Parker 105 question

[MartinTenbones]

I have a Parker 105 and it's clogged up tight.   I have had it in rapido-eze for a bit but no dice.

 

I feel like something is in the converter end that shouldn't be.

 

Is it possible somebody has one that they can take a picture of where the converter goes in so I can compare it to what I'm looking at. 

 

I had thought it took a regular Parker converter but mine looks different. 

 

I'd appreciate any help. 

 

Thanks

 

I've attached a picture of what I'm looking at 

 

The cartridge doesn't seat well not do I see anything that would pierce it. I'm wondering If it used a different ink cartridge or?

 

[Mercian]

Hi,

I don’t have a 105, but I do have several Parker c/c pens.

 

On your photos I cannot see a key component of any c/c pen, the ‘feed nipple’.
This is a cylindrical ‘spike’ on to which one would push the cartridge or converter.
It is designed push up into the cartridge or converter, and its diameter matches the inside diameter of the mouth of a Parker cartridge or converter.

 

Here is a photo that shows the feed nipple of my Parker 25 from 1979.
I chose this pen because the blue colour of its plastic makes it relatively easy to see what I am talking about, and because it is of the same era as your Parker 105:

 

To my eyes, on your photo of your 105 it looks as though this ‘spike’ has been broken off the feed of your pen.

Your photo appears to show a large-diameter cylinder into which the cartridge would locate, but no feed nipple on to which the cartridge would fit.

 

That said, I am due an eye-test, and I do already know that I need to get some new glasses with an updated lens prescription.

 

All Parker pens have always used the same type of cartridges (at least in terms of the geometry of the cartridge mouth/pen ‘feed nipple’). The 105 was not an exception to this rule.

 

Slàinte,
M.

[baz666]

It looks like there is something stuck in the section in yours, The cartridge nipple may be hiding underneath it.
My 105 has a single opening and the nipple is quite a way down the section.

 

[Sheptonian]

1 hour ago, baz666 said:

It looks like there is something stuck in the section in yours, The cartridge nipple may be hiding underneath it.
My 105 has a single opening and the nipple is quite a way down the section.

 

 

Spot on diagnosis and description - mine are the same as in the photo. It is difficult to show the depth of the nipple but its top is about 1/2" from the open end of the section.

[MartinTenbones]

I see.  There is something in there.  I'll see if I can get it out.  This may solve it.

 

Thanks so much everyone.  I hope it comes out!

 

I'll update when I know

[MartinTenbones]

Ok so I pulled this out.  Looks like someone at sometime may have put the wrong converter in.   A Parker converter now fits in properly.   Unfortunately it's still clogged with something. 

 

I filled the Parker converter with rapido eze and I'll let it St there.    I can get a bit of air through but it seems the rapido is too thick to move through it all.

 

I'll give it some more time 

 

Here's a picture of what came out and that's the direction it had been inserted. Does anyone recognize what that might be?

[Mercian]

13 minutes ago, MartinTenbones said:

Here's a picture of what came out and that's the direction it had been inserted. Does anyone recognize what that might be?

I’m glad you’ve got that thing out!

 

I don’t know what it is… 🤷‍♂️
Could it be the front end of some other brand of cartridge or converter, with the ‘ink chamber’ part pulled off the back of it?
And why does it appear to have external screw threads moulded on the end that was inside your 105?

 

With respect to your flow problem, I hope that no previous owner of your pen was stupid enough to try to run dip-pen ink through it… 😬🤞

Edit to add:

If I were you I would be minded to remove your converter, and let the whole front end of the pen (nib, feed, and grip section) sit in a glass of room temperature water (or perhaps a solution of Rapid-o-Eze?), for three full days at least.

 

That ought to be sufficient time for water to work through every part of the feed, and hopefully dissolve any old ink that is gunked-up in it.
It may be a good idea to replace that water with a fresh fill every so often if you do see old ink coming out into the glass.

Good luck!

[MartinTenbones]

Ok I'll switch it up and give this an extended soak.

 

So dip pen ink

 

I had wondered if I was dealing with India or iron gall.

 

I'll take a look at dip pen ink.   Sounds like it will be a real problem if it was

 

Thanks again

[Mercian]

8 minutes ago, MartinTenbones said:

I had wondered if I was dealing with India or iron gall.

You can remove old iron-gall salt deposits by flushing/soaking with a solution of

• ascorbic acid (vitamin C), or
• citric acid, or
• white vinegar

I fill a pen/converter with such a solution, then clip the pen inside my shirt for a couple of hours, so that my body heat speeds up the dissolution of old iron salts.

Then I put a folded piece of kitchen roll paper in the bottom of a dry glass/mug, uncap my pen, and stand the pen nib-down on the paper in the glass/mug.

Capillary action makes the solution ‘wick’ through the nib and into the paper, so it helps to clean the nib as well as the feed.

After a couple of hours, all the solution should have wicked through the nib and into the paper.

If any old ink has been moved from the pen and into the paper, I repeat the process, until no more old ink/iron-salts get flushed into the paper.

Once the solution comes through ‘clean’, I flush the pen/converter with plain water, then wick one final fill of plain water into some kitchen roll paper, to make sure that I’ve got all of the acid solution out of my pen.

