Help Finding Vintage Fp Repair Places In Indiana

[calligriophile2]

I have a wood grain Waterman 52 1/2V, with a #2 heart nib; A black Waterman 52V, A Canadian 351-V waterman FP, and 2 Mabie Todd Swan antique FP's. I bought all of them off eBay, and paid no more than $25 for any of them. The nibs are in great shape, but they seem to be missing their ink sac. They are the "self filling" kind where you push the lever down once it's in ink, and they are supposed to pop up once the sac is full. The only way I can use them has been by dipping them into ink, and writing with whatever ink collects in the nib. I'm in Indiana, and am searching for someplace to have them repaired, but even the Jewelers here in Kokomo say they quit repairing "those things years ago." If the repairs are expensive, could someone please direct me to some place where I could buy the sac and attempt the process myself? These were all eBay finds, and I'm still happy with them but do not want to put 200 dollars in to each pen to have someone else repair them. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance,

Josh

[AltecGreen]

The obvious place in Indiana is Indy-Pen-Dance. https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/

 

There are lots of other places most not known on FPN or any of the pen forums.

 

 

There are tons of places online for sacs.

 

 

(they make the sacs)

http://www.pentooling.com/

http://www.pendemonium.com/

 

and many others

 

 

 

You'll need the correct sized sac for each pen

a bottle of shellac

pure talc

a dry heat source (do not use an open flame)

luck, skill, experience in varying amounts (the more skill and experience the less luck)

Acceptance that you make break one or more pens. (no matter how skilled or experienced, a pen can still break) (this is called 'tuition' when you are learning)

 

A re-sac job is one of the easiest repairs but it can be super easy or insanely difficult. The hard part is getting the section off. If it comes off easily then this is a trivial repair. If the section is stuck then it can be very hard and in some cases impossible.

 

 

On the Watermans , just be careful not to damage the lever box. It then becomes a much harder and more expensive repair.

Edited August 19, 2017 by AltecGreen

[welch]

Yes, Indy-Pen Dance is a good choice. They can tune the nib, re-sac the pen, and fix problems with the lever itself. Lever problems? Some are rusted after 80 years of life. Some have rusted so far that they no longer connect to the mechanism inside the pen that squeezes the ink sac.

 

It is fairly easy to re-sac a lever-filler once you have practiced on "humbler" pens than a Waterman. I learned on Esterbrooks -- a great pen just below Waterman, but Esties are more expensive now. I also bought bunches of "third tier pens", like Stratford, National, Epenco, Wearever. They are on EBay usually sold as an assortment of a half-dozen or so. Maybe half will be hopeless, but the others will cost you no heartache if you break one learning.

 

Sacs are not expensive. You will need shellac or thread sealant, talk, a long probe to drag dead sac from a barrel, and maybe a thin flashlight to see inside the barrel.

 

But don't learn / practice on a good pen.

[calligriophile2]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I had actually one found one place, Avon Street Fountain pens, and she told me as long as it is a simple sac replacement, each pen would be 25 dollars if I took them to her as it avoids S&H. I actually want to learn how to do these repairs, but with my jittery hands, I'll probably do more damage. I watched a couple YouTube videos, and those don't seem like the best way to learn. I'm just glad I have someone I can take them.

[corgicoupe]

"They are the "self filling" kind where you push the lever down once it's in ink, and they are supposed to pop up once the sac is full."

 

Perhaps I am misreading this, but you have to release the lever while it is in the ink. Then the sacred will fill. At least that's how I fill my 0552.

 

But you should change the sacs anyway.

[calligriophile2]

Thanks a ton! I'll be perfectly honest. I've always loved fps, then began pointed pen calligraphy which I fell in love with, and fountain pens took a backseat to my newfound addiction to oblique holders and various pointed pen nibs. Im trying to get back into it because what little I can write with these pens that desperately need repaired, feels so dag gone good.

[calligriophile2]

Is there any way for me to upload my pictures from my phone, to the website, or do I need to do this from my computer?