Original Pelikan Fountain Pen with jammed piston and cracked cap

[pentahedron]

I've inherited a vintage Pelikan that requires some repairs. Based on its general looks and the heart-shaped hole in the nib, I believe this is an original Pelikan Fountain Pen (their first model, before they introduced model numbers).

 

 

 

The first things you probably noted are the discolouration and the repaired crack next to the clip ring. I don't mind those; this is an old pen, it doesn't have to look like new, IMHO. In fact, I hope this pen can be repaired without replacing any external parts.

 

What I'd like is to be able to write with this pen. Currently that is not possible:

- The piston knob won't turn further than 1/4 turn, so I suspect the piston is jammed.

- There are two hairline cracks at the bottom of the cap (one visible in the picture, if you zoom in). These make the cap fragile and I'm afraid to make it worse if I use the pen in its current state. The cracks are long and twisty, which makes me think these could be difficult to repair.

- (I don't know if this is a problem, but I thought I'd mention it just to be sure:) The cap releases after 1/4 turn, while I think this should be 3/4 turn.

 

What do you think, can this be repaired, or should I keep it for display only? Can you see any problems I missed?

 

Lastly, can you recommend any qualified repair persons in or near the Netherlands?

 

Thanks!

Edited September 3, 2021 by pentahedron
image garbled

[pentahedron]

I was contacted by @fountainbel, who offered to repair my Pelikan. I'd like to let you know how it went.

We discussed what needed to be done: getting the piston mechanism unstuck and repairing or replacing the cap. I initially wanted to have the cap repaired, because this pen has special value to me I want to keep the parts original as much as possible¹. fountainbel advised me however that this repair might not be successful, because hard rubber does not glue well. In the end there was no replacement cap available, so we agreed fountainbel would attempt to repair the cap.

I sent over the pen and within a day after arrival fountainbel already got back to me with the news that my pen was repaired.

The jammed piston was caused by shrinkage of the end of the barrel bore, which also made the pen very hard to disassemble. The bore was increased somewhat, but a difference of 0.1 mm remained between the start and end of the bore. fountainbel added an O ring to add flexibility in order to compensate for the difference.

When this pen went into disuse, long ago and forgotten until I found it, the previous owned had left it inked. The ink has unfortunately permanently stained the ink window. The good news is that the ink was black, so the stained ink window is indistinguishable from the barrel and does not look out of place.

As fountainbel feared, the cap's hairline cracks could not be held by a glue made of hard rubber paste. I guess the average repairperson would quit at this point, but fountainbel, knowing what this pen meant to me, went the extra mile. The cap was stabilized by the addition of two hard rubber rings, sort of like a splint. Part of the cap thread was also worn out, which caused it to open after the slightest turn. There was fresh thread deeper into the cap, but that meant the cap had to be screwed deeper onto the body. To accommodate this, a small part of the barrel sleeve had to be removed. Though reinforced, the cap is still a bit fragile and should not be posted.

On top of all this amazing work, fountainbel also fine tuned the nib and hand polished the pen.

I guess the picture is what you've all been waiting for:

It's clear that this Pelikan has been through a lot, but it flies² again. Thank you, fountainbel!

¹ Late-night philosophical question: when you replace a pen's parts, at what point is it no longer the same pen?
² And what flying: it writes better than any modern pen I've used. EF to M. Not flex, though, just springy. To be enjoyed in moderation.

[loganrah]

This looks great. The new cap bands don't look out of place at all on a pen of this era. I'm always glad to see stories of repair success with pens like this which have history.

[mizgeorge]

Wonderful! Not only a very sympathetic repair, but very much in keeping with what might have been done much earlier in its life, when things were done more simply. Well done @fountainbel and congratulations @pentahedron!

[Dione]

Very well done to @fountainbel - the magician.

[lionelc]

congratulations - beautifully restored.

[pentahedron]

21 hours ago, loganrah said:

This looks great. The new cap bands don't look out of place at all on a pen of this era. I'm always glad to see stories of repair success with pens like this which have history.

 

18 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

Wonderful! Not only a very sympathetic repair, but very much in keeping with what might have been done much earlier in its life, when things were done more simply. Well done @fountainbel and congratulations @pentahedron!

I agree, if one didn't know what this model is supposed to look like, one would think this is how it's supposed to look. I'm happy the pen could be repaired while doing justice to its history and preserving its character. History is what gives every pen (or any object, for that matter) a unique character.