What is on your bench?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

8 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

I don't recommend Micro Gloss for that reason.  It gets into the pores of the hard rubber and uglifies it.  I like Wenol a bit better than Simichrome. 

 

How is Wenol's abrasiveness in comparison to Simichrome? I'm running out of my current tube (well, probably a few months left) and I guess it might be a good time to switch.

 

I like Simichrome a lot because in my experience it's actually been fairly gentle on plastic. I usually use about a pea-sized or smaller amount per pen and it does a good job of giving the pen a little bit of shine without wearing out any imprints or making it excessively smooth. Definitely have to be careful with plating on cheaper pens but that's normal.

[Ron Z]

Similar.  It shines well, and cleans metal well.  It's a big cheaper on Amazon than elsewhere.

 

If cleaning plating, apply it with a finger and let it sit a while, and then polish it off.  It takes less rubbing if you do it that way, so less wear to the plating.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

35 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

If cleaning plating, apply it with a finger and let it sit a while, and then polish it off.  It takes less rubbing if you do it that way, so less wear to the plating.

 

Oh, I never thought of this. Let me try doing this next time. Thank you for the advice.

[es9]

3 hours ago, Ron Z said:

I don't recommend Micro Gloss for that reason.  It gets into the pores of the hard rubber and uglifies it.  I like Wenol a bit better than Simichrome. 

 

Is this universally so, or just on hard rubber?

[Ron Z]

Hard rubber.  It just doesn't work well on hard rubber. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Have another question, got some pens in a lot, they're in okay condition but have horrible glue/tape residue on them. What is the best way to get rid of this stuff? Looks like someone had labels stuck on them or something.

 

Also, do people mind me posting my questions here? I figure I have way too many questions and I would rather not start a whole new thread each time unless it's something interesting.

[Ron Z]

Asking questions is always a good thing.  I ask questions, have a couple of shelves full of repair manuals and books, look up patents, and research....  It's also likely that someone else will have the same question, and will find the answers here on FPN

 

Dried adhesive is common.  I haven't tried Wenol on them, but it might work.   I generally hit the adhesive with Naphtha and let it sit for a bit to penetrate and soften the schmutz.  Then scrape using a thumb nail, or rub with a microfiber cloth that I've wet with Naphtha.  I've been using it for 30 years now, and have yet to have it damage a pen.  Lighter fluid works too - it's related.  I last bought my Naphta at a Sherwin Williams paint store (I wanted a gallon)

 

[eckiethump]

Just to add to this thread.

Years ago Wenol was called Glanol, same product if you ever see an old tube. I find it less aggressive than Simichrome.

For gold plated items, I use Peek, which has good cleaning properties and I find even less aggressive, than those previously mentioned.

Eric

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Meant to add an update for this, I don't have any naphtha but I know that Simichrome has some naphtha in it so I put some on the areas with glue residue, let it sit for a few seconds and then polished it off, it came off easy. Strangely the pen came out shinier than usual, not sure if it was some interaction with the glue and Simichrome or it was just in really good condition under the glue in the first place. I guess it could have been acting almost like a really crappy "wax" and protecting the pen from scratches.

 

I'm trying to decide what to do for my next repair "project." I have a Parker 51 vac and another vac in need of restoration but they are my least favorite pens to restore (of the ones I'm capable of restoring, no vac fillers) so I'm procrastinating and using the fact that I don't have any diaphragms as an excuse.

 

Really quite hate the filling system both in terms of use and restoration but they're some of most beautiful pens ever made so I guess I have to put up with them...

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I decided on the 51 vac. Everything was going smooth until I tried to take out the old pellet... I managed to chip the pellet cup a little bit. See pics below:

 

 

How problematic is this? It looks to me that it would still be able to hold the pellet somewhat reliably?

 

Edit: Just realized I'm an idiot for another reason. I got the pellet out in pretty much one piece and I have a diaphragm in need of a pellet because a certain someone who shall not be named sold me one without a pellet. Could have reused it but I threw it out... I just went digging through the trash and I can't find it so I guess it's a lost cause.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Success! I think. I went digging through my trash for 10 minutes and found the pellet. I put it in my old new diaphragm and it fit into the cup just fine.   

