Tight piston filler
- Thread starter Basil
- Start date
I've only heard of using pure Silicone Grease. I wouldn't use a petroleum-based grease on a pen that I cared about.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Same. Wheel bearing grease is probably synthetic but I would use what they include with the pen or buy something specifically from a pen dealer. Personally I hope to never need to do this operation.
Here is the sheet that shows “bearing grease”. If I don’t disammble the piston assembly, does that mean I don’t have to worry about the bearing grease?
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
That’s my guess. Just leave it well enough alone. These ikea style instructions really confound me. I realized afterwards that I threw away the pen box too soon and inadvertently tossed the tool and instructions. I’m always amazed when I see how carefully folks save the box like on the bst. My autopilot, like a kid, I rip open the box and packaging and toss it. (Too soon) these pens are not that expensive so I’m not going to sweat it. I’ll also use the eel (lubricated) ink from time to time. I loaded it in my lamy 2000 that seemed somewhat stiff on its recent cleaning.
The only thing that needs greasing on a piston filling pen is the actual rubber seal at the end of the piston. The easiest way to do that is to put a tiny spot of silicone grease on a Q-Tip cotton swab and insert it into the nib end of the cylinder, leaving a light coating. Cycle the piston a few times to spread it around and lube the rubber seal. You don't need to do this very often. If the piston starts to feel tight and the knob becomes hard to turn, it's probably time to grease it up. I usually don't disassemble a pen to clean it, but if you do, and use a strong detergent or solvent, that will strip out the grease and will probably need lubrication more often.
I’ve recently acquired a Montblanc from a reputable seller, however , the piston is stiff. It is a pen from the mid-1990s that has never been used. I have several Pelikan fountain pens and I use pure silicone grease on these when needed. I simply unscrew the nib and apply a little of the grease on the inside of the barrel and work the piston up and down and this works well. I do not remove Pelikan pistons. But for the Montblanc, the nib does not remove like this as a special tool would be needed. So, I’ve seen videos on how to remove a Montblanc piston. This also requires a special tool but doesn’t seem as delicate a task as removing the nib. I’ve read conflicting things about what to use as the lubricant. Pure silicone grease or Vaseline. I called up Montblanc service today and they said Vaseline is used by them because pure silicone grease can damage Montblanc resin. Any insight would be appreciated here and what people have personally done with their own results.
Off the top of my head, I’d say the maker knows what the constituent parts are made of and how they’ll react. I’d go with Vaseline if it’s OEM (and why would they lie to you on this one). Could the vaceline gum up and age out quicker than pure silicone grease? Probably. That just means a shorter maintenance interval to me.
And my mom bought some of these for her sewing machine and gave me some. I’ll be using them on my next re-grease.
Edit for a viable link: Micro swabs
Edit for a viable link: Micro swabs
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eventually you'll want/need to I suspect. I did with mine. nicely though, TWSBIs come with a wrench and some grease. mine did anyway.
I was able to successfully remove the piston and apply pure silicone grease to it. The piston was totally dry. Now it is as smooth as butter. The first picture is the piston once removed, the next is after I applied some grease, and the last shows the tools used. I reached out to numerous pen experts and all agreed Vaseline could be disastrous and none have ever heard of using this on a pen.
