Amazingly frustrated with vintage pen restoration attempts

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . .

The longer version - I now own 3 vintage pens, a previously restored Parker Vacumatic, which writes well and is not a problem. My problems are my 2 "unrestored" pens - a very nice Eversharp with a nib that doesn't really write, and a Waterman with what I believe to be a cracked sac where I can't get the section off of the barrel.

Eversharp - under a loupe, it looks like there is a slanted line on the nib underside, and the pen "kind of" writes at an angle. I'm wondering if the nib is some kind of oblique grind. Nevertheless, I can't get it to write well at any angle. Off to the nibmeister, when I find one.

Waterman - a beautiful golden brown pen. It appears to be on good condition, and rattles when I shake it. Well, I tried both the hair dryer and the hot water tricks to try to loosen the section so I could unscrew/pull off the barrel. After 30 minutes of trying with a hair dryer that ended up on high heat and a sink full of scalding water a few times, I can't get the darn barrel off, even with gripping pads (I didn't go for the section wrench, as I don't trust myself with that). I'm getting bits of pinkish-red ink, so I'm wondering if the ink sac disintegrated and filled the barrel with ink that dried and is now cementing the whole thing together. Another one off to the nibmeister.

1) Is there anyone in the CONUS who does fountain repair work who could help me with these (and potentially replacing the Eversharp nib)?

2) Am I doing anything wrong? It's very frustrating to have studied up on fountain pen repair, buy equipment to repair them including ink sacs and shellac and scrapers, and to not be able to get anything to behave as a regular fountain pen.

More arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . . . This makes my Ahab look like a thing of joy . . .

Best luck I've had and some seriously good recommendations is with Danny Fudge at the Write Pen.

Don't feel too discouraged, it isn't always easy.

nemo,

Try

Danny Fudge

[email protected]

He did a miraculous job on my 40+ year old Vacumatic.

Mickey

The Eversharp nib that doesn't write . . . shot #1 is that angled line. The tip looks asymmetric when viewed point-on through a loupe (I couldn't get a good shot), as though one side is partially worn away.

The golden pen that I can't get to open. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Wat...xN0yZpbOBj1BoO9lnrxwo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Aaaaaaaand an offer that the seller accepted. Yes, I have a problem. http://www.ebay.com/itm/201068838763?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I've got a 1950s Waterman Taperite that I struggled with for a couple of weeks to pull the section. I finally gave in and sent it off to Danny Fudge before I broke the darn thing. He fixed it up in just a couple of weeks and now it's one of my best writing pens. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and turn the job over to the professionals.

That eversharp nib looks like it has had something dropped on it or it has been bent somehow, pinching off the flow of ink to the nib tip. that looks like a job for a nibmeister. (sorry for telling you what you probably didn't want to hear)

maybe someone else has a different thought on the problem....

Another +1 for Danny Fudge at the www.thewritepen.net. He has replaced and tweaked nibs for me along with several re-sackings.

I've been happy with the work Danny fudge did on my Sheaffer Snorkel, in addition to a couple of Parker aerometrics and vacuumatics.

Thanks all - I will be sending off a package or more to Danny shortly. Of course, pics afterwards!

I had the same issue with a nice Waterman Stalwart. Unfortunately I was too aggressive with my heat gun and deformed the barrel. Even Danny couldn't fix that one. I just shipped him two pens whose sections and barrels were locked up tight. Knowing when to send it off to a professional is a good thing.

Feed looks totally of whack on the eversharp