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jor412


Vintage

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I'm interested in learning how to restore old pens. So I've been reading online and trying to find tools and materials locally. There are some things that I definitely will have to order if I get into this seriously (sacs, diaphragms, micromesh pads, the vacumatic tool which there's no way I'd know how to make plus the materials are hard to find here, etc.) I'll put those things off for now since I don't know how seriously I'm going to get into this. 

The dental tools are easy -- my mom's a semi-retired dentist w/ 3 or more of all dental tools and she already to give me one set. My dad has a very old drill set which still works.

The talc was minor trouble. After some surfing, I found a billiards supplier near where I work, except of course they only sell talc by the kilo. So now I have a kilo of talc -- haha -- which I got for less than a dollar.

The shellac was a PTA. No supermarket type hardware store or home depot had it. No smaller hardware stores had it (and these stores are store fronts for huge construction supply stores). No lumber store, paint store, or hobby/crafts store had it. These small hardware related stores are, btw, not friendly towards women. Apart from getting puzzled and/or patronizing looks, more than one store keeper smugly informed me that no one uses shellac anymore.

I finally found an obscure 3-year old forum post in a local motorcycle forum. The post mentioned "shellac gasket sealant" which is apparently available in many auto-supply shops. It costs a little over a dollar. There is some argument on another forum about how this won't ever totally harden since it needs air to do so and so won't seal the sac as well as other sacs. But some people use it since it's easier to source. Will this work? 

Next question, and probably a dumb one: I know nothing about fixing nibs and won't try it w/ any good pens but, how does one use a burnishing tool?

I've seen Ron Zorn's articles on cheap tools. Is it possible to just use a screw driver and file it into smoothness and the right shape to make a burnishing tool? I have some spare screw drivers at home that I can use. 



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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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Home Depot carries Zinsser shellac, orange and clear, in quarts for about $10, more than you're likely to use in a lifetime. I don't know whether the gasket sealant is only shellac, or has additional materials to it, but it's better not to risk damaging vintage materials with unknowns. Tryphon sells small bottles of shellac, and I *think* you can get it from Pen Sac Co. as well.

The important thing here is to not use anything chemical that is not known to be safe for vintage materials. Shellac is simply a resin produced by certain insects, dissolved in alcohol. When it's dry, and when the sac eventually fails, it can be scraped off easily without damaging the nipple on the section. It's an adhesive rather than a cement, so it only clings to materials and doesn't bond to them chemically unless those materials are soluble in alcohol.

Beyond filing and shaping, you'll want your burnishing tool(s) to have a fairly bright polish, otherwise you'll be leaving scratches on the nibs. No reason you can't make one of your own, but you need to take it a bit further than you stated. Some craft and hobby shops may carry them as well. As for how exactly to use one on a nib, I'll leave that explanation to DWL. smile.gif

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Mike Hungerford
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jor412


Vintage

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About the shellac - looks like I'll have to order that then. Or perhaps, try the next city which is just about a 30 minute drive from where I live.

Thanks for the advice on polishing the burnishing tool. I'll look into that. I'm quite curious about how they're used. What I mean is when look at the pliers w/ rubber covering, I have a fairly good idea how they're used. But the burnishing tools, I can't figure out.confuse



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jor412


Vintage

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Also, can Tamiya abrasives be used instead of micromesh? Tamiya is readily available here. :)

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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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The brand shouldn't matter; just the grit.

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Mike Hungerford
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jor412


Vintage

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Ok then that's out because there's nothing here over 2000.

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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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Ah. I didn't realize that you are in the Philippines. What city? Maybe I can run some sources down for you.

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Mike Hungerford
http://goo.gl/dUVnUZ
jor412


Vintage

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That would be great. Thank you! I'm in Metro Manila (MM) which is an area comprised of several cities: Manila, Quezon City, Pasig, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Paranaque, Pasay, and some others. I live in Pasig which is more or less in the middle of the N & S parts of MM, and I can get to anywhere w/i 30 minutes to an hour and half depending on the traffic.

