What is on your bench?

[sour.fan]

I've been bitten by the repair bug after picking up a Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral at a local antique store. I didn't know anything about it at the time but I'm so glad I found it! I've got parts on order and I've gone a bit...overboard trying to find as many different models as I can. Got a few tools on order as well after reading through the forum a bit. I've done a few basic restorations (basically just cleaning the nib/feed and replacing the sac in an otherwise functioning Esterbrook J & Esterbrook A101) though I'd love to learn how to service/repair/restore more complex models. I'm planning on sitting down later and searching the forum for recommended kit (tools, sacs, bars, etc.) and I'm excited to find new and interesting ways to cover my desk in ink.  

[es9]

9 hours ago, Ron Z said:

A piece of bicycle inner tube is thicker than a bit of sac, so you are better off making the seal out of that.  It's made out of a rubber that won't degrade like a latex sac will.  One inner tube will give you a lifetime supply.

This is what I do. I bought a few cheap punches on Amazon, made a bunch, and am still working my way through them.
 

I honestly use the thread sealant on the section to discourage messing with the pen as much as for any sealing properties.  

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I am still a little upset about this last restoration of mine. After all the tinkering with the nib it's actually a great writer but it dries out after just maybe 5-6 hours capped. The cap looks fine from the outside but I think there's a bit inside that's damaged (possibly from me stabbing at the sac remnants) and I don't know what to do about it.

 

Maybe I should stick some sac right back where it came out... I am joking. Mostly. Maybe I should have just left the sac bits in there, clearly it didn't do the last person any harm.

[VacNut]

5 hours ago, sour.fan said:

I've been bitten by the repair bug after picking up a Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral at a local antique store. I didn't know anything about it at the time but I'm so glad I found it! I've got parts on order and I've gone a bit...overboard trying to find as many different models as I can. Got a few tools on order as well after reading through the forum a bit. I've done a few basic restorations (basically just cleaning the nib/feed and replacing the sac in an otherwise functioning Esterbrook J & Esterbrook A101) though I'd love to learn how to service/repair/restore more complex models. I'm planning on sitting down later and searching the forum for recommended kit (tools, sacs, bars, etc.) and I'm excited to find new and interesting ways to cover my desk in ink.  

Welcome to the club!!!
There are several DIY tools that you will need to pursue your “fixation”. You can search for Mr Binder’s and Mr Zorn’s instructions on making the handy tools.

 

Although it is convenient to buy all the tools at once from a reliable source, you may consider purchasing vintage or used tools to save a few dollars. With a few exceptions such as washers or gaskets, you will find vintage parts fit better into vintage pens than modern reproductions.

 

Dry heat and patience are mandatory tools for this hobby.

 

 

[VacNut]

2 minutes ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

I am still a little upset about this last restoration of mine. After all the tinkering with the nib it's actually a great writer but it dries out after just maybe 5-6 hours capped. The cap looks fine from the outside but I think there's a bit inside that's damaged (possibly from me stabbing at the sac remnants) and I don't know what to do about it.

 

Maybe I should stick some sac right back where it came out... I am joking. Mostly. Maybe I should have just left the sac bits in there, clearly it didn't do the last person any harm.

I guess there is also no evidence that the remnants did any good. I am not sure how a sac remnant can seal against the section. Is there typically an inner cap in the Craftsman?

[FarmBoy]

I can't keep track of what is going on in the one long post on the Repair forum not to mention that there is a solid page of pinned posts.  At least there isn't any spam here.

/sermon

[VacNut]

9 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

I can't keep track of what is going on in the one long post on the Repair forum not to mention that there is a solid page of pinned posts.  At least there isn't any spam here.

/sermon

https://shop.spam.com/products/spam-pen
 

Spam? It’s delicious…

[GlenV]

This might be the world's ugliest Waterman 44 but it is one and I'm happy to have it.. I replaced the cork last night and it's working fine without leaks, so thinking about how to spruce up the exterior. This is my first Waterman safety and it's similar to other safety pens to work on. I did make the cork just a bit long so the knob is slightly out, but it doesn't bother me enough to change it..not yet 

It came without a nib but I had a 54 that wasn't that great and swapped as it's a decent nib.

 

 

[VacNut]

A 44, really nice. I was always curious what causes the rear knob to stick out. Thx

[sour.fan]

So I picked up a steel nib block an burnisher from the SF Pen Show and I've fiddled with a couple of junky stainless steel nibs so far. It seems rather intuitive to straighten out bends with the burnisher but I'm sure there is a preferred method. 

