What is on your bench?

[VacNut]

20 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Parker played around with the capillary system for the 51 without much success. 

Correction on my part. Have to read up on the 61 history.

[VacNut]

The pens that I have seen are modifications or test alternatives to the vac filler and not a capillary filler for the 51 that was eventually used for the 61. 
 

FYI there is a Pennant article from Spring 2022 that talks about 61 Prototypes

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

2 hours ago, VacNut said:

The pens that I have seen are modifications or test alternatives to the vac filler and not a capillary filler for the 51 that was eventually used for the 61. 
 

FYI there is a Pennant article from Spring 2022 that talks about 61 Prototypes

 

Getting deja vu, discussed this in another thread a few days ago. I got a hold of one of the test market Parker 61 pens so I was looking for more info. Will have to sign up for the Pennant sometime.

 

I have a separate question for you all master repairpeople. How little is too little to wait for the shellac to dry for a standard section?

 

Had a bear of a time with a pen I already restored with the nib being way too dry so I pulled off the old sac and knocked it out to tune it better. Put a new sac (old one had only been in there a week but figured better safe than sorry), waited 40 min, still worked poorly so I did the same again but this time I didn't have any extra sacs of the appropriate size so I just put the new old one back. This time I only waited ~5 minutes before putting the section back in the pen. Is this fine?

[VacNut]

I am guessing 1 day before use - with the longer the better, but that depends on your location, local temperature, and humidity.

I honestly have never tried to use a pen less than a day after the shellac

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

2 minutes ago, VacNut said:

I am guessing 1 day before use - with the longer the better, but that depends on your location, local temperature, and humidity.

I honestly have never tried to use a pen less than a day after the shellac

 

Oh, I usually do 30 minutes to an hour before using. Never had any issues. Figured 5 minutes might be a bit little but as long as the sac is tight on the nipple I doubt it would come off.

[Ron Z]

If the sac is latex and a snug fit, not much time at all.  Shellac sets and gets sticky quite quickly as the alcohol  flashes off.  Thirty minutes or an hour is more than enough.  PVC should be longer, and of course you're using silicone RTV with a silicone sac. 

[es9]

I’ve also found you have to wait considerably longer—maybe even a few days—if you’re shellacking any parts together. E.g., skyline inner caps, sheaffer metal cap liners, or 51 hoods (if you choose to use shellac). I assume it just takes much longer for the alcohol to evaporate given the circumstances. 

[Ron Z]

No need to wait for 51 hoods.  The shellac itself is enough of a barrier to ink, and the thread shouldn't unscrew on it's own.

[GlenV]

I have had this Snorkel for awhile and finally got around to getting it going, it’s special one for being the same pen set type that I used in college 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Things are so much easier when you have the proper tools. Just had to put a new j-bar into a pen and I've always struggled a little bit with that in the past because I used my angled tweezers that I use for getting the sacs on, and those don't close tight at all, could never get a good grip on the bar for proper positioning. 

 

Finally "invested" in a cheap $6 set of locking hemostat tweezers to use specifically for this and it was so much easier. Wish I got this earlier.

[VacNut]

37 minutes ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Things are so much easier when you have the proper tools. Just had to put a new j-bar into a pen and I've always struggled a little bit with that in the past because I used my angled tweezers that I use for getting the sacs on, and those don't close tight at all, could never get a good grip on the bar for proper positioning. 

 

Finally "invested" in a cheap $6 set of locking hemostat tweezers to use specifically for this and it was so much easier. Wish I got this earlier.

Couldn’t agree with you more, although there are those who also like to DIY their one tools. I am always amazed when people try to remove a vac filler without the Vac wrench. 
No harm done as one can choose to work on or damage their pens as they choose.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I think there's a bit of a balance, it's good to know what is essential and what is not. Vac wrench (or block), 100% essential. Some other stuff can be improvised but it varies by the tool and use, and the fragility of the pen. Always better to be safe than sorry if you're not sure as well.

 

I know there's a special tool sold for Sheaffer Touchdowns/Snorkels to assist in putting in the o-ring. All it does is have the correct diameter to stop right below the o-ring groove and stop it from falling through the barrel. I found that a standard round pencil has the same exact diameter, and works just as well. And costs me a whopping 0 dollars since I got it for free somewhere.

 

There's also some stuff where it can be helpful to have but not necessarily buy from "fountain pen" sources. Like the basic section pliers that everyone sells are 30% cheaper if you look for spark plug pliers elsewhere. Same exact tool without the markup. Or rubber grips. My old grips that I got from Goulet tore so I bought a $2 pair of grippy gardening gloves from my local dollar store, and cut off one of the fingers to use as a section grip. I think the equivalent would cost me a few bucks more and I have a bunch of replacement material to make new grips out of.

