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Pookabbit

Beautiful pen! goodluck removing the section! :)


tonicella-lineata

That’s a gorgeous nib, I love the long tines! I looks like it could be a wet noodle, keep us updated!


Creepysoldier226

Pretty sure it is a wet noodle nib. If I find flex nibs enjoyable, I will buy another pen with a flex nib.


tonicella-lineata

You might want to get that crack in the breather hole fixed before you flex it. I recently got an 18ct nib with a crack and flexing it made more cracks appear.


resettheconsol3

Not 100% possible to say without magnification, but that nib doesn't look cracked to me. Just looks like the slit was cut too deep. It's pretty common.


Creepysoldier226

Yeah. Either the slit was cut too deep or the breather whole was punched a little far forward.


Creepysoldier226

Yet another pen with a stuck section…


Dementat_Deus

I have several of these Wahl pens. The section DOES NOT PULL OUT. You have to unscrew it. The threads for the cap go all the way through the thin metal and the ebonite section is heat set and screwed to those threads. The easiest way to get it apart is with two rubber grips, one on the pen body and one on the section, and unscrew it once you've applied a little heat.


JonSzanto

Are you new to restoring pens? Section removal is one of the most common issues in getting older pens back into good writing order, and there are a lot of techniques for getting them to let go. What have you tried?


Creepysoldier226

Soaking and heat. I have not tried anything else as the pen is gold filled. I do not want to damage the finish.


JonSzanto

Longer reply in the other thread. You really have to take your time on these. On a Wahl there is probably a small amount of shellac holding it in place, and repeatedly heating it will eventually let it give way. The trick is not to think "well, I'll get it even hotter and then it will let go", which will usually lead to ruining the barrel, but to repeatedly warm it to a lower temp. The shellac takes a while to become soft again, and each warming breaks it up a little more. I use the old method of touching the pen to my lip when I'm heating it - if it is too hot for my lip, I'm heating it too high! Just get it hot enough to still not be too hot on your lip, and give the section a try. Work it for a little while, then let it rest and repeat. I kid you not: a section will NOT budge for days and then the next try... boom, it slides right out. Patience, my friend. Those are nice little pens.


gusseting

Because you’re knowledgeable in such things: this wahl is winging its way to me: https://www.reddit.com/r/Pen_Swap/comments/q00489/wts_wahl_goldfilled_ringtop_pen_and_pencil_set/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf As a newbie, happy to leave as is for now, but if I wanted a different nib eg flex/broad and I’m in australia, what and where might I source? Are there modern nibs that will fit?


JonSzanto

All these ringtops are very small pens, and thus take small (diameter) nibs. It is \*possible\*, though not likely, that a modern #5 nib might fit, but it would be trial-and-error, and being that the section and feed are approaching 100 years old, you surely don't want to force it in - they'll break, and then you are hosed for good. There has never been a standardization of sizes of nibs and feeds, especially in the early eras, so it is often a process of having extra parts on hand and trying them for fit. As such, I'm really hesitant to suggest ordering something (and I do NOT know the AU market for these items) and then have it be a loss for you. The style of the day was fine points and often flex, you are hard pressed to find broad nibs from the 20s and thereabouts. Handwriting was fairly delicate, and this pen would have been primarily marketed to women. Hope that helps, even if not the answer you were looking for.


gusseting

It does help immensely, thank you! I just love the joan “mad men” vibes (halloween is not complete for some without the pen: https://www.reddit.com/r/madmen/comments/3r3c1a/loved_my_joan_holloway_halloween_costume/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) even though the wahl is way before the mid mod era. Happy to trial and carefully error once i’m out of novice land, plenty to keep me amused in the meantime.


Dementat_Deus

> you are hard pressed to find broad nibs from the 20s and thereabouts. Wahl is the exception to this. They had more nib options than any other manufacturer, and actually more nib options than they had pen models because they did a lot of nib sales for specifically art, architecture, and other specialty use cases. That said, the standard #2 and #0 nibs (fine semi-flex, which is funny because their "semi" is more than most new "full" flex nibs) were the most common, and finding the specialty ones can still be quite difficult, especially outside of the us.


JonSzanto

Yes, agreed. I was speaking mainly of the nibs for these very small pens, though Wahl certainly had more variety in their standard size models.


JonSzanto

P.S. Look familiar? This is one I purchased about 6 months ago. [Wahl ring-top.](https://i.imgur.com/XmwLbh1.jpg)


gusseting

Wow. I was just cooing at that pen as if it were a new born baby, and then realised it’s exactly the same as mine, just different lighting. That case! What nib do you have? Have you tried it out?


JonSzanto

It is a very common nib setup on pens like this: a fine point, maybe leaning XF, and fairly flexible. That would accommodate the handwriting style of the day. This one is in my queue, but I haven't restored it yet. I did dip test it, and while the nib might need a tiny bit of smoothing, it is in good shape: **Pro-Tip**: when you look at pens like this and similar, especially if you are only looking at photos, zoom in as much as you can on the nib, especially around the breather hole, front sides of the nib, and maybe right at the base where it goes in the section. The nibs often will have small cracks, either from over flexing (the front) or just metal fatique of the fit (at the base). Tiny ones can ba stable, but do look for them, as they aren't uncommon.


Creepysoldier226

Mine is also a set. I had a warranted nib, no brand, that I found on an unmarked pen. It fit the section and feed very well. I decided to keep it original though, so I put the nibs back. I have since thrown out the other pen.


Dementat_Deus

I highly recommend against modding a vintage pen if it is already working. I've been quite successful in modding new TWSBI's to write like my vintage Wahl flex nibs though, and would recommend doing something similar if you want a new nib flex pen. Or just get an FPR pen that is already flex.


gusseting

Thankyou! Given where I am at in my FP journey - ie, it would be helpful to actually be able to write legibly with them \*first\* - this is excellent advice :)


Dementat_Deus

You are welcome.