 

The process can take a good few days if one has a really-badly-clogged pen - and e.g. an aerometric Parker “51” once took me several weeks to clean out thoroughly this way 😧 - but the process is safe, doesn’t risk damaging any external trim/finish on the pen, and you should only need to do it to any pen once.

[MartinTenbones]

3 minutes ago, Mercian said:

You can remove old iron-gall salt deposits by flushing/soaking with a solution of

• ascorbic acid (vitamin C), or
• citric acid, or
• white vinegar

I fill a pen/converter with such a solution, then clip the pen inside my shirt for a couple of hours, so that my body heat speeds up the dissolution of old iron salts.

Then I put a folded piece of kitchen roll paper in the bottom of a dry glass/mug, uncap my pen, and stand the pen nib-down on the paper in the glass/mug.

Capillary action makes the solution ‘wick’ through the nib and into the paper, so it helps to clean the nib as well as the feed.

After a couple of hours, all the solution should have wicked through the nib and into the paper.

If any old ink has been moved from the pen and into the paper, I repeat the process, until no more old ink/iron-salts get flushed into the paper.

Once the solution comes through ‘clean’, I flush the pen/converter with plain water, then wick one final fill of plain water into some kitchen roll paper, to make sure that I’ve got all of the acid solution out of my pen.

 

The process can take a good few days if one has a really-badly-clogged pen - and e.g. an aerometric Parker “51” once took me several weeks to clean out thoroughly this way 😧 - but the process is safe, doesn’t risk damaging any external trim/finish on the pen, and you should only need to do it to any pen once

Ok I think I'm armed with all the tools I need to attack this problem.   I'll report back in a few days and update how it goes.

 

I truly appreciate all your help.

 

Thanks everyone 

[Mercian]

1 minute ago, MartinTenbones said:

Ok I think I'm armed with all the tools I need to attack this problem.   I'll report back in a few days and update how it goes.

Do please make sure that you read all the instructions on the Rapido-eze before you decide to risk soaking your 105 in it!

 

I’ve never used the stuff, and so I don’t know whether it would be safe to soak the pen in a solution of it, or if it might not be safe!

 

Other than that, good luck! 

[Penguincollector]

That looks like some sort of adapter, maybe something made by a third party? 

[baz666]

The piece that was removed from the section is the front part from a Parker convertor.

The 105 was not made to accept converters, only cartridges.

Convertors will fit but are very tight, likely why this one came apart.

 

 

 

 

The nib unit slides out forward, don't twist it, you will damage the section or snap the thin feed end.

After a good soaking, days if necessary, try to slide the nib out.

If and when the nib does come out, it can then be flushed properly.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[Mercian]

36 minutes ago, baz666 said:

Hope this helps.

👏👏👏

 

Brilliant post 

[Sheptonian]

8 hours ago, baz666 said:

The piece that was removed from the section is the front part from a Parker convertor.

The 105 was not made to accept converters, only cartridges.

Convertors will fit but are very tight, likely why this one came apart.

 

 

 

 

The nib unit slides out forward, don't twist it, you will damage the section or snap the thin feed end.

After a good soaking, days if necessary, try to slide the nib out.

If and when the nib does come out, it can then be flushed properly.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Wow. What an informative reply - thank you.   

 

So this explains the lack of a converter with the not inexpensive Parker 105. 

 

One of the great things about this forum is the little gems like this that you pick up which make perfect sense once you know...

 

Of course (it being an unwritten rule for blokes not to) reading my instructions would have helped :

 

 

[baz666]

2 hours ago, Sheptonian said:

 

Of course (it being an unwritten rule for blokes not to) reading my instructions would have helped :

 

 

Indeed, it always helps to R.T.F.I.
Which in this case means "Read The Filling Instructions".  😉

[Sheptonian]

1 hour ago, baz666 said:

 

Indeed, it always helps to R.T.F.I.
Which in this case means "Read The Filling Instructions".  😉

[thx1138]

I've been using parker converters in my 105's since I got them. Never had any problems with the six or eight 105s in my collection. 

I do have a few spare sections, so if I break one I won't sob for too long.

[MartinTenbones]

A spare section eh...

 

Does anyone have a spare feed?

 

Unfortunately after soaking for ages the feed came loose enough to find out it is in 2 pieces. 

 

This pen is done for at the moment it seems.  The other half hasn't decided to let go yet

 

 

 

 

 

[senzen]

Very informative thread on a pretty obscure pen; I have the brushed steel version, it took me many, many soakings with Rapido Eze and using an ultrasonic cleaner to get it going; it also seems to dry out quickly, so ink progressively comes out darker and eventually stops flowing. I'm glad I never dared to take it apart. The one ink that tamed it was "ye olde faithful" Parker Quink in blue, but I'm now trying with Kaweco Smokey Grey as that was quite boring. 

 

I've been using a Parker converter but I'm willing to give a syringe filled cartridge a try if it helps. I also keep it in a plastic sleeve inside a zippered case to help with the drying out. It's a shame as it is one of my least used pens and has a smooth M nib.