Sheaffer Balance Lever Fill Restoration tutorial

[@ibpopp]

Wonderful pens that never let you down and are great writers. Thanks and cheers from Australia.

[@mariatriesart8389]

I have a sheaffer balance lever filler, the small one, not the oversized one. I am disabled. Due to chronic pain I had not used it since I bought it. A uear later I cannot open it to get to its insides. It is seized shut. What do I do? I don't even know which direction to turn the section to opennit, left or right? Should I soak it in water? Please, help me??

[@unTalabartero11]

Hello Steven, thanks for your videos, they are very helpful. I am getting addict to fountain pens too and repairing them is what I like the most. At moment I am just at cleaning stage.... you say in this video you are going to soak a bit the cap to remove old ink from it, can you do that when it is celluloide? Regards from Granada (Spain) . José Miguel

[@letstalkfountainpens8052]

Celluloid you should be able to soak and rinse to clean out the cap - just avoid prolonged soaks in inky water since the material can stain. You can usually tell celluloid by the smell - it smells like moth balls when you start to polish it with something like micro mesh. Be careful, though, some vintage brands make their bodies from casein which will be ruined by water. I can think of Conway Stewart Dinkies as an example.

[@unTalabartero11]

@@letstalkfountainpens8052 Thanks so much Steven, you certainly know the trade

[@blondescales1]

What other methods can you use to get the pen body apart to replace the old sack? I just acquired my grandmother's balance pen.

[@letstalkfountainpens8052]

It's really a matter of being able to grip the section and remove it safely. You can use various types of materials to give yourself a good hold on the section - tire inner tube, grip mats, gloves, and even section pliers. The old celluloid can be brittle so using heat is a good idea to help expand it to loosen the joint it makes with the barrel. Aim the heat at the barrel itself where the threads are and slowly rotate for 30 secs - 1 minute as a safe guide. Be sure to pull straight out with a slight twisting motion (one way or the other) vs twist first and if it starts to move you can start to pull straight out. Just be sure to not twist or pull at an angle that might stress and break the barrel. I have never tried it and I don't know that I've actually ever seen anyone soak the end of the pen in hot water to see if that will expand the celluloid and soften and adhesive that might be there. I suppose that's an option but that would risk browning the section. I'd encourage you to look around youtube and see if there are any other useful suggestions. But be slow and steady with heat, gentle twisting and pulling, and purposeful movement that are parallel and perpendicular to the barrel. Hope that helps.

[@letstalkfountainpens8052]

Another method you can use is to find people who professionally restore fountain pens if you don't want to chance it. I think most cost in the $50 - $100 dollar range for service/supplies.

[@blondescales1]

I managed to get it pulled apart without heating it and discovered the sac was still good. I guess that my grandmother had it worked on at some point.

[@letstalkfountainpens8052]

@@blondescales1 That's fantastic! would love to see how it turned out

[@hellmouthisnogod1952]

Who is Sheaffer?