Mabie Todd Leverless "SWAN"

[Wazz]

Dear Fountainpen friends,

 

I've just received a Marbie Todd Leverless "SWAN" (L206/60) that I need to restore. The pen has the rubber turning knob that connects to the bar that will fill the sac.

The sac, due to the age, was shattered rock hard black junk. Not to speak of all ink sediments that I, after hours of work, managed to clean out the nib segment.

 

Now here comes the problem:

I'm completely new to this pen. The turning knob to fill the pen is still freely moving, yet I am stupefied with the fact that it only makes 3/4 of a turn. Is this normal?

 

I would also like to disassemble the system, so I can clean it properly.

Does anone have experience doing this?

 

After disassembly and reassembly, I will need a new ink sac. Can anybody tell me how the ink sack connects to the bar? Is it glued against the metal bar?

 

I hope you can help me a little bit further with this!

 

Many thanks!

 

P

[Vintagepens]

The knob and bar assembly does only turn a short distance. Unlike other twist-fillers where the sac is actually a tube attached at both ends, the Leverless mechanism uses a standard sac attached only to the section nipple. The bar is best understood as an entangling bar, that wrings out the sac by catching on it by friction. Too small a sac, and you won't get the proper wringing action.

[rsilver000]

The knob and bar assembly does only turn a short distance. Unlike other twist-fillers where the sac is actually a tube attached at both ends, the Leverless mechanism uses a standard sac attached only to the section nipple. The bar is best understood as an entangling bar, that wrings out the sac by catching on it by friction. Too small a sac, and you won't get the proper wringing action.

 

 

I haver restored 2 of these pens in my personal collection. If the bar is turning, leave it alone except for a bit of silicone. Both of mine just needed the sacs replaced. Try several sacs and as stated above, don't use too small a size.

Rob

[Wazz]

Thanks for the advice!

 

rSilver000, what do you mean by a little bit of silicone? Did you use it as an adhesive to glue it to the bar at some position?

 

What sack should I be looking for??? e.g. material , diameter and length? And where could I find these?

 

Thanks!

P

[rsilver000]

Thanks for the advice!

 

rSilver000, what do you mean by a little bit of silicone? Did you use it as an adhesive to glue it to the bar at some position?

 

What sack should I be looking for??? e.g. material , diameter and length? And where could I find these?

 

I am not in my office at the mement. When I get in there tomorrow I'll pull out the section and see what size sac I have in my pen. Trial and error is the way to go, I think it is a #18 but I will check. I use the clear silicone sacs on my pens but I don't think it makes a difference in this pen.

 

The silicone is for use on the outside of the pen for the knob that you rotate counterclockwise to fill. When you rotate the knob there will be a small space that opens up between the knob and the body. A bit of silicone there will make things move better. Wipe off the excess. On the other hand if the knob twists well, you can just leave it alone. If it is really jammed up then it is a big deal. probably will need to sent out in that case.

 

To fill this pen:

Twist knob at the end of the barrel which, when turned, moves a vertical metal bar around the inside of the barrel, collapsing the ink sac. Turning the knob back so that it screws back into the barrel allows the sac to re-inflate and draw in ink.

 

To fill, hold the pen nib down over an opened bottle of ink. Twist the filler knob counterclockwise until resistance is felt then turn back clockwise and allow the sac to fill for a few seconds ( I wait about 10). Wipe the nib and away you go.

 

Rob

 

[Ernst Bitterman]

I'm just going to stick my nose in here and add a clarifying "silicone grease." Without proper context, baffling thoughts of bathroom sealants can pass through one's mind when reading "silicone" in isolation.

[Wazz]

I'm just going to stick my nose in here and add a clarifying "silicone grease." Without proper context, baffling thoughts of bathroom sealants can pass through one's mind when reading "silicone" in isolation.

 

Which was my thought exactly (the bathroom gap sealant) thank you for that Ernst!

 

Anyhow, rsilver000, I would very very much appreciate if you could tell me which sac you used, because I couldn't find any info on it.

just to make sure: I have the L206/0 model (number near the twist knob)

 

 

But still the quest remains:

 

How could I dismantle the bar mechanism from the barrel???

I'm making a wild guess that the rubber knob is screwed on the bar system and that this is tightened with shellac and needs to be heated to take apart.

 

thanks for staying with me here so far!

P

Edited September 17, 2008 by wascodagama

[rsilver000]

My model number is different. It is a model 4220 and it uses a size 16 sac. It is a bit of a snug fit but that is the way they have to be to allow the filler to work correctly. I have never taken out the bar. All references I have seen talk about a special tool but I have never read an actual description or seen the tool in any references.

