12 replies to this topic

[mike_12345]

Hi,
I just bought a vintage Conklin ring top lever-filled. The lever is kind of loose as shown in the picture. What is the best way to fix this? Thank you.
-mike-

Edited by mike_12345, 28 February 2012 - 06:08 PM.

[david i]

Hi,
I just bought a vintage Conklin ring top lever-filled. The lever is kind of loose as shown in the picture. What is the best way to fix this? Thank you.
-mike-

Hi,

Does it have a good sac in place?

regards

david

[mike_12345]

Yes, it has a new sac installed by the vendor and I already pulled out the section to check. May be a quick fix will be to try to bend the side tabs out a little so they will hold onto the barrel recess?

Edited by mike_12345, 28 February 2012 - 08:29 PM.

[david i]

Yes, it has a new sac installed by the vendor and I already pulled out the section to check. May be a quick fix will be to try to bend the side tabs out a little so they will hold onto the barrel recess?

Dunno, but wouldn't rush. Let's see if the repair folk chime in.

regards

d

[Procyon]

I answered this question on FPN, but since then I took a few pictures to illustrate it. It was my suggestion that the problem was that the tabs on the lever needed adjusting so they snap into place in the lever slot. I found one of my Conklin's that I have not installed a sac in yet. With no sac, there is no elastic restoring force at all on the lever, and it essentially floats free. Even with a sac, the lever will usually not close completely on its own, and you must push it the final few degrees to be flush with the barrel. The tabs lock it in place. Here is my pen:





Here is a close up of the tabs on the lever.





When you try to bend the tabs out to achieve a better fit, you have to be careful not to put too much stress on the pin that holds the lever to the barrel. It is quite thin and could easily be damaged.

[mike_12345]

Thanks for the reply and I appreciate it. Mine for some reason it's different: after I pulled out the section (with nib/feed/sac) and without the sac in place, the lever springs back when I flipped it close. Without the sac and by looking with a flex light, I could see the pressure bar springs back against the barrel when I close the lever. Does it mean that the pressure bar in mine is not original?

I'll look more carefully tonight.

Thanks again!
-mike-

Edited by mike_12345, 29 February 2012 - 12:01 AM.

[Procyon]

I am a little confused by your post. You say when you close the lever, it springs back open? I don't see why that would happen. Then you said that, without a sac, with the lever closed the pressure bar springs back against the barrel. I don't get the "springs back" part, but with the lever closed the pressure bar will be against the barrel - the side of the barrel that the lever is on.

Maybe someone did install a J-bar or something that isn't original on your pen. I have quite a few Conklins and all of them work like the one I described, except for the crescent fillers, of course.

[Richard]

I am a little confused by your post. You say when you close the lever, it springs back open? I don't see why that would happen.

On a Conklin lever filler, when there's no sac in the pen, the weight of the pressure bar will pull the lever open again absent resistance from the latching tabs.

[mike_12345]

Sorry for the confusion in my description. What I meant was: without the sac, I open the lever to 90 degree (just like as when I refill), then gave it a push towards to close position, it snapped close. The pressure bar pushed against the lever to keep it close. So it does sound like mine is not original.
I'll take a closer look tonight when I get home.
Thank you again!
-mike-

[mike_12345]

Ok, I just took a look very carefully and there is a J-bar inside. I tried to pull it out but it didn't bulge so I did not force it. I bent the tabs at the lever and leave it at that.

[Procyon]

Mike,

That was probably a good decision. If the lever works, and fills the sac with ink, I think I would be happy with that. I believe that bending the tabs on the lever slightly will make the lever stay seated flush with the barrel. If that is the case, then you should be good to go. If you have a working pen here, I don't think there is anything more to do. If this was a very valuable collector's pen, you might want to restore it to completely original condition. This pen, although it might be a nice user, is probably not worth that effort. I think you should just enjoy your pen!

Regards, Allan Goforth (Procyon)

Edited by Procyon, 29 February 2012 - 05:44 AM.

[Hugh]

Thanks for the reply and I appreciate it. Mine for some reason it's different: after I pulled out the section (with nib/feed/sac) and without the sac in place, the lever springs back when I flipped it close. Without the sac and by looking with a flex light, I could see the pressure bar springs back against the barrel when I close the lever. Does it mean that the pressure bar in mine is not original?

I'll look more carefully tonight.

Thanks again!
-mike-

Yours is a replacement, which doesn't matter.

Regards
Hugh

[David Nishimura]

Whoa, guys.

This is an early Conklin lever-filler -- the sprung pressure bar is original. The unsprung pressure bar as used on the Enduras is a completely different setup.

If the lever is a bit floppy, it's almost certainly because the pressure bar has taken a set over the years. It should press against the end of the lever, holding it in place. This should be the case whether or not a sac is installed. It is not easy to re-bend the pressure bar without removing it, and removing it can be tricky. "Tricky", as in one of those things that experienced repairmen can do easily, but only after years of learning the trick (or the touch, if you prefer).