Snorkel Tube Won't Retract.

[Florida Blue]

Hello fellow FPNers,

 

I just finished (or thought I finished) restoring a Sheaffer Snorkel. I turn the blind cap to extend the Snorkel tube, dip it in water to fill it and then squirt the water out. It fills great. However, the Snorkel tube won't extend back into the pen when I turn the blind cap.

 

Any advice on what I did wrong or tips to remedy the situation would be much appreciated.

 

If it makes any difference it is an early "1st year" Snorkel with the gold Snorkel tube.

[OcalaFlGuy]

 

If it makes any difference it is an early "1st year" Snorkel with the gold Snorkel tube.

 

<Wince. Full body twitch.>

 

I sure hope it's something simple FB.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[mhosea]

Does it seem to get hung up, or does it turn freely? If the former, try rotating the cap counterclockwise until you feel the click of a thread start. Then see if it will draw it back in when you push the blind cap in and turn.

[Florida Blue]

 

<Wince. Full body twitch.>

 

I sure hope it's something simple FB.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Thanks. Me Too.

 

Does it seem to get hung up, or does it turn freely? If the former, try rotating the cap counterclockwise until you feel the click of a thread start. Then see if it will draw it back in when you push the blind cap in and turn.

 

The knob seems to turn freely. There's no resistance.

[Hooker56]

FB it sounds like you're branching out like I'm kind of doing...

 

I'm having Sheaffer woes too

[Komitadjie]

Could you have possibly had the blind cap screw come loose just enough that it'll rotate freely?

[Parker51]

They do that if they are not lined up correctly. So, take the nib unit out again, get the tube lined up properly, and put it back together. Eventually like a puzzle, you should be able to get all the parts lined up so that it works as designed. No forcing is involved, no stressing, just a little movement of the parts to get it all lined up correctly. I am sure there is a proper way to do this, likely in a service manual, but I don't have one, and have used this technique for the last Forty Years or so.

[mhosea]

I can't say that I understand how the parts can be lined up differently. The nib unit has only one thread start, so it always screws back on the same way. Its only role in the filling system is to hold the point gasket in place. The point gasket does not affect the position of the sac protector because it is located in the nib chamber of the section and not in the sac protector chamber. The TD tube is keyed into the blind cap by being squared off. It is, of course, designed to rotate freely with respect to the barrel. Even if the blind cap were loose, it would just wobble a bit. All of the 4 different orientations of the blind cap to the TD tube should give identical results. (Edit here:) First-year sac protectors only allow the sac protector it to be inserted one way into the section.

 

I have to point this out, so please forgive me. When retracting the Snorkel tube, the blind cap must be pushed all the way into position without any gap between it and the barrel. From that position, the threads on the TD tube should engage with the threads on the sac protector when grasping the section with one hand (not the barrel) and the blind cap in the other and lightly pressing the two ends towards each other while turning. If the threads are not reaching one another from that position, it would seem to imply that sac protector is pushed forward a little after the threads let go when extending the tube for filling. I have not seen the threads fail to engage before in the half-dozen or so Snorkels I have restored, one of which is from the first year, so in thinking of how to deal with it, I am forced to theorize.

 

1. If the TD tube is damaged, you could replace just that part.

2. Even if it is not needed to make the filling system work, you can increase the reach of the TD tube very slightly by installing a new gasket in the blind cap. The gasket can be fashioned from a small part of the sac fragment that you cut off before installing the sac.

3. I suppose as a last resort, you could put a second point gasket on the sac-protector side (no grease, just slide it down to the base). That should prevent the sac protector from moving out of reach, but since I have never tried this, I don't know if it will be too much. It's important to be able to push the TD tube down far enough for the air to rush in. If it doesn't reach this point because it reaches the sac protector threads too soon (the opposite problem), then the pen won't fill.

Edited July 22, 2014 by mhosea

[ThomasB]

Based on my experiences, there are two usual possibilities: 1. The snorkel tube is not set at the right depth; and, 2. The inner spring is corroded/rusted,deformed and not letting the snorkel/touchdown mechanism retract all the way. So, to No. 1: Did you take the tube out of the rubber sac nipple thingie when restoring the pen? If not, it is probably set a the right depth. To No 2: Check the spring for rust corrosion as well as the inside of the barrel to see if any rust/gunk is stuck on the walls in the reservoir in which the spring slides up and down. A sometimes simple trick is to reverse the spring--but this doesn't work all the time--or install a new spring.

[Florida Blue]

Thanks everyone that responded.

 

I checked the barrel and there does not seem to be any debris in it and the spring does not seem to be rusted or corroded. I didn't remove the tube from the rubber plug in the sac protector, so I'm still not sure what the issue is.

 

I'm thinking the issue could be the tube though. It does seem to be protruding out more than on my other Snorkels.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Florida Blue

[Florida Blue]

Success!!!

 

I disassembled the Snorkel and realized that I had put the point holder gasket on the wrong side of the section (top instead of bottom). I put the gasket in the right place and the tube extends and retracts as it should.

 

FB it sounds like you're branching out like I'm kind of doing...

 

I'm having Sheaffer woes too

 

I tried my hat at Snorkel repair a couple years ago, failed and gave up , so I'm really proud at myself for finally getting one working. The two pens I tried to repair before both had cracks when I bought them (one in the section and one in the barrel), which I think prevented them from filling due to air leakage.

