What is on your bench?

[VacNut]

On 4/11/2024 at 2:28 PM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

It's actually pretty simple, just uses air pressure to flatten the sac and fill. And also strangely enough, not that much newer than lever or button fillers. I am pretty sure Sheaffer used Chilton's patent for their Touchdown filler, and Crocker/Chilton made "pneumatic" fillers in the (late?) 1920's.

 

I like it far more than Parker's vacumatic filling system or the later snorkel fillers (which are a variation on the touchdown but much more of a pain in the ass). It's incredibly easy to maintain, the hardest part is probably getting the slippery o-ring into the back of the pen. 

 

I'd go as far as saying it's my favorite vintage filling system. It's easier and more satisfying to use than either lever fillers or button fillers. It doesn't hold quite as much ink as Parker's vacs or Sheaffer's own vac-fillers but is much easier to maintain than either one (especially the vac fillers, those are infinitely harder). It's the perfect combination of reliability and ease of repair. The only downside is that they're rather boring visually, these only ever came in solid drab colors. No fun celluloids.

A vac filler unit is pretty simple with a single moving part. One needs a wrench but other than that it is really a screw off and screw on process. The units can be bought as complete replacements and people are making reproductions. 
 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

26 minutes ago, VacNut said:

A vac filler unit is pretty simple with a single moving part. One needs a wrench but other than that it is really a screw off and screw on process. The units can be bought as complete replacements and people are making reproductions. 
 

 

As someone who has had to completely rebuild the filler for the past two pens I have restored, I beg to disagree. And you need a lot more tools. The wrench (two wrenches if you want to be able to work on all sizes of pens), a pellet pusher (although this you can kind of improvise), a pusher for the filler to get it out of the barrel, a dremel with a special attachment for properly removing the old pellet, etc. If you're putting in an aftermarket reproduction, the dremel is not optional - you need one to widen the opening of the pellet holder - both of the ones I replaced were way too small and needed to be enlarged.

 

And there are a ton of optional tools that are useful - like a steel brush or something similar for scraping the threads or else the blindcap won't fit flush. I have given up on the latter and made my peace with the fact that every vacumatic I restore will have a slightly misaligned cap. The next person (if any) to work on these pens can fix it if it bothers them. I basically have an entire little toolbox just for Parker vacumatic related tools. And there are lots of little annoyances like getting vac diaphragms with no pellets in them occasionally. 

 

For a touchdown filler, you need shellac, a sac, an o-ring, and a generic flathead screwdriver. For some pens you can probably even get away with not replacing the o-ring if it's still somewhat pliable - in that case you don't even need the o-ring or screwdriver. Personally I always replace it anyways just in case. It's borderline easier than restoring a lever-filler since you don't have to deal with corroded j-bars. I've come across touchdown tubes that are slightly groddy before, but never one that was unusable after a little bit of cleaning.

 

Unscrewing the vacumatic filler can be a gigantic pain as well. Or if you're working on a 51 vac, unscrewing the hood. Touchdown pens usually used Sheaffer's rosin-based sealant (unless they have an aftermarket repair by some tool who used shellac...) and open easily with minimal heat or pressure.

 

I will say that I have grown to kind of enjoy repairing vacumatics (the opposite of my experience with snorkels, which I liked at first and now absolutely hate to restore) but you need a ton of tools and preparation to do it "right." There's a lot of initial investment. 

[VacNut]

I can’t speak to the condition of the Vac you were trying to restore, but it sounds like you had to rebuild a filler unit - which is a more complex process in any pen. Dry heat is used in any pen section that has been sealed onto the barrel.

I have hundreds of Vacs and I have never done the following:

-used a pellet pusher, as a bamboo skewer with a slight cupped end has always worked. Talc on the outside of the diaphragm helps with the installation.

 

-used a dremel on a filler unit or any other part of a vac.

 

-enlarged a pellet cup or used a special tool to remove a pellet from a cup. The pellet has either come out with the worn diaphragm or I used a simple push pin to “stab” the pellet and remove it from the filler.

 

- trouble aligning a end cap after ensuring the thread nut has been properly aligned with the barrel.

 

Maintenance on a pen to return it to functionality is much more simple than restoring a worn pen.

 

 

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I dunno, maybe either you have been very lucky, or I have been very unlucky. Or some combination of the two. I used the push pin method, it worked for the first few pens I serviced, until I got a hold of a few pens where the pellet cup was more fragile.

 

On one I chipped it but it was still complete enough to hold a pellet. On the next on the pellet cup completely shattered when I put the new pellet in because of the damage I did to the pen while getting the pellet out with a pin. On the next pen I opened the cup had completely disintegrated at some point, there was no trace of it.