[es9]

Pellet cups are often brittle and break. Using a rotary tool and a very small burr helps minimize, but not eliminate, the chances of this. Laurence Oldfield sells a jig that also works very well. 
 

Dale at Pentooling sells ebonite replacements that are fantastic—much more durable than the celluloid originals. Just crack the rest of the old one off and epoxy the replacement on. 
 

I’ve had diaphragms arrive without pellets too. Not a huge deal. I’ve managed to build up a small collection of vintage ones; let nothing go to waste. DM me and I can mail you one. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

The cracked cup seems to hold it well enough. I suppose if it stops filling there's nothing to stop me from taking out the filler and replacing it. I found the pellet in my trash and reused it (after rinsing it off). Seems okay. I tugged on it a fair bit after putting it into the cup to see if it would slip out and it felt fairly okay.

 

Truly a strange restoration this one. I was considering giving this one away or trading/selling it but I think I will test drive it for a while before doing that to make sure the filler holds up.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Great, I have the same (bleep) problem I had with the last one with the blind cap not being flush anymore. Never again with these piece of (bleep) pens. 

[FarmBoy]

Clean the threads inside the barrel and on the jamb nut extremely well. 
 

don’t tighten the jamb nut so tight and then align the joint by pushing laterally on the blind cap. 
 

if no one molested the joint in the past it will line right up. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

The threads are clean, the old diaphragm was still soft albeit a little hole-y. There was no residue to speak of at all. This (bleep) doesn't make sense to me. I tried loosening the nut, I tried tightening it, it's the same (bleep) result. It's off and I don't understand why.

 

On the last one I did, I was fairly sure I might have messed up the threads a little while cleaning it out, this one I am absolutely sure I did no such thing. It was clean. I've tried reseating it a half dozen times at this point.

 

Never again for one of these. I didn't even mean to get this one, it was a blurry picture with a lot of a few pens and I thought it was an aerometric.

[Ron Z]

Chances are that you have some of the old diaphragm on the seat. That needs to be removed.   Scrape around the seat, never across it.  Soak the end of the barrel for a while and you'll see it. 
 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I checked and it looked clean... I had it soaking in soapy water after getting the filler out and the barrel seemed pretty spotless on the inside, even on the diaphragm seat.

 

I'll take another look when I am done with my current fill. I was able to get it almost flush (or at least as flush as it was when I got the pen) by screwing it in tightly and shifting it sideways as I screw it in so it matches. Maybe it was like this when I got it, I am not sure.

 

Do you think the slightly chipped pellet cup will be an issue? It seems to be holding on well for now.

[Ron Z]

Be careful, and heed Farm Boy's caution about over tightening the vac pump.  The Parker service manuals say to tighten it "with firm pressure," though they don't describe what that is.  But over tightening it can cause the barrel to bulge over the seat ring and in worst cases, crack.  Parker also recommended using a lubricant on the diaphragm to allow the assembly to slide past the ring as you tighten it down without it binding.  Some people use saliva. I've found that a water based personal lubricant works best.  If you haven't used a lubricant, go back and use it.  Soapy water maybe, but the recommended stuff is safe on the latex of the diaphragm.

 

There have been some Vac diaphragms that had a wall thickness that is a little too thick, so the pump doesn't want to go in quite enough.  but still, double check to make sure that the seat is clean.  Use a bright pen light to inspect it.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I always use soapy water. Anyways, I completely took out the filler and looked inside, no signs of any sac debris I could see but the threads look kind of scratched... I don't think I did this by tightening the filler unit? I did not clean the threads on this pen at all since the diaphragm came out in one piece so I don't think I scratched this.

 

 

Excuse the poor focus.

 

I scraped the threads of the filler unit with a brass shim gently, put it back together and now it's relatively flush. Or at least as flush as I can get it. I have no idea what I did differently this time that made it work... 

 

I hope I didn't put too much stress on the sac by pulling it out and then putting it back in. The good news is the cup held on to the pellet firmly throughout the entire process so I feel a little better about that part.