Eclipse section removal

[ralfstc]

Hi folks,

 

I have three Canadian Eclipses. One is a Hooded Knight, the other two are fairly generic lever-fillers. On none of them can I remove the section from the barrel to replace the sac. They are SOLID. Tried a bit of soaking, tried a fair degree of heat (as much as I dared with early plastic, about 75 C). They remain immovable.

 

If anybody has managed to remove the section from an Eclipse I'd be grateful to hear about it, especially if there is some trick I haven't tried (like taking them around the house three times counter-clockwise or something). I am wondering if they used a specially sticky sticky substance . . . 

 

If not, I guess it's ammonia and more heat . . .

 

Thanks!

 

Ralf

 

 

[kestrel]

I have removed sections from roughly a dozen Eclipse pens, mostly the older flat tops, and all U.S. made.  Only one gave me any trouble and I finally got the section out through soaking, a couple of sessions in an ultrasonic bath, and heat.  For the ultrasonic I put a folded piece of paper towel on the bottom of a tall, skinny glass, rest the pen vertically and nib down on the paper towel, and add water until the level is about where the top of the section in the barrel should be.  Then the glass goes into the ultrasonic tub.  Three 8 minute sessions did the trick.  Between sessions I held the pen in my hands while directing some colorful metaphors (in either old Scots or Albanian) in its general direction, applied heat and tried to remove the section.

When I got frustrated I walked away and came back later.  Very important step, that one.

 

Good luck.  Eclipse pens are very underrated and well worth the effort to get them writing again.

[ralfstc]

Thanks Kestrel. An ultrasonic would be a good thing. I'll have at it again, though. I have definitely mastered the walking away step.

 

Ralf

[ralfstc]

So . . . it turns out that two of the pens, both button fillers, did have some sort of glue on the section (see picture below). It appears to be ammonia soluble. Took quite a bit of soaking in ammonia and a bunch of heat to get them apart. Too much hear (around 75C) softens the plastic, though. See the traces of black adhesive on the section in the picture below.

 

Speculatively, then, I'd suggest that thermoplastic button-filler Eclipses, at least Canadian ones like the Hooded Knight, do have section adhesive to prevent the button mechanism from springing them apart.

 

Ralf