What is on your bench?

[da vinci]

1 hour ago, VacNut said:

Ron Z mentions using diluted vinegar to loosen alum vac filler units. I heat diluted vinegar solutions in my kettle to remove minerals. I would think a light wash may help.

Ok, thank you! 

[da vinci]

Just a gentle clean for a Parker 17 yesterday....

 

 

[VacNut]

6 hours ago, da vinci said:

Just a gentle clean for a Parker 17 yesterday....

 

 

I noticed on the duofold and the 17 that the filler tube is connected to the feed. With the Vacs, the tube is installed after the feed is in place, except for very early models. Is it possible to install the filler after the tube is in place?

[da vinci]

11 hours ago, VacNut said:

I noticed on the duofold and the 17 that the filler tube is connected to the feed. With the Vacs, the tube is installed after the feed is in place, except for very early models. Is it possible to install the filler after the tube is in place?

Apologies, but I don't quite understand the question. You are correct that feed and tube are all one unit. The section, sac and sac protector are all one unit too. So you have to put the tube inside the sac at the same time as you are locating the feed, with nib into the section. Then the hood goes over the nib and feed (screws on). Does that help? 

[VacNut]

On 4/8/2021 at 9:21 AM, da vinci said:

Apologies, but I don't quite understand the question. You are correct that feed and tube are all one unit. The section, sac and sac protector are all one unit too. So you have to put the tube inside the sac at the same time as you are locating the feed, with nib into the section. Then the hood goes over the nib and feed (screws on). Does that help? 

In hindsight, I believe the filler and feed installation are the same. The Vacs have a screw on feed and tube that is inserted into the section. The tube is installed after the feed is inserted. I was thinking the Parker 17 was similar to the early Vacuum Filler feed. The section on these pens are part of the barrel, so the feed and tube are inserted from the front-end of the barrel-section, with the tube already in place. A typical Vacumatic feed:

 

I have been lucky in being able to remove the feed in the Vacuum Filler, by gently wiggling it from the front. I would need a special hollow tube+punch otherwise.

 

[es9]

I just finished working on a Vacumatic -- it must be pretty early -- where the section and barrel were fused.  (I thought it was an opaque black but, to my delight, it turned out to be a crystal.)  My hollow punch was not long enough, so I first removed the breather tube from the back of the barrel with alligator forceps and then I used a long punch to knock the feed out.  (I stopped trying to wiggle after I accidentally cracked a feed and nib tail on a Sheaffer Balance.)  Working with the punch was hard.  At least once it seemed to slip on the back of the feed; I sincerely hope I did not hurt the part of the barrel where the section is fused.  

[tmenyc]

I have this Faber-Castell 5664...this is not the one that came from Osmia with the same model number that got rebranded FC, it's the later one in plastic.  It came to me because it didn't fill, although it appears to be unused. 

I'm pretty sure it didn't fill, still doesn't fill, because the plastic pieces inside aren't connected correctly. There are only three of them: the threaded shaft that connects to the blind cap, the actual piston shaft that the threaded shaft pushes into the barrel, with the plastic "cork" on the end, and the black plastic bushing which threads into the barrel and to which the blind cap threads. 

There is a hole in the black bushing that one would think would hold a pin or set screw, but nothing is in it and it doesn't connect to anything, and there is no matching hole across the diameter. 

The piston works when the black bushing is threaded all the way down, but in withdrawing the piston, the black bushing unscrews. So it seems to me that something has to hold that sucker in place. There is no trace of adhesive in there. 

Is this one of those "Tim, don't be so stupid..." moments? Or should it have been glued in place but isn't?  What am I missing ?

Many thanks! It's good to be back on FPN. 

 

Tim

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by tmenyc
missing text

[VacNut]

11 hours ago, es9 said:

I just finished working on a Vacumatic -- it must be pretty early -- where the section and barrel were fused.  (I thought it was an opaque black but, to my delight, it turned out to be a crystal.)  My hollow punch was not long enough, so I first removed the breather tube from the back of the barrel with alligator forceps and then I used a long punch to knock the feed out.  (I stopped trying to wiggle after I accidentally cracked a feed and nib tail on a Sheaffer Balance.)  Working with the punch was hard.  At least once it seemed to slip on the back of the feed; I sincerely hope I did not hurt the part of the barrel where the section is fused.  

I have not looked closely at the crystal Vacs, but I would have thought the section would be a solid celluloid otherwise it would also be clear. Is the section also clear? I am always hesitant to pull on the breather tube, as too often they break inside the feed and you have to drill out the feed. 
I experimented with inserting multiple brass tubes into each other get the correct length, while keeping the center hollow for the tube, similar to Ron Z brass tube sleeve to knock out a stuck filler unit. It looked like it would work, but I chickened out as I didn’t have a good method to steady the barrel. 

 

‘Patience, dry heat, and soaking in water eventually loosened the feed. It is the vacuum filler with a blue tint.
 

[VacNut]

4 hours ago, tmenyc said:

I have this Faber-Castell 5664...this is not the one that came from Osmia with the same model number that got rebranded FC, it's the later one in plastic.  It came to me because it didn't fill, although it appears to be unused. 

I'm pretty sure it didn't fill, still doesn't fill, because the plastic pieces inside aren't connected correctly. There are only three of them: the threaded shaft that connects to the blind cap, the actual piston shaft that the threaded shaft pushes into the barrel, with the plastic "cork" on the end, and the black plastic bushing which threads into the barrel and to which the blind cap threads. 

There is a hole in the black bushing that one would think would hold a pin or set screw, but nothing is in it and it doesn't connect to anything, and there is no matching hole across the diameter. 

