How To: Disassemble a Sailor fountain pen

Step-by-step instructions to help you disassemble a Sailor pen.

Best to reserve for repairs rather than general cleaning, as risk of damaging parts. Lay parts out in a line, so it's easier to put them back together in the correct order.

Dissasembly

1. Remove the cap and barrel
2. Hold metal section and unscrew outer grip anticlockwise
   (will hear glue release on first time)
3. Separate nib housing, section, decorative ring and converter
4. Slide outer grip off the nib unit
5. Pull nib and feed out of the nib unit
6. Unscrew metal part (middle) of converter to remove piston parts
7. Remove inner cap sleeve from cap using a slim pencil with elastic wrapped round end

To clean ink out from under a grip in a demonstrator (clear pen), instead of disassembling the pen every time, it can be better to soak/flush the parts with water or dilute ammonia (10% solution). The grip is pressed into the metal and not really designed for repeat disassembly. Also, even if you use a cartridge or fill the converter outside of the pen, once the pen is in use, ink can reappear under the grip within a day of use, so probably best to think of it has cosmetic, rather than a defect that needs to be fixed.

Reassembly

1. Align nib onto feed
2. Look inside nib unit housing for the raised bump that aligns with the feed
3. Insert nib & feed into nib unit housing (will make a clicking sound as feed goes in)
4. Push nib in to make sure it is fully inserted, check feed is square on nib
5. Check black o-ring is just under collar of the nib unit
6. Slide grip back onto nib housing
   (look for notches inside grip to match those on housing)
7. Insert decorative ring onto base of grip (flat surface towards nib)
8. Insert section into nib housing and turn section clockwise to screw in
9. Put silicone on piston head, insert in converter, push white plug in, screw metal sleeve/handle back in place
10. Screw barrel and lid back on