Sad day in the Pelikan Werkstatt

[nemo]

This is why I don't work on other people's delicate pens anymore.

1932-1937 Pelikan celluloid is often crystallized and just crumbles if you look at it funny. In order to refresh the cork seal it has to come apart (one way or another!) and this one would not cooperate, I knew it wasn't.

EDIT: OK, time for a beer!

 

[watch_art]

Oh no!!

 

[Greyfox]

Wow!

 

[slivesay]

Ouch! Definitely time for beer.

 

[rearviewmirror]

i'll pour a little heart of darkness out in its memory

 

[Gray Wolf]

Doug, that had to hurt a little! My pens are all fairly modern, so that is one thing I won't need to worry about for a while.

 

[watch_art]

Not all old pens are so delicate. This one may have been stored for some time in a place that wasn't great for it. It make have been damaged years and years ago by somebody else who pulled it apart for some reason. You never know.

 

[Altair]

Bummer. Maybe it can be glued? and just displayed.

 

[brianw]

Seeing this is like seeing a car wreak !!!! So grizzly you turn away.....but keep looking back..... My deepest sympathies

 

[Dave258]

Wow, that sucks! I am very sorry!

 

[nemo]

Thanks for the sentiments guys, it's OK!

That particular era had bad celluloid, it's a known problem and one of the reasons they changed the material. It just gets that way and it did spend WWII in Germany, so who knows what it was exposed to -- heat, cold, sunlight, bombs, whatever. At least it doesn't spontaneously combust like old celluloid film! I've been coaxing it along for over two years now, soaked for three weeks at least, gentle warming . . . impatience is a pen killer and I had none of it. But it just wasn't meant to be.

I could probably sell the pieces on eBay for $75 or so. When I started working on it there weren't replacement barrels available. Only recently David Nishimura at Vintage Pens had some made, they aren't very handsome though! I'm thinking the red one? $50 each

 

[Rudy Vey]

I know this feeling....when I do a brush restoration, you are always have the risk that some damage may occur. Sometimes the unspeakable happens.

 

[nemo]

I know this feeling....when I do a brush restoration, you are always have the risk that some damage may occur. Sometimes the unspeakable happens.

Oh, I was speaking! Not anything I would repeat here though.

 

[watch_art]

I'd go for the green if they had a transparent model, but the red opaque does look good.

 

[maxman]

Maybe the replacement part looks better in real life or something can be done to bring out a nicer finish.
Sorry about the broken part.

 

[airmech]

I agree that is why I also hate to work on other peoples stuff!!! One little problem and I feel horrible forever.

Tom

 

[instpasr]

Bummer

 

[rickboone1]

Well, good to know there's a replacement part.

 

[rearviewmirror]

I read the description of the new parts, apparently you can polish the inside and the outside to make it even more translucent.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I have an older Waterman that has a similar issue. The tip of the barrel has crystallized and crumbles away.