What is on your bench?

[GlenV]

Celluloid pens had much prettier colors than later injection molded plastics, like the celluloid like colors of your pretty vacs.  This red is quite bright and attractive, the style of pen with "triumph " nib that was introduced in 1941 or so was much more common on  vac filling pens, and they had some transparency of the barrel that the lever filled ones lack.  The lever pens were made at the same time as the vac fillers ( I think fewer of them though).  The location of the visual section does not make much sense since would still be over the sac it seems to me so maybe just for style.  I have been looking for a triumph nib lever pen for awhile and when they came up I never did get one, but my daughter found this one in an antique store randomly! 

[es9]

Not sure what happened to yours, but the section definitely comes off on mine and has a standard sac nipple. The transparent part of the section would also function as expected, though the triumph feed tail would obstruct the view a bit.  Amusingly, I have a red one I will sell at some point with a broken feed tail. I am comfortable selling it (with that fact disclosed) because, without a plunger rod, the feed tail doesn’t really matter. But now I see a second benefit—avoid covering up the ink window!
 

 
 

The way I see it, ink windows in sections are less about telling me how much ink is left and more about telling me when I’m about to run out. 

[GlenV]

Now that is more like it! I wish I saw that earlier, now I’m feeling foolish oh well that does make perfect sense. Maybe I can try to correct it yet? I have thinned out the sac nipple though now and I’m a bit nervous about the bit of crazing on the transparent part. The window should work that way since the ink would also be present around the outside of tail of the  triumph nib connector. Thank you for sharing this picture 😊

[Nethermark]

14 hours ago, GlenV said:

The location of the visual section does not make much sense since would still be over the sac it seems to me so maybe just for style.

I don't know this particular model, but I have seen several lever and button filler pens with a visual section, where the sac is attached to the sac nipple behind the visual section, so that one can see the ink level 

[Nethermark]

This just happened to me

I tried to remove the filler system from an Osmia vacumatic pen, when suddenly the barrel snapped. I didn't even apply pressure at that moment, so I was rather surprised. This has never happened to me before. Is is even possible to repair this without the crack being visible?

 

 

[VacNut]

2 hours ago, Nethermark said:

This just happened to me

I tried to remove the filler system from an Osmia vacumatic pen, when suddenly the barrel snapped. I didn't even apply pressure at that moment, so I was rather surprised. This has never happened to me before. Is is even possible to repair this without the crack being visible?

 

 

Yes. A good pen technician will add celluloid powder to the acetone and fuse the two sections. Light sanding afterwards. Sometimes they may add a sleeve. The acetone “melts” the two ends together.

The seam may show at the imprints.

[Nethermark]

2 hours ago, VacNut said:

Yes. A good pen technician will add celluloid powder to the acetone and fuse the two sections.

Thank you! I have tried that several times, but I haven't always succeeded when it's on clear celluloid (the crack in the Osmia is in the clear part of the barrel). But maybe I'm not doing it quite correctly, so any advice is welcome

[VacNut]

The repair on a sheared vac barrel can almost be imperceptible except that one of the laminations may be slightly thinner.

Clear sections are tough. It looks like the break is in a solid celluloid barrel.

[VacNut]

I guess there is nothing to lose at this point.

[GlenV]

Good luck above with your celluloid welding, I’m still playing with these 40’s Sheaffers, now seeing better how the lever fillers were made, no damage done as the sac nipple is still sturdy, I guess I was able to clean the window better but no advantage otherwise to removing the nib connection from the section. Although I was able to align the pen better so the lever lines up with the nib and the clip which looks nice.

The next one is disassembled but I would really like to replace the rod, Sheaffer made so many different lengths.  I like these 40’s pens I don’t know why really since I generally go for earlier pens that have more flexible nibs, I just like them anyway?

[es9]

Sheaffers Vacuum-Fil system is one of my favorites. While I prefer the look of Vacumatics and love them, I have to agree with Jim Mamoulides that Sheaffer has the better system overall—especially assuming the Sheaffer has been properly restored with modern materials. I am sure many will disagree with me. 
 

I think those Sheaffer lever-fillers were from a time when Sheaffer was offering the same pen with two different filling systems—kind of like the brief period when Parker offered the red band and Vacumatic 51s. They’re nice pens, but I would never take a lever-filler over a well restored Vacuum-Fil. 
 