 

Using a dremel or other rotary tool is the recommended way of removing the pellet, that's my understanding.

 

42 minutes ago, VacNut said:

-enlarged a pellet cup or used a special tool to remove a pellet from a cup. The pellet has either come out with the worn diaphragm or I used a simple push pin to “stab” the pellet and remove it from the filler.

 

 

The newly made replacement cups made of ebonite have a smaller opening than the originals. There's even a recommendation on the Pentooling website about how to enlarge the opening for the replacement cups to make them fit. You are the one who brought up modern reproduction filler units.

 

I don't doubt that your experiences, but I've repaired far fewer vacumatics and they have not been as easy to work with as you describe. Maybe you only buy pens that are in very good condition?

 

I don't mean to argue here, my only point is that the Sheaffer Touchdown filling system is much easier to maintain/restore than the Vacumatic one. I would go as far as saying this is an objective fact, not really a subjective one. I'm not saying that they're difficult, I would consider them "medium" difficulty as opposed to Touchdowns being easy, snorkels being "medium" as well (although verging on hard, more difficult than vacumatics for sure), and Sheaffer vac-fillers being outright very difficult.

[cossar]

I appreciate Richard’s difficulty scale on his reference pages. He puts touchdown repairs as beginner and vacumatic at intermediate, along with snorkels. He’s assuming you use all the right tools, or else you’re just making your job more difficult. 

[FarmBoy]

Re Pellet Cups. 

 

All of us that manufactured replacement cups decided early on it was better to make both the shaft and pellet holes slightly smaller than original.  The thinking was nearly everyone has easy access to a proper bit to enlarge the holes as needed but very few of us had access to the reversing drill that would make the holes smaller. 
 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

40 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Re Pellet Cups. 

 

All of us that manufactured replacement cups decided early on it was better to make both the shaft and pellet holes slightly smaller than original.  The thinking was nearly everyone has easy access to a proper bit to enlarge the holes as needed but very few of us had access to the reversing drill that would make the holes smaller. 
 

 

 

That makes sense, can always make a hole larger but you can't make a hole smaller... and I can't imagine that the pellets/sacs are all exactly the same size in thickness.

[cossar]

2 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

Re Pellet Cups. 

 

All of us that manufactured replacement cups decided early on it was better to make both the shaft and pellet holes slightly smaller than original.  The thinking was nearly everyone has easy access to a proper bit to enlarge the holes as needed but very few of us had access to the reversing drill that would make the holes smaller. 
 

 

I had a reversing drill once, but I stored it with my brake grease and lost it somehow. I’m still looking for the keys to the seachest…

[VacNut]

6 hours ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

I dunno, maybe either you have been very lucky, or I have been very unlucky. Or some combination of the two. I used the push pin method, it worked for the first few pens I serviced, until I got a hold of a few pens where the pellet cup was more fragile.

 

On one I chipped it but it was still complete enough to hold a pellet. On the next on the pellet cup completely shattered when I put the new pellet in because of the damage I did to the pen while getting the pellet out with a pin. On the next pen I opened the cup had completely disintegrated at some point, there was no trace of it.

 

Using a dremel or other rotary tool is the recommended way of removing the pellet, that's my understanding.

 

 

The newly made replacement cups made of ebonite have a smaller opening than the originals. There's even a recommendation on the Pentooling website about how to enlarge the opening for the replacement cups to make them fit. You are the one who brought up modern reproduction filler units.

 

I don't doubt that your experiences, but I've repaired far fewer vacumatics and they have not been as easy to work with as you describe. Maybe you only buy pens that are in very good condition?

 

I don't mean to argue here, my only point is that the Sheaffer Touchdown filling system is much easier to maintain/restore than the Vacumatic one. I would go as far as saying this is an objective fact, not really a subjective one. I'm not saying that they're difficult, I would consider them "medium" difficulty as opposed to Touchdowns being easy, snorkels being "medium" as well (although verging on hard, more difficult than vacumatics for sure), and Sheaffer vac-fillers being outright very difficult.

No worries.
 

I appreciate you posting your experiences. I have broken more than a few vacs to my dismay. One starts to collect replacement parts from donor pens to restore more damaged pens, rather than spending the effort to rework a damaged pen.

Contrary to popular belief, even Oversize and Maxima parts are available. 
 

Parker made millions of the more common pens, so many parts are still readily available - even NOS.

 

Keep up with the repair work!! 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

After my bad experience with another pen, I'm happy to report I've successfully repaired yet another Esterbrook J. Really standard one, nothing special so I didn't even take a picture of it.

 

I've had this one for nearly half a year but didn't have a sac for it. To be honest I was planning on maybe selling or trading this one to recoup some money but I really like the nib on it, so I will probably end up keeping it (as usual). I have way too many Esterbrooks...

