Parker Sonnet sterling silver

[corgicoupe]

My sterling silver Sonnet is a lovely pen with a factory stub nib that writes well once it starts, but... it seems to have the hard start that many have complained about. Blowing through the cap indicates that it is not sealing well. Is it better to put some shellac around the clip end of the cap or to drip a little shellac into the cap to seal this leak?

[Carguy]

I know people have commented on this in past posts, especially Pajaro I believe, but I have the same problem so I hope someone will weigh in again.

[corniche]

Hi CorgiCoupe, Carguy, et al,

I placed a piece of Scotch Tape over the top of the finial, so the sealant doesn't ooze out and disfigure the parts you see. Make sure its pressed down firmly and the wax doesn't creep under the tape, (but if it does, you can always chip or rub it off afterwards).

Then I used a black candle, (black wax won't show), and a funnel. Use the funnel so the drop of wax hits dead center, instead of running down the side of the cap.

 

Use a metal funnel and use a light oil, very lightly applied to the inside - spray Pam on a Qtip and run it through the hole once; then run hot water over the OUTSIDE for a couple minutes to warm it up; so the wax doesn't bind up.

 

Afterwards, either pitch the funnel or clean it out by putting it in the freezer and chip the wax away.

I suppose you could also apply a drop or two of orange shellac to the tip of a long Q-Tip and CAREFULLY put it down the center of the cap and daub it around.

But I prefer a drop of black wax; its easier to correct mistakes than with shellac.

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

Don't worry, it "reads" a lot more complicated than it is in practice. 

 

- Sean 

[corgicoupe]

I did an experiment with the fingertip of a latex glove. I placed it loosely over the nib of the Sonnet and replaced the cap. Two hours later the pen wrote as soon as it touched the paper. Then I put a small piece of the glove finger down in the cap and seems to be behaving similarly.  I tried it after it had set with the cap on during dinner and it wrote immediately. Blowing into the cap I sense that the air flow is reduced significantly.

Interestingly, I have a Baoer 388 that is a supposed Sonnet copy, and there is absolutely no air flow when blowing into the cap.

 

I'm curious, Sean. You mention putting tape over the finial. I take that as an assumption the air leak is around the jewel, or is it also around the seam between the finial and the cap? What about the clip? Is there a leak under the clip where it meets with the cap? It's not possible to see that junction and I could imagine that as a place that does not seal.

[corniche]

Hi CorgiCoupe,

 

I'm not 100% sure where the air leak(s) are in the cap; so I tape off the top AND the upper 1/3 off the cap - I guess I should have clarified that.

 

- Sean 

[corgicoupe]

What is really difficult to determine is whether there is a leak where the clip meets the finial.

[corniche]

On 2/22/2021 at 11:36 AM, corgicoupe said:

What is really difficult to determine is whether there is a leak where the clip meets the finial.

 

Hi Corgi,

 

It's all quite strange. I'm comparing a Sonnet I've treated with one I haven't touched yet. The clip looks like it's attached using that old-fashioned tab and slot construction and is held in place by a small plastic inner seal.

 

So, I'm not sure what the wax is accomplishing, unless that plastic inner seal is porous to air??  Light doesn't seem to penetrate from either direction on either the treated or untreated cap. Perhaps the inner seal has difficult to see perforations in it to prevent suffocation in a choking incident - and the wax seals those up - and thus stops the drying out issues these pens have??

 

At any rate, it looks like tab and slot on the clip - I would expect leaks from there as well as the three slots going around the top finial.

 

- Sean