4 replies to this topic

[Rocco P]

In honor of  the new topic, I'm uploading photos of the only Conway Stewart I have, a mint in the box, nos, stickered Dinkie. I'm a user/accumulator, certainly not a collector, but I've never found the nerve of restoring and using this pen:

 

 

[AndyR]

Be brave, Paolino, be brave!

 

These Dinkie 550s usually come apart fairly easily with some gentle heat and careful wiggling and twisting with section pliers. The section is just a friction fit in the barrel. Don't be tempted to soak in water because the barrel and cap are casein. I should warn you though that more barrels are probably broken when refitting the section rather than removing it! It is sensible to pre-warm the end of the barrel just to expand it a little if the section feels too tight when you try and replace it.

 

The later Dinkies (this will date to the 1950s) are more robust than the pre-war models and even if you should accidentally damage something, the pens are relatively inexpensive and spare parts (at least for most colours) can be found fairly easily.

 

Please let us know if you are successful in restoring it!

 

Andy

Edited by AndyR, 04 January 2014 - 11:03 AM.

[Rocco P]

Be brave, Paolino, be brave!

 

...

 

Please let us know if you are successful in restoring it!

 

Andy

 

Thanks for the kind tips.

I have not restored the pen because of its mint condition. I'm reluctant to ink a never used before pen and there's no point in restoring it unless I'm going to use it. Besides, it's a midget and I favor larger pens.

 

I might search for more CS pens in the future, but I'm wary of casein as water is the main weapon in my meager arsenal of pen repair tools. Which models were made of casein?

Edited by Paolino, 04 January 2014 - 03:27 PM.

[AndyR]

I might search for more CS pens in the future, but I'm wary of casein as water is the main weapon in my meager arsenal of pen repair tools. Which models were made of casein?

 

 

You don't have to worry too much about casein and water, you just have to remember not to soak it for long periods. The sections and feeds are always vulcanite (hard rubber) so as long as you take the section out of the barrel first you can soak them in cold water. Gentle dry heat is usually all you need to apply to get the section out. Casein pens shouldn't be stored too dry, the casein needs some water content to remain in the best condition. If it gets too dry, it becomes very brittle and impossible to handle.

 

It is difficult to give a precise list of those pens made in casein, but it is generally the smaller and cheaper models - Dinkies, Dandys, Internationals, Scribes or in the post war pens, numbers 12,14,16 and some of the numbers 15 and 84 (I may have missed some out). If you are interested mostly in the larger pens you are probably safe but you can always ask me and I'll try to identify the material for you. If you can handle the pen, as long as you look carefully you can (in most cases) see a spiral seam in the celluloid materials.

 

Andy
 

[Rocco P]

Thanks for the time you took to help me. And thanks to David I. for this nice board.