 

They are such solid pens and fill so well. Sheaffer might have invented the lever fill pen but Esterbrook perfected it. I like modern Esties but I wish they'd make a modern equivalent of the Esterbrook J. A cheap solidly made pen for the masses. The modern ones are very nice but they're kind of premium pens.

[gweimer1]

Sometimes, they look so clean on the outside, and when you get them open....yeesh.  

[GlenV]

On 4/13/2024 at 5:11 PM, FarmBoy said:

Re Pellet Cups. 

 

All of us that manufactured replacement cups decided early on it was better to make both the shaft and pellet holes slightly smaller than original.  The thinking was nearly everyone has easy access to a proper bit to enlarge the holes as needed but very few of us had access to the reversing drill that would make the holes smaller. 
 

 

Reversing drill?  That's a joke right?  You manufactured parts? Have you made any connecting units for Sheaffer vac fillers?

...presently struggling with a AA waterman twist filler ....

[VacNut]

Not exactly a reverse drill, but reverse trim.

An earlier Vac with a once piece section and barrel. The filler is stuck and I have been periodically trickling water and naphtha down into the barrel  trying to loosen the filler. For later vacs you can usually knock out the filler with a Magic Zorn Tool, but the one-piece section prevents access down the barrel.

 

I was able to remove the feed and nib to allow better access into the barrel. The section has been sleeved. I’m not sure if it is a factory sleeve or a retrofit. It is professional work.

 

It’s been a few weeks but I hope to eventually loosen the filler. Dry heat and patience.

It’s a great uncommon pen. A true nickel trim pen, not a brassed gold-filled trim pen that has been over-polished.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I took a little break from repairing pens, picked up a Parker 51 aerometric that seemed to be in good condition. Total mess inside, I ended up replacing a bunch of the internal stuff from a parts pen.

 

My question is, the PVC sac from the replacement is a little stinky. It has that very strong antiseptic smell, I think it is stearic acid being off-gassed from the PVC. Should I replace it? I gave it a mild try - the sac protector is extremely tight and I would prefer not to break anything by accident by trying to remove it.

 

After scrubbing the collector clean, the pen fills very well. I am not getting any kind of burping or blobbing that I would expect if the sac had any holes or was at all permeable. So it seems to be fine (and I've never had one of these fail on me). But I wanted to get a second (and maybe third) opinion.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I got a Parker 51 vac as a present recently, just fixed it up. Not a perfect restoration (none of mine are sadly) but ok. This is the first time I've used a dremel tool with a miniburr to get the ball out and it was not as easy as I thought. Ended up introducing some very tiny chips from accidentally touching the burr to the sides of the cup. I guess not really chips, just removed a little material. I also undercut the sac by a little bit.

 

I did want to share this though, I saw this when I opened it:

 

 

The previous person who serviced this put a new sac on top of the remnants of the old sac! You can see that by the two different "colors" of sac. The newer one is black and the older one is more faded and a bit grayish. Most of the "first" diaphragm was still stuck to the interior of the barrel.  

 

Inexplicably the blind cap was perfectly flush, so that confuses me. I would think this would have made installing the filler correctly very difficult but it was perfect! Not perfect after I put the new one in, I still hate aligning the blind cap/filler. 

 

I wonder if it ever worked after the previous "restoration" - I can't imagine it'd function very well with leftover diaphragm in it...

[Ron Z]

Nothing surprises me these days.

[VacNut]

I have had vacs returned from service with diaphragm residue inside the barrel. The pen fills but it isn’t really a complete service if the pen isn’t thoroughly cleaned. I don’t know if the technician was rushed, had bad eyesight, or if they thought “good” was good enough. Either way, you start sending pens only to people you can trust.

[FarmBoy]

I’ve had restored Vacs sent to me for repair. 
 

Three key things on a vac. 
 

Remove all the old diaphragm.

Use the correct size diaphragm.

Cut the diaphragm to the correct length. 
 

 

[es9]

On 6/13/2024 at 12:24 PM, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Not a perfect restoration (none of mine are sadly) but ok. This is the first time I've used a dremel tool with a miniburr to get the ball out and it was not as easy as I thought. Ended up introducing some very tiny chips from accidentally touching the burr to the sides of the cup. I guess not really chips, just removed a little material. 

Laurence Oldfield makes a great tool that keeps the pump socket perfectly centered. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

12 hours ago, es9 said:

Laurence Oldfield makes a great tool that keeps the pump socket perfectly centered. 

 

Oh, that's cool. I might pick that up eventually but at this point I don't work on enough vacs for it to be worth getting. Have way too much vac-related tools already. That thread cleaner for Vacs is very enticing though...