What is on your bench?

[VacNut]

It would be economically difficult. One can get bulk esterbrooks for $10-$15. The difficulty isn’t finding the parts, but getting rid of the remaining parts after you have picked out what is needed.

[Ron Z]

Get rid of parts?  I box with dead Vac filler parts, a box full of Esterbrook parts.  Nibs, collars....  never throw them away unless they are beyond redemption. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I guess I don't know the economics of pen repair, like how many people are involved, and what scale of production would make it profitable. I know that I would personally be willing to pay more for a better modern replacement j-bar but with the amount of pens I handle I'd only really need a couple a year. 

 

Maybe I've been lucky but I haven't run into many damaged Esterbrooks so I don't have a bunch of extra parts. I got a desk pen recently but I don't want to cannibalize that for parts, I am using it for testing out nib units and knocking out problematic Esterbrook nibs. I thought I had spare Venus nibs but I guess not...

[es9]

18 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

Many see problems, but a few see a challenge. 

 

…or a learning opportunity! I sometimes buy pens I know are beyond salvation just to take apart, study, etc. If I make progress, great! If I don’t—to paraphrase Edison—I’ve learned what doesn’t work. 
 

2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

Get rid of parts?  I box with dead Vac filler parts, a box full of Esterbrook parts.  Nibs, collars....  never throw them away unless they are beyond redemption. 

Yup, got to use every part of the chicken. Old Esterbrook nib collars are often a great fit for the little bushing/collar sheaffer used in the section of some open-nib pens. You just have to cut the threaded part off. And broken barrels/caps are good for stock—I mean slurry.

 

I usually don’t mind parting with parts (zing!) if it helps someone else get a pen working, however. …unless either (1) it is one I need frequently and I’m running low, like snorkel tubes; or (2) it falls into the rare category of quasi-unobtanium, like really clean lockdown pumps. 

[VacNut]

If one progresses deeper into this hobby, I think one finds that the same replacement parts are needed over and over again to fix a particular damaged model.

 

For Vacumatics, there are far more spare caps, clips, sections, and barrels than jewels, tasssies, and filler units. There may even be a surplus of vac nibs. What use is 30 vac caps without jewels. 

Yes, all the extra parts may be of use in the future, but how many parts does the average collector want to store on the hope of a future use and for how long do you want to store them? (Keep in mind that vintage pens change over time and it is uncommon to find a perfect replacement part that fits onto a damaged pen without modification) 

I don’t think parts should be thrown away, but I don’t think the average hobbyist should worry too much about saving parts for common pens on the chance they may be needed in the future.

Ask around, and you may be surprised on what is available.
 

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Got a question about Parker 51 Demi aerometrics... the replacement PVC sacs need to be trimmed for these, right? I have a baggie of replacement sacs I got from vintagepens.com and my impression was these are manufactured to the proper length.

 

I tried putting it on a Parker 51 demi that had a questionable sac on it (pliable and all but felt a little sticky and had that weird antiseptic smell of degrading PVC) but it was too long. I cut it down but it doesn't fit on the sac nipple all that great anymore since the replacement sacs are a touch "necked" in that the bottom part is a little narrower than the rest of the sac.

 

After cutting it down, only a small segment of that "neck" portion remains so the sac feels a little unstable on the nipple. Think it might be fine after the shellac sets but I am curious if I did something wrong here...

 

The site mentions this:

 

Quote

A more slender sac is required for Slimfolds and very early 51 Demis with filler housings that completely cover the sac except for the pressure bar opening on the side.

 

But the one I have has the Parker 21 and Parker 51 Special style housing, not the fully enclosed one, so I am assuming this doesn't go for my pen.

[FarmBoy]

The Demi sac is smaller. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Hmm, well, I made it fit. It is a little tight with the sac protector but not enough to be uncomfortable. I am a little worried the seal between the sac nipple and the new PVC sac won't hold but I'll keep an eye on it.

[VacNut]

1 hour ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Hmm, well, I made it fit. It is a little tight with the sac protector but not enough to be uncomfortable. I am a little worried the seal between the sac nipple and the new PVC sac won't hold but I'll keep an eye on it.

Sounds like this was a learning experience.

 

Taking pens apart is fun, but I have to ask myself whether or not my “repairs” are making things better. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

There is a surprising lack of information when it comes to the demi size pens vs. the full size ones. And the description on the purchase page led me to believe that it would fit. It's not a bad fit widthwise, the sac nipple is more the issue. I suppose if it starts leaking I can add a layer of shellac around the nipple to widen it a little bit. It's an easily reversible modification in any case.

 

I usually don't replace these but this one had an extremely strong smell which from my limited research seems to be the smell from the plasticizer leaking from the sac. I think a slightly incorrect fit is better than a damaged sac nipple. I can easily change the sac for another one at some point but I don't have the tools for replacing the sac connector.

 

Edit: Also, this is the same pen from this comment: 

 

I put it back together but it was having dry out issues so I took it apart again completely and figured I'd completely overhaul to rule out any issues that might have been causing the issues. I had pulled the sac off when I was initially disassembling the pen because everything was stuck together so I was worried I had damaged it. That on top of the smell made me think replacing the sac was appropriate.

 

[VacNut]

This hobby is always a learning adventure. No harm done.

There is a post about discovered creative repairs on old pens. I can see how they come about. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Hmm, I don't think using a slightly bigger sac is a very creative repair. 

 

I think the most "creative" repair I tried was with a really dingy Conklin syringe-filler. The cap had a severe split from sometime many decades ago and the last owner taped it together with some really thick canvas-y tape. Worked but was really ugly.

