Wasp clipper fountain pen re-sac: easy

W.A. Shaeffer Pen Company

w.a.s.p.

clipper fountain pen with a #4 nib.

this pen was my great grandfather's and the sac had petrified.

before i begin, i must express how easy it is to re-sac a lever fountain pen that is already in a respectable condition. i strongly recommend any owner of a fountain pen with a petrified sac to re-sac their pen and get it back in order. after all tools need to be used.

this is a simple outline of the steps i took:

1. never try to work the lever if the sac is petrified. to test how the nib worked, i first took the pen and dipped in ink for a few seconds.

2. the nib seemed to be in good visual and functional order so i went on cleaning. i separated the parts of the pen: removed the hardened sac that was stuck to the walls of the barrel then soaked in water. i was patient with soaking, flushing with water. 

3. when all traces of ink and the old sac were gone from inside the barrel, i let dry and then prepared for the new bladder.

clipper fountain pen with the last remaining petrified sac still on the section.

 4. after the pen parts were dry i removed the final traces of old sac that was adhered to the 

section's sac coupler. after removing the old sac i took a soft core nail buffer to the coupler.

clipper fountain pen with all the petrified sac removed

 5. i have a number of pens to re-sac, so i purchased a couple sizes of sacs and shellac from Richards pens.  Richards pens also has some very good how to's on re-sacing fountain pens. 

there are a few other good options for online stores too. i purchased from Richard's out of appreciation for their tutorials and other generous website information.

the sacs come long so i fitted in the barrel, subtracted jut over another 1/8" and cut it straight.

the bladders are quite flexible and easy to stretch over the section's sac coupler. 

i applied shellac to the coupler, fitted the sac and then put one more fine bead around the outer seam.

clipper fountain pen with a new bladder. above the re-sac section is the amount i had to cut off.

 6. it is recommended to let the shellac cure for 30 minutes, i had to go to work so i let it sit for much longer.

7. before reassembly i used the talc from one of the boys old bicycle tires and powdered the outside of the bladder.

clipper fountain pen assembled and ready for writing.

8. the pen drank the ink very easily and after a few hours of using there are no signs of leakage.

this was a very very simple process.