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jor412 · Vintage

RE: Minor "antique" store score

DWL · ***

you guys do know you can cut your own replacements right?

Find a thin walled piece of tubing slightly larger than the original piece of eraser. With a small sharp knife, ream the inside of the tubing throat to create a sharp edge. Buy a big pink block eraser and with your tube, press it through the eraser & voila! You have 1 fresh cut custom fit eraser. You can get the tubing at just about any hardware store. The material doesn't
much matter, aluminum, brass, copper..whatever you like is fine to use.

jor412 · Vintage

Thanks for that. I love DIY solutions.

Chthulhu · Rawr.

I knew that, Dennis, but I lacked the little metal doohickeys that clamp them in place.

DWL · ***

the 'star' that sits on the bottom of the eraser & 'holds it in place'? Get crafty & use a piece of heavy aluminum foil folded over a few times & cut to shape. When it's in shape, roll something smooth & heavy over it to fully compress it down flat. Then fit to the eraser & install.

DWL · ***

.....& to be 100% honest I dont believe the stars are really critical to function. I've always believed they were there to keep the eraser bottom clean & for 'ease' of replacement.

Chthulhu · Rawr.

... and to keep the eraser from adhering to the barrel as it decays.

I was happy enough with a modfified eraser from another junker that just happened to fit, but it didn't look quite right. I like to keep things original whererver possible.

jor412 · Vintage

Chthulhu wrote:
... and to keep the eraser from adhering to the barrel as it decays.

I was happy enough with a modfified eraser from another junker that just happened to fit, but it didn't look quite right. I like to keep things original whererver possible.

�

I'm glad you mentioned this because I was wondering about "original" and "authentic" when it comes to vintage pens/pencils or anything else. When is it not original anymore? If you have to repair and replace a part, or say, touch up the blue diamond of blue diamond vacs with any available paint, is the pen still "original"? At what point in the repair process is the pen no longer the same pen? �

Maybe I'm over thinking this or maybe I'm constipated.� ashamed �Probably the later.�This is mostly about the Waterman gifted to me. If I change the end cap, that seems fine. It's still the same pen. But what if the cap breaks or the barrel or the nib?�

Chthulhu · Rawr.

As always, it's *your* pen; do with it whatever you like. If your purpose is to make it a complete, working tool, there's no reason not to substitute as needed to make it so. Don't call it "restored," though, unless you use OEM parts and materials (aside from sacs/diaphragms/o-rings). Call it "repaired" instead.

Have you ever watched "Antiques Roadshow?" I can't count how many times someone has brought in a beautiful "restored" object and been told that the object would be much more valuable had they *not* "restored" it.

Even polishing a pen removes much of its charm and its history. Posts asking "How do I make my 100-year-old hard rubber pen shine like modern plastic?" should result in pain for the posters. One of the pens I got from DWL is a Parker "21" whose barrel is entirely covered in fine scratches. It *could* be polished, but I like it just the way it is: it has character.

Sorry; you pushed one of my buttons.

DWL · ***

"As always, it's *your* pen; do with it whatever you like. If your purpose is to make it a complete, working tool, there's no reason not to substitute as needed to make it so. Don't call it "restored," though, unless you use OEM parts and materials (aside from sacs/diaphragms/o-rings). Call it "repaired" instead."

Mike has it down. It's your pen, do what you like. �

�"Even polishing a pen removes much of its charm and its history. Posts asking "How do I make my 100-year-old hard rubber pen shine like modern plastic?" should result in pain for the posters. One of the pens I got from DWL is a Parker "21" whose barrel is entirely covered in fine scratches. It *could* be polished, but I like it just the way it is: it has character."

IMHO, this comes down to taste.

Some love the discolored hard rubber some cant stand the way it looks. In the example of sterling/gold pens that build up a patina, I personally dont care for it on my pens. (I do love it in my art objects & that sort of thing) I like the glow of freshly polished silver in my hand as I write.�

There are obvious exceptions to this. Something like a parker black giant or equally rare pen should remain as original as possible. In the case of common pens I say do whatever you like to them.�

Swap the nib, reblacken the barrel, switch out the cap for something funky that fits, do what you like & enjoy the pen. In the end, remember they are just pens, have fun with them.�

�

jor412 · Vintage

The distinctions between "repaired" and "restored" make sense to me. I guess it would be a rather rare vintage pen that doesn't need any kind of repair--sac replacement for instance.

The cosmetic flaws of age don't bother me much, as long as they're not over the top. I do believe they add character to the pen and give it this feel of having a past. My Laureat has LOTS of fine scratches from when I knew nothing about pens and just kept using it and leaving it lying around. I now know how to polish it but I've still not bothered. If I use them, I know all my pens will get scratched eventually, no matter how I care for them. And I want to use all my pens. That's the fun part for me. Also, if they just sit there looking like pretty and interesting artifcats, it seems to me a waste of the pen and of my money. I don't know about discolored hard rubber yet because I haven't gotten to inspect a hard rubber pen up close, and I tend to associate hard rubber with tires. LOL So far, I don't like my only metal pen -- a cheap Inoxcrom -- much because it feels cold, although also indestructible.

I guess I was thinking about the idea of the pen being "original". In this case, the "original" pen that was gifted to me. But then you've both answered that. :) I'll just enjoy using it and when/if it eventually "dies", well, it lived a useful life.