 

Most of the info I've found has been about nib tuning and general adjustments. While this info will be useful once I have a working nib, all the tuning in the world won't help if the tines are pointing different directions. I haven't had much luck searching the forums and as it was mentioned in a couple other posts, Marshall & Oldfield 4th doesn't have the info I'm hoping for. Similar Youtube searches didn't turn up much info either. The answer might just be "If it's messed up enough to need fixing, just replace it" but I have an aversion to "replacement culture." 

 

Any recommendations for reference material specifically regarding repair? Any info is greatly appreciated!

[GlenV]

Richard Binder had a pdf of his nib class somewhere on the net but I can’t seem to find it, I like page 26 of this Sheaffer manual a lot. https://ia803400.us.archive.org/34/items/SheafferServiceManuals/Sheaffer's Manual For Trained Pen Repairmen (1941).pdf

[Ron Z]

12 hours ago, sour.fan said:

So I picked up a steel nib block an burnisher from the SF Pen Show and I've fiddled with a couple of junky stainless steel nibs so far. It seems rather intuitive to straighten out bends with the burnisher but I'm sure there is a preferred method. 

 

Most of the info I've found has been about nib tuning and general adjustments. While this info will be useful once I have a working nib, all the tuning in the world won't help if the tines are pointing different directions. I haven't had much luck searching the forums and as it was mentioned in a couple other posts, Marshall & Oldfield 4th doesn't have the info I'm hoping for. Similar Youtube searches didn't turn up much info either. The answer might just be "If it's messed up enough to need fixing, just replace it" but I have an aversion to "replacement culture." 

 

Any recommendations for reference material specifically regarding repair? Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

You might have to dig a bit, but you're likely to find answers to your questions here on FPN.  Almost 2 decades of posts with a lot of answers....

[VacNut]

The one item of concern on a nib block is shearing off the tip while trying to straighten or flattening the nib. I use a small vintage brass Swan anvil that I picked up from a pen repair kit. 
 

I use a takeout style chopstick that has the tip sanded to a concave shape and work the nib from the tip backwards towards the stem. It isn’t always perfect, but it is safe.

 

Many restorers just use their finger tips

[sour.fan]

On 9/6/2025 at 8:25 AM, VacNut said:

Many restorers just use their finger tips

Meaning they bend the nib back into shape with their fingers? I'll have to work on my precision grip strength if so! 

 

On 9/6/2025 at 8:25 AM, VacNut said:

The one item of concern on a nib block is shearing off the tip while trying to straighten or flattening the nib. I use a small vintage brass Swan anvil that I picked up from a pen repair kit. 

I'd love to pick up a small jewelry anvil for work like that. Seems like I would have more control when trying to flatten smaller kinks.

 

I've straightened two steel nibs off of WASP Addipoints; one had both tines bent at about a 45 deg. angle toward the feed, the other had a wavy bend starting just after the breather hole and going all the way to the tip. I can still see where the wavy nib had the bend but it looks like the tines are parallel and flat. For now, I'm fine tinkering and learning through failure on cheaper nibs but I'm always looking to refine my practice.

 

On 9/5/2025 at 6:01 PM, GlenV said:

Richard Binder had a pdf of his nib class somewhere on the net but I can’t seem to find it, I like page 26 of this Sheaffer manual a lot. https://ia803400.us.archive.org/34/items/SheafferServiceManuals/Sheaffer's Manual For Trained Pen Repairmen (1941).pdf

This is fantastic! Thank you so much for the link! 

[Ron Z]

David Nishimura  (vintagepens.com) sells an acrylic nib block for $25 plus shipping.  I was very skeptical when these came out, but I got my hands on one, and like it.  It's quite a good block, ideal for an amateur, and priced where any one can afford them.  You can make your own burnishing tools.  I have some made out of brass and steel that I made years ago.  Amazon also sells some needle nose pliers with replaceable plastic pieces on the jaws - strong and rigid, but unlikely to mar the nib.

[OCArt]

Do gold nibs work harden when a severe bend is burnished out?  If so how do you then proceed?

[Ron Z]

They do, or can.  Sometimes you have to heat the nib to soften it again.  There are articles out there about working with gold an heating it to keep it from work hardening it too much.  This is where pen mechanics and nib techs earn their money - as in experience and good hands count.

[FarmBoy]

4 hours ago, sour.fan said:

Meaning they bend the nib back into shape with their fingers? I'll have to work on my precision grip strength if so! 

You need a calibrated thumb nail and finger.

[VacNut]

4 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

You need a calibrated thumb nail and finger.

Metric or imperial calibrations?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Each to his own and I definitely have several magnitudes less experience than some of the other people in this thread but I have David Nishimura's nib block and I have never found it useful for anything besides being a paperweight (no offense to his product, I just don't think nib blocks are a useful tool). Nib pliers tool while we're on the topic.

 

Fingers and sometimes a brass shim for holding the tines work best in my experience. The simplest tools are usually the best ones.