Firstly, I’d like to clarify that the 120/140 models are not among my usual targets. However, I bought stuff from time to time just to restore over the weekend. At the time, I was looking for a M&K 120 to complete the series, but stumbled upon this unloved and unwanted bird. And soon enough, I won the auction on an incredibly low bid, probably because the seller had been decent enough to describe the pen as what it was: broken. And true to his word, I found that:
- The piston mechanism didn’t work. There were hairline cracks on the housing. And for some reason, the piston removal was ultra difficult.
- There was a small hairline on the cap, that is typical of the old style caps
- It has a super scratchy Medium nib. The tipping was ground into a foot, and as a result it was totally unusable. No ink flow on the upstroke. Side strokes dug into paper.
Basically, it was a pretty typical eBay stab in the dark. But after about an hour of figuring out on how to punch out the piston without destroying the barrel, nor damaging the cracked piston housing further, I immediately got cracking:
The plan of attack.
Clean up and soak, off they go into the bath.
The piston grip, the barrel, the finial and the cap re-polished. The furniture were gently wiped with a silver cloth.
The cracks on the housing are welded, the spindle and piston had been lubed with pure silicone grease before reassembled. The seal was still good as new. Great.
Surprisingly short piston stroke.
Cap hairline crack being “stabilised”, then repolished.
Typical cap hairline found on most vintage 120/140/400/derivatives Pelikan, caused by the shrunken celluloid over the cap metal sleeve during the last sixty years. After being “stabilised” it’s barely visible now.
Plus two hours of nib grinding. Alrighty, *drum rolls* please…
Tadaaa! I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did the job. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Pens and Sensibility 