help with wearever pacemaker

[tar heel]

This may be my grail pen, but only if I can get it working right. I've tried to find this pen on the FS board here and on the green board (even tried the WTB here), but I finally have had to resort to ebay. I see maybe one a month to six weeks. A couple of weeks ago I had to do it. The one I got was the right color, but has the following problems:

 

1 button doesn't seem to depress at all, so it is useless except as a dip pen

 

2 there is no clip on the cap

 

3 the section is cracked in two different places

 

I think that if I can get the section off, that would be the place to start. Everything not listed above seems to be near perfect. The feed is clear (now that I've cleaned it), the nib is nice, the barrel imprint is sharp, and there are no teeth marks on the the blind cap. I think that if I could get the section off to replace it, then I could also check out the internals and see what the deal is with the stuck button. I've read up all I can find, especially David Nishimura's "Pen Repair Don'ts" (http://www.vintagepens.com/pen_repair_donts.htm). I don't know enough about this pen to be comfortable winging it. Does the section screw in, or once it is heated does it pull straight out? (Neither seems to work, but I am maybe too gentle at this point.) Is there some place to find replacement parts? I assume that the cracked section needs to be replaced, and I want a clip.

 

Pictures attached

 

[psfred]

The section is very likely shellaced in place, and you must heat the barrel and section to get it out. 140 F is required to melt the shellac, and the celluloid will start to significantly soften at about 160 F, so be careful.

 

The button is stuck because the sac is petrified, so once you get the old one out and all the crunchy stuff out and a new sac in it should work fine unless its rusty.

 

Peter

[tar heel]

When I get it out, what will I likely need? A new section and sac at a minimum?

[Richard]

When I get it out, what will I likely need? A new section and sac at a minimum?

You will definitely need a section and a sac. If the sac exploded inside the barrel, you may also need a new pressure bar. Only time will tell.

 

These pens are definitely worth the effort -- they look good, and when set to rights they write very nicely.

[tar heel]

Thanks to you guys I got it apart. The sac is actually in good shape (though it doesn't matter, since the section is not). I can fill the sac (still on the section) with water, seal my lips around the section, and blow into the sac without getting any leaks. The bar attached to the button, however, was stuck to the barrel pretty well. When I pushed on the button the whole assembly came loose like I think it should, but it rusted pretty well. Is there some internet location to find a new section, sac, and button assembly? Or, am I going to hope to find someone with spare parts? Also, there is still some shellac on the inside of the barrel where the section was attached. Do I need to remove it, and, if so, is it enough to just gently scrape it off with a toothpick?

[tar heel]

One more thing. Does the nib connect to the feed with pressure only (that is, does the section hold it all together), or are the nib and feed also shellaced together? When I get them back together (and these may be really elementary questions, for which I apologize), should I place the nib as far down on the feed as is possible, as far up, or does it matter and I can do it anywhere in between? I assume the channel in the feed needs to be under the hole in the nib, but should the "shoulders" (is that what they are called?) match up? What affect does it have on the pen to have these vary?