Sheaffer Pen For Men Repair Advice Requested

[TheDutchGuy]

The nib of my PFM-III needs some work. Before I got it, this pen had a hard life and at some point it probably took a fall on the nib. It wasn’t badly repaired, but I’m now at a point on my own learning curve where I can do it better. A second problem is that the inlaid nib ‘sweats’ through the seams higher up on the section, see photo.

 

Can this ‘sweating’ be stopped and if yes, how?

 

 

On a side note, I can easily unscrew the section from the barrel (I deliberately did this for the photo, see the arrow). It is not shellac’d into place. So far, I have not unscrewed it entirely because I am not yet familiar enough with the PFM-III’s anatomy.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 14, 2020 by TheDutchGuy

[Sailor Kenshin]

I think the section threads off for repair; we did one a few years ago. See also Richard Binder's site for further information. These are great writers; good luck!

[Ron Z]

The section unscrews from the barrel. You then have to unscrew the thread bushing from the section to remove the point holder gasket and feed for cleaning.

 

The oozing around the nib is caused by a failure of the seal at the joint between nib and feed under the section. That can be fixed.

[TheDutchGuy]

Thank you. It was easy to do, until the feed had to be removed.

 

 

^—Getting to this point required about 3 minutes...

 

...but removing the feed proved impossible... it would seem that somewhere along this pen’s life, someone shellac’d or glued the feed in place. I’ve tried everything I can think of: pushing, pulling, tapping, but this feed seems to be permanently fused to the section .

 

 

[Ron Z]

Dried ink sometimes is as good as glue. Soak it.

 

It looks like someone has been "playing" with the pen. There isn't a point holder gasket, and you must have one, The original stainless washer is now brass, and the original plastic thread bushing is brass as well.

[Sailor Kenshin]

If that black stuff around the feed and hood is dried ink, would that mean a leak somewhere?

[TheDutchGuy]

Dried ink sometimes is as good as glue. Soak it.

 

Will do! I’ve put it in lukewarm water with a tiny bit of soap and it will stay there for 24 hours or so.

 

It looks like someone has been "playing" with the pen. There isn't a point holder gasket, and you must have one, The original stainless washer is now brass, and the original plastic thread bushing is brass as well.

 

I’m not familiar with the various parts that should be there, nor with the proper names for those parts, so I might not be fully understanding you. Having said that, the picture I posted might be slightly misleading in the sense that the coppery-coloured ring you see between the section and the threaded part is in fact a soft, black rubber seal. The threaded part looks coppery as well in that photo but is actually black plastic. Here are some better photos:

 

 

 

For what it is worth, there was no ink whatsoever beyond that black rubber seal. Everything was spanky clean inside.

 

 

^—this is how it came out of the pen, without any cleaning.

 

PS now that I have seen the pen’s innards, I’ve been able to figure out how this particular filling system actually works. That was a real “a-ha!” moment. I think it is very clever, very elegant and highly functional.

[TheDutchGuy]

Still rock-solid after 30 hrs of soaking. Oh, well.

[Ron Z]

There is ink ahead of it - all between the feed and the shell. You may need an ultrasonic to get it loose, or something like RapidoEze to get it loose. If its that stuck, the feed is likely to be clogged, and you won't get it clean until you get it out.

 

Patience.....

[TheDutchGuy]

Patience.....

 

...is a virtue, but unfortunately I am not a saint . Not having an ultrasonic device at hand, I took an ordinary pencil, inserted the sharpened point into the snorkel hole and gently knocked the rear of the pencil. The soaking must have done some good, because the feed got out on the 3rd knock and it was spanky clean. Now I can re-assemble the pen and begin to solve the various maladies that plague the nib tipping. But that, I can do.

 

 

Thanks!

 

PS Wonderfully made pen, this. Very inventive.

Edited March 16, 2020 by TheDutchGuy

[siamackz]

Excellent work!

[TheDutchGuy]

I’m puzzled. The feed wasn’t clogged when I opened up the pen, but ever since I put it back together again the pen has become a lot wetter. It’s not subtle. It’s a firehose. Writes like a dream, but too wet to be practical (long drying time). I was very careful and thorough when I put it back together and have no idea why it became this wet.

[ralfstc]

From my experience (NOT a professional!!!!):

 

1. Is the rubber insert still in the snorkel tube?

2. Did you dip the entire front end to fill, or only the snorkel tube? (If so it'll take a while to calm down)

3. Could the sack be kaput? (My experience is that these pens are rock solid and when I've had a similar experience, it seems to be the sac very often)

 

Good luck!

 

R.

[TheDutchGuy]

1. Is the rubber insert still in the snorkel tube?

2. Did you dip the entire front end to fill, or only the snorkel tube? (If so it'll take a while to calm down)

3. Could the sack be kaput?

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

1 - yes.

2 - just the snorkel.

3 - thankfully, no.

[3rdlakerobert]

You seem familiar with the basics, but is it time to look at the gap between the tines and get that closed as much as possible? Have only enough gap to allow the thinnest sliver of light.

[siamackz]

You seem familiar with the basics, but is it time to look at the gap between the tines and get that closed as much as possible? Have only enough gap to allow the thinnest sliver of light.

I agree. The time gap adjustment should take care of it

[TheDutchGuy]

That’s always an option, but I’d consider it as a last resort. To be honest I’m not a big fan of that procedure, especially not with an inset nib like this. In general, when confronted with flow issues, I tend to look at every other factor first, before I decide to tune the nib. As yet I’m puzzled why a pen (that turned out to be clean to begin) suddenly became so much wetter.

[Paul-in-SF]

Could there be a residue of the detergent in your soaking water left on the feed or another place where it might have an effect. That could affect the surface tension, and therefore the flow, of the ink.

 

Since you soaked it for a long time, how are you so certain that it was clean to begin with? Did the soaking water look clean when you were done soaking? I feel like I'm missing something.

[TheDutchGuy]

Could there be a residue of the detergent in your soaking water left on the feed or another place where it might have an effect. That could affect the surface tension, and therefore the flow, of the ink.

 

Yes, it could. But you see, I first soaked the pen for a few days and after that I finally managed to remove the feed from the section. It turned out to be nice and clean (see photo above) so all I did was flush the feed and the section to remove any detergent and then I put the pen back together again.

 

Since you soaked it for a long time, how are you so certain that it was clean to begin with? Did the soaking water look clean when you were done soaking? I feel like I'm missing something.

 

There was hardly any ink in the water, ever.

 

Thanks!

[3rdlakerobert]

I think tine adjustment is all you have left to try.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Robert111