 

There is a small hole in the body of the pen just above the twist knob. When you turn the knob about 5 mm, a hole in the inner portion of the body is revealed. I suspect that a pin is lurking in here waiting to be pushed out with a very thin drift, but I honestly don't know since I have never had my pens that far apart.

 

If the knob turns and is a bit stiff just get some silicone grease in there and try to avoid what will probably be an expensive fix. The sac itself takes about 5 minutes to replace.

 

Rob

[Wazz]

turning the filler knob does indeed reveal 2 little holes in the barrel, where a very fine pin would fit through and could block the bar in the barrel. Maybe then the button could be unscrewed...

 

Well, in any way, thanks a lot for taking the time to help me out!

P

[fountainbel]

The pressure bar is welded to the head of a LEFT hand threaded bolt that screws in the filling knob.

Some executions feature a slotted bolt head allowing to introduce a long screw driver to screw the filling knob off.

On others there is no bolt head but instead there is an axial slot in the pressure bar flange.

One needs to introduce a special tool- featuring a pin fitting in this slot- to hold the lever radially in place while screwing the filling knob off.

Francis

[Wazz]

Hey! Francis immediately to the rescue!

Thanks for that!

 

The SWAN leverless L206/60 does indeed need a special tool instead of a screwdriver.

I had some spare time this afternoon and made the tool out of a bolt.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq270/w...ma/HPIM0316.jpg

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq270/w...ma/HPIM0317.jpg

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq270/w...ma/HPIM0318.jpg

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq270/w...ma/HPIM0315.jpg

 

Although the tool fits perfectly, I still can't get off the rubber top knob... I have a strong suspicion that it is secured with shellac... Could someone confirm this? Maybe quelching it in some hot water could resolve that... Although this is a celluloid pen and I don't want to risk too much so it doesn't lose its colour...

The rubber knob has become really hard over time. This could also be the reason that it has gotten really tight over time.

Does anyone have a solution for this?

 

Cheers!

P

[fountainbel]

Hi Paul,

Nice tool, congratulations !

As far as I understand your filling knob turns 3/4 of a turn- which is as it should be - so why trying to dis assemble the knob?

I would just spray a little silicone oil in the barrel/ filling knob seam & leave it as is.

If you - for any other reason - insist to disassemble, don't forget the screw has LEFT handed thread.

So -looking on top of the filling knob- you should turn the filling knob clockwise to screw it off.

Applying little heat with an air gun (or hear dryer) could help loosening the knob.

Note the filling knob is made from Hard rubber, which is a rather hard material

Don't heat or high, 150° F is surely sufficient to loose the shellac sealing fit.

Francis

[Wazz]

Thank you very much!

i made it pretty quick, it isn't a beauty, but it should do the trick! Recycled material comes in handy sometimes.

Well, the reason I want to open it up isn't really practical, as it is still working.

It's a rather visceral thing...I like to screw things open without screwing things up and marvel what's inside that makes it work... merely to learn and enjoy the beauty of the design...

Maybe this time I'll leave it like this...

See you soon!

P

[craynerd]

Just for interest sake, I was searching the net on how to open the screw filling mechanism up on one of these - I have the L470/60 and there is a small screw that you can undo with a long screwdriver down the barrel.

Anyway, an older thread but thanks - really really helpful!

 

Chris

[vmlf]

Hello,

 

I also have a Swan L206/60 pen and I'm trying to replace the sac, but I cannot separate the section from the barrel. Is it screwed on or fitted? If it has been glued in place with shellac or similar, what is the best way to unglue it?

 

regards,

Vitor Fernandes

[Effin1]

There is a U Tube video by Grandmia that will tell you all you need to know about repairing a MT Swan leverless. I highly recommend it if it is your first repair.

[vmlf]

Ok, I've seen the video, and that must be what happened in previous sac replacement, the section must have shellac applied to it, so I need to somehow break it to be able to pull out the section from the barrel. What is the best way to do that? Heat it, soak it or something else?

[pokermon]

Gently heating it. Most folks will use a heat gun or hair dryer. If you're using a heat gun make sure you don't have it too hot or things will melt. You can put your finger a centimeter behind the threaded section of the barrel, and if it gets too hot for your finger to stand the heat then it's too hot for your pen. Rotate the pen while heating to heat evenly. If your pen is celluloid and not hard rubber you can put it in a cup of water up to the threads. It also helps to use section pliers or grippy pads to get more traction when trying to remove the section. I usually wrap kitchen grip pads around the barrel while using section pliers on the section.

 

Good luck, and remember to go slow. If you do break something don't feel too bad, anyone restoring pens can all admit to breaking something. Just part of the learning curve.