In which Chloé attempts to restore a Parker Ladies Duofold, a button-filler pen which even some advanced restorers dislike dismantling.
Two successes in a row might be a bit too much to expect when you have none of the correct tools for the job, but since when did that ever stop me?
I did some research beforehand and discovered that for button-fill pens, the best way to take them apart is button first. The button looked quite firmly attached, but many people online said that there was only a small lip of metal keeping it in the pen. If I didn't take the button out and left the pen as is, it would be unusable. If I took the it out and it cracked the body, it would be unusable.
Hmm.
I had more chance of a usable pen if I dismantled it, so I just had to try.
I took a small pair of pliers and gingerly pulled on the button. No bueno. I pulled a bit harder, and it popped out of the pen cleanly. That was easier than expected, and nothing was broken! There was much rattling inside the pen. I gave it a shake, and lots of small black bits of hardened rubber fell out. That would probably explain why it wasn't filling before, seeing as the ink had nowhere to go!
After shaking out what rubber I could from the button end, I needed to remove the section. My favourite part (major sarcasm here)...
First I tried with a rubber glove for about 15 minutes. That didn't work.
Then I tried gentle heat with a hairdryer, That didn't work.
As a last resort, I soaked the section in lukewarm water and no, it didn't work.
My mother had been watching me all this time, wrangling rubber gloves around the barrel of the pen, filling glasses with warm water for soaking, grimacing at the section and grumbling uncomplimentary things about uncooperative writing instruments.
Mum decided to have a go. I was reluctant in case something broke, but I had exhausted all other options by this time, so I handed her the pen. Within a few seconds of twisting the section, it was off!
How Mum has more hand strength than me, a guitarist!! I do not know.
However, it worked, so my parents are now the ones who remove stubborn sections for me, and I do all the fiddly work of removing old, broken parts, replacing them and giving the whole thing a very thorough polish. While my hand strength is clearly not as good as that of some others, years of crafting has given me a knack for small, intricate things, such as using a pair of tweezers that are clearly too big to maneuver a pressure bar out of the barrel of a pen.
Luckily, the pressure bar dropped right out of this pen, and seemed to be in good condition too. It is made of one solid metal strip and one longer strip of springy metal attached to it in the middle. It looked a bit tarnished, but not corroded, so I think it will be fine to use that pressure bar when I re-assemble the pen.
Now the Duofold was just a shell of the pen it formerly was, so I began ten minutes of poking and prodding rubber that wasn't rubber anymore out, until I was left with a shiny, clean inside. Then I took some vegetable oil and a microfibre cloth, and polished the whole thing for about twenty minutes. Polishing is one of my favourite parts, because iit is magical to see how the gold brightens up, and how all the other parts become shiny, just as if it was a brand-new pen! I also cleaned and polished the nib until the gold was positively glowing.
It's a pity that it will be mucked up again when I fill the pen. Oh well.
So, I now have another perfectly clean pen that only needs a new ink sac! Once that is installed, it will be a simple case of carefully re-installing the pressure bar and button. Another vintage pen saved by just a bit of effort!
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