I just won a snorkel on eBay and I think it'll probably need servicing. The mechanism works fine, but when I fill with water and empty, it doesn't squirt.

I was planning on taking it to FPN as I live in New York City, but I hear their prices are high. What would a snorkel repair cost me there vs. sending out somewhere else. Would it even out since I wouldn't have to ship the pen?

I love the look of this pen and want to use it.

edit. just inked it and it works fine. i think i needed to hold it down in the ink longer.

edit x2 there seems to be a small leak where the barrel meets the section. I guess this does need a repair.

A suggestion: The inner parts of the Snorkel are prone to rust. It is possible that you are getting water in there, especially if the rubber gasket around the snorkel tube is dried out and leaking, which is often is if the gasket is 50 years old!

To check, unscrew the end cap which extends the snorkel then try to unscrew the barrel from the section using only your hands (no pliers or section pliers needed). If it does not unscrew, apply some *gentle* heat with a hair dryer and try again. If there is water in there, just dry it well and this will show you for sure that you need restoration.

Now because the plunger does not suck, it could be that there's no problem at all--I'm not trying to alarm you but I just received a Snorkel that was badly rusted and wet inside. Lack of suction does suggest that the insides need replacement.

PenHero has links to quite a number of pen restoration web sites. Three or four of these are well known Snorkel experts who hang out here:

http://www.penhero.com/PenBookmarks_PenRepair.htm

All the best,

Steve

I unscrewed it like you said. nothing seems rusty or damaged. it was a little wet. I dried it up. should I leave it to dry for a while and then try to reink?

could it be it needs a new gasket? the gasket looks pretty good to me. it's all in one piece, but then again I don't know much about these things.

You do know, don't you, that the Snorkel fills on the downstroke. Never, as in not even once, pull the plunger out while the nib is immersed in ink, water, or any other fluid. to my filling instructions. Follow this link to my filling instructions.

Alejoplay,

You can do a search for Snorkel on this site and it will bring up all the articles that have information on Snorkel repairs, if you decide you want to try to do this yourself (if it doesn't fill). Or, if you PM me, I can send you a document where I cut and pasted all the snorkel repair comments I could find here. Frank Dubiel's book is also helpful, except for one part where most of the people on this forum do something differently.

Ron

Without looking at it, here's my best guess:

If there's water inside the barrel and covering the sac protector (the silver tube that the snorkel tube is attched to), then you may indeed need restoration since this area should be water and air tight. When you push the plunger down on a snorkel, the vacuum created collapses the rubber sac. At the very bottom of the stroke, the vacuum is released by a hole at the end of the barrel near the end cap (assuming it's not plugged!) and the rubber sac expands sucking up ink through the snorkel (NOT through the nib or feed which is not directly connected to the sac--only the snorkel tube is). Hence, only the tip of the snorkel tube should be immersed and the liquid goes right into the sac.

If you want to do a quick check, you'll find two vent holes on the sides and one at the end of the sac protector. You'll see the black sac inside--gently press on the sac with something blunt and see if it's pliable. It often is hard as a rock or like one I saw yesterday, part of it was pliable and part hard as a rock. In either case, it's not going to draw any ink....

FYI, Richard Binder who wrote above is one of the pro snorkel repairers on the links at PenHero. I have no connection with him, but he is always generous with help on this site....

Steve

Richard,

So what happens if you pull the plunger while the tube is immersed? Does the same apply to a touchdown?

As always, thanks for your info!

John

PS: I also second Richard Binder as a snorkel repair person.

You'll suck water in, not just *through* the snorkel tube into the sack, but also *around* the snorkel tube into the body of the pen. Very bad. Will ultimately rust the internals of the pen. IF you've ever seen a snorkel spring rusted out and stuck in the pen body unable to come out, you knoooow what I'm talking about.

Does not apply to TD's at all.

Oh - I see. Reading Richards warning again it says "...when the nib is immersed..." I can see how that could be a problem.

I can't see ink coming in the tube, however, and getting into the rest of the pen.

John

Oh - I see. Reading Richards warning again it says "...when the nib is immersed..." I can see how that could be a problem.

I can't see ink coming in the tube and getting into the rest of the pen if only the tip of the tube is immersed, however.

John

Checked the sac. It's hard.

I emptied and refilled as per Richard's instructions on his site. The pen fills up (don't know how much though) and I can write with it just fine. I still get a little ink on my fingers.

Looks like it's going to Fountain Pen Hospital.

Good deal. You'll not regret getting that snorkel fixed up. They're great pens and just write and write.

Sorry if this is obvious, but make sure you open it up and dry the insides thoroughly while you wait for restoration. As Kendall says above, when those springs rust and stick to the inside of the pen body it's a big headache!

All the best,
Steve

Thanks. I will open up the pen when I get home today and dry it out. I didn't notice any rust when I looked at it this weekend, so hopefully it will be in good shape.

I do want to repair it as the pen writes beautifully now when it's broken, so I can imagine it would be even better when it gets fixed up.

one more thing...if you have a dental pick, or some other small tool that can reach up inside the barrel you should remove and dry the spring. with the plunger extended it is acessible and can easily be caught and pulled out, if you have any silicone grease you may want to put a very small amount on a q-tip and then rub the swab all over the spring to coat it thinly but thoroughly.

rusty snorkel springs are a bummer, and once the blueing is gone and they pit it's all down hill from there