What is on your bench?

[VacNut]

9 hours ago, eckiethump said:

Is the nib an original Danish one, slightly sad seeing a Maxima altered in such a way.

"The collar is sized for an OS Filler, which is unusual for a Max"

Is this the collar to take the smaller nib in the section ?

"The blind cap has been tapped for the larger threaded collar"

Any chance of a photo of this at the barrel end, my minds eye, says that a long tailed pressure bar would be required to go beyond the vac diaphragm seating ?

Eric

Although I own this pen, I have to remind myself on the utilitarian nature of it, and that it has a history prior to my ownership.

The Date Code is “8” and arrived from the EU. The pen has been used, so perhaps a creative pen technician, made use of available parts during or after the war to make the pen functional. In my opinion, the retrofit(?) was from a skilled tradesman using what was a available.

 

The section threads have been shortened, which I assume was to accommodate the length of the push-bar (made in the UK). The end of the feed has been tapered and shortened such that ink flows down the feed channel. The typical feed channel would not have worked with a sack. A small ebonite collar was fitted to the back of the section for the sack, and to allow the ink to flow down the channel.
 

I suspect the end cap was tapped and re-threaded for the threaded collar of the push button. A Vac Max Cap is usually threaded for a speedline or plastic filler. This cap will accommodate a OS Collar.( I test fitted the cap onto a OS Collar, and the threads align and screws in tightly.). I posted pics of a typical end cap for a speedline filler.

 

I haven’t been able to free the threaded collar on the barrel. It doesn’t look like it was adhered, but dry heat and a Vac wrench yields little results. I am going to soak the end in Naphtha to see if it can be loosened. I will try water later on in case dry ink is keeping the collar in place. I don’t think it was epoxied as the replacement parts pre-date epoxy. I may try the freezer method of the soaking yields no results.

The nib is too small for the pen. It has a crown with a cross and a 14K imprint.

 

I fitted a replacement nib and feed onto the section. It screws on tightly to the barrel even with the shortened threads. I am not sure if a pen with the “Made in the USA” imprint and the Olsen Logo should have an American Vac Nib.

 

I hope they did not drill out the taper for diaphragm. It they did, the pen would be a loss, and I may just keep it as-is to retain the history - rather than part it out. In many ways “unpacking” the history of this pen is more interesting than restoring a typical pen.

 

[eckiethump]

Thank you for further details.

That is an awful lot of work to go to, assuming the required diaphragm sac was not available, to a pen that could just as easily be used as an eyedropper. Maybe went through a couple of hands of ownership, the first taking the nib for the gold content ? Eventual competent owner making it an easier to use pen, than an eyedropper ?

A sacrificial barrel end could be adapted to rebuild the vac seating, if it has been bored out. This would be an easier adaptation to re-instate the suitable blind cap threads, it would require lathe work, but not too technically demanding and any sacrificial barrel end would do. It would need to be adapted also to suit the altered blind cap, probably involving a sacrificial blind cap being adapted. This is quite a bit of delicate work to go through, you'd really have to care about the pen to do, it would if I was the owner, be in my "to do" box, which is over flowing 😞

Obviously all of the above is to fit a vacumatic filler that I have not mentioned.

et

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by eckiethump
To add about filler

[VacNut]

Happy holidays. The time off let me catch up on the “to do” bin. 
(3)Canadian Black OS with wonderful 2-tone nibs. I have to send one of the nibs out for straightening and re-tipping. The barrels were a mess, but I managed to clean two of the barrels to a decent transparency. The staining on the third pen was just too ingrained to remove. The kohinoor ink removal solution typically works, but it had little after this time.

The pen on the left is an Italian Williamson Pen. Some would same it was a knock-off, but the quality of the celluloid is just as good as the OS. The balance, weight, and heft of the pen is on par with the Vac. A button filler with a push bar, it lacks the transparency of the Vac. It has the best monogram I have seen on a pen. It is classy, trendy, and smart. It is slightly more robust than the OS in diameter.
A Tan or Buckskin 51 rounds out the pack. Slight staining on the hood, but it is clean otherwise. No complaints on the pen.

 

 

[bunnspecial]

1 hour ago, VacNut said:

The barrels were a mess, but I managed to clean two of the barrels to a decent transparency. The staining on the third pen was just too ingrained to remove. The kohinoor ink removal solution typically works, but it had little after this time.

