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I'm curious to know if anyone has had experience with using an iron gall ink such as R&K Scabiosa/Salix, KWZ, or Hero 232 in a vintage Parker Vacumatic with the transparent rings in the barrel. Does an iron gall ink stain or will the standard vinegar solution remove any residue that might accumulate in the barrel? Thanks, Cliff

I’ve successfully stripped down about 4 Parker Vacumatics and 2 Parker 51 Vacs over the past 2 years to replace the diaphragms and found the process very straightforward using tools purchased from Laurence at penpractice.com. However, I recently bought a beautiful Duofold Senior Vacumatic in Blue Pearl Laidtone date coded 1943, needing a new diaphragm but unfortunately it has a plastic filler bush. I’ve tried warming the barrel gently (to make it less brittle) and gripping the bush with the Oldfield tool but the filler won’t budge. My hand grip on the barrel (using a soft rubber mat) was greater than the grip of the tool to the plastic bush threads. The tool thus slipped a little and has left light scores on the bush threads. I’m worried that if I apply more pressure on the threads I’ll completely destroy them, or possibly crack the barrel? Marshall & Oldfield in their book “Pen Repair” say that the plastic bushes are almost impossible to remove without damage to the threads and recommend drilling out the bush so it can be replaced with a metal one. This is the only written reference I’ve been able to find describing problems with the plastic bush and wondered if anyone can share their experiences? Is the plastic bush glued in or is it just difficult to grip it with the wrench? If I grip the bush tighter will it eventually release or damage the barrel. If I follow the Marshall / Oldfield recommendation of snapping out the plunger and then drilling the bush, will the remaining bits of the bush simply fall out or will I need to pass a thread tap through? I’m quite happy to fit a replacement unit containing a metal bush so long as I can remove the old one without damage to the barrel and would appreciate to hear from others who have come up against this problem.

I was planning to ask this earlier, but I got caught up in a ton of schoolwork. Anyhow, does a normal Parker Vacumatic flex this much? I got this pen from Redungo for 50$ due to conditions, but we can't figure out if it's a special flexible nib or just a regular Parker Vacumatic nib. (goes from fine to bold)

Dear Fountain Pen lovers, Please forgive me if my topic might appear out of place for many. I have started to collect recently Parker Vacumatic pens. As an impulse buy, I purchased a Parker Vacumatic Golden Pearl? with the date code 1942. I am not sure if it was worth a buy? It was pricey for my pockets. The pen is 134 mm capped. My niece was complaining about it being an obsolete piece of junk as it has to be restored. He said he would have purchased nice pair of shoes instead of a 120 dollars worth of junk. Can anyone please advise me. I am seriously thinking of returning the the pen after the protest from my family. Thank you so much. I really love the pen and the way it writes when dipped.

I am having a peculiar flow problem with my 1946 standard sized Parker Vacumatic. I picked this pen up several years ago on Ebay and got it fairly inexpensively because diaphragm needed replacing and the nib tines were slightly bent and looked as if someone had tried to straighten them. I started to work on the pen myself and then decided I did not even know what it was that I did not know about repairing a Vac and should, therefore, not make the attempt. I sent the pen off to a reputable repair facility and got back a beautifully restored and functioning Vacumatic with its beautifully straightened, fine point nib. The pen wrote wonderfully for about 3 months and then, one evening as I was making notes for the next day's activities, the left tine of the nib suddenly snapped off right above the tipping material. Obviously the bend and then straightening was too much for the gold tine. No doubt my lame, ignorant early efforts did not help things along in that department either. Saddened by this event, I put the pen away for almost a year until I happened upon a new, old stock 1946 Parker stub nib measuring right at .040" or about 1mm. I sent the pen off again with this nib and the same person set the nib for me. At that point, when the pen returned, I was never happy with its performance. Initially it would hesitate to start and would often make short little skips. At first I though it was "baby's bottom" or, perhaps an issue with tine spacing but I never seemed to get up the nerve to deal with it again and just left it in a pen case as something nice to look at. Recently, I have gathered new interest in this 1946 Vacumatic and began carefully toying with things one little step at a time trying to discern what is wrong. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that the pen needed more flow so using the method recommended by Richard Binder, I gently persuaded the tines apart just a bit more and the skipping and false starts pretty much went away but I am still plagued with a problem: When I start writing, the line from the pen is generally a bit wet with a nice saturated line but, as I write, the amount of ink flow diminishes. I tried spreading the tines a bit more and the overall flow did increase slightly more but I still get the gradual decrease in flow. That decrease, by the way, does not progress all the way to skipping but simply flattens eventually, leaving me with a pen that writes pretty nicely but on the dry, toothy side with just about any ink. I have tried about 4 inks including Waterman Serenity Blue, Parker Quink Permanent Black, Sailor Jentle Blue Black, and most recently, some really nice vintage Parker Quink Blue Black with Solv-X, circa 1947-48. Some inks are a bit wetter and others drier but they all do the same thing...starting somewhat wet and then drying down to a dry writing pen that produces an even, albeit anemic line. I now have a working theory that I would like to bounce off those of you in the forum with far more experience: My theory is based on the fact that this pen originally had a fine point nib and the feed was obviously meant for that nib. My decision to move to the stub really required a reworking of the feed so as to increase the supply of ink getting down to the nib itself. I say this because if I take the pen immediately after writing a full page with the nib writing somewhat dry and then cap it and set it aside in a cup, sitting nib-up for about 20 minutes or so, when I again try writing with the pen it is as wet as ever for about 3-5 lines and then begins the slow degradation in flow in spite of the fact that the tines' gap, in my opinion, is now excessively wide approaching .002", if not slightly more. Am I correct in the assumption that there is nothing wrong with the nib as it is apparent that capillary flow to the tip of the nib is taking place with the pen capped and at rest, even with the nib pointed up? This tends to tell me that the nib slit and tip are doing their job in the capillary flow department. The restriction must be taking place in the feed itself. Your thoughts? Cliff

Good day everyone! I picked up this Parker Vacumatic some time ago. It has some sort of engraving on its barrel. It appears to be someone autograph. I do not know if it is done by the person after buying it or if this is was a special order. Any idea what it could be?