The ebonite-coated rods are tricky. I generally replace them if I have a spare stainless rod of the same size. I assume the carbon steel under the coating rusts because of some tiny pore in the ebonite, but that’s pure speculation. Gerry Berg can manufacture a new stainless one in whatever size you need. He’s a really nice guy and his replacements are fantastic. 

 

[Inkyways]

Very nice pens @GlenV I am sure they are somewhat difficult to fix for me as I don't have right gear to do it. I have a small Sheaffer collection. I have a  Imperial " pen  for men " with inlaid broken nib.  it is just like your first red pen here. it needs a nib replacement and it is better to sell it for spares  rather than finding a replacement. 

[es9]

8 minutes ago, Inkyways said:

Very nice pens @GlenV I am sure they are somewhat difficult to fix for me as I don't have right gear to do it. I have a small Sheaffer collection. I have a  Imperial " pen  for men " with inlaid broken nib.  it is just like your first red pen here. it needs a nib replacement and it is better to sell it for spares  rather than finding a replacement. 

Post a pic! Folks around here may be able to help. 

[Inkyways]

@es9 thank you for the suggestion. I will post a picture soon . while I am waiting I have two more new comers to my pen lot.

 

These pens are my most ignored pens . I ignored as I am not having any tools to fix them. But I have a plan get the tools later and fix them but hunting for them while they are popping up. 

So I am into collect few more Parker Vaccumatic / Paker Duefold pens . This week I bought 3 of them and I have two Photos here.

I am not fun about any pens that has M/ BB nibs . I am up to at least pens with  F nibs . These two pens are Ideal to me .

 

[es9]

Those look like lovely vacs. Can’t tell if they’re slender models or full sized, but both look nice. Burgundy pen appears to have a replacement nib. 
 

The great thing about anything with a vacumatic pump is that you really only need one specialized tool: the correct sized vac wrench. I actually think a vac wrench is the best tool to buy after a pair of section pliers and maybe a knockout block. 

[Inkyways]

ES9 . yes  you are right. First pen has a replacement nib and the second has the right arrow nib. But my guess is both has certain flexibility. Other close up photos shows the architecture and the shape of the nib as fine so I opt it for nice springy nibs. They are also full size or senior models as it was listed. Yes I am planing to have a knock out block and a wrench . a pair of section too  perhaps ..as you can always do with out it using a heating gun and some thing good to grip safely. I have so many fix projects on a long list.  thank you for your helpful  suggestions.  

[gweimer1]

9 hours ago, Inkyways said:

Very nice pens @GlenV I am sure they are somewhat difficult to fix for me as I don't have right gear to do it. I have a small Sheaffer collection. I have a  Imperial " pen  for men " with inlaid broken nib.  it is just like your first red pen here. it needs a nib replacement and it is better to sell it for spares  rather than finding a replacement. 

 

Yes, post a pic.  If you can use a black one, PM me.  I have a few spares in my parts.

[Inkyways]

@gweimer1 Thank you 

 

This is a link I posted some times back  for this Pen .

 

 

This is the  pen and it is black . It is a Snorkel and it is not moving.  That pen is somewhere in a  boxpen . So I repost the old photo here. 

 

[VacNut]

It would be ideal if the Vacs had an arrow nib, but I have run across far too many Canadian Vacs with simple Parker Nibs or UK Duofold Nibs. Vac nibs are notoriously stiff. I wouldn’t be surprised if the original buyer decided on another nib that was more useable for them. 
So long as it was a Parker Nib I wouldn’t think it would have matter much to the buyer.

 

[VacNut]

13 hours ago, Inkyways said:

ES9 . yes  you are right. First pen has a replacement nib and the second has the right arrow nib. But my guess is both has certain flexibility. Other close up photos shows the architecture and the shape of the nib as fine so I opt it for nice springy nibs. They are also full size or senior models as it was listed. Yes I am planing to have a knock out block and a wrench . a pair of section too  perhaps ..as you can always do with out it using a heating gun and some thing good to grip safely. I have so many fix projects on a long list.  thank you for your helpful  suggestions.  

If you are not in a hurry, you may consider used pen tool lot auctions. They come across periodically and it is a great way to get many of the vac tools for less money. The tools rarely wear out and there are, unfortunately, more and more collectors leaving the hobby.

All of the tools you have listed are common to a vac hobbyist.