Blobby "51" -- Pen, Ink, Or Me?

[Djehuty]

My Parker "51" has decided that occasionally depositing a blob of ink on the page or in the cap is highly amusing, and should be done at random inconvenient moments. I had it repaired once, after the sac tore loose, by the folks at Indy Pen Dance, and while I trust their repair it's always possible something new has arisen. I have it filled with Organics Studio Blue Merle ink, and while I have no reason to suspect this ink of being anything but well-behaved, some pen-and-ink combos are problematic. And finally, there's every chance I messed something up. Two ways it could be my fault come to mind: 1) I've left the ink in the pen for rather a long while. It still flows well, but it's possible there were little obstructions and the blobs occur when one suddenly clears. 2) I dropped the pen twice -- both times only from a side table to a carpeted floor, but it was enough to get a drop of ink into the cap, and for all I know that might mess up the current fill.

 

So what seems most likely? Something wrong in the pen? Incompatible ink? Or is it me?

 

I'm really hoping it's not the ink. I love this color ink in this pen. It's almost precisely the shade of the Blue Cedar barrel.

 

[corgicoupe]

Try some Pelikan 4001 ink to eliminate that as the problem.

[deepak23]

Try some Pelikan 4001 ink to eliminate that as the problem.

Exactly my advice.

 

Have a 51 that used to blob and gush with Sailor Murai. Changed to 4001 Turq - now writes wonderfully

[Ron Z]

What version 51?

 

The ink is rarely the problem, and won't be if the pen is properly restored and the feed set as it should be - especially on a 51.

[ac12]

CLEAN the pen and reink with a different ink.

[jmnav]

Probably ink residues within the little fins of the feed.

 

I own a late model 21 (the one that is basically a 51, only poliestyrene instead of Lucite, and "octanium" nib instead of gold) that used to show the same symptoms. I had it ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted by an expert and now it works like a charm (it belonged to my passed away grandfather, so I considered it deserving the -not so expensive, investment despite being a "cheap" pen).

Edited May 27, 2017 by jmnav

[mitto]

May be the breather tube needs to be replaced.

[Flounder]

On the principle of suspecting the most awkward, difficult to trace issue as the problem rather than the usual suspects, perhaps the 'sack torn loose' problem was part of a connector crack issue, allowing just enough air into the sac with each flex of the crack to get the ink to blob out once in a while.

 

editted to add - no, it's not normal behaviour for a 51.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Flounder

[pajaro]

Cedar Blue would be a vacumatic 51. I had a problem with a vac 51 of a crack causing something like this. I believe RonZ's suggestion of a restoration should reveal the cause.

[mitto]

+1 for the restoration idea.

[farmersmums]

If I were experiencing your issue, my first step would be to flush/re-ink and try again with a different ink, as others have said. If that failed, I would take off the hood and clean out the collector/breather tube, then re-ink and try again. Third step would be to send it off for a complete overhaul; since you mentioned it's already been done, though, I doubt the diaphragm is the issue. Just my two cents.