I have a Parker 51 that is in great condition but after it writes for a few seconds it starts to skip until it just quits writing. I have read and followed the recommendations of similar problems with other pens but the 51's hooded nib makes it a different problem. I have done the flushing with dish washing liquid a bunch of times but haven't tried the ammonia solution because I'm afraid it could damage the pen.

I have no idea how to "floss" the nib because I can't get to it, and have no idea how to take the pen apart like in topic http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=47147 so I can't get to the collector etc.

BTW, I tried searching for a similar topic, but you can't search for "Parker 51 ink flow" or anything with a 51 in the search string because one of the words on the search is less than 3 characters long. The only thing I have found annoying in this otherwise fabulous forum. Is there an administrator out there?

Go ahead and use the ammonia solution, let it soak, flush, repeat. If it is really gunked up, though, nothing short of a complete disassembly may work. (And, for what it's worth, I'd be more comfortable putting an ammonia solution in my 51 than liquid soap.)

You REALLY need to use ammoinia -- if that's an eBay pen, or "found in the wild" it's highly likely it has dried Superchrome or "51" ink in it, and that residue will not dissolve in plain water.

Fill the pen, stand it tip down is a glass with some ammonia water in it (just over the nib and feed, not has high as the clutch ring) and leave it overnight. Likely the water will be dark with ink in the morning.

A trip to the sonicating bath won't hurt, either. Either way, flush well the next day.

If that doesn't make it fow well, you really need to send it off for repair or take the plunge and remove the hood and clean it all up properly.

Peter

Yeah, it's an e Bay pen. Actually I bought some vintage ink and I didn't even realize there was a Parker 51 in the deal. I thought it would be something I would throw away.

I just found out my wife doesn't use ammonia in the house. What should I buy and how much water should I add?

Yipes, I already did the soap thing about 50 times!

I use household ammonia solution (non-sudsing) or ammonia industrial cleaner from the local Ace Hardware. I usually do a very rough 10% ammonia solution to 90% water mix - rough in that I don't measure it.
Don't worry, the soap won't hurt your pen, the bubbles can be annoying however.

If you have to go beyond the ammonia soak, an Ultra Sonic cleaner is the next step. If you don't have access to a USC, dis-assembly is in order. Do ask for help before proceeding there.

I got the ammonia mixed the solution to exactly 10 to 1, put the pen in a glass with the nib submerged and the fill level below the collector. How long should I leave it? Should I flush the pen with the ammonia solution or just leave in in the glass?

Fill the pen if you can, and let it sit for 24 hours. It won't hurt the plastic of a 51 which is pretty impervious to anything you could throw at it, including the ammonia solution. Even 20% wouldn't hurt it.

Leave it in as long as you can stand. I would think a three day soak "72 hours" at room temperature or slightly above wouldn't hurt.

If you know someone with an ultra sonic cleaner, it wouldn't hurt to take the soaked pen there and have it 'blasted' two or three times.

The parts touching 'ink' in a "51" are the Acrylic barrel, hood and collector, a stainless or silver tube, the nylon 'pi-glass' sac and the nib. All are very resistant to non-petroleum based solvents.

Ron

Ron Z and wdyasq, thanks for your input. The 72 hour bath has begun. I have plenty of 51's to keep me busy while I wait for this turkey to get it's act together. BTW Ron Z I was reading your fabulous articles on "Cheap Tools" on your web site in case this doesn't work and I have to take the thing apart. As much as I loved it, if the ammonia bath doesn't work, I'm sending you the pen!

Merry Christmas!

Thanks,

Mario

Am I to understand that the pen can be put into the ultrasonic cleaner without dis-assembling it? Then I would not need to put the sac back on? Or even the hood? Thereby allowing the old ink to be cleaned out of the pen without doing all the re-aligning and shellac-ing I thought would be needed?

It may be wrong but I put "51"s less barrel in my US before disassembly often. FWIW, I always take a 'new' "51" apart to check for proper breather tube. But, that's just me.

Ron

Not a bad idea really. You often find that the hood is full of ink, as are the nib/feed/collector assemblies. A blast with an ultrasonic loosens up the crud and alllows you to take the pen apart without the crud holding it together.

Glad to hear I'm not doing more 'bad' stuff. The fine-ribbed collectors in some pens can hold a lot of cr*p stuff. I know I was amazed when the first time I got a "51" apart, got it cleaned up and found the collector was a clear acrylic! All I could see before cleaning was a black lump.

Ron

Many times, once the hood is off, I find that the internal parts are stuck together. Simply trying to yank them apart will most likely result in damage to some part or another. A short cycle through the ultrasonic will clean them enough, that the parts then can be separated and cleaned properly. From experience I can say that the only way to insure that a 51 will work properly is to take it completely apart and clean everything, and then check everything as it goes back together.

Well the 72 hour ammonia bath is over and the pen writes beautifully!

Thanks to all for your help.