Oh no, oh no, oh no!

[SunnyMoni]

My new (to me- it's from the 1930's) fountain pen. The one I just had repaired. The one that was writing beautifully and smoothly. The one that I fell in love with. The one with beautiful colors and dainty little details that made all the difference.

I broke it.

Snapped the nib. I can't believe I did this. I knew it would happen. Just looking at it, in all it's glory, it was bound to happen. The worst part? I just got it back a few days ago from being repaired. I can't pay for yet another repair in such a short time. I feel silly.

I feel sick.

I've asked elsewhere on tips or suggestions to see if it's even fixable but here, I am just complaining. The thing just snapped. With a "crunch" a yucky, punch in the stomach crunch.

Either I repair it or hunt down a replacement nib.

Okay. I'm done. I'm sure it will all be okay.

[schin]

Ouch! I'm so sorry to hear that. Post a pic and let us see... maybe it is only a simple fix?

[Estefa]

Sorry to hear that!! I hope ypu find a replacement nib!

[Blotbot]

So sorry!  What is the brand?  Perhaps we have a replacement part in our collectve fountain pen graveyards.

[darrin1200]

Which brand and model is it? Can you show a picture of the damage?

You never know what someone migt have kicking around that migt help. I have collected a few parts pens that I hope to use,  to learn fountain pen repair. I'm not there yet, but one day.

[SunnyMoni]

Oh you are all so sweet! I will post all of the information you've asked for when I get back from my run this morning.

[SunnyMoni]

I can post this info now and upload pictures later. For some reason I can't upload pictures from my phone.

It's a Wahl Oxford fountain pen from the early 1930's. It has a "Wahl 3" nib on it though many of them have a Warranted nib.

Photos will be posted soon to show the nib separation.

[AAAndrew]

Was the nib flexible? Where you trying to flex it? Nibs breaking do happen, but not terribly common. If you're looking for a flexible nib for replacement, that's going to be a bit harder to get/more expensive than if you're just looking for a regular (i.e. non-flexible) nib.

[AndyT]

Most repairers will have a stockpile of spare nibs from pens which came in job lots but weren't worth salvaging.  I don't imagine you'll have too much trouble finding a replacement, and it's got to be worth doing for a pen as pretty as that Wahl when funds permit.

[SunnyMoni]

Was the nib flexible? Where you trying to flex it? Nibs breaking do happen, but not terribly common. If you're looking for a flexible nib for replacement, that's going to be a bit harder to get/more expensive than if you're just looking for a regular (i.e. non-flexible) nib.

It is/was somewhat flexible (I've seen it listed as flexible but it's really not super flexible.) which is why I got it initially. I've seen them for sale for around $50 for just the nib, another $50 for the feed. Yes, I was trying to flex it when it snapped. I was writing on an old writing desk with the leather section which was my main mistake.

[SunnyMoni]

Most repairers will have a stockpile of spare nibs from pens which came in job lots but weren't worth salvaging.  I don't imagine you'll have too much trouble finding a replacement, and it's got to be worth doing for a pen as pretty as that Wahl when funds permit.

It is gorgeous! It's just that at this point between initial cost, first repair, and this repair/replacement I'll have spent nearly $200 which I'm honestly not sure if it's even worth that amount so I don't know if I should be putting that much into it. I did get the repair quoted already.

[SunnyMoni]

Here's a side view of the the separation that occurred.

[Salman Khattak]

It looks like it is not the tines that are sprung but the nib is bent at the shank. This should be quite fixable.

If the nib is indeed bent at the shank, it must have been flexed very forcefully. This nib is probably not flexible if that much force can be transferred that far back. It is important to understand that not all vintage nibs are flexible - even if they match the shape of very flexible nibs and made from 14k gold.

[AAAndrew]

The key question is, is the nib cracked, and they often crack at the base right where the nib disappears into the section (the part of the pen that holds the nib and the feed, which is the black thing right under the nib). Sometimes you can't see the crack, but if the nib is moveable with little pressure, it's probably cracked near it's base. If it doesn't move easily, then it may be bent, but that's less common because the curvature of the nib does a pretty good job of preventing that.

Again, fixable, but not really worth it for a pen of this caliber or this common. Replacement would be best if you still want to salvage your investment.

And, sorry to say, it was most likely it was cracked because of undue pressure put on the nib to try and flex it. Sorry. Wish my news was better.

[AndyT]

You said it snapped, Monica - did it give way suddenly?  Looking at your picture it seems to be bent, but I can't imagine that it would be possible to bend a sound 14k gold nib like that without really putting some effort into it.  So my guess would be a nib which was already weakened at that point, perhaps by sitting uncleaned for years with acidic ink residue trapped in the feed.  Unfortunate, that: a bend would be easy to reverse, but if the metal is corroded and torn a repair would definitely be a job for a specialist.

Have you tried pulling the nib and feed out?  Obviously it's something to do cautiously: no pliers!  Applying a little heat in a judicious manner with a hairdryer can help.  If you can get the nib out at least you'll have a better idea whether it would be economic to fix, or if it's a case of looking for a replacement.  Fitting a different nib and re-setting the feed isn't that bad a job to do yourself.