What is on your bench?

[FarmBoy]

1 hour ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Welp, the threads for the blindcap broke off while I was trying to unscrew the section. 

That is one really stuck filler. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Ha ha ha, very funny.

 

Well, in other news, I snapped the tipping off one of the tines, so everything is going excruciatingly well. Everything was going well until I decided to use the godforsaken nib pliers instead of manipulating it with a brass shim.

 

These are hot garbage:

 

Can't do anything I can't do with a brass shim, except much worse; I've mutilated three nibs with these already. I'm throwing them in the trash. 

 

Edit: Broke the tips off the pliers, it was very therapeutic. At least I won't be tempted to use them again now. $45 down the drain but it is what it is.

 

[VacNut]

2 hours ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

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...

There are two methods. The one tech can drill out the entire filler/nut with a lath or they can remove the filler by disassembling it. Either method requires replacement of the filler.

PS unless you want bandages on your fingertips or to replace the barrel, I wouldn’t recommend trying to drill out the filler with an electric drill.

[VacNut]

Not to be facetious but you are still ahead.

 

The cap, clip, end cap, feed, and barrel are worth more than $10.  

The problem is these are the parts that rarely need replacement on a Vac. 

The experience is priceless.

 

Its still cheaper than going out to a movie 

[FarmBoy]

Best tool for nib repair is a thumb nail. 
 

I get them for free. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Thumbnail and a brass shim work best for me but it's slow going. Figured getting some specialized nib pliers would help but it really did not. My problem with these is that they are not good for manipulating the tip of the nib, the straight bit that I broke off is too floppy and won't hold on to the tipping. "Vacuum hardened," my ass. To compensate I've tried going further back on the "jaws" where they are thicker, but this causes more problems where I end up opening the tine slit too much or snapping off the tipping.

 

I am having a worse time with this pen than I expected. I've found a hairline crack in the section threads now as well. Not sure if this was something I introduced when knocking out the nib and feed, it was very tight. And the body of the pen feels like it has shrunk a bit towards where the threads are, which may have been why it was so hard to unscrew in the first place. Maybe it's wishful thinking but perhaps not all of the parts that broke on this pen were totally my fault.

 

I suppose the cap, blind cap, feed, and feed tube are in okay shape. Everything else has seen much much better days. Disappointing.

[VacNut]

If there is nothing wrong with the nib, there really isn’t a need to knock out the feed. Vac pens clean up well without removing the nib. If you have to remove the nib, dipping the section in water may help lubricate things.

The section should unscrew without much force if you use dry heat. Sometimes it helps to soak just the section to remove some of the dry ink.

 

The next pen will be better.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

10 hours ago, VacNut said:

If there is nothing wrong with the nib, there really isn’t a need to knock out the feed. Vac pens clean up well without removing the nib. If you have to remove the nib, dipping the section in water may help lubricate things.

The section should unscrew without much force if you use dry heat. Sometimes it helps to soak just the section to remove some of the dry ink.

 

The next pen will be better.

 

I generally don't knock out the nib/feed unless I really need to but I needed to for this nib since I wanted to more easily manipulate the tipping.  Sometimes I am able to wiggle the nib out from the front if it is loose but in this case it was set very tight and that was not possible.

 

I soaked the section for hours, and used heat after as well. I really think that there was some shrinkage of the celluloid in this case. Oh well... guess this one had a very high chance of being a lost cause in the first place.

 

What is the best thing to do when something like this happens? I was not able to put the nib and feed back without significant force either (that might have cracked it). I know it is considered bad practice to polish down the feed a little bit but it seems like a better option than potentially cracking the nib, the feed, or the housing.

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Has anyone heard back from Peter at the Pen Sac Company? Was wondering how he was doing since I have not gotten a response. My supply of sacs is getting a little anemic too (well, I am totally out) but if he's still recuperating I'll buy some from someplace else instead, don't want to add stress.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I finally got around to buying a vac wrench to open up the pen from this post:

 

 

I have to say, wow, this thing works way better than the vac block. Should have bought this in the first place. Predictably the internals were not in good shape:

 

 

The filler basically fell out as soon as I finished unscrewing it. I can't even find the rest of the pellet cup, I think it disintegrated at some point. I am not too upset as for once I am pretty sure it is not my fault, and I also have extra cups and springs from the one I restored a little while back. That being said, I have some questions:

 

1) Most importantly, how do I clean the threads of the filler? There is a ton of oxidation both on the threads on the filler and the threads inside of the body. This is why it was so hard to unscrew and I doubt I will be able to screw it in without considerable effort like this.

