repeat etc.

 

 

[Pickwick]

These are interesting pens. I have a Hero 892 with a Parker 45 section made around the same period. The nib and feed is compatible with the Parker 45.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Pickwick

[ac12]

oooo nice art work.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Sooner or later you have to buy a rubber bulb for babies to clean your pen. Do it now!

Fit bulb on spike and flush until clean. You don't have to remove it every time to get pure clean water until it's rather clean.

 

As recommended let it sit up to the section in a glass with water over night.

[Sharingtimeagain]

Thanks everyone. I'll set in to cleaning it. Being new I didn't think it would need it but could be clogged even from the factory. And as mentioned since sat for 20 years it may need it. Thanks for helping this noob out.

[Jamesbeat]

Even if it has never been used, there is a good chance that there is residue from the manufacturing process.

In addition to the sound advice above, if the pen is still skipping after it is thoroughly cleaned, try flossing the nib carefully.

 

I'd be willing to bet it will be fine after cleaning though.

 

One other point that may be worth bearing in mind if everything else fails is that it may be possible to remove the nib with the hood in place.

If its construction is similar to a 616, the nib may just pull out.

I have a 616 which arrived with the nib sticking out, and it fell out completely when I opened the blister pack.

 

I was able to simply push it back into place and it has worked fine ever since.

It is tubular and is a push fit over the end of the feed.

[Mech-for-i]

FOA, this not a Hero its a Gold Star 703 and fortunately its quite easily fixable. It had build in ink sac and aeromatric filling with a single piece feed / breather tube assembly and ink collector inside the sealed section and a steel tubular nib. Google Hero 616 repair cleaning and you can fellow the steps since engineering visw they are constructed same fashion. In short you pull the nib straight off and take off the ink sac protector and grasp the breather tube and gently ease it forwars to push the feed out towards the front once you get enough of it out you can just pull it off straight taking care not to bend snything. Then its jus good old cleaning and rinsing them clean and put back together again

[Flounder]

If it's manufacturing oils causing the problem, a little detergent in the flushing water will help a great deal as Pickwick advised above.

 

If the pen is still skipping and laying down too stingy a line, and *IF* the pen is put together in the same way as a 616, you could try following this old blogpost to remove the nib prior to tine flossing & adjustment.

[Flounder]

Thanks for the ID mech-for-i, there are no helpful markings on the pen itself!