 

I hope your Sheaffer woes are remedied as well

[Komitadjie]

...Even if the blind cap were loose, it would just wobble a bit. All of the 4 different orientations of the blind cap to the TD tube should give identical results...

 

Oh, my intent there was that if the blind cap screw was not secured or had become loose, perhaps the blind cap could be rotating separately of the TD tube without rotating the tube at all, and therefore not engaging the threads on the sac protector. Obviously not the actual issue, given the OP's solve, but just a mechanical possibility that came to mind.

 

Did they make a change to the TD tube / cap interface for the Snorkel to prevent that? Or does it depend on the washer and screw like a standard TD to prevent rotation?

[mhosea]

Did they make a change to the TD tube / cap interface for the Snorkel to prevent that? Or does it depend on the washer and screw like a standard TD to prevent rotation?

 

The first one. The Snorkel TD tube is square at the blind cap end, and the blind cap has a square hole to receive it. Thus, if one were hypothetically trying to put a standard TD blind cap on a Snorkel TD tube, it would literally be...trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

[Komitadjie]

Very nice! Those Sheaffer engineers were darn sharp.

 

I've worked on a small handful of TDs so far, but I'm still a week or so out from having the parts for my own first Snorkel restoration. Seeing FB pull it off so nicely his first time 'round has definitely encouraged the heck out of me!

[ac12]

Just a heads up.

I had a snorkel that the snorkel would not move...AT ALL.

Turned out the section has shrunk, and it shrunk down onto the snorkel, jamming the snorkel.

The pen became a parts pen. I had to dissect the section to salvage the parts; snorkel and nib.

[Venk]

Did you make sure before shellacking the snorkel tube in the ink sac nipple that the tip of the tube was plush with the feed at its lowest position?

 

Best to accurately measure the length of the tube above the ink sac protector plug before taking it out for replacing the ink sac.

 

Also the slit in the tube needs to be correctly aligned with the slit in the feed and nib. Only after checking both in and out setting you fix it tight with shellac.

 

Best not to have the point seal when you are doing the adjustments as that makes it difficult to set the loose tube.

 

After alignment and shellacing wait an hour or two to get the tube set firm before refitting everything with silicone grease lubricant as needed..

[Ron Z]

Did you make sure before shellacking the snorkel tube in the ink sac nipple that the tip of the tube was plush with the feed at its lowest position?

 

Best to accurately measure the length of the tube above the ink sac protector plug before taking it out for replacing the ink sac.

 

Also the slit in the tube needs to be correctly aligned with the slit in the feed and nib. Only after checking both in and out setting you fix it tight with shellac.

 

Best not to have the point seal when you are doing the adjustments as that makes it difficult to set the loose tube.

 

After alignment and shellacing wait an hour or two to get the tube set firm before refitting everything with silicone grease lubricant as needed..

 

Note that the thread is nearly 2 years old..

 

I really do think that parts of your post this are incorrect.

 

Yes, the slit needs to be put in alignment, but you do not need measure, or to set things up without the point holder gasket. Nor do you need to wait two hours to finish the assembly and put the silicone grease on the snorkel tube. You can put a little shellac on the end of the snorkel tube, set it in the plug, wipe off the excess shellac, put a little silicone grease on the lower third, assemble, align the tube, retract, and then push the tube down into position in the plug so that the end of the tube lines up with the end of the feed. I would to a bit farther and suggest that you should not wait to install the point holder gasket.

 

I open up the pen again to apply a little thread sealant on the section threads (as they did in the Sheaffer service center), reassemble, clean off the excess sealant, and you're done. Tighten the section until it is just closed, not too snug.

 

Two reasons for using the thread sealant. One is that it helps to seal the threads and provides for a better seal = a better fill. The second is that it keeps the section from unscrewing accidentally.

[3rdlakerobert]

 

Note that the thread is nearly 2 years old..

 

I really do think that parts of your post this are incorrect.

 

Yes, the slit needs to be put in alignment, but you do not need measure, or to set things up without the point holder gasket. Nor do you need to wait two hours to finish the assembly and put the silicone grease on the snorkel tube. You can put a little shellac on the end of the snorkel tube, set it in the plug, wipe off the excess shellac, put a little silicone grease on the lower third, assemble, align the tube, retract, and then push the tube down into position in the plug so that the end of the tube lines up with the end of the feed. I would to a bit farther and suggest that you should not wait to install the point holder gasket.

 

I open up the pen again to apply a little thread sealant on the section threads (as they did in the Sheaffer service center), reassemble, clean off the excess sealant, and you're done. Tighten the section until it is just closed, not too snug.

 

Two reasons for using the thread sealant. One is that it helps to seal the threads and provides for a better seal = a better fill. The second is that it keeps the section from unscrewing accidentally.

 

Thanks for this post , Ron. I like your procedure for resetting the Snorkel tube to correct depth.

 

Also, I'd considered adding thread sealant to the section threads but haven't done it so far. The Snorkel pens I take apart seem to vary in this--some are, some not. But your reasoning appeals to me-- (1) sealant keeps the section closed if you're holding it when twisting the blind cap and (2) sealant may get you a better fill.