 

Can I guess you've had decent luck(and presumably no downside) to getting some level of transparency back using this?

 

I generally just drop the barrel in the sonicator with soapy water for a 3 or 5 minute cycle and I'm usually rewarded with darker water and a somewhat clearer barrel. I've had some with no perceptible transparency move to "I can see it if I hold it up to the light". With that said, I will certainly give that a try if it means at least getting some clarity back.

 

I know I'm not likely going to take a dark barrel and end up with something water clear, but it would be nice on a user grade pen to go from low transparency to at least "I have some idea of how much ink is here".

[VacNut]

12 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

 

Can I guess you've had decent luck(and presumably no downside) to getting some level of transparency back using this?

 

I generally just drop the barrel in the sonicator with soapy water for a 3 or 5 minute cycle and I'm usually rewarded with darker water and a somewhat clearer barrel. I've had some with no perceptible transparency move to "I can see it if I hold it up to the light". With that said, I will certainly give that a try if it means at least getting some clarity back.

 

I know I'm not likely going to take a dark barrel and end up with something water clear, but it would be nice on a user grade pen to go from low transparency to at least "I have some idea of how much ink is here".

My preference is to avoid the ultra sonic cleaner. I typically use a cotton swab with the ink cleaner solution. It is more laborious but it gets the job done. If needed I find soaking the parts in the solution also helps. 
The ultra sonic cleaner may be useful, but I have been told it may accentuate minor cracks in the celluloid to the point of fracturing the barrel. (I bought a beautifully repaired Emerald OS Barrel that cracked while in the cleaner. The barrel was NOS.) I have also read that it is less hazardous using a small basket in the cleaner rather than simply dropping the entire pen into the cleaner

[VacNut]

Catching up on the pen storage bins over the holidays. These pens didn’t need much work other than the typical disassembly and cleaning. I hope I have a more time to clean a few more pens. 

 

A wonderful Brown Vacumatic this week with the typical 9ct wide gold band. This pen has been on the bucket list for a while. The trim is in good condition with slight brassing on the clip. An English gold nib in a Canadian Pen. I am not clear if the nib is a replacement or original to the pen.

 

An Emerald Standard Vacumatic with a 9ct wide gold band. Typical ambering of the barrel. Two-tone Vac Nib. Crisp imprint on a Canadian Pen.

 

Burgundy Standard Vacumatic with wonderful color and transparency, but a weak imprint. Two-tone Vac Nib in a striated burgundy section. The barrel really cleaned up nicely to reveal the transparency.

 

Burgundy Standard Vacumatic with a darker color and legible imprint. A 27 imprint date and a gold Parker nib on a Canadian Pen.

 

An Italian Tecilla Extra Celluloid Pen. Push Button filler with sharp imprints and a very deco style end cap/jewel. The celluloid is similar to a Vac Shadow Wave but the celluloid is not transparent. A steel nib on a beautiful larger pen, equal in size to a Vac OS. I couldn’t find much information on the pen or the company, but it looks wonderful next to a Vac.  I will need to keep an eye out for more of these Italian beauties.

 

 

[Nethermark]

Great pens VacNut! The light burgundy looks especialy stunning

[VacNut]

Two Burgundy Vacumatic OS and a Brown Shadow Wave.

The OS are Canadian with two-tone Canadian nibs. I believe one has an italic nib. The other has a stub nib. Good clarity on both pens, but one has more crisp imprints.

I like the look of the Brown Shadow Wave. It isn’t the most popular pen and some would disparage the pen for the Owner’s name. I do not find it detracting. Simple gold tone nib with legible imprints. I started working on the pen a few months ago, and I think the nib, clip and clip jewel are a replacement, but I cannot remember.

Typical cleaning on all the pens. The Filler on both Burgundy OS had to be re-built.

 

 

 

[VacNut]

If we really consider why we follow this hobby and all the effort we devote to this pursuit, none of it really makes any sense; but the effort that was invested into this Black OS Vac defy reason.

 

A fellow hobbyist and I have a continual debate about whether or not every pen should be “restored”, or if they should be  disassembled and the parts salvaged to return other pens to working order. This pen unfortunately will be disassembled and the parts stored in bins for future use.

