What is on your bench?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

21 hours ago, eckiethump said:

I sent an order a few days ago, but have no received the nvoice yet, but did receive an automatic confirmation of enquiry ?

et

 

Same here. I guess he might still be going through the backlog of orders. I hope everything is okay and he is able to get back to normal business soon. I should order some extra sacs to have some in stock next time! I am completely out of sacs, I have a few pens waiting to be restored.

[VacNut]

On 1/17/2024 at 5:35 PM, es9 said:

Why not just repair the clip that came with it? It’s a pretty easy fix and it looks pretty clean. 

Pen arrived capless and without nib. The cap is a replacement.

[VacNut]

20 hours ago, cat74 said:

I tried the right thumb and it did indeed get even better....maybe I'll have to try the left to bring it home!!

What happens if there are all thumbs? 😂😂😂

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Anyone know how important the felt is for the Parker 61 capillary filler? I finally got to filling that pen I mentioned a few days ago and I noticed that there was no fuzzy felt at the tip of the capillary unit. I can see a bit of rubber/plastic though (assuming it's part of the capillary "cell").

 

Being overdramatic as usual I started stressing out that it was a dud, but I tried filling it and it seems okay. Left it "filling" for five minutes (my usual routine for a 1st fill for a Parker 61 after an extensive clean/dry) and it wrote immediately. I guess I can't do anything either way; I have no desire to take one of these apart, knowing how fragile the plastic is. 

 

Unless someone knows how to transplant some felt without disassembling the whole thing? I wish they made these with better plastic, I think they could be fantastic pens if they weren't so difficult to maintain and disassemble (without breaking the hood anyways). 

 

 

[FarmBoy]

If it fills and writes it sounds like it works. 
 

Perhaps the plug is stained black?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

19 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

If it fills and writes it sounds like it works. 
 

Perhaps the plug is stained black?

 

Yup, works about as well as the other one I had filled for like a month so I'm guessing it's fine (so far at least). What an interesting filling system. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

On 1/18/2024 at 12:40 AM, eckiethump said:

I sent an order a few days ago, but have no received the nvoice yet, but did receive an automatic confirmation of enquiry ?

et

 

If you don't mind me asking, did you hear back from him yet? 

[eckiethump]

I have not heard back from Peter, regarding sacs yet.

On another note, David Shepherd asked if I needed any spares, I said I was looking for some P61 capillary just the fillers, this is what he gave me. The two on the left are prototypes, which I cannot see at all how to dismantle, however one of them actually works !

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

5 hours ago, eckiethump said:

I have not heard back from Peter, regarding sacs yet.

On another note, David Shepherd asked if I needed any spares, I said I was looking for some P61 capillary just the fillers, this is what he gave me. The two on the left are prototypes, which I cannot see at all how to dismantle, however one of them actually works !

 

I have one of those prototypes/test-market pens. They're very cool and go for a pretty penny. Unfortunately mine has a hairline crack and leaks a bit. It fills and writes just fine though. There's no replacement parts so I'm just keeping it as partially-functional part of my collection.

 

Those pens don't come apart. If you look very closely you might be able to see the line where the the two halves of the pen were assembled (it's towards the back of the pen, about 1/3 of the way back I think) but I believe that Parker fused the plastic together on assembly so there's no way to take it apart.

[Nethermark]

Those P61 prototypes look really nice. Too bad, they are hard to repair

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Just finished restoring a Touchdown Tuckaway. I am a little disappointed. I undercut the sac by a mm or 2, fills fine, whatever (although I think even in best of cases the capacity of these pens is fairly low considering how small the sac guard is). I might redo it at some point but it fills well enough for now.

 

I knew the pen was in rough cosmetic condition when I bought it but it was worse than I imagined. The amount of wear and scratches on this thing is insane. I guess it makes sense given that it was a purse/pocket pen and it clearly got a lot of use that way. I spent some time polishing it up from 4000 grit up but I think I needed to start far lower to actually get the scratches out since after half an hour of polishing (up to 12000, some Micro-Gloss and some Simichrome, the full "treatment"), it still looks virtually the same as it did before. I was going to share some pics but I am so disappointed in how it turned out I am not sure it's even worth sharing.

 

Also, I have no way to prove this definitively but I think this was sealed with shellac, it was absurdly difficult to unscrew. Why people do this, I do not understand. Probably the most trouble I've had with a Touchdown pen, or even a Snorkel (and those tend to be a little more difficult if the spring has seized up or has any corrosion on it).

 

On the one plus side, I got the new o-ring in after only one attempt, less than a second of fiddling with it. So that's nice. In my experience these always either go in instantly or take ten minutes, so that was a success.

[FarmBoy]

21 hours ago, eckiethump said:

I have not heard back from Peter, regarding sacs yet.

On another note, David Shepherd asked if I needed any spares, I said I was looking for some P61 capillary just the fillers, this is what he gave me. The two on the left are prototypes, which I cannot see at all how to dismantle, however one of them actually works !

The two pens on the left are most likely not prototypes but are test market pens.  Parker made and then recalled them as they were poorly received. Estimates are there were 10s of thousands produced.  They were not intended to come apart though some do at the back. They were made in all the usual colors can be found with gold filled caps and there are matching pencils. 
 

