Jump to content

Beginnings of a Journey: How should I start FP restoration?


achao613

Recommended Posts

Hi, my name is Aidan. 

 

I've been collecting vintage fountain pens since September and now have 6 of them. I would love to make the leap into restoration, but don't know how....

 

The tools involved, many steps, and just the pen to start off with overwhelm me.

 

If anyone can provide me with the information to start, it would be much appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 8
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • IThinkIHaveAProblem

    3

  • Bristol24

    2

  • achao613

    2

  • kestrel

    1

15 years ago I was where you are now.  My entire repair knowledge and skill set consisted of replacing nibs in Esterbrooks.  After a year of diligent practice I graduated to swapping the nib on a Pelikan as my wife wiped the sweat off my brow....

 

There is a lot of information available to get you started.  Marshall and Oldfield's Pen Repair (fourth edition) is a gold mine of tips, photos, and practical knowledge.  Richard Dubiel's Fountain Pens The Complete Guide to Repair and Restoration is invaluable but is a bit dated and has a few procedures that make people cringe (pens and alcohol lamps should never come together).  Richard Binder's website has a lot of good pen repair info.  This repair forum is also an invaluable resource.  Some of the best professional restorers out there (and a lot of very skilled amateurs) post here and answer all kinds of questions. 

 

On the practical side, start with inexpensive pens.  You can still buy third tier and below pens in lots on eBay and in some antique shops.  Practice on those.  You will break pens.  I think I broke less than my share and only two that I really cared about but the carnage was mostly limited to pens of little or no value.  Pen pieces can be used to practice things like replacing levers.  Start simple with resaccing.  Work your way up.  The tools you need will become apparent as your skill levels increase.  Be creative on sourcing tools.  American Science and Surplus is a good source.  So is Harbor Freight.  My sac removal tools came from my dentist, worn out scalers that were headed for the scrap metal recycle bin when I got them.

 

The best advice I have learned came from this forum:

 

Be patient.  Don't rush procedures.  If a section refuses to budge be patient.  If you get frustrated walk away and come back later.

 

Do no harm.  Do not attempt procedures you are ill-prepared or ill-equipped to tackle.  I still have pens that I send out to the pros for work that I am not competent to do or feel uncomfortable attempting.

 

If you damage a pen make sure you know what happened before attempting that repair again.

 

Be safe.  Celluloid barrels can burst into flame and some of the solvents (like MEK) can cause permanent brain damage.  Safety goggles when needed.

 

Embrace your ignorance.  Ignorance leads to curiosity which leads to a search for answers.  Everybody on this forum had to start somewhere and we have all asked questions of each other.  We learn from our own mistakes and from the mistakes of others.  The latter are far less expensive and painful.

 

Have fun.  The satisfaction of returning an old pen to life is my favorite part of the hobby.  I just finished working on a Conklin S3 that is 115 years old and had some issues.  Tomorrow I will fill it with ink and it will write again for the first time in a century or more.  I hope you can work up to experiencing the same thrill and satisfaction.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything above plus:

 

Http://richardspens.com

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/

https://www.mainstreetpens.com/articles.htm

 

 example: tonight i just did this to a “51” for the first time

http://www.richardspens.com/ref/repair/sac_nipple.htm
(bottom of the page)

 

 more great stuff:

https://www.mainstreetpens.com/articles/FPNlinks.htm

 

ps: @Ron Z thank you. (And @Richard) the knowledge and advice you guys have shared is indispensable. 
 

pps: any time you feel like doing a detailed write up on refrosting the two styles of “51” caps, that would be great :P 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

All I can say is that the quip, "don't force it...use a bigger hammer" is NOT the restorer's axiom.  I destroyed a nice WWII era Sheaffer 875 Balance with military clip because I was ignorantly less than patient in trying to remove a stubborn section so I could replace the sac.  I have saved the pieces in order to look at them from time to time, not because I have some sort of "favorite bad feeling," but so I can remind myself that an unrestored vintage pen is better than a destroyed one.

 

Cliff

“The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting.”  John Adams

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Bristol24 said:

All I can say is that the quip, "don't force it...use a bigger hammer" is NOT the restorer's axiom.  I destroyed a nice WWII era Sheaffer 875 Balance with military clip because I was ignorantly less than patient in trying to remove a stubborn section so I could replace the sac.  I have saved the pieces in order to look at them from time to time, not because I have some sort of "favorite bad feeling," but so I can remind myself that an unrestored vintage pen is better than a destroyed one.

 

Cliff

I feel your pain

I ruined a late style (with the outer barrel cover) vac-fil with a triumph nib... :( still makes me feel kinda sick when I think about it

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

I feel your pain

I ruined a late style (with the outer barrel cover) vac-fil with a triumph nib... :( still makes me feel kinda sick when I think about it

I mean this in a kind way when I say it is good to know that I'm not alone, although I'm certain that it would be far better for many people if I were.

 

Cliff

“The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting.”  John Adams

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bristol24 said:

I mean this in a kind way when I say it is good to know that I'm not alone, although I'm certain that it would be far better for many people if I were.

 

Cliff

I know exactly what you mean. 
a friend of mine, when i confessed my sin said “that sucks. But don’t feel too bad, we’ve all toasted a few pens while learning” it did make me feel a little better. 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm ready to sell my first pens that I've restored! A Wearever Deluxe 100 and a few estebrooks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like most of us who have made the trip down restoration lane, I have destroyed several nibs and pens that I wish I’d been more patient with…..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...