Question about fountain pens

[Picard1138]

Well the point may be moot because the nib is destroyed. I got my money back

Ah, not worth the aggravation. Keep looking for Sheaffers and Parkers, from the 1960s and before. I'd stay away from cartridge fillers personally.

-Max

 

[Historyteach24]

well it cost 3 bucks so I took a chance

 

[Picard1138]

well it cost 3 bucks so I took a chance

That's always a good chance to take. Best of luck and keep on looking.

-Max

 

[Historyteach24]

Ok, I am stumped...how in the hell do these two pens work?

 

[Nobert]

As to the second one: it appears that the rubber bladder had cracked off from the nib/ink feed part. It will need to be replaced. When it is in a state of repair you would pull out the lever on the barrel (this depresses the bladder, just like squeezing the bulb on an eyedropper) dip the nib in an ink bottle, and slowly put the lever back into position, which will cause ink to be pulled into the pen.

The first one I'm not as sure on. It looks like it might be a metal-encased converter with the rubber sac inside (like a typical Shaeffer converter), but the reflection is throwing me off.

 

[Picard1138]

The first green pen, with ink sac inside metal, looks like a Sheaffer Touchdown. It fills using vacuum pressure from the piston underneath the blind cap. I have several Touchdowns, they are cool pens when they're working well. Yours needs to be overhauled.

The second one is just a lever filler with the ink sac removed. It needs a new ink sac.

-Max

 

[hatguy1]

I continue to delve deeper into this hobby of fountain penning. While journaling last evening, the ink cartridge in the Icona that I'd recently bought to learn on, came out of position inside the pen. That resulted in a huge blob smear of ink on the page and all over my fingers. And the cartridge was hopelessly stuck up inside the upper portion (part opposite the nib) of the pen.

So, today I upgraded to a Cross fountain pen at Office Depot ($40). Chincey suckers don't even include an ink cartridge for that money.

I know, I know; it's not a vintage pen (yet), but I'm slowly gravitating towards it. Probably will get a vintage one eventually if I stick with this....

 

[Shangas]

Most cartridge pens are designed to take two cartridges. One in use, and one in reserve. That also prevents the in-use cartridge from potentially coming loose.

 

[hatguy1]

Ah. That explains what happened to the Icona.

Tried that with the new Cross fountain pen I just got. No room for 2 cartridges, so I'm hoping that means there's no room for the one in use to come loose.

 

[Historyteach24]

I am not going to lie, pretty frustrated. I bought three vintage pens and zero work.

 

[Shangas]

I am not going to lie, pretty frustrated. I bought three vintage pens and zero work.

Did you put ink in them?

Clean them?

Check that the sacs work?

Ensure that the nibs are straight?

 

[andy b.]

I am not going to lie, pretty frustrated. I bought three vintage pens and zero work.

That's why you didn't have to pay $100 each for them.
Old fountain pens are like any other old item. They require some work to get in usable condition. You can pay the premium for restored ones, or buy non-restored ones and either fix it yourself or plan to pay someone to restore them at a later date.

The concept of a fountain pen is simple; an ink reservoir, a feed system, a nib, a pen body. The problem is that any one of those parts can have a problem, and most can't be fixed by just a cleaning or buying a new part at the office supply store.

 

[Shangas]

MOST LIKELY, the reason for a pen's inability to work is because it requires a new sac.

From about the 1910s until the 1960s, the vast majority of fountain pens relied on rubber (later, plastic) ink-sacs.

These things harden up over time, or alternatively, go soggy like porridge, as the rubber deteriorates over time. And they must be periodically (every few decades) be replaced.

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if you bought a pen from the 1910s/20s, with its original sac in it, which still worked perfectly.

That's not to say it can't happen (miracles have been witnessed), but it's extremely unlikely. And if you DID buy a pen from that era with a functional sac, you can almost bet, it's a replacement.

 

[Historyteach24]

None of them are in working order, both need sacks

 

[Nobert]

Maybe already linked here, but I think this is where I got my replacement sacs and the epoxy to reattach them. It's a simple operation.

http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/

 

[Picard1138]

I charge $20 for lever filler pens, $35 for touchdowns and snorkels, to get them fully operational again. I've been doing it for myself and friends for a few years, and I'm the most picky customer. Let me know if you want your pens to work again without the learning curve.

-Max

 

[Historyteach24]

ty for the link

 

[Historyteach24]

Picard, if I decide to get them repaired I will go to you first since you have been so helpful. I do not have the cash to drop 35 for a repair right now but I will keep in touch

 

[Picard1138]

Maybe already linked here, but I think this is where I got my replacement sacs and the epoxy to reattach them. It's a simple operation.

http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/

You shouldn't be using epoxy, that just screws the next guy because it's a lot harder to remove down the line.

-Max

 

[Nobert]

You shouldn't be using epoxy, that just screws the next guy because it's a lot harder to remove down the line.

-Max

Ah, my mistake, perhaps. I was using "epoxy" as a generic term, I should have said "adhesive." Unless you're saying that one shouldn't use adhesive at all, in which case, also my mistake.