 

I do wish one of the pen repair places sold piano or guitar wire for flossing feed channels, snorkel tubes, etc. I had a small piece of it that I lost, and you can't really buy small bits of it. They usually only come in big rolls that are not very cheap.

[VacNut]

Although it may be tedious sometimes, the research to find the correct tools and finding the DIY tool is part of the allure and charm.  Pen collecting is a hobby that takes time.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

20 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Although it may be tedious sometimes, the research to find the correct tools and finding the DIY tool is part of the allure and charm.  Pen collecting is a hobby that takes time.

 

Yeah, I totally agree with this. 

[Ron Z]

So have you read my Cheap Tools articles?  I still make a lot of my own tools because nobody makes quite the tool that I need. There's  a whole bunch of "what is this, and what do I do with it" threads here on FPN.  There's a page with links to them on the website.

 

*Grippy pads = foam mesh shelf liners.  They work very well.  Harbor Freight or Wal Mart.

*Guitar strings work well for chasing feeds on vintage pens - find a friend who has a steel string guitar and ask for their broken ones.

*Piano wire can be found at dedicated hobby shops.  I keep a variety of smaller sizes in my tool box.

*Stainless MIG welding wire 0.027" works well for the C rings that hold levers in place.   There's enough spring that they hold against the barrel well, and they won't rust.

*Amazon sells the sparkplug boot pullers for $10. Lots of reviews from DIY pen repair people.     I'm on #6 of the S&K variety, having worn out coating on the other 5.  The shape and design is important.  You can recoat the old ones, but you need something like 5 or 6 layers  of Plastic Dip to have a decent cushion.

*My main section pliers are slip joint pliers with the teeth ground off and fuel line hose to cover.  When they wear, I just put on new hose.    A foot cost maybe a dollar.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

50 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

So have you read my Cheap Tools articles?  I still make a lot of my own tools because nobody makes quite the tool that I need. There's  a whole bunch of "what is this, and what do I do with it" threads here on FPN.  There's a page with links to them on the website.

 

*Grippy pads = foam mesh shelf liners.  They work very well.  Harbor Freight or Wal Mart.

 

I'm not a fan of those liners, I got some from Anderson Pens like a year ago and I found them less useful than just a solid chunk of textured rubber. I find that it's not grippy enough although I know everyone else loves them. Great for opening stubborn pickle jars though.

 

I do like to use them when knocking out nibs/feeds. I put one down under a paper towel, a big roll of tape over it (for some height since my nib block isn't very high), and then the nib block on top. The padding gives some cushioning so I don't jolt everything on my desk. 

 

I'll have to see if my friend has any broken guitar wire, that's actually who I got it from in the first place. He bought a replacement wire and gave me the leftover extras. I didn't think to ask for the remains of the broken one. But he's probably thrown it out by now.

[VacNut]

2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

So have you read my Cheap Tools articles?  I still make a lot of my own tools because nobody makes quite the tool that I need. There's  a whole bunch of "what is this, and what do I do with it" threads here on FPN.  There's a page with links to them on the website.

 

*Grippy pads = foam mesh shelf liners.  They work very well.  Harbor Freight or Wal Mart.

*Guitar strings work well for chasing feeds on vintage pens - find a friend who has a steel string guitar and ask for their broken ones.

*Piano wire can be found at dedicated hobby shops.  I keep a variety of smaller sizes in my tool box.

*Stainless MIG welding wire 0.027" works well for the C rings that hold levers in place.   There's enough spring that they hold against the *barrel well, and they won't rust.

*Amazon sells the sparkplug boot pullers for $10.  I'm on #6, having worn out coating on the other 5.  The shape and design is important.  *You can recoat the old ones, but you need something like 5 or 6 layers  of Plastic Dip.

*My main section pliers are slip joint pliers with the teeth ground off and fuel line hose to cover.  When they wear, I just put on new hose.    A foot cost maybe a dollar.

Ron

My various brass tubes with wood handles have been invaluable in knocking out Vac Fillers from the front of the barrel. I modified your example to create a hollow-ended tube knock out for the feed on a vacuum filler so I don’t crush the tube feed. 
Thank you for passing on the information

[es9]

6 hours ago, Ron Z said:

There's  a whole bunch of "what is this, and what do I do with it" threads here on FPN.

Any chance we could persuade you to do a few more of these? The old ones are really helpful. 
 

I think the right tool is a little bit like magic — something that was so hard suddenly becomes so much easier. While I’ve bought plenty of tools, I do love making my own. I hope to really step up my tool making game. 

[Ron Z]

I will try to think of some new ones.  I still have to make a tool from time to time and would be happy to share.  Some of the ones I've made lately need a lathe though.  Thinks like making a crude tap to repair a vintage pen with really odd threads.

[FarmBoy]

We can start a new thread…