Repair And Maintenance Tools

[mke]

What would be the necessary tools for maintenance or repair of fountain pens? I have some cheap pens which do not write very well, usually bad ink flow. Would like to see if there is improvement possible. I need something to do after my retirement in 2018.

Any toolset (for the adventurous minds) available ?

 

Thank you

Michael

[carlos.q]

Check out the articles on this page:

 

http://mainstreetpens.com/articles.htm

[jaxxon]

HOW ABOUT PEN TOOLING www.pentooling.com

[mke]

Now, it gets interesting - thank you for the links.

[Ron Z]

Dale does indeed make many very useful tools, and there are a couple that I should buy next time I see him. The link to the articles tells you how to make some of the common repair tools yourself. The "What is this and what do I do with it" threads were fun ways to discuss tools and ways to make them from commonly found items.

[ac12]

 

 

What would be the necessary tools for maintenance or repair of fountain pens? I have some cheap pens which do not write very well, usually bad ink flow. Would like to see if there is improvement possible. I need something to do after my retirement in 2018.

Any toolset (for the adventurous minds) available ?

 

Thank you

Michael

 

The tools to a certain degree depends on the specific pen you want to work on.

Example, for a Parker Vacumatic, you NEED a specialized tool to remove the filler. I wanted to fix Vacs, so I had to buy that tool just for the Vacs.

There may be (likely are) other pens which require specialized tools.

Personally, I would be hesitant about working on a pen that requires a specialized tool. Especially if that tool is expensive, as you may not recover the cost of the tool. It was only after doing my 5th Vac that I finally decided that I needed a Vac tool of my own.

 

If you are working on cartridge pens, you don't need a nib knock out block that a sac pen would need. You pull the nib/feed out.

 

So you should put boundaries around what you think you may want to repair, or the tool list may not end.

 

But some of us, like me, like to collect and play with tools

[Tinjapan]

Woodbin also offers a lot of tools. One that I hesitated getting but am very glad I did was their inner cap puller. After buying several broken caps to practice on (it helped that they had the clips I needed as replacements) I have replaced several clips with more waiting for me to have time to do.

[praxim]

If you are importing to Japan then (considering freight) as well as the American providers you may also wish to look over www.pensmith.com.au and www.auspens.com. Both provide some relevant tools and parts. You can also get parts for various pens from www.custompenparts.co.uk.

 

edit: I have no affiliation with any of the above. Indeed, I think one of them quite unattractive but not for reasons of poor quality or delivery.

Edited April 8, 2017 by praxim

[Chrissy]

Laurence Oldfield also sells some interesting tools

 

I've been looking at buying a nib block, and his version looks attractive and useful. Also his tool for Montblanc nibs looks very good, although quite expensive. I think it would also work with some other nibs too.

 

No affiliation

[ac12]

Chrissy,

Check David Nishimura's site. He sells an acrylic nib block for about $25 USD. That is much more affordable than the $250+ for a metal nib block.

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

I bought one as soon as I saw it on his site. And it works just fine for us for hobby repair.

[PaulS]

the standard nib block - for knocking out feeds - from Pen Practice (Laurence Oldfield) is £15 - and price includes two drifts, and even allowing for postage within U.K. would probably not exceed $25, let alone shipping from States to the U.K.

 

I suspect there is some confusion here between the meaning of the Pen Practice nib block for removing nibs/feeds, and David Nishimura's meaning of the term nib block i.e. for straightening nibs at $25.00

Edited April 8, 2017 by PaulS

[Chrissy]

Chrissy,

Check David Nishimura's site. He sells an acrylic nib block for about $25 USD. That is much more affordable than the $250+ for a metal nib block.

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

I bought one as soon as I saw it on his site. And it works just fine for us for hobby repair.

 

Yes, I have seen David Nishimura's site, and his acrylic nib block. But the item I want is a nib 'knock-out' block. Sorry I wasn't specific enough and caused confusion.

[Larry Barrieau]

I sorely miss the pen sac store. They had a wide variety of pen repair items, more than anyplace I can find now. They also had good prices and made it easy to order, which is not true for some of the places now.

[the_gasman]

I've been looking at buying a nib block

I have fun with nibs from old lever-fillers by using a home-made nib block. I baulked at paying over £30, so I drilled a sequence of different size holes in a 15cm piece of 4cm x 2cm wood. I then cut a wooden chop-stick (the free ones you get with take-aways) in half and use it as a punch. I fold some kitchen roll into the bottom of a mug, place the appropriate sized hole of my drilled piece of wood over the mug, and then use a tack hammer and my chop-stick to knock out the nib. The kitchen roll cushions the nib when it falls.

 

Total cost: probably under £10, including the hammer -- less than £2 if you use a non-hammer object, like a tin of sweetcorn!

 

Cheers,

David.

