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Omg....help! My Pen Is Leaking....

yeepers

By yeepers
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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

Posted
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At this point I'm not sure if it IS leaking because I've been soaking it so I have to dry it out and test it from dry. What I know for sure is that there was ink behind the piston and it was getting pushed up and into the blind cap. I think I've finally gotten most of the old ink out. What was happening is every time I went to fill the piston the blind cap would tighten most of the way then encounter what seemed like back pressure towards the very end. Then it would squirt dirty, inky water out of the blind cap end of the pen. The piston itself seems to be working mostly fine (aside from the weird pressure issue) and does hold water so no leaking from the nib. Just not sure if water/ink will still find its way behind the piston once it's been cleaned out. Without removing the piston assembly I have no way of cleaning it myself so soaking, filling, and flushing is the most I can do. I'm going to leave it overnight then tomorrow try to fill it with some ink to see if it is indeed leaking into the back of the piston. If it is then it looks like a gasket change or something is warranted.

 

You could always try buying a piston removal tool first, and remove the piston yourself if you feel confident enough to do that. I once did one, and if I can then anyone can.

 

If you do decide to go that route, then there are certain tips that I would recommend you to follow.....

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Dcharles Mint

Dcharles

Posted
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I really am trying not to send it to MB only because they're quoting me an almost 2 month wait if not longer

I can think of many reasons not to send a pen into MB, a two month wait is not one of them though.

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Cordovian Vintage

Cordovian

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You could always try buying a piston removal tool first, and remove the piston yourself if you feel confident enough to do that. I once did one, and if I can then anyone can.

 

If you do decide to go that route, then there are certain tips that I would recommend you to follow.....

Ditto.

 

I bought my 146 piston and nib removal tools for about $20 each. Yeah, the LE thing would make me a bit nervous too but, depending on what I paid for the pen, I'd probably give it a shot.

 

I'm no expert but, to me, it sounds like there has been a long term leak at the piston seal that has never been addressed. Thus the different color inks revealing themselves.

 

Getting the piston out the first time might be a booger bear but from then on servicing will be easy.

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dubhe Vintage

dubhe

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Piston removal is straightforward provided you do a few simple things:

 

Use a proper tool (from eBay)

Screw blind cap back in over tool before use

Check tool is tight in place before unscrewing the piston

Apply silicone grease sparingly to piston before replacing

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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Piston removal is straightforward provided you do a few simple things:

 

Use a proper tool (from eBay)

Screw blind cap back in over tool before use

Check tool is tight in place before unscrewing the piston

Apply silicone grease sparingly to piston before replacing

 

And then there is getting it back in so that the blind cap screws down perfectly....

 

Also wrapping the top of pen barrel with some tape just in case.

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Driften Collectors Item

Driften

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And then there is getting it back in so that the blind cap screws down perfectly....

 

Also wrapping the top of pen barrel with some tape just in case.

 

I found by screwing the blind cap against the tool and leaving it that way kept everything in position when putting it back and kept me from the trial and error off getting it back to full movement with the cap screwing down perfectly. It's when you remove the piston from the piston block things get harder.

 

I got my tool from Pentooling.com it is not as cheep as eBay but I was able to get it right away and not wait two weeks for it to ship from China.

Laguna Niguel, California.

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yeepers Mint

yeepers

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Alright y'all. With all the encouragement and a "what's the worst that can happen" attitude I decided to tackle the possible fix myself.

 

1. Make tool. OK. I can do this. I'm a hobbyist jeweler. I have tons of tools at my disposal!! Sacrifice pair of old tweezers. Bend tips at 90 degrees and voila. Instant piston remover.

 

2. Insert tool and attempt to loosen piston. Damn...this thing is in tight! Am I going to break it? Apparently the piston tightness is stronger than the weenie tips of my tool. Back to the drawing board.

