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Repairing piston knob on an Aurora Optima


RevAaron

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Hey all! I have an Aurora Optima that I bought used ~2008. It's been one of my favorite pens since, and one of the few I've actually used on a regular basis for writing the last number of years. When I got it, the blue resin had already warped/shrunk, which meant that I happily used the pen instead of thinking about it as a showpiece. Fidgeting with it the other day, I apparently put too much pressure from the wrong angle and the piston knob snapped clean off. Photos below.

 

My questions: 

  1. Who in the US could repair this economically?
  2. Can I order the parts to do the repair myself?
  3. Are there cheaper pens which will take Aurora Optima nib units?

 

I've recently gotten back into the hobby, and have been having a lot of fun re-discovering a lot of other great pens that I have. One of the things I discovered in my boxes of pen stuff is two additional Aurora nibs for the Optima that I completely forgot - an 18k Fine and a lovely 14k OB/OBB with more line variation than I expected on a newer nib.  I'd really love to keep using this one! 

 

Thanks in advance all!!

 

aurora-optima-broken-piston-20221209..thumb.jpg.4049ab52c5f3643d07d28037cf8e5df7.jpg

 

Rev

WTB: Lamy 27 w/ OB/OBB nibs; Pelikan 100 B nib

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It happened to me on two Optimas and one 88. Apparently that is a weak point. In my case, a very small amount of cyanoacrylate on the surfaces that sheared off was able to fix it. But it could have easily gone wrong if the glue went to the wrong parts, so I'm not really recommending this solution.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Optima/88 nib units can be installed on the cheaper Talentum or Alpha models, which are cartridge/converter pens.

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Thanks for the reply! If yours broke in the same way, did you apply glue to the ring in red?

 

I'd love to send this away to have it fixed properly, but I also understand that most pen companies would rather have us buy a new pen than facilitate or provide repairs at a reasonable cost. I'm guessing that Aurora would fix, but probably at the cost of a new pen. Especially with the resin shrinkage/warping, this isn't a pen worth spending hundreds of dollars on for me.

aurora-optima-broken-piston-20221209ring.jpg

WTB: Lamy 27 w/ OB/OBB nibs; Pelikan 100 B nib

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  • 6 months later...

What happened with Aurora? Were you able to fix it? Did you have to send it to Aurora? Were you able to use th nibs on other pens?

 

I just broke my Aurora 88 Big feed in two: I was trying to unscrew the nib unit, and the nib and half of the feed came off. I was able to remove the broken part from the nib unit, and my local b&m had a spare feed, albeit it's marked "M", and mine was an "F", so I was able to get a new feed and have the long tines straightened. The pen writes like a charm, but the nib collar is still in the pen, and I am unable to get it out. When I want to clean the pen, I pull out feed and nib.

 

This is my first Aurora. I bought second hand from a reputable person in the fountain pen community, and prior to purchase, the person sent me pictures of the pen clearly showing that the nib unit unscrews from the pen. I guess I was either sent another pen, or the person screwed the nib unit too tightly. I sent Aurora pictures, and they said I have to send in the whole pen or repair. Not sure I want to do that.

 

I already soaked the pen overnight to see if I could loosen the collar, in case there was dried ink keeping it tightly in place. I can't remove it securely without damaging nib and feed. I might try with a screwdriver wrapped in either duct tape or surgical tape, so as to not damage what holds the feeds in place. Fingers crossed.

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