 

I got the stupid idea that I could try "lacquering" over the tape with nail polish as a sort of poor man's urushi. Long story short, it didn't work. Even after curing for weeks with multiple layers, it never fully dried, the "lacquer" was too soft. And the fumes were really bad. 

 

It wasn't really much lost as these late (original, not the reincarnated Yafa pens) Conklin pens are supremely low quality and worth probably $10 max in good condition, let alone with a busted cap. But at least I learned a lesson and to not try it again, at least not with nail polish.

[cat74]

Managed to find a hood for my grey Parker 21 Super...old hood was black and was split. I ended up just taking it to pieces to get it off...and soooo much soaking to clean the collector etc. In the process the sac protector and sac came off so it got a new sac...seems to fill and write just as it should now!!

[Ron Z]

As Farmboy pointed out, the demi aerometric 51 uses a smaller sac.  The sac nipple is made for a #14 sac, the standard aerometric is made for a standard size 51 PVC sac.  The larger sac will not fit securely.  The standard size is too big for the sac nipple and the sac guard.  Sac length of the standard 51 sac is cut to length,

 

If you look at David's site, he has a listing for demi 51 size sacs.  These are #14 PVC, and work very well, though you will need to cut them to length.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Is there any harm in keeping the sac in there if it doesn't leak? The fit with the sac protector is snug, it is not overly tight. This pen is user grade anyway, it has a damaged hood and the body of the pen has some cracks that were haphazardly glued together at some point as well.

 

I was going to sell it for parts until I tried the nib; I discovered I actually liked how it wrote which is not a common occurrance for me with vintage nibs so I'm keeping it as a daily writer type of pen that I don't have to worry about babying too much (since it's already in poor condition).

 

I just don't want to buy more supplies I'll likely never use, I've bought enough of those recently (recently spent nearly $50 on a pair of nib pliers that are not useful, I have really bad buyer's remorse - tried to fix a few nibs with them and discovered they couldn't do anything I can't already do with my fingers and a brass shim). In my experience Parker 51 Demis are quite a bit rarer than the fullsize ones and even out of those, most Parker 51s I come across don't need new sacs. I think David only sells them in packs of 5, which is understandable from his side (wouldn't be economical to sell individually) but unnecessary for me. I can't see myself using them in Snorkels either since I hear they don't fill nearly as well.

[cat74]

sorry no pics yet - just an update.

I purchased some Parker VS parts - I think from the 5 barrels (2 grey, 2 rust/brown , 1 blue) etc. I can build at least 2 full Parker VS (a blue and rust/brown) using a cap that came with and an extra Parker 51 cap I have.

Took a few days to get the feeds out of 2 of the pens -neither had original nibs but instead a "signature" brand nib #4 and the other just "iridium tipped" both gold plated steel that appear to be vintage replacements - both left plating on the feeds! never seen that before! could explain why they just weren't coming out - there are an additional 2 feeds too!

 

Need to order some sacs and pressure bars and I think I found some non-corroded "signature" #4 nibs that I may try? - not really sure what other options there are for replacement nibs (not too many Parker nibs around)

Just to go crazy I sanded one extra feed down - just a little!! -  and was able to mount an Esterbrook nib ( I have 3 that were free of their collars)  so maybe that is another option? - seemed to work fine with a dip test.

Did find that not all the buttons from the fillers are interchangeable  - must be a slight difference in the 2 part system and the one where the button collar/treads are part of the barrel plastic?

 

With luck I'll have 2 complete and 2 'complete' with no caps (grey and rust/brown) but other wise complete and then extra blind caps and a section where someone shaved the plastic off to remove the ink staining (why oh why!) at the end of this...all the feeds are missing a tooth or 2...think I have an idea on how to 'fix' but at the same time I don't think it really impacts anything much

[gweimer1]

At this point, I probably have 30 pens waiting to get working and cleaned up.   High on the list is a Parker 51 Plum and a Parker 51 Teal that I hope to have ready for the Detroit Pen Show...both have hoods that are being REALLY stubborn, so I'm taking my time.

Then, assorted Esterbrook, Sheaffer and miscellaneous stuff.  Pencils, too.

[cat74]

Just an easy fix...Parker Challenger Deluxe (slim) arrived a while ago with a dried sac..soooo...new one in and writing like it should!

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I just got this the other day during a trip. I think I might have overpaid. Is $50 an okay deal for a Parker Vacumatic Junior/Shadow Wave? I kind of wanted to get something as a souvenir so I splurged a little bit. I haggled the guy down from $80 but I really didn't want to pay any more than $40 or $45.

 

 

Not sure if it counts as a restoration as I did not replace the diaphragm... it filled perfectly and the pen body already has a bulge where the celluloid either shrank or someone over-tightened the filler unit so I didn't want to test my luck. On the plus side I don't have to worry about the blindcap being flush with the body, with the distortion that will be literally impossible.

 

I did unscrew the nib and give the pen a good scrubbing on the inside. I am not sure what was used to secure the section but it was nasty stuff, took me literally an hour of picking at it to get most of it off to the point where the section would screw in easily. The pen threads themselves also have some residue on them and I tried to get that off but was mostly unsuccessful. I am a little worried that I scratched the threads a little bit but it screws in well. Also polished it up a bit, it was not in good shape when I got it.

 

I thought this was opaque when I got it but after scrubbing the insides I discovered it was one of the "shadowwave" Juniors. Not really visible in any sort of normal light or when there's ink in it but still kind of cool. I think the Shadowwave models were only made with the lockdown filler for one year? So it's a somewhat uncommon variation even if the black color is definitely the least impressive of the bunch.

[Ron Z]

I think that's a good price.  I like these better than the later ones.