The pen now known as the 61 was designated the 71 initially then renamed the 61 Mark II and introduced in grand fashion at a press conference. 
 

The tape on some of the pens was an identifier used by Parker to track pens for a variety of reasons from quality control to minor changes in the design, finish, tooling etc. 
 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Just picked this up at a local market for a really great price but after getting it home, it's looking like a lemon. I'm gonna do my best to try to repair this one but I think this will either end very well or in tears.

 

 

 

The nib in not in great shape but I am curious to see if I can fix it without popping the tipping off. I've fixed a similar (not quite as bad) nib on a cheapo 3rd tier ringtop a few months back (think I posted about it in this thread) but never one quite this bad.

 

I am worried about the filler. It looks like this is one of the dreaded all-plastic fillers and it looks like the threads have started to go. I think this pen was subject to a restoration "attempt" based on the egregious tool marks on the section and I am assuming the filler threads suffered similar attempts.

 

Any tips on dealing with the plastic-thread fillers, especially ones in this bad of a shape? I am trying to be extra careful with this one since the rest of the pen is in not so bad shape. Some tooth marks on the blindcap but the trim is in pretty good shape, no plating loss on the cap band at all. Also I don't have one in this size or color yet. I have a Maxima and a couple of Debutante ones but strangely enough no standard (this one is a standard "Major" I believe).

[VacNut]

Sometimes the plastic fillers are fused or the barrel shrinks around the nut and there is no alternative other than to drill out the filler - which should be done by someone with a lath, not a hand drill. Dry heat on the nut. You can drip naphtha down the inside of the barrel to soften the diaphragm. You can try water afterwards if the naphtha doesn’t release the filler - as sometimes dry ink keeps the filler in place. 
there is competing theories about whether or not the water should stay in the barrel, as it may rust the spring.

Replacement fillers are readily available. 
A vac standard is about $55-$60 unrestored (a bit more at a pen show). A new nib is about $25-$30. A section about $8-$10. A plastic filler about $20. The replacement parts add up quickly. One should be wary of good deals.

[VacNut]

I will be the first to admit I also search for good deals, but I typically price them based on parts pen pricing - is the pen worth the price for the parts? I also keep a lot of parts….😂😂🫣🫣🙄

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

4 hours ago, VacNut said:

Sometimes the plastic fillers are fused or the barrel shrinks around the nut and there is no alternative other than to drill out the filler - which should be done by someone with a lath, not a hand drill. Dry heat on the nut. You can drip naphtha down the inside of the barrel to soften the diaphragm. You can try water afterwards if the naphtha doesn’t release the filler - as sometimes dry ink keeps the filler in place. 
there is competing theories about whether or not the water should stay in the barrel, as it may rust the spring.

Replacement fillers are readily available. 
A vac standard is about $55-$60 unrestored (a bit more at a pen show). A new nib is about $25-$30. A section about $8-$10. A plastic filler about $20. The replacement parts add up quickly. One should be wary of good deals.

 

I don't know if discussing price is considered bad manners but I got the pen for $10 cash flat (no shipping/tax/etc.). So I think even if I don't end up being able to restore it, it will be good for parts. The section isn't pretty but it appears structurally sound, and the cap is in fair condition as well.

[bsenn]

On 1/29/2024 at 10:51 PM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

 

I knew the pen was in rough cosmetic condition when I bought it but it was worse than I imagined. The amount of wear and scratches on this thing is insane. I guess it makes sense given that it was a purse/pocket pen and it clearly got a lot of use that way. I spent some time polishing it up from 4000 grit up but I think I needed to start far lower to actually get the scratches out since after half an hour of polishing (up to 12000, some Micro-Gloss and some Simichrome, the full "treatment"), it still looks virtually the same as it did before. I was going to share some pics but I am so disappointed in how it turned out I am not sure it's even worth sharing.

On a couple of pens which had deep scratches I used a very coarse micro-mesh to make the finish more or less consistent and left them at that. They have a semi-rough matte finish, and look sort of cool in a rugged, industrial way. I like to think of them as limited edition finishes, and use them on my workbench or in a backpack. Then again, I have a vac or two with a black plastic Phillips head screw in place of the blind cap jewel and Tassie that I think look cool as well, so take my idea of cool with a grain of salt.

 

[VacNut]

9 minutes ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

 

I don't know if discussing price is considered bad manners but I got the pen for $10 cash flat (no shipping/tax/etc.). So I think even if I don't end up being able to restore it, it will be good for parts. The section isn't pretty but it appears structurally sound, and the cap is in fair condition as well.

That is a great price

congrats. Well worth the purchase.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Just now, VacNut said:

That is a great price

congrats. Well worth the purchase.

 

I was ready to offer $20-$25 on it when I saw it (even in the condition it was in) and my eyes just about popped out of my head when the guy at the market said $10. I also picked up a few more parts pens from the same guy for around the same price. Nothing "complete" but hopefully will come in handy.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Welp, the threads for the blindcap broke off while I was trying to unscrew the section. I guess I was putting a little bit of pressure on the back of the pen. I'm disappointed but unsurprised, I could see that it was already a little broken off (see the original pic above).

 

I hope I can get the filler out so I can replace it...