 

A solid Black Canadian OS Vac with clean imprints, moderate ambering, and a nice semi-flex Canadian nib. I purchased the pen without an end cap. Canadian pens have a habit of having uncommon diameters, but I figured I had enough Canadian parts to replace the jeweled cap.

The first clue to the pen’s oddities was the smaller lockdown filler, which looked pristine. The collar was the size of a standard Vac. I didn’t give it much thought, as I may have a OS collar that could be used to accommodate an OS end cap.
As I was removing the remnants of the diaphragm, I noticed there was another ring of material inside the end of the barrel that was not the typical encrusted rubber diaphragm.

As I continued scraping the barrel, I noticed that the material was striped, similar to a vac barrel. 
After removing the a ring of the material, I could see that it was a sleeve of silver gray laminated celluloid. It had been welded into the end of the barrel and threaded to match a vac filler. 

I don’t understand why this was done, as the threaded collar is sized for a standard end cap or a Dble Jewel End Cap for a Maxima. The threads of an OS End Cap are too large for the collar, and the Maxima End Cap results in an I’ll-proportioned profile.

 

Maybe there is a special OS-sized End Cap out there that is sized for a standard filler, but I have never encountered one.

 

Looks like I will reluctantly disassembled this pen and reluctantly store them in the parts bin, but I may just keep it and search for a replacement barrel.

 

I am not ready to concede…

 

 

[Nethermark]

On 2/13/2022 at 11:10 PM, VacNut said:

A fellow hobbyist and I have a continual debate about whether or not every pen should be “restored”, or if they should be  disassembled and the parts salvaged to return other pens to working order.

I guess the hobbyist (like myself) puts too much time and effort in repair, if you just look at it from an economic point of view. But restoring pens can be a reward in itself, when learning a new technique, etc.

 

But it's a shame, the OS was treated this way. Maybe, somewhere there is an OS-sized end cap with a sleeve inside, so it fits a standard size filler unit

[VacNut]

I had a little time this past week, so I managed to finish a group of pens under repair.

 

I have a soft spot for pens “needing work”. I bought a Silver OS Vac for the striped section and two-tone nib for a good price. There was a cap, a barrel, section, and nib.

After looking through the parts, I realized I could rebuild the pen, rather than part it out. The cap rings are brassed, and the barrel has the typical ambering, but I was able to rebuild the pen with a filler, end cap, striped clip jewel, and a clip. I am still searching my bins for a silver end jewel. Not a museum piece, but the replacement parts are correct.

 

The two Black OS pens are Canadian. They are good clean examples of the model with fairly crisp imprints. Slight ambering on both pens. I am still working on aligning the tip on one of the nibs.

 

I have been searching for the Black OS Vac with the wide 9k Gold Band for quite some time. The Black OS is one of my favorite pens, but the wide band really makes a bold statement. 
 

An Emerald OS Vac and a Max Vac round out the collection. Very slight brassing on both pens. A nice two-tone nib on the OS Pen. Slight ambering on both pens. 
 

All the pens are welcome additions to the collection. You can never have too many Vacumatics.

 

[VacNut]

An American in Paris??

 

I will clarify the question later, but with the help of friends, I was able to rebuild several Black Vacumatics this week. 
Two of the pens were previously rebuilt, but I thought they would be interesting to show them in comparison with the other models to demonstrate the various transparencies methods that Parker used in their black pens.

It looks like the photos are out of sequence on the album, but starting at the last photo from left to right:

 

1. Black OS Vacumatic. Typical ambering of the barrel, but still a stately pen when held.

2. Black OS Vacumatic with the vertical striations. This is the earlier model whereby the vertical striations are only visible at certain angles, due to the butcher block method of laminations. The seat had to to adjusted by a technician to accept the filler. The vertical striations are also known as “windows.” An interesting pen as the barrel appears solid black depending on the angle. The barrel is different than the later vertical Vacumatics that used a rod barrel of vertical laminations.

3. Black 2-Band Standard Vacumatic (128mm) with the vertical striations from the butcher block laminations. This is a made in the USA model with special markings to indicate export to France. There is an additional imprint below the Vacumatic Imprint to designate the country of origin. The nib on this pen is unique as it is imprinted with a 2-tone 18 CT designation for the French Market. The nib is also more flexible than the typical American nibs. I collect French Parker’s and Plexors, but I have not encountered a pen like this. I have several Vacumatics with imprints designating sale to South American Countries, but never France.

