Thread: Fountain pen help please!

I have an old fountain pen that used to belong to my Granddad, it's a Sheaffer (Touchdown model, Craftsman I think). It didn't work when I got it after Granddad died and I sent it in to Sheaffer to see what they could do. That was 10 years ago or better...probably better than 10 years. Granddad died back in the '70s but I didn't get it working for awhile.

They replaced the bladder (sac) and it worked, and I think they only charged me a few dollars to repair it. It has set for SEVERAL years and I tried to fill it the other day and it wouldn't take ink. I've got a bottle of Skip ink.

I tried cleaning it out with water, pulling the plunger up slowly and pushing it down slowly. It would make a "pssst" sound when the plunger was worked. While cleaning it the water in the jar went from black to grape juice color then to light tea color. When it got to the light tea color the water started to come out of the top by the plunger. The next day it quit putting water out of the top and still put bubbles in the water, but if I did two plunger pushes while the tip was still in the water it started coming out the top again.

Hmmm...has the bladder ruptured, or the O ring seal thing failed, or both?

I checked the Sheaffer website and saw that they now charge a minimum of $50 to repair a pen plus $10 shipping. I've seen some other sites that do a complete refurbishing for $35. I'm thinking that the pen is only worth about $10 or so...maybe.

I'd like to have it working again, and wondering how you would take it apart to fix it. I've also seen that the adhesive that is used on them (shellac) to put the sac and stuff back in can damage the pen if not applied right.

Anyone able to give any advice?

Pic. attached.

Im not a professional when it comes to repairing pens. I would recommend posting on Fountain Pen Network if you dont find any answers here. They are a great deal of penmeisters over there that could probably fix your pen. BTW..it is lovely

Yeah, I agree with Isaac. A professional is your best bet.

I had a similar issue with an older Sheaffer with the old squeeze type bladder a few years ago. When it was fixed, they told me that the rubber used in the older type bladders was prone to degrade with time, and that I could prolong its life by using a "milder" ink. Apparently black ink is harsher than some blues, and they recommended only using blue ink in it - so now I only use Faber Castell blue ink for that pen. Time will tell I guess.

James.

I know that all inks will vary in Ph. Some are more alkalotic than others. Whenver your not using your pens, I would really suggest flushing them out with water.

That's the big, big problem with fountain pens. people don't use them for a while and then they won't work because of the dried ink. If soaking in water overnight doesn't do it the next step is to remove the nib and then after that using some sort of solvent and then replacing the bladder maybe with a converter. Many pen stores can do repairs and usually charge less than the factory. Probably your best bet is the Fountain Pen Site and like was said there are guys who are really knowledgeable there.

I recently bought a Pelikan from Richard Binder at: RichardsPens.com • Fountain Pens by Richard Binder
He was extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. He does repairs, but he seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind answering questions if you just wanted to pick his brain.
And, yes, it is a good looking fountain pen, so if it has any sentimental value, it'd be a really nice thing to bring back from the dead.

I am no expert but I hve made several from kits. There is a store in Chattanooga called woodcraft but I think they are a national chain that sells pen kits. I wonder if you could take the "guts" out of one of the kits to repair your pen. Most of the kits are about $8.00

Thanks guys. I went to Richard Binder's website and the TAT is 17 to 18 weeks. Ron Zorn's TAT is about 12 weeks or so. Maybe.

I emailed Mr. Zorn and got an auto away reply, he's at the Long Island Pen Show...and apparently so is Mr. Binder. I should get a reply from Mr. Zorn next week on the repair. From their fee schedule it looks like a sac replacement is $15 and a full restore is under $35. For $15 that is a lot better than $60 from Sheaffer.

From what little I saw on websites it looks like mine is an inexpensive Touchdown Craftsman model made between 1952 and 1959. That sounds about right since granddad was a farmer and did some work for the CCC during the depression. He wouldn't want to pay much for something to just scratch on paper with.

From what I've see about what it takes just to disassemble one of them, I think I'll send it off. These sites about tools to do it makes it out of my area of expertise.

Main Street Pens - Quality Pen Repair

Main Street Pens - Quality Pen Repair

Ron and Robyn(his wife) are both great to deal with. I have had Ron restore a few pens for me and his service is top notch. Long ago, I sent Richard Binder an email asking about a repair and he told me his backlog was so long he referred me to Ron if I wanted to get it done sooner, which is a huge complement to Ron's skills.

If I recall correctly, I think Ron is an authorized repair service provider for Sheaffer, not that it matters with such an old pen.

Best of luck and enjoy your family heirloom.

Daily use is the best way to keep your pens in serviceable condition. I only have 2 good fountain pens and I write notes and such everday with them. One is a Pilot VP, my outdoors pen, and a Pilot Custom 74 demo as my indoor pen. 3 years going and no issues yet