 

3. New tool with thicker arms (Repeat this like 5 more times!!)

 

4. Finally...when I about to give up because I'm sure I'm going to break the resin body...it gives!!!

 

5. Remove as shown in various Youtube videos. Clean. Lube. Reassemble.

 

6. Fill with ink.

 

7. Pray that's all that was wrong and that it now works. If not then off to MB or someone who can properly diagnose the problem.

 

8. Get on FPN and thank all the good people who chimed in with suggestions for fixing and encouragement to give it a go. Truly...this forum is the best!!!

 

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

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Tom Kellie Donor Pen

Tom Kellie

Posted
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8. Get on FPN and thank all the good people who chimed in with suggestions for fixing and encouragement to give it a go. Truly...this forum is the best!!!

 

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

 

 

~ yeepers:

 

Hope that it’ll all work out for the best.

Your 75th Anniversary pen is a gem.

You’re helping to make the Montblanc Forum the best!

Thanks and Good Luck!

Tom K.

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

Posted
Posted

Alright y'all. With all the encouragement and a "what's the worst that can happen" attitude I decided to tackle the possible fix myself.

 

1. Make tool. OK. I can do this. I'm a hobbyist jeweler. I have tons of tools at my disposal!! Sacrifice pair of old tweezers. Bend tips at 90 degrees and voila. Instant piston remover.

 

2. Insert tool and attempt to loosen piston. Damn...this thing is in tight! Am I going to break it? Apparently the piston tightness is stronger than the weenie tips of my tool. Back to the drawing board.

 

3. New tool with thicker arms (Repeat this like 5 more times!!)

 

4. Finally...when I about to give up because I'm sure I'm going to break the resin body...it gives!!!

 

5. Remove as shown in various Youtube videos. Clean. Lube. Reassemble.

 

6. Fill with ink.

 

7. Pray that's all that was wrong and that it now works. If not then off to MB or someone who can properly diagnose the problem.

 

8. Get on FPN and thank all the good people who chimed in with suggestions for fixing and encouragement to give it a go. Truly...this forum is the best!!!

 

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

 

Brilliant! Well done you. :) I hope it's all OK now. Fingers crossed. :)

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yeepers Mint

yeepers

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Good luck with the first fill! Should be fine though. Was there much dried ink in the piston after all that?

 

There was still a substantial amount of ink - not so much dried at this point but definitely goopy - when I went to pull the piston out. Hoping that it was a one-time type of deal. Still...wouldn't it indicate there was a problem to start with if the ink was getting behind the piston??

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

Posted
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There was still a substantial amount of ink - not so much dried at this point but definitely goopy - when I went to pull the piston out. Hoping that it was a one-time type of deal. Still...wouldn't it indicate there was a problem to start with if the ink was getting behind the piston??

 

Yes. It would suggest that you needed a new piston end seal, or a new barrel, or both. Montblanc would do all of that for a level one service.

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Driften Collectors Item

Driften

Posted
Posted

 

There was still a substantial amount of ink - not so much dried at this point but definitely goopy - when I went to pull the piston out. Hoping that it was a one-time type of deal. Still...wouldn't it indicate there was a problem to start with if the ink was getting behind the piston??

 

 

Yes, but normally just lubing the piston will renew the seal and fix things. I expect as long as you take better care then the old owners it should be fine, but if it does happen again then the piston head would need to be replaced.

Laguna Niguel, California.

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yeepers Mint

yeepers

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I'm definitely keeping an eye on it. Fingers crossed the problem is solved. Though I guess if it did need to go in for service at least it would only be a level one??

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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I'm definitely keeping an eye on it. Fingers crossed the problem is solved. Though I guess if it did need to go in for service at least it would only be a level one??

 

Definitely. And it would come back looking like a brand new pen. :)

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Cordovian Vintage

Cordovian

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I'm definitely keeping an eye on it. Fingers crossed the problem is solved. Though I guess if it did need to go in for service at least it would only be a level one??

Hopefully, lubing the seal fixed the issue. Let us know how it works out.

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