4. Black 2-Band Junior Vacumatic with the vertical striations from the butcher block laminations. Ambering to the barrel, but easily overlooked as it looks very similar to the typical Vacumatic. This pen was previously restored.

5. Black Reticulated Barrel Danish Junior Vacumatic. I was fortunate to find several Olsen Barrels and Caps. This pen is a rebuild with the correct parts. I am still in the process of replacing the Duofold Nib. A neat method of transparency that differentiates from the typical horizontal laminations. This pen will join the other Olsen Reticulated Vacumatics.

6. A Black Shadow Wave Junior Vacumatic with very good barrel transparency. This pen was part of the Olsen trove. You can get an idea of the level of transparency a Shadow Wave would have displayed when new. It is a very attractive look. Too bad they didn’t make the Shadow Wave in a Max or OS size.

Parker made several other black transparent Vacumatic models. Unlike other manufacturers who simply fused a transparent section onto the end or middle of the barrel to shown the ink reservoir, I think Parker experimented with more stylish and progressive methods than other mfrs. Someday I will have to pull them all out of storage to admire each model.

[Nethermark]

Very interesting! I had never seen this variation in striations in the Vacumatic.

[VacNut]

I accept that the pens I collect have a long history before I added them to my collection, but sometimes I have to scratch my head and wonder to myself “huh? Why did they do that?”….

 

I don’t not recall how this Emerald OS Vacumatic was added to my collection. I saw the pen in my tray and realized it had not been cleaned. 
 

It looked like it was in good original condition, except that the barrel had no transparency. It was completely opaque. The ‘37 Canadian date code was not old enough to be made from non-transparent stock and I am not aware of an opaque emerald Vacumatic, but you never know about Canadian pens.

 

I spent the day trying to remove the stuck filler and section with dry heat. On closer inspection I could see that the aluminum filler and threaded collar was corroded. The locked down filler was completely immovable. it looked like the collar had corroded and fused into the threads of the barrel. After repeated attempts I soaked the section up to the barrel threads overnight in the hope that water would be siphoned up to the barrel and loosen the section.

 

I was able to remove the section and the remains of the “filler”. There was half a corroded aluminum sleeve fused into the inner collar. The barrel was filled with an oil/ink sand-like material. I scoped out about an inch of the sand and eventually removed 2-3 old diaphragms, after a lot of scraping. The barrel had been stained solid black by the sand. After a  hour of cleaning I was able to restore transparency to the barrel.

I have no idea why the sand like material was in the barrel or why multiple diaphragms had been installed. The pen cleaned up nicely after I installed a replacement filler. The imprints are sharp and there is almost no brassing to the trim. The two-tone nib looks little used and is more flexible than the typical American nib.  The pen is in very good condition except for the craziness inside the barrel. 

By the way, there was tape inside the threads of the cap, which I suspect was added because the cap did not tightly screw onto the barrel. The cap screwed on nicely once the nib and feed were properly set to the correct depth

[eckiethump]

An interesting day ahead with these three of my own pens to service.

[eckiethump]

I don't get too many Sheaffer plunger pens to service, not so common in this country. It can be a trial when the rod needs replaced, getting it the right length, from my spares. If required I make them, threading the stainless steel rod stock if required to, is equally tiresome.

 

 

[VacNut]

4 hours ago, eckiethump said:

An interesting day ahead with these three of my own pens to service.

Are all three of those Ford Safety Pens??? Wow. The internals mechanism are very different that a safety pen.

[es9]

8 hours ago, eckiethump said:

I don't get too many Sheaffer plunger pens to service, not so common in this country. It can be a trial when the rod needs replaced, getting it the right length, from my spares. If required I make them, threading the stainless steel rod stock if required to, is equally tiresome.

 

 

Do you use a die? 

[eckiethump]

7 hours ago, VacNut said:

Are all three of those Ford Safety Pens??? Wow. The internals mechanism are very different that a safety pen.

Yes, they work on a bicycle pump type, syringe filling system, very much like the Dunn pen, but far more complicated with precise moving parts.

The Safety aspect is that there is a spring to the rear of the barrel that compresses the section against the inner cap when the pen is capped

Eric

[FarmBoy]

4 hours ago, es9 said:

Do you use a die? 

I would think he single point cuts the threads on the lathe.