Parker 51 Ink Issue

[davisgt]

HI all!

 

Okay, so I don't ink my Parker 51 that frequently. It is 1948 Vacumatic in India Black and a Lustraloy cap. It was restored by a Parker expert after I purchased it on EBAY and before I ever started using it. I'm a little puzzled, however, as a result of my last usage. I had my pen on my desk. I had used it earlier that morning with no problems. I pulled the cap off, and a huge splotch of ink flew down on my desk and onto the paper I was using. (Thank goodness it wasn't my white shirt!) It has never happened to me before with this pen. I don't recall pulling on the cap with more force than usual. Does this happen with this pen? If so, I may need to remove the ink, and put it away in my display case for a while for a time out.

 

As this is my only Parker fountain pen, I really don't know much about the breed. Any advice would be helpful.

 

Thanks!

 

Todd

[ac12]

When you say "I pulled the cap off, and a huge splotch of ink flew down on my desk and onto the paper I was using."

- Can you describe the position of the pen when you pulled the cap off; nib up, nib down.

- Where did the ink come from; the pen itself or dipped from the cap?

- Did you pull with 2 hands or one?

- What ink?

- What is the fill level of the pen; full, half, close to empty?

- Where do you live and what is the temp in the room?

 

I use the aerometric version of the 51 and have never had that problem.

[Mike 59]

As a general rule, I always believe it's right to store fountain pens with nib 'up', but saying that most of mine are horizontal in a box for storage.

Where it does make a difference, is if carrying a pen in a coat pocket or bag, even my most modern and reliable 'Frontier' will have ink all over the top of the nib, if carrying it about all day.

I also take the cap off all my pens slowly, so as not to cause a vacuum inside. With totally sealed caps, some ink must be drawn down the feed by removing the cap.

With my older pens, I will hold the pen nib up, and remove the cap straight upwards, which seems to work, can't remember any ink accidents lately.

[pajaro]

I had this happen twice with a 51 Vacumatic. Once it happened when there was a crack in the section somewhere. The other time was when the sac failed. I have a 48 black Vac 51 that came to me from ebay working, and still working today. The nib had the tipping removed, and I replaced the nib with a fine NOS nib. It still works fine, but I am wondering when it will go.

 

If your pen were restored you wouldn't expect a sac failure, but I do have one that failed a couple of years after a rebuild. I would use the pen and see if this ink blob happens again. It might have been a one-time thing. I wouldn't expect anything wrong with the pen unless this happens all the time. Something that happens once only is a fluke you might never know the reason for.

 

From time to time I have something like this happen with C/C pens, once with a 51 aerometric (never happened again) and a couple of Esterbrooks. If it doesn't happen again with your pen I would not be concerned. Sometimes I have had nib creep in a pen, and I changed inks, usually curing this. You could try a change of ink. I have used Sheaffer, Parker, Diamine, Montblanc and Waterman inks in 51s with no problems. Noodler's also, but a lot of people will tell you that's a problem. I used up my Noodler's and the place I used to buy it went out of business.

 

Keep using the pen and see if this happens again. If it does, send it off for a checkup. If not, don't worry.

Edited July 25, 2014 by pajaro

[TimGirdler]

It is possible--especially with a Vac "51"--that in filling the pen you didn't fill it properly (leaving the plunger down and then removing the pen from the ink, releasing the plunger to suck the ink out of the collector).

 

If it was capped shortly after an improper filling, it could burp like this. There are numerous other possibilities, but this would be my first guess.

 

Blessings,

 

Tim

[pajaro]

It is possible--especially with a Vac "51"--that in filling the pen you didn't fill it properly (leaving the plunger down and then removing the pen from the ink, releasing the plunger to suck the ink out of the collector).

 

If it was capped shortly after an improper filling, it could burp like this. There are numerous other possibilities, but this would be my first guess.

 

Blessings,

 

Tim

 

Is this the equivalent of holding down the aerometric filler bar? This would be the kind of burp they are talking about there? It would make sense if your pen does this to follow that procedure. Previously I have read stuff like pumping the plunger ten times and waiting ten seconds to insure a fill. My use of the Vacs is very limited, but they work OK pumping once and waiting several seconds for ink intake. I don't intend to maximally fill a pen anyway, more frequent fillings with less ink per filling refreshing the ink in the pen and keeping stuff moving better. Is that enough to avoid the burping issue?

[TimGirdler]

 

Is this the equivalent of holding down the aerometric filler bar? This would be the kind of burp they are talking about there? It would make sense if your pen does this to follow that procedure. Previously I have read stuff like pumping the plunger ten times and waiting ten seconds to insure a fill. My use of the Vacs is very limited, but they work OK pumping once and waiting several seconds for ink intake. I don't intend to maximally fill a pen anyway, more frequent fillings with less ink per filling refreshing the ink in the pen and keeping stuff moving better. Is that enough to avoid the burping issue?

 

When I fill an Aero "51", I use the same "Vacumatic" procedure. I leave the bar down after the last press, remove the pen from the ink, and release the bar. This makes sure any ink under the shell is sucked back into the reservoir, and it helps to eliminate the after-fill-up burping.

 

Parker's original instructions for filling the Vac "51" stated quite plainly to remove the pen from the ink before releasing the plunger. Though I don't know if they carried those instructions to the Aero, I still so it because the collector under the shell is virtually the same.

 

Blessings,

 

Tim

[pajaro]

The end user instruction for the aero doesn't mention holding the aero bar down when pulling the pen out of the ink, so many of us who read those instructions treated the aero 51 as any other pen. The instruction did say to wipe the pen off with a soft tissue, and that takes up excess ink. The same result might be reached in that way, a lot of ink being left in the tissue.

[ShallowJam]

After filling my aero, I depress the bar after removing it from the ink, to dispell 4 to 5 drops. That seems to work a treat as I havent had an inky cap since I began this practice.

[Florida Blue]

I've read that Vacs can burp when the ink levels get low and also when your body heat warms up the barrel of the pen as you are writing.

 

It has happened to me twice, but both times were with Vacumatics and not 51 Vacs.

[BLCL]

The following has already been stated about filling the 51 Vacuumatic and the Aerometric. For the 51 Vacuumatic, I depress the plunger quickly and pause slightly at the top; I do this nine times then the final time, I depress and keep it depressed and then I remove the pen from the ink. This process clears the collector of excessive ink. My pen never leaks.

 

For the 51 Aerometric, I squeeze the ribbed bar four times then remove partially from the ink bottle to release three drops of ink in order to clear the collector of excessive ink. This pen never leaks for me. I use Parker Quink black in all of my Parkers and Sheaffers.