1St Vac-Fill - Any Advice, Tips?

[chromantic]

Any advice/tips for 1st-time Vac-fill owner? Care and feeding, inks to avoid, etc.

[stacyhills]

Avoid Noodler's.

 

Grease your filler rod twice a year with silicone grease.

 

Don't try to take it apart for cleaning or lubing. It's not meant to be disassembled except for full service refurbishment of the filler. Don't soak the section - for example, nib down in a glass of water. The section is ebonite and soaking will turn it brown. There's no need anyway but some insist on doing it.

 

Enjoy.

[Freddy]

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Edited December 14, 2019 by Freddy

[Karmachanic]

Avoid Noodler's.

 

Grease your filler rod twice a year with silicone grease.

 

Don't try to take it apart for cleaning or lubing. It's not meant to be disassembled except for full service refurbishment of the filler. Don't soak the section - for example, nib down in a glass of water. The section is ebonite and soaking will turn it brown. There's no need anyway but some insist on doing it.

 

Enjoy.

????? There are several vac fillers on the market. Which one is Ebonite?

 

Vac fillers tend to be difficult to clean, so I'd stick to one ink. Or at least refrain from serial colour changes.

[silverlifter]

Don't soak the section - for example, nib down in a glass of water. The section is ebonite and soaking will turn it brown. There's no need anyway but some insist on doing it.

 

I'd be curious to know which Sheaffer Vac-fillers have ebonite sections as well.

 

Gerry Berg recommends the following cleaning/maintenance routine (every fourth filling):

 

1. Empty the pen of ink
2. Fill the pen with cold water several times. Work the plunger back and forth to flush dried ink from the nib and barrel
3. After filling with water, place the pen nib down in a glass of enough water to cover the nib completely. Soak for a couple of hours.
4. Empty the pen and let it dry.
5. Place a small amount of silicone grease on the rod.
6. Fill with ink.

[Karmachanic]

Current Vac fillers include: Pilot 823, Visconti, TWSBI 700, PenBBS 456 and 355, and Wing Sung 699

[chromantic]

Thanks for all the advice, especially Berg's instructions from Silverlifter. In reading up on how they work, I imagined they'd flush almost as easily as a piston filler, although now I think of it I guess there's no "forcing out" like on a piston and it more "drawing in" and "draining out". Is pen flush ok to use or should I stick with plain water?

 

I'm waiting on a black 1948 Tuckaway Valiant, should be here Wednesday.

[tonybelding]

Avoid Noodler's.

?????

[FredRydr]

...Vac fillers tend to be difficult to clean....

 

I don't find that to be the case. I find some inks are a challenge to clean from any pen. Plunger-fillers such as Sheaffer's Vac-Fill create more turbulence than any filling system, which promotes more active flushing through the feed and into the barrel. I reach a "clear flush" with plunger fillers faster than any other filling system in pens I've had (except for a Conid bulk-filler). YMMV

[Maccabeus]

Avoid Noodler's.

 

Nonsense.

The topic of alleged damage from Noodler's inks has been beaten to death (and then some) with no conclusive evidence that points to Noodler's inks generally being any more dangerous/damaging than any other ink.

I've used Noodler's inks in lever-fillers, vac-fillers, piston-fillers, and eyedroppers for years with no ill effects at all.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Maccabeus