Parker Sonnet hole in cap

[bobioden]

I have read in a few threads that the Parker Sonnet has a hole in the cap that when filled with wax will stop the pen from drying out.

 

I purchased a Parker Sonnet Cisele, with an 18k M nib and cannot for the life of me find a hole anywhere on the cap. Am I missing something?

 

I got the pen at a 50% closeout sale and paid $110. It has a very smooth nib, but tends to write a tab drier than I prefer. I will try the nib flossing technique and see if that helps at all.

 

Overall I love the look, weight, size and feel of the pen, and can see it becoming one of my favorites.

 

I just cannot find the hole..

 

Bob

 

Few pics of the pen.

 

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/bobioden/Sonnet3.jpg

 

 

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/bobioden/Sonnet1.jpg

 

 

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/bobioden/Sonnet2.jpg

[helius]

Have you tried blowing into the cap and basically feeling for it with your hands?

 

Or perhaps blowing into the cap with the it partially submerged into a clear glass filled with water?

 

Just something to play around with until one of the experts weigh in.

[JohnS-MI]

There are some channels cut under the cap jewel, and there appears to be a hole under there somewhere. Also the clip is seated in a somewhat oversize slot (under the clip) that passes air.

 

Blow through it, then repeat after you wax. You'll know how well you closed it up.

[Richard]

DO NOT TRY TO SEAL A SONNET CAP WITH WAX OR ANY OTHER SEALANT!

 

There. Is that loud enough?

 

The Sonnet has a plastic inner cap that is riveted into the cap. The cap passes air around the inner cap and through the slots surrounding the jewel so that the pen won't hork up a drop of ink on you when you rip the cap off in a hurry. If you seal the cap with wax, you prevent this shirt-saving design from doing its job.

 

If the pen was assembled correctly, the inner cap is undamaged and will seal just the way it should. But I've seen several Sonnets that were put together carelessly such that the rivet cracked the inner cap. Instant dryout, and also a manufacturing defect repairable under warranty. Instead of trying to fix the problem at the expense of ruining your shirts, make Parker replace the cap with one that isn't defective.

[bobioden]

Thanks Richard for the excellent information.

 

Bob

[Armchop]

:meow:

Yep. Go with Richard. don't know where you got your info but I've been using two sonnets for about 7 years and they've never been a problem with drying out. Also the actual whole cap is airtight I've found.

Armchop

[superfly]

ahem... I sealed my Parker Frontier's cap with beeswax... At the very top of the cap there is a circular chromed circle, and around it there is the breathing hole. I felt there is a need for that after some dry/water tap cycles on the pen. Since than, there is no drying out.

 

so, is the cap design of the Frontier similar to the one on the Sonet's?? If it is, I will try to remove the wax...

 

 

doh, you live and learn.

 

 

cheers,

Nenad

[Richard]

Nenad, as I said, you can stop the dryout of a defective cap by sealing it, but you also prevent the cap from working as it should -- you're risking a drop of ink on your shirt when you uncap the pen.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

The only use for beeswax in caps is to keep the bolt that keeps the cap together from corroding, but that is only done if there is not supposed to be a breather hole there and if the bolt is made of brass. That is a careful operation though, so I don't recommend that you do it. The wax needs to be thin enough not to interfere with the nib, and it is done to isolate the brass bolt. Any breather holes that are supposed to be there should not be covered, they are neccessary.

 

Dillon

[superfly]

When I first saw the post about covering the breather holes in the cap I thought it was a neat idea. Someone said the holes were there to prevent choking in case if swallowed. I examined all my other pens and I discovered some had a cap that I can "breathe" through, and some don't, for example my Pelikans and my Rotrings. So I decided it would help the drying problem in the Frontier if I seal the cap.

 

No one mentioned any ill effects from the cap sealing, and I though that since Pelikan didn't bothered to pierce the cap, there is no need for that. But, I didn't stop to examine the cap's closing mechanism that is screw type on the Pelikans, and that no negative pressure is created inside the cap...

 

 

I have another Frontier with the cap hole still open, so I will compare the drying times between them, which I think it was my problem in the first place, since I didn't wrote with the pen as often as I should have...

 

Now, I should figure out the way to remove the wax from the hole. I have put it in by rubbing small chunk over the hole, and heating the cap with a hair dryer, until the wax melted. Maybe the other way around will work. Or, I can try heating some water, at 50-60C degrees, and chunk the cap in... I think that would be the safe temperature for the cap's inside plastic...

 

Anyway, thanx for the advice, Richard and Dillon.

 

cheers,

Nenad