Good-bye, old trusty friction-fit

[stoen]

Hello, Everybody,

 

To me it is a bit of sad and sentimental story, yet life goes on. Perhaps it’s worth sharing, please pardon me if not so…

 

My one and only “friction fit mechanism” 149, with 18C architect grind nib started failing after 45+ years of continuos use.

It started developing hairline cracks in the section. I have treated the pen neither badly, nor like a piece of jewelry. Being a valuable part of my every day reality it has traveled with me all around the world for 40+ years. Material fatigue, perhaps…

 

As I know nothing about “precious resin” solvent welding (any shared experience would be more than appreciated), my only option was getting a replacement 1963 type barrel. Those who had it tried to charge for it almost as much as for a new pen, without mint condition warranty, so it was not a secure and afforfable option.

 

Luckily, a friend had an entire 1967 type (screw-in “threaded” mechanism) spare body, which cost me just a fraction of what I’d have paid for a 1963 barrel only. I knew my 149 would become a sturdier, heavier pen, with less ink storage capacity than the one I got used to. It made me feel a little reluctant, but I eventually decided to go for it.

 

So, I just “transplanted” the nib unit and cap to the newer body. It is still a great pen, almost as much a marvel of engineering as the old one, just feeling somewhat more robust, with weight distribution slightly reminding of the 50s celluloid ones.

 

Yet, my trusty “friction-fit” is gone for good, or at least until I arrange a barrel I can afford, or hopefully learn solvent-welding MB “precious resin”.

🙂

 

 

[txomsy]

It i truly a sad story. I hope you can fix satisfactorily the old body. But at the very least, you can still enjoy the pen, and there is always hope.

[stoen]

26 minutes ago, txomsy said:

But at the very least, you can still enjoy the pen, and there is always hope.

Thanks for your kind words of comfort, @txomsy. I wish a knowledgeable someone could reveal the right solvent for “precious resin” welding.

 

Yet, what I’ve got for now is not a frankenpen. It’s a legit MB149, just 4 years “newer” than the old one. And I find my repair job much better, more honest and responsible than MB would ever do:

- they’d change all the parts except for the nib for the newest ones (plastic feed & collar, etc).

- they wouldn’t return the old parts

- they would charge 500+ € for that.

🙂

 

 

[txomsy]

I hope someone who knows chimes in. I have three resin MBs and fret to think if one day one cracks (two of them have a special meaning), so I can fully sympathize with you.

 

[siamackz]

Sorry to hear about this. Wonderful to read that you used the pen for 40+ yrs as a daily writer, that’s what they’re made for

can you share closer up pics of the cracks you are referring to, it might help with suggestions. 

[Ron Z]

I have not found any solvent that will fuse the black MB plastic.  Some of the reds yes, but never the black, and believe me, I've tried.  Actually, I did find one, but it caused the piece to instantly and catastrophically fail.  The resin went limp and fell apart.  Not exactly the response I was looking for.

[bunnspecial]

There is a seller on Ebay out of Chicago who epoxies and polishes MB resins.

 

I bought a repaired friction barrel from him a while back. The repair is very much visible, but it's still holding a few years later. I'd actually intended, but never got around to, sending him the barrel it was replacing. I paid him something like $50 for the repaired barrel, and I think he quoted $20 to repair mine.

 

Yes, the pen is ugly in good light, but the repair is smooth to my hands and I don't feel it in use. I'm just glad it gave me a friction piston pen that I can use.

[hari317]

a talented artisan can manufacture just the barrel part out of ebonite or acrylic and your pen can live again. Just a thought. See if Brad Torelli or Shawn is willing to take it up

[PENRob]

Dear Stoen, I saw your story, no need to be hopeless...

Let me know if I can help, I have barrels or the option of an machined acrylic barrel

 

Kr, PENRob

[hari317]

9 hours ago, PENRob said:

Dear Stoen, I saw your story, no need to be hopeless...

Let me know if I can help, I have barrels or the option of an machined acrylic barrel

 

Kr, PENRob

amazing!

[zaddick]

14 hours ago, PENRob said:

Dear Stoen, I saw your story, no need to be hopeless...

Let me know if I can help, I have barrels or the option of an machined acrylic barrel

 

Kr, PENRob

That's a really cool three quarters demo barrel!

[Karmachanic]

Happy ending! 

[PENRob]

Happy end as soon Stoen has seen ! 😅😅😅

To Zaddick, the barrel is a full barrel , but filled by the friction fit end it may look as a three quarter, sexy indeed ! 😜

[Barry Gabay]

Sad story indeed, stoen. But I'm happy that you have found a complete replacement barrel with piston mechanism from roughly the same era as your original. That 149 has served you for so many productive years. Repaired with a new barrel, it will continue to do so. It's probably no consolation, but the same problem happened to me with a friction-fit 149. My cracks were at the opposite end of the barrel from yours, where the piston cone fits into the barrel. 

 

Be well, sir. Always enjoy hearing your stories and insights. So sorry that this was one began in disappointment. 

[stoen]

Thanks so much for your point of view @Barry Gabay. You know how much I respect and appreciate your wiews on the matter of MB pens, for being to the point, profound, experienced, open and realistic. I enjoy this current “149 replacement body”, it is not a frankenpen, and has some remarkable constructional quality, much thicker barrel walls (at the cost of less ink capacity, of course), brass/resin mechanism and, how funny, its rogue “split ebonite section” now “conforms” the official dating protocol.

🙂

On the other hand, I still have this “old body” at hand, with fully functional friction fit piston mechanism. As soon as I arrange the new barrel, I’ll have the restored old pen I got used to back as well.

 

I’ll definitely PM @PENRob to ask for details. Thank you!

 

Thanks everybody for being helpful and sympathetic.

 

All the best,

 

stoen

[zaddick]

11 hours ago, PENRob said:

Happy end as soon Stoen has seen ! 😅😅😅

To Zaddick, the barrel is a full barrel , but filled by the friction fit end it may look as a three quarter, sexy indeed ! 😜

Ah, I see. Thank you for the correction.

 

Well, the look is quite nice. Maybe not as cool as the old metal 2-stage pistons, but still a wonderful way to admire the mechanism!

[stoen]

The Old trusty friction-fit is back (🙂)

 

or, at least, so it seems.

 

After a period of learning and experimenting, it seems I’ve managed fixing the barrel crack(s). So the pen is here again, fully functional as it used to be for 45 years aleady. Describing materials, methods and tools involved would probably go beyond the scope of this thread and focus. Now I also have a spare 1967 screw-in mechanism body, just in case something goes wrong:

Thanks everybody for previous kind and supportive messages.

All the best!

🙂

[kazoolaw]

Great news!  I’m sure we’d like to know how you made the repair, whether here or in the Repair topic.

[stoen]

18 minutes ago, kazoolaw said:

we’d like to know how you made the repair, whether here or in the Repair topic

Thanks for your suggestion - wouldn’t the Repair topic focus perhaps be a more convenient place, I presume?

[kazoolaw]

Either/both:  grateful for the information.