Sheaffer Vac-Fil Issues

[Apete06]

Hi everyone!

I have a Sheaffer triumph Tuckaway vac-fil I got for cheap on eBay, and I'm having some issue with it. It wasn't filling right, so I sent it off for repair, but when it came back, the pen still wasn't taking ink. While trying to determine the issue, I noticed the pen did not create a vacuum on the downstroke and instead, filled like a syringe on the upstroke. While test filling with water, I noticed bubbles emanating from the screw post for the blind cap. I found the leak, reported it to the folks who repaired my pen, sent for them to address, had it returned, and I still have the bubbles and no vacuum. I'm really frustrated, as I can SEE the air leak! Is there anything I can do to seal this leak? I've never done any repairs to a vintage before, so if its something I can done relatively easily, I'm all for trying. If not, I'm emailing Main Street Pens. Anybody have some suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

Oh, and here is a pic of where the bubbles come out.

[Ron Z]

I do see this from time to time, and it often doesn't appear until AFTER the pen has been put back into use for a while. On the early plunger fillers, the war time short section pens in particular, the packing unit comes loose. Not loose enough to come out easily, but loose enough that it leaks between the barrel and the packing unit. It can also happen if the packing unit was removed and then shellaced into the barrel.

 

 

Now you do know that a Tucky doesn't hold a heck of a lot of ink, maybe half full at best. That's because the stroke is so short it doesn't develop a lot of vacuum, so can't pull a lot in. But still, one should test it and watch as it's filled with water - I put a light behind the barrel as I test it. Then I immerse the nib in the water and cycle the plunger multiple times. If it doesn't pull in water, or if anything comes out the back end, it isn't repaired. I'm surprised though that it wasn't corrected when the pen was restored, and then returned after warranty repair. The first time around sure - we all make mistakes and miss things. That's why we have a warranty.

 

Thre are two or three different approaches to repairing the pen. It may involve removing the packing unit, and may involve removing the nib, or both. It may be relatively easy to do, worst case would involve replacing the packing unit. Anything beyond that without seeing the pen would be a guess.

[Apete06]

I knew you'd have info Ron! Having had A few Tucky's, I'm pretty familiar with how much they fill. When I hold this one up to the light and try to fill with Sheaffer Black ink, an ink you can easily see in the pen, I get nothing. I can even feel (or should I say, not feel) the lack of vacuum. And then there are the bubbles. Sounds like I'll be seeking your services for this repair job. I'll stick with the professionals instead of trying this one on my own!

 

Thanks!

[julikko]

Would it be possible to fix this by putting a very small amount of (diluted?) shellac around the top of the packing unit? Or, otherwise, taking the pen apart, remove the packing unit and glue it back with shellac?

Thre are two or three different approaches to repairing the pen. It may involve removing the packing unit, and may involve removing the nib, or both. It may be relatively easy to do, worst case would involve replacing the packing unit. Anything beyond that without seeing the pen would be a guess.

[Indy_Pen_Dance]

Would it be possible to fix this by putting a very small amount of (diluted?) shellac around the top of the packing unit? Or, otherwise, taking the pen apart, remove the packing unit and glue it back with shellac?

 

The joint between these two pieces are a chemically sealed joint. Shellac, if it was to seal the leak would fail in a short time. This could also cause problems with the blind cap screwing in correctly. As always it is best to do thing correctly rather than try and rig a temporary fix that will cause your more problems and most likely more money down the road.

[FarmBoy]

Do we know for sure these end packing units were solvent welded in place? I've seen enough that appeared to be friction fit. I suppose the worst solvent welds ever are a possibility.

[Ron Z]

The early ones may not have been, but I'm comfortable saying that the later ones were solvent welded. Sheaffer's instructions were to drill out the worn out packing unit and replace it. They didn't intend for them to be repaired. Once in a blue moon you encounter a packing unit that is loose, but others simply do not budge. At all. Ever.

 

re. using shellac. Even diluted it doesn't wick into where it needs to go. If you haven't removed the rod and head gasket, you could very well shellac them to the barrel wall, so you need to remove the nib. May as well do it right.

[WayTooManyHobbies]

I don't think you can go wrong sending it to Ron for repair.

[Paul Raposo]

This is a great thread; thank you to everyone who has participated.

 

I have a chance to buy a Tuckaway pen/pencil set, but I'm holding off simply because the repair worries me. I still don't fully understand how the repair should proceed, and I haven't found any videos that would help explain the work.

 

In any case, a very informative thread. Thank you for jumping in, Ron

[Scriver]

I don't think you can go wrong sending it to Ron for repair.

+1 on that. Ron did a beautiful job for me repariing a nice, fat vac-filler that another restorer had tried and failed to fix. Ron did a truly remarkable job. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

[deansellers]

The early ones may not have been, but I'm comfortable saying that the later ones were solvent welded. Sheaffer's instructions were to drill out the worn out packing unit and replace it. They didn't intend for them to be repaired. Once in a blue moon you encounter a packing unit that is loose, but others simply do not budge. At all. Ever.

 

re. using shellac. Even diluted it doesn't wick into where it needs to go. If you haven't removed the rod and head gasket, you could very well shellac them to the barrel wall, so you need to remove the nib. May as well do it right.

So - if one does encounter a loose packing unit, what is the best way to re-secure it? If it's loose enough to slide out of the barrel will there be enough contact with the barrel for a solvent weld?

[georges zaslavsky]

send your pen to ron zorn, so you will have a fully functional and good condition working vac fill

[ashbridg]

I still don't fully understand how the repair should proceed, and I haven't found any videos that would help explain the work.

 

Hi Paul,

Nathan Tardif, Noodler's founder, made a video that describes the process:

The Vac-Fil restoration starts at around the 13:00 minute mark.

Note that Nathan uses old-fashioned repair techniques. He's the kind of guy who, when he wants to start a fire, he rubs two sticks together. Nathan is amazing to watch, but don't try his method at home (do it at Ron Zorn's house).