Help for unscrewing barrels on Conway Stewart and Burnham lever pens

[Hettyc]

Hello, I have inherited several Conway Stewart and Burnham fountain pens from the 1950s and 1960s. I wonder if anyone can suggest how to unscrew the barrels from the nib units so that I can check the condition of the rubber ink reservoirs. The barrels are too stiff for me to unscrew. I should be very grateful for any advice. Thank you. 

[Paul-in-SF]

Hi Hettyc, welcome to the pen nuthouse.

 

This topic, usually called removing the section, is fraught. Doing it badly is the easiest way to break the pen into pieces and make it a mostly useless pile of trash. 

 

The section is the part of the pen that holds the nib and feed. They are often held in place in the barrel with just friction rather than being screwed in. Many friction-fit sections used a little light adhesive, like shellac, to keep the section in place.  

 

I recommend you search the Repair Q&A forum for "remove section" (in quotes) and you will probably find a number of discussions about this. In general, the advice is very judicious use of dry heat only (not hot water, and NOT FLAME) to soften any adhesive, and then very judicious use of force in trying to turn and loosen the section. Repeat carefully until success. Since you have several to work on, you might want to invest in a few tools, like a heat gun (easier to use than a hair dryer) and some section plyers. 

 

Again, please use caution and have a lot of patience. Don't overheat the pen material, don't use too much force when twisting. That is the most basic and (I think) most important advice. We've all broken pens this way, at least I have, so heed the voices of experience. Read as many of those threads as you can stand. Or maybe some kind expert will pop in here and give you more thorough instructions. Or make friends at your local pen club and see if anyone there will work with you. There's a lot to learn, even once you get the section out, about how to replace the sac properly, and putting the pen back together. 

[Hettyc]

Thank you for such an informative reply! I will do as you suggest. 

[CS388]

Good advice from Paul-in-SF.

Gentle heat and (most important) patience. If something isn't budging, walk away and try again, later.

Tragic as it sounds - be prepared to break something, as you start out - so, don't begin with your favourite!

(Even experienced repairers break pens, sometimes)

 

As a general rule of thumb, Burnhams screw out and CS are friction fit. But, there will always be exceptions, so tread carefully. And don't be shy about asking questions, in the Repair Q&A sub-forum. There are some experts on this forum who are very generous with their knowledge.

Congratulations on your inherited collection.

 

Good luck.

 

(PS. we always like to see pictures of peoples pens, so snap away and share)

[Hettyc]

Thank you,  CS388! Your information is really helpful. I’ve managed to unscrew the Burnhams, but am more anxious about the Conway Stewarts. I’m going to dip some of them in ink and write with them, and then attempt to remove the barrel from my least favourite. 

[lionelc]

On 4/16/2021 at 2:00 AM, Paul-in-SF said:

Don't overheat the pen material

have to be real careful with celluloid pens - these can be really flammable.  around 150C is the usual ignition point.

[peterg]

In my experience 1950's Conway's often had a dab of shellac on the section. I have no idea why they did it as they are always pretty tight!

[northlodge]

I will only add;

 

1. Burnhams are more likely to be a screw fit than friction - but not always

 

2. If you are simply looking to sell these, then best not to mess with then - someone on ebay  showing that the dried inksac has been removed, is probably a good reason to reduce ones highest bid.  

[Hettyc]

Thank you, lionelc, northlodge, and peterg for your comments and information. I haven’t yet decided what to do with the pens. I might try to sell some, and keep a couple. They are certainly very handsome, and most have nibs that I would be happy to write with. But, I have no skills in pen repair, and would not want to risk damaging them by my incompetence. 

[peterg]

There are plenty of people who repair fountain pens. The problem is that your sale price will rarely cover the outlay compared to an unrestored pen.

[Hettyc]

On 4/22/2021 at 11:28 PM, peterg said:

There are plenty of people who repair fountain pens. The problem is that your sale price will rarely cover the outlay compared to an unrestored pen.

Thank you. If I were to sell the pens, I would have them restored first. 

[halfnibble]

For future pen repair amateurs, heed my warning.

Do NOT soak your Conway Stewart pens in water unless you are 100% certain of their material.

 

It's not just the brightly coloured CS pens that were made of casein, but even some of the black ones were too. 

 

I learnt this the hard way. Just enough dry heat coupled with a rubber grip and a twist should remove the section. Again, don't trust seller listings, and don't assume your CS pen is not made of casein unless you are absolutely certain. If you start to smell a subtle hint of formaldehyde, immediately dry your pen—it's made of casein.