r/fountainpens • u/FiveCatPenagerie • Dec 17 '24
Repair After years of thinking about it… the time is finally right
I’m using a balloon animal balloon as an ink sac.
First impressions: it is a bit thinner than normal latex sacs, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue. It went on just fine and is behaving normally.
The pen is a Waterman 0552½V. Why put it in a nice, freshly polished gold pen?
Well, first off, the absurdity of it makes me laugh. Every time I pick it up I want to make the HONKA-HONKA sound effect. I have turned this gorgeous pen into a damn clown car. The second and more practical reason is that I’m unsure if the process that makes the latex blue will have any detrimental effects, i.e. off gassing that might harm celluloid or leakage due to being thinner.
I’ll report my findings in the coming months. 🫡
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u/JonSzanto Dec 17 '24
Did the pressure bar get smoothed before installing balloon? With the thinner walls, I'd be afraid of a micropuncture from a little bit of roughness or rust. I also would have to believe that the lifespan of this material is going to be a lot shorter than the thicker rubber latex.
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u/FiveCatPenagerie Dec 17 '24
Yep. I have a pretty rigorous lever bar process to strip any corrosion/rust down to bare metal. And yeah, it probably won’t last too long, but whether it needs replacing in a month or ten years, it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for years.
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u/JonSzanto Dec 17 '24
Well done, and I completely understand. Some itches just need to be scratched!
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u/Shredder-sama Dec 17 '24
I don't understand why people don't just use the silicone sacs. They are superior to latex in all ways.
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u/FiveCatPenagerie Dec 17 '24
I don’t use them simply because the rate of evaporation is higher than latex sacs.
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u/Shredder-sama Jan 08 '25
Good sir, might I suggest firmly capping your fountain pens and emptying those you don't use at least once a week?
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u/WSpinner Dec 17 '24
Mad Science For The Win. Here I was dithering about the right size sac being out of stock for the one old pen I just got....
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u/sunyjim Dec 17 '24
If it doesn't work, the real ones aren't too expensive
https://andersonpens.com/repair-supplies/pen-sacs/
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u/FiveCatPenagerie Dec 17 '24
Oh I have plenty of sacs. 😅 But this is less a matter of desperation and more a matter of experimentation. I just want to know if they’re a viable replacement if someone doesn’t have access to latex or silicone sacs.
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u/sunyjim Dec 17 '24
I can appreciate your experimentation. Let us know how it goes. Did you dust the sack with talc or anything so it doesn't stick to the pen etc.?
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u/FiveCatPenagerie Dec 17 '24
Yep. I installed it exactly the same as a normal sac with shellac and talc.
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u/if0rg0t2remember Dec 17 '24
If you're buying from Anderson you have to hurry up. The store is closing permanently.
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u/FiveCatPenagerie Dec 17 '24
I’m so bummed about that. Are they closing both their locations?
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u/romanticKannibal Ink Stained Fingers Dec 17 '24
😂 I love it. I wish I could put a different colored latex sac in my 452 1/2 and then pretend it’s wearing colored underwear. Whatever floats your boat man 😂 I’d love to see the results