The piston works when the black bushing is threaded all the way down, but in withdrawing the piston, the black bushing unscrews. So it seems to me that something has to hold that sucker in place. There is no trace of adhesive in there. 

Is this one of those "Tim, don't be so stupid..." moments? Or should it have been glued in place but isn't?  What am I missing ?

Many thanks! It's good to be back on FPN. 

 

Tim

 

 

 

I am just guessing, but does the clear threaded section connect to the cleat piston shaft? Any chance the threaded sleeve is held in place to the barrel by rosin sealant like the section end of a Vac to the barrel?  If it is unused, maybe the rosin was never applied to the threads.

[VacNut]

55 minutes ago, VacNut said:

I have not looked closely at the crystal Vacs, but I would have thought the section would be a solid celluloid otherwise it would also be clear. Is the section also clear? I am always hesitant to pull on the breather tube, as too often they break inside the feed and you have to drill out the feed. 
I experimented with inserting multiple brass tubes into each other get the correct length, while keeping the center hollow for the tube, similar to Ron Z brass tube sleeve to knock out a stuck filler unit. It looked like it would work, but I chickened out as I didn’t have a good method to steady the barrel. 

 

‘Patience, dry heat, and soaking in water eventually loosened the feed. It is the vacuum filler with a blue tint.
 

 

I ‘had’ to exchange the vac nib for a vacuum filler nib, so all is correct in the universe. Early picture of the pen with a later vac nib.

[Nethermark]

6 hours ago, tmenyc said:

I have this Faber-Castell 5664...this is not the one that came from Osmia with the same model number that got rebranded FC, it's the later one in plastic.  It came to me because it didn't fill, although it appears to be unused. 

I'm pretty sure it didn't fill, still doesn't fill, because the plastic pieces inside aren't connected correctly. There are only three of them: the threaded shaft that connects to the blind cap, the actual piston shaft that the threaded shaft pushes into the barrel, with the plastic "cork" on the end, and the black plastic bushing which threads into the barrel and to which the blind cap threads. 

There is a hole in the black bushing that one would think would hold a pin or set screw, but nothing is in it and it doesn't connect to anything, and there is no matching hole across the diameter. 

The piston works when the black bushing is threaded all the way down, but in withdrawing the piston, the black bushing unscrews. So it seems to me that something has to hold that sucker in place. There is no trace of adhesive in there. 

I've seen quite a lot of this type of screw piston pens. The hole may be for letting air out, when operating the piston (much as the hole in Aurora 88s). I see these both with and without a sealant, and I have occasionally experienced the same problem with the whole piston unit coming out when withdrawing the piston. I either fix it by screwing the bushing tighter, or by using a sealant.

[tmenyc]

6 hours ago, Nethermark said:

 The hole may be for letting air out.... I either fix it by screwing the bushing tighter, or by using a sealant.

Funny, I had piston fillers on the brain, never thought it was an air hole, which of course makes sense. I'll rosin seal it in.

[es9]

18 hours ago, VacNut said:

I have not looked closely at the crystal Vacs, but I would have thought the section would be a solid celluloid otherwise it would also be clear. Is the section also clear?

 

It is indeed solid; it just appears to be fused onto the clear section.  I will post a pic.

[es9]

Pictures of the crystal vac barrel. Section most certainly does not unscrew. 
 

 

 

[VacNut]

I am going to try some dry heat. It appears the section is solid and the barrel is clear. I am not sure Parker would be able to create a clear section and a solid celluloid section without chemically fusing the two parts. 
I can test 3 pens. It looks like one of them is a clear barrel with a solid celluloid section

[VacNut]

I have several Sager Pens which are similar to the crystals. Depending on the model it looks like they can fuse the clear sections to the solid sections

 

I have no idea how they built the clear sections. When the end of the section matches the clarity of the barrel.

[es9]

Is the one on the right a gold cover over a crystal barrel? 

 

I quite like the crystal.  I hate the idea of staining the barrel more, but pens were meant to be used!  The one I have needs a new tassie and blind cap jewel.  It also came with a vacuum-filler nib that had a crack which I will try to get fixed at some point.  It has a vacumatic imprint, however -- sans date -- so I am not sure the nib technically matches.  

[eckiethump]

16 hours ago, VacNut said:

I have several Sager Pens which are similar to the crystals. Depending on the model it looks like they can fuse the clear sections to the solid sections

I have no idea how they built the clear sections. When the end of the section matches the clarity of the barrel.

The section will have been "painted" with cellulose, a la Sheaffer Snorkel demonstrator caps and other pens.

Very early Parker Vacumatics were all one piece section and barrel.

eckiethump

[VacNut]

4 hours ago, eckiethump said:

The section will have been "painted" with cellulose, a la Sheaffer Snorkel demonstrator caps and other pens.

Very early Parker Vacumatics were all one piece section and barrel.

eckiethump

That is amazing. I tried the dry heat and gentle twisting of the barrel. I wasn’t forceful and the section did not move. There is a small portion of the barrel threads in the first photo where the “paint” may have worn off.

[VacNut]

On 4/14/2021 at 6:08 PM, es9 said:

Is the one on the right a gold cover over a crystal barrel? 

 

I quite like the crystal.  I hate the idea of staining the barrel more, but pens were meant to be used!  The one I have needs a new tassie and blind cap jewel.  It also came with a vacuum-filler nib that had a crack which I will try to get fixed at some point.  It has a vacumatic imprint, however -- sans date -- so I am not sure the nib technically matches.  

It is a jewelers overlay onto a crystal vac. It has a 585 designation which makes the overlay European. It may be Canadian pen with French overlay.

 

it has Parker Clip with 585 under the clip. 
 

 

 

It is not perfect, but it is uncommon.  A jeweler had to make the gold clip jewel. I don’t think people would do that level or work today.