4 replies to this topic

[chrism]

Hello

As I know nothing about pens this will be the first of many question, so please be gentle with me.

I`ve got a Burnam No 47. I`ve soaked and flushed (repeatedly in cold water) to get all the old ink out, dismantled it (using gentle heat from a hairdryer and hand pressure only), removed the old sac, and removed the tarnish as much as possible with diluted lemon juice.

The next bit is were I`m stuck. The barrel has some odd bulges between the lever and the end. They are almost opposite each other (no camera so cant take photo), managed to get a photo (see below)

Am I right to think they could have be caused by the J-bar (hope that's the right word) being jammed in and putting the plastic (celluloid?) under pressure?

If so, whats they best way to proceed?

Edited by chrism, 05 October 2013 - 01:07 PM.

[Widget]

Sounds like you have a casein pen and they must not be soaked or the casein will swell and can completely disintegrate. Swelling around the lever slit is very common. A picture of the bump would help. Use your phone to take a pic.

[Paul M]

I have seen this problem, which seems to occur too often on Burnhams. I think you are correct in diagnosing the problem as being with the J bar.

I have in the past remove the j bar and applied heat to the area in an attempt to remove the bulge. (With only limited success I might add ). I suspect that detailed research - i.e. lots of trial & error - will produce decent results, as the degree of heat is probably a critical factor.

The other 'problem' I found with a Burnham is that the caps are prone to splits, cracks around the rim. This might just make it possible for you to pick up a cheap barrel replacement, by bidding on an ebay derelict.

[AndyR]

Casein pens of any make are susceptible to swelling around the lever pivot or the j bar, where metal in close contact with the barrel can trap liquid. The good news is that changes in casein due to extra water absorption are reversible, to a degree at least. The bad news is that it takes a real repair artist familiar with the properties of casein to achieve good results, and sadly that is not a skill I possess. Casein will become workable again as it absorbs moisture and, in theory, if you can make it malleable by wetting it, you can use a former to persuade it to maintain the correct shape as it dries out again. A Burnham 47 is not a valuable pen, so you may consider it a good pen to experiment with - then, if it it doesn't work out, as Paul mentions, the practical repair would be to wait for a parts pen to turn up, and that may ultimately be the simplest course of action.

Andy

[chrism]

From the replies I`m assuming that at some point in the past the pen as got soaked and softened , the j-bar then forced the barrel out before the pen shrank back again (the cap ring is also very loose which I think supports the swell/shrink hypothesis) .

I`m going to try and get my hands on some picks and forceps to drag the J-bar out, then try forcing the barrel back into shape by the judicious use of my daughters hair dryer combined with brute force (possibly involving a mallet).