Hi folks,

Somewhere else on the FPN I asked if anyone knows where Kendall is. I contacted Kendall some days ago with a technical question about the Snorkel I bought from him.

Perhaps somebody else can help me...

I love my Sheaffer Snorkel, but I’m confronted with an annoying problem. I hope you have a solution.
I use my Snorkel almost every night (I’m afraid to bring it to work…). But every night my Snorkel is a very slow starter. I think the point dries out very quickly. To start up the pen I hold the point to a soft tissue. When I press the tissue to the feed, the inks flows freely, but the point needs some time. I have thoroughly flushed the pen (the touchdown and snorkel work great!), but this did not solve the problem. When it has started, it writes great…

Any advise