 

2) Is it okay to soak the body in a mild ammonia solution (similar to pen flush concentrations)? The body of the pen is inexplicably rough on the inside toward the bottom and it is not scraping off. I am not sure if it is dried up remnants of a sac or the plastic is disfigured.

 

Edit: Is distilled vinegar a bad idea for the cleaning the aluminum thread assembly? Found a bunch of results that it should work and be relatively harmless but I am not sure if it's a good idea...

[Ron Z]

I use a brass wire wheel in a Dremel to clean the schmutz out of the threads.  Use Dawn and a test tube brush (or paint gun cleaning brush from Harbor Freight) to clean the barrel. 

 

I've had many cases where the pellet cup is GONE, just crumble to bits.  Dale Beebe sells reproduction pellet cups made out of hard rubber.  They work very well, and I keep lots in stock.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

20 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

I use a brass wire wheel in a Dremel to clean the schmutz out of the threads.  Use Dawn and a test tube brush (or paint gun cleaning brush from Harbor Freight) to clean the barrel. 

 

I've had many cases where the pellet cup is GONE, just crumble to bits.  Dale Beebe sells reproduction pellet cups made out of hard rubber.  They work very well, and I keep lots in stock.

 

Yup, I have some of those replacement pellet cups. I'm really thankful that I ordered extra. Biggest lessons I've learned fixing these pens are a) always use the right tool and b) always keep lots of spare parts. 

 

Do you have any thoughts on using vinegar to soften the oxidation a bit? As far as I know the thread assembly is aluminum and shouldn't be negatively affected by a short soak.

 

I managed to take a picture of the roughness inside of the barrel. Excuse the dirty fingernails:

 

 

 

Anyone know what this might be? Did someone keep this inked with something they shouldn't have? It looks perfectly fine on the outside and appears to be ink-tight.

[VacNut]

If the residue is at the filler end of the barrel, it is likely the old diaphragm. It should be scraped out with a circular motion following the profile of the barrel - not perpendicular (down the length of the barrel. Anything else below the filler is likely ink. It is not uncommon to have a rough barrel  interior as they likely did not bother polishing the barrel interior smooth. 
Shouldn’t there be an inner collar that fits against the diaphragm seat inside the barrel?

[FarmBoy]

The texture in the barrel is from the machining process. The internals were hogged out fast ant that is the pattern left from the tool chatter. 
 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

5 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

The texture in the barrel is from the machining process. The internals were hogged out fast ant that is the pattern left from the tool chatter. 
 

 

 

Interesting, I guess I just never noticed this in the other Parker 51 vacs I worked on. Thanks for the info.

[VacNut]

Parker 51s are lucite, rather than celluloid. There is a great YouTube video that shows how these celluloid barrels are manufactured as flat sheets and rolled around a mandrel to create the barrel.

I am guessing the different types of celluloid may also shrink differently over time to help create the irregular interior. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Well, after hours of brushing I got it to the point where I can thread it 90% of the way with just my fingers and minimal pressure. Still looks gnarly but I think this is good enough. Just glued the new pellet cup back on, hope that sticks. I replaced the spring as well. The old one looked fine but I thought why not replace it with a shiny new one while it was disassembled already.

 

Gonna wait a day and try to put it back together. I am a little skeptical about the sacs I got again... had to get it from a different source since I haven't heard back from Peter. These feel a little tough and mangled. I guess they're okay to use? The seller I bought them from is a reputable seller who sells a ton of parts, I hope he is not selling old sacs.

 

I think I am going to take a break from vacs for a bit. This is the second one in a row I've had to do a full rebuild of the pump. Although to be fair the first one was at least partially my fault.

[eckiethump]

On 2/9/2024 at 3:47 PM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Has anyone heard back from Peter at the Pen Sac Company? Was wondering how he was doing since I have not gotten a response. My supply of sacs is getting a little anemic too (well, I am totally out) but if he's still recuperating I'll buy some from someplace else instead, don't want to add stress.

I heard from Peter this morning, he is in hospital, and unfortunately likely to be there for some time.

Eric

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

1 hour ago, eckiethump said:

I heard from Peter this morning, he is in hospital, and unfortunately likely to be there for some time.

Eric

 

Ah, oh no... that's horrible. I hope he gets better soon.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I put the new diaphragm into the Parker 51 vac from a few posts ago. Predictably I can't get the blind cap flush with the body, but this seems like a consistent problem for me and I give up. With the horrendous state of the filler threads I am thankful it screws in at all.

 

In terms of filling, I just did a test fill with water and it feels good. I think this one might be the best one I've done yet. I'd rather it fill really well than look perfect anyway. Going to leave the shellac on the hood to dry for a few hours and will give it a quick once over with Simichrome and I should be done. Well, almost done, need a new jewel for it.