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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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Deovir has several stores in the Metro Manila area, and carries shellac:

http://www.deovirarts.com/products/Acrylicos-Vallejo-Shellac-85ml.html

Still looking for MicroMesh and similar products. smile.gif



-- Edited by Chthulhu on Tuesday 24th of May 2011 07:46:10 PM

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Mike Hungerford
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jor412


Vintage

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That's absolutely amazing and now I feel pretty stupid. I've been surfing the net day and night looking for things like shellac and micromesh anywhere in my vicinity and I couldn't find anything. I've also gone to hardware stores and the only hobby shop I could find and I've gotten zilch. Thanks so much! Will wait for the micromesh source :)

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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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Google is my friend.

Except that I can't find any sources for micromesh (except clothing) or even sandpaper (unless you want alligator or hippopotamus). Hard-core hobby shops that deal in high-end plastic models should be your best bet, though most I've found seem to deal Tamiya exclusively. Try searching for things like "abrasive pads" and "abrasive sheets" and see what you find.

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Mike Hungerford
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Scratch


Experienced

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If it just a fine grit abrasive you are looking for you could approach a manufacturing jeweller and see if they would sell you a sheet or two. Some of these grits gets down to the microns. biggrin



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jor412


Vintage

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Google is not my friend then :/ I did this search "shellac manila" and a variety of others. Geez. Or maybe I didn't know what to search for.

@ Scratch - Ok i'll try that option.

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jor412


Vintage

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Ok I just checked. There are jeweler supply stores on the same street as Deovir, so it looks like I'm going on a mild field trip tomorrow. I say "field trip" because the traffic and parking in the area are wilder than other parts of MM, so I'll probably commute (which is a kind of adventure here). The great thing is the main pen store we have is also in the vicinity. smile



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Chthulhu


Rawr.

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Bonus, then. smile.gif

Let us know how it turns out.

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Mike Hungerford
http://goo.gl/dUVnUZ
Scratch


Experienced

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Jor412 - I suggested seeing a jeweller rather than a supplier because of the number of sheets of abrasive that you may have to buy. You might have to get a pack of 50 from the supplier but the manufacturing jeweller might sell you just 1.
Good luck anyway,
Roger

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jor412


Vintage

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I'm back and this will just be a short post because I think I'd like to blog about my "adventure" downtown. I had little time to scour the area but I did get to see one or two jeweler supply stores and they had nothing better than 600 grit. So even the hardware store w/ 2000 grit was better. At this point, I give up at sourcing the higher grits locally and I'll ask a friend to buy me some before she goes home from San Francisco. At least I managed to score a better jeweler's loupe than what I have now. My eyesight is poorer than 20 years ago and the extra magnification and LED light go a long way.

@ Chthulhu - I now have the shellac, thanks to you. And it's so much more fluid than the gasket shellac. Viscosity of the gasket shellac is thicker than molasses. Thanks for the reference & I do owe you some pictures of what Devoir looks like "in person".

I went to several stores including Luis store which is the most famous over here and the proprietors were so accommodating and persuasive that I ended up buying a pen. It's a Pilot 77, cost less than $18, and it actually has some flex.

That's my summary. When I've finished the blog entry, it'll include the pics. :) Just one note: I'm a tourist in my own city.

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Scratch


Experienced

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Isabelita,

Congratulations on your finds - having someone to talk to in person and being able to develop a relationship can be priceless.

I am based in Adelaide, South Australia and often have to have parcels sent in from the US to get what I want - cost of freight is a pain but that is the cost we sometimes have to pay (usually about $45- a time).

Good luck and enjoy the Pilot.

Roger

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DWL


***

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Looking forward to the report.

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Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito
~Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them

jor412


Vintage

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Thanks Roger & Dennis. I'll post it elsewhere in this forum, as it seems a bit off topic now. :)

EDIT: On second thought, I don't know where to post this. Here's the link to my newly revived blog. It's my first post in 6 months. I think this new hobby has got me back to a writing habit, which is such a relief.

http://theresthat.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/532/

 

 



-- Edited by jor412 on Thursday 26th of May 2011 11:48:54 PM

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