Edited April 11, 2017 by the_gasman

[PaulS]

but what if the mug should shatter? - I take it your porcelain isn't bone china Why £30 - Laurence Oldfield's offering - including two drifts - is only £15, plus a little postage no doubt, and he's such a nice man. How about using some of your spare wood to make a hollow frame - to support your block - perhaps a little less prone to breaking than a mug?, and you can still use kitchen roll as the cushion when the feed and nib fall.

Boot sales can be a marvellous source of tools - old drill bits, hammers, lumps of wood etc. etc., can mostly be had for very little money...... assuming there is an event near you.

[RoSpectre]

What would be the necessary tools for maintenance or repair of fountain pens? I have some cheap pens which do not write very well, usually bad ink flow. Would like to see if there is improvement possible. I need something to do after my retirement in 2018.

Any toolset (for the adventurous minds) available ?

 

Thank you

Michael

 

 

I'm an amateur myself... have been accumulating random pen supplies for a while, and most of them aren't actually specifically for pens. Here's a list of basics you can collect at regular stores:

 

-Q tips! (cotton swabs). You'll use tonnes.

-Ammonia to mix with water and rinse dried ink out of nibs and feeds etc.

-Lint-free cloths (ones made for glass are a good bet). When you wipe a nib or clean a pen the last thing you want is lint. You'll use a lot of paper towels too but they are no substitute for a good lint free cloth.

-Thick rubber bands that come on broccoli. Yup. They will help you grip stuff and pull nibs or feeds etc.

-Good strong toothpicks for scraping. Plastic or wood are both good. An old toothbrush helps too.

-Jeweler's loup or strong magnifier. Kind of a specialty tool. Make sure it has a good light on it! If you're having nib troubles a magnifier will be your best friend.

-Silicone grease (pure... can order online anywhere). Keeps rubber seals in good shape and should also go on pistons and any threads a pen has.

-Nail buffers for polishing or reshaping nibs if you're feeling brave (NOT nail files...) These are usually a semi-rigid foam block or strip that has 3 or 4 different colored pads on them with different roughness. It shouldn't feel like rough sandpaper unless you're doing heavy nib reshaping... these are for buffing to a shine. May have to go to a beauty supply store.

 

Poor ink flow can be a number of things, but it's definitely a good place to start in the world of pen repair.

[ac12]

 

 

I have fun with nibs from old lever-fillers by using a home-made nib block. I baulked at paying over £30, so I drilled a sequence of different size holes in a 15cm piece of 4cm x 2cm wood. I then cut a wooden chop-stick (the free ones you get with take-aways) in half and use it as a punch. I fold some kitchen roll into the bottom of a mug, place the appropriate sized hole of my drilled piece of wood over the mug, and then use a tack hammer and my chop-stick to knock out the nib. The kitchen roll cushions the nib when it falls.

Total cost: probably under £10, including the hammer -- less than £2 if you use a non-hammer object, like a tin of sweetcorn!

Cheers,
David.

 

Don't use a chop stick. The problem is a chop stick, unless made of metal, will compress when you hit it. That will absorb some of your impact, so you have to hit it HARDER.

If you want to do it cheaply, get a large nail, cut the ends off, then file it smooth.

 

Rather than a cup, I would use a metal can. Easy to find and no risk of shattering.

[PaulS]

some centuries ago I smoked a pipe but gave up and imagined I'd never again see the need for pipe cleaners. In fact had you asked me I might even have suggested such things were no longer made.............. but they are......... and as cleaning aids so useful for pushing into barrels and running through sections.

 

Old drill bits - very good as drifts, but make sure one end is square.

[ac12]

alligator forceps, great for getting ink sac pieces out of the barrel.

a bore light, used to illuminate a rifle barrel for inspection, and thus perfect for illuminating the pen barrel for inspection

brass sheets (.001, .002 and .003), for flossing the nib. available at your hobby store

bicycle inner tube, used to get a grip on the pen when disassembling. I got mine from a bicycle repair shop, for free.

tweezer with rounded edges, for putting on the ink sac

visor magnifier, like an "optivisor" so you can have your hands free as you work

ink vials, to put the nib in when you are repairing the pen, so the nib does not get damaged

snack size zip lock bags, to put the parts of the pen you are working on, so they don't get lost or mixed up

a GOOD desk/work light

a GOOD loupe. You may have to sacrifice a bit of optical quality to get a loupe with a light, if you don't have a good lamp where you work.

[Wally626]

I am collecting old pens and now tools, it is a race to see which costs me more. So far:

Dental picks,

Tweezers

Silicone grease

Talcum powder

Ink sacs

Touchdown o-rings

Rubber grip sheet

Brass shims

Ink flush

Made punch block, wood drills

Polish

Cleaning polishing cloths

Plastic nib block

set of cheap jewelry tools

Hollow punches for feed with extended tales.

Super glue

Small clamp

Plastic sheet

Paper towels

Shellac

Magnifier

Lights

 

My goal is to fix The nibs on 5 or 6 vintage pens I have that write but very poorly. Getting pretty good at ink sacs and touchdown Sheaffers.