A friend of mine has asked me if a few pens can be fixed. The first one is a Parker Vacumatic with a lockdown filler. It has a Canadian imprint. I had a look around and think it's a Standard Lockdown with a jewellers band on the cap, but it's not 14mm wide at it's widest point on the barrel, it's more like 12mm wide. Please can anyone identify the correct model and tell me what size vac tool I would need for the filler? Regular or Maxima? Also, does the lockdown filler have to be unlocked and in the out position before I start? When I flushed it with water it took in a little water and I was able to flush it, but it doesn't fill properly. I only get a few drops of water going into the barrel. The other thing is that it has flushed lot's of ink out but it's now soaking what looks like rusty water into a wad of kitchen towel. Will that mean it might need a new breather tube? If it's going to be too complicated I will give it back to her and say she needs to get it fixed by an expert. The main thing that concerns me is getting the old pellet out of the cup. I think I could manage the rest of the sac replacement. The only previous one I did was an ordinary 51 vac, and bought a complete new pump assembly. It's also missing a jewel on the filler cap. Should this be a jewel with some sort of a gold plated surround or just a black screw in jewel? Is it possible to find those as spares like Parker 51 jewels or is this version completely different? Pics:

I'm eyeing a Parker Vacumatic as a graduation present to myself. I plan to buy a restored one from ebay. Currently thinking about whether to get the golden brown or the emerald green version. Is the Vacumatic a pen that you guys carry around and use, or is it more of a museum piece for your display cabinet? How durable is it? And what should I do to take good care of a vacumatic, to keep it in a good condition? Is it okay to use Pelikan Edelstein inks with it? How about Rohrer & Klingner? How can I make sure the celluloid remains unstained? Thanks in advance for your answers!

I've had this Parker Vacumatic for several years. It was always a little toothy, nothing horrible though. Last month, I finally used a loupe. I should have done it ages ago, haha. http://i.imgur.com/5j9IaGIl.jpg Surprise! I think it's a fine, non-italic oblique. Did Parker offer this nib for the Vacumatic? If yes, how common are they? It seems like an easy grind to destroy. My eyes are pretty good and I thought I could spot obvious things like obliques. Apparently not. What if I'd smoothed this nib?

Can I have some help identifying this Vacumatic that I purchased? The prior owner was not exactly sure, and I am a newbie to Vacumatics. It is a great pen, and I plan to hold on to it. I just am curious about what it actually might be (year, model, etc) if someone could help. I have read the identifying literature on several internet sites, but it gets so confusing with all the variables and nomenclature. Any assistance would be appreciated. The only info not in the photos is that there is a "0" (zero) stamped on the pen barrel after the word "Vacumatic" and it appears to have a tail in the shape of an editor's caret in the five-o'clock position on the zero. Pictures below. And thanks. http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/capped_zpsfbk5a74g.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/uncapped_zpsreecxqjw.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/section_nib_zpstcogpk6g.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/cap_clip_zpsmynhpk31.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/capband_zpsxhbsrhvy.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/blindcap_zpschkuvsrf.jpg http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x231/larkin31/Parker%20Vacumatic/pump_button_zpshikt8nk6.jpg

Well, I dissembled it, have the right sac, have talc, and have Vacumatic lubricant. How do I measure where to trim the sac so it doesn't bang into the breather tube? The pen is standard size. The Pen Repair Book 2nd Ed recommends no more than 30 mm. Is there a way to measure that is pen specific particularly if I change out the breather tube? Thanks

Hi there, I was looking at this video: And I got amazed with the superb looking of the pen. How can we get this kind of finish? What kind of polishing products can produce that result, without damaging the pen? Cheers

So, I'm going to get my Parker Vacumatic back from restoration in the coming weeks, and I'd really like to ink it up with an amazing ink. The inks I currently own bottles of are: Parker Quink Blue-Black (the first bottle of ink I ever bought myself!) Private Reserve Ebony Purple Noodler's Army Green J. Herbin Rouge Hematite (this one's basically out of the running already, even though I love it) Diamine Asa Blue Diamine Amethyst Please keep in mind that I live in the deepest darkest depths of American Samoa. Though Goulet does ship here.

I have a question about this Vacumatic. Is the discoloration on the barrel due to celluloid rot? Should I use it or not? It's not been restored, but it has a near barrel and doesn't leak. I've not kept it with the other Vacumatics since I've heard that celluloid rot "catches". It just sits in my desk and I've wondered what to do with it... So– what do I do? Suggestions?

Is it possible for a Parker Vacumatic (the stripey kind with a partly translucent barrel for checking ink levels) to develop a leak right around the threads where the cap screws on? I'm persistently finding inkstains on my fingers where I grip the pen there even long after any ink from filling the pen should be gone and despite repeated wiping of that area. No photos; I've never been able to see a physical source for the leak, I just feel the ink on my skin, and in any case I'm not sure how well ink would show up against the mostly-black pen. And if leaks do happen there, is this fixable? I adore the way this pen writes and I would hate to have to relegate it to the pen-box just as a decorative object.