I've amended the "Whats It Called" posting again. You can scroll down a few entries to see it.
Also, a long time reader has suggested it might be worthwhile to mention the below link. I do try to stay away from commercial aspects, but I have had a few enquiries about repairs to vintage mechanical pencils, so I'll bend the rules a bit, again. Just for the record though, I know nothing about RichardsPens.com and have not used their services.
www.RichardsPens.com
Mechanical Pencil Repair
From time to time, clients ask if I can repair mechanical pencils. I hadn’t started out to be a pencil mech, but I don’t like telling people no, and my success rate has turned out to be pretty good. If you have a pencil with a problem, please contact us to see about resurrecting it. I have a small supply of parts for vintage pencils, and I can frequently adapt parts or repair existing parts to get your pencil working again.
Monday, September 29, 2008
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19 comments:
Well, I tend to fancy fountain pens as well, and I can tell you that Mr. Binder is VERY well thought of in that circle. He does amazing nib work and restoration, and is a stand up gentleman for sure. Hust FYI here, no affiliations.
-Sean
Can a Staedtler 925 95 05 be repaired. Lead continuly breaks (4B). Also, can not get lead to advance. Seems to get hung up???
I'd suggest you contact Staedtler.
my staedtker 925 05 has a problem when ever i click it for more lead the whole lead piece falls out not like a normal process where just a little piece will move up and stop what do you think is wrong
I recently purchased a vintage durolite mechanical pencil with a split in the barrel that holds the eraser. My question is how do I take off the barrel from another mechanical pencil without causing damage in order to replace broken one with a new one.
sincerely,
Art
I just bought a screw-type Leroy Fairchild pen/pencil combo and the pencil mechanism does not work - the pencil slips into the mechanism so that you cannot apply pressure to write. Any ideas on how to fix this?
any chance you could give advice on my vintage conklin? it's about a 1930s model I'd guess, and the bit in the section end doesn't do anything. I don't know if it's seized up, rusted up, or just jammed or broken.
thanks
HI,
I discovered Yard O' Led pencils on your website while looking for the reason why my Pentel Graphgear 1000 was jamming (turned it out I refilling the magazine with too many leads). So I wound purchasing a new Deco 34 in 2015. I recently bought a rolled gold Deco style model on eBay and when it arrived, the lead was loose. I tried swapping out the lead with some spare 1.18 mm refills to verify that it was the right size but the lead holder would not grip the lead properly. Can you recommend a way or someone who could safely crimp it down a tweak? I'm afraid to try it myself.
James
I'm always scared to offer advice about repairs. I have had a couple of similar experiences where there was actually an old snapped off tiny piece of residual lead stuck down inside the lead gripper itself and I had to dig that out with a combination of needle and 1mm drill. Perhaps you have a similar problem?
I double checked and slid the extractor down until the tip extended out from the holder- there is no residual lead. It’s just that the holder lacks the tiniest amount of friction to hold the lead in place. Perhaps I could put some glue on the end (and let it dry first) to add girth then insert the refill.
Maybe. Personally sounds like I'd try the gentlest of crimpings first. Also maybe another brand or tube of lead. There can easily be a 10% difference in lead diameter between brands and production batches. You might have a skinny piece of lead... try and find a fat one :) ?
I used actual Yard O' Led spares as well as swapped out with a known working Yard O' Led Deluxe. It works just fine in that one. With the rolled gold one, the lead will remain in place if you don't jar it, but there is no friction on it like the other. I could also put a sliver of tape on the end of the lead in the rolled gold one-- after all it takes a very long time to work the 1.18 mm lead down. As a matter of fact, I've not had to replace the lead in my Deco 34 which I have used quite a bit since I got it in 2015.
Thank you for the feedback--but honestly I'm afraid to crimp it. I sent an email to Yard O' Led service support to see what they might have to say.
Hello James,
It's nice to know that there is another Yard O Led pencil enthusiast out there, and the Deco34 is a very nice model.
There really is no need to be apprehensive about adjusting the lead holding tube on your rolled gold model. It's a little job that is often needed, and, from your description, it sounds as though only the smallest of tweaks is needed. If you can get hold of a small model makers' drill bit, that will make life very simple and safe. The drills are readily available from modellers' suppliers, or on ebay, often in sets in a plastic box and very inexpensive. If you insert a drill shank into the lead holder tube (1.1 mm is ideal), you can then work round with some small smooth faced pliers squeezing very gently, bit by bit, towards the gap in the lead tube. The drill shank will protect against accidentally squeezing too hard.
I hope this is helpful. I hope you will give it a try and enjoy using the pencil as much as I enjoy those in my ridiculously extensive collection.
Regards,
George Clements
Northumberland
U.K.
Thanks for your comment George. Good idea about using the drill shank.
Hello George,
Thank you for the helpful feedback. I checked my Dremel set and it had 1.0 mm then 1.2 so I ordered some 1.1 mm ones off eBay. Also, I do not have any true smooth jaw pliers so I ordered a set of the jeweler's style parallel flat pliers with the nylon covered jaws from Esslinger--all told I was set back about 25.00 USD. This should do the trick, or at least is a good start for an unskilled person like myself. Given that the other rolled gold square pencil for sale at the time of purchase was twice what I paid for mine, I believe it's a fair trade, and I have a feeling that are some more Yard O' Led's in my future.
Thanks again,,
James
Hello James,
Thanks for the reply, I am sure that all will go well with your adjustment - you are taking all the right steps. Please let me know when you have succeeded and are happy with the pencil. It's true that collecting Yard O Led pencils (and pens) can become addictive, so be careful. I have loads, but still try to track down elusive ones.
One other word of caution. Do not overclean the rolled good pencil. The layer of gold is very thin and can rub through to the underlying brass quite readily, even with nornal use, so any abrasive cleaning is a no no. I stopped buying rolled good several years' ago because of the tendency to wear through. On the other hand, the rolled silver pencils are very good value. Silver being much cheaper than good, the coating seems to be thicker, and I have not seen a rolled silver pencil where 'brassing' has been a problem. You can pick up rolled siver models very reasonably, and I always think that they have a satisfyiing feel to them, probably because of the brass lining, which gives them a little extra weight compared to hallmarked all silver cases. The Platinine pencils are also good value. Platinine is a nickel silver material which is actually an alloy that contains no silver. As it is not a precious metal, the pencils are cheaper, but the mechanism is exactly the same as the good or silver ones. Also, the Platinine alloy is harder than silver, so they are slightly more resistant to minor dents. The Platinine can tarnish if the pencils are not used regularly, but can be cleaned with silver polish quite safely.
Best wishes,
George
Thanks George. That is some excellent "Buying Guide" advice.
George,
My tools arrived and I just worked up the courage to make the repair with success!
Thank you again for great advice!
James
Well done James.
Just to show you what an idiot I can be, I bought another Platinine Yard O Led that arrived yesterday. There was lead jammed in it (not unusual), so I unwound and removed the propelling mechanism, dropped it on the floor and promptly put my foot on it ! Fortunately, the brass lead holder tube, which was the only part bent, is very forgiving and straightened out perfectly. It's a nice pencil, and was not expensive, but the other attraction was that it came with a perfectly clean and tidy presentation box from about the 1960s.
Best wishes,
George
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