Today I saw to it that a Sheaffer Vac fell in to my hands, the second type with the inner chamber for the ink, and a nice fine Triumph nib. Good condition, except in need of new seals. Now, I know that vacs are far from the top of the list in terms of easy repairs, but you gotta learn these things some time. This post will have several questions, so feel free to answer what you can. For information's sake, I have already read over Richard's vac anatomy page.

As for removing the blind cap from the push rod, any special tool to unscrew that locking nut inside the cap? I saw a tool Tryphon has, which looks like a simple custom cut/ground bolt type thing to fit around the rod and twist. I was thinking maybe a paperclip bent with the ends down to catch the notches.

Nib/section? Are these generally shellac'd in, or is there a trick to getting it out? The nib assembly on snorkels simply screw out, but this doesn't seem to want to budge. Perhaps gentle heat and a strap wrench?

As for the seals inside and all that fun, I see fountainbel has a cartridge assembly that can be used as a replacement. Is it good/reliable? Acceptable loss of ink volume? Or would it just be better to restore it back to original?

Any favorite parts suppliers? Besides Tryphon and vintagepens.com (recommends cutting seals from a sheet of clear urethane), I've had trouble tracking much down in the way of parts. I'm guessing if I wanted to go original, I'll be stucking cutting all my own cord and seals.

Okay, phew, that was a mouthful. So, have at it, and we'll see what kind of job I can do.

I'm not sanguine about a paper clip -- that nut is usually relatively tight. I ground a Craftsman vanadium steel screwdriver to the shape needed as Kelly G describes.


If it's a Triumph nib, you're in for loads of fun. I restore a goodly number of these, and I've learned the hard way how to do it. The section and the filler "barrel" are a single piece of celluloid, and you cannot -- repeat CANNOT -- separate the section from the filler barrel without destroying the pen. The nib unit screws into the section and is secured with palm shellac, which does not soften until you reach a temperature that is right on the hairy edge of being unsafe for the celluloid. I wish you the best of luck.

What's palm shellac?

--Daniel

Beats me. That's what the retired repairer who taught me Vac-Fil repair called it. I know how it behaves and how to deal with it, but I have no clue as to what's in it.

palm shellack is kind of a mixture of shellack and resin (say like parker used to put on 51 sectins and that) but's a pain for celluloid. No wonder why so many triumph nib vac fills gets destroyed!

I just remove the nib, section, drill the devilish little piece out, and turn a new one in delrin (with threads and all).

Thanks for the great info everyone. This should make for a good, challenging project.

I've had a major hard drive collapse situiation. One I get hands on pictures and infro I'll be sharing. Thanks

I can confirm that the paperclip is wholly useless for the removal of the blind cap retainer. Time to make a screwdriver run.

My recollection is that the substance to which you refer is a mixture of castor oil and rosin, not shellac and resin.

Sheaffer used this mixture for some Triumph nib attachments, and they also employed Arabol cement for the purpose.

--Daniel

All,

Some interesting reading on shellac can be found on this thread.

Todd

you're absolutely right, pardon my brainfart.

I have come across several references to Fr. Terry and his advice... are there any links to such...??

cheers

Father Terry Koch was a kind and gentle soul who in addition to his work with the church, liked to repair fountain pens and help the rest of us who dabble in repair. He passed away three years ago after a battle with cancer and a last trip across the country on Highway 50. Victor Chen took over his pen parts business - he might have some of the materials. He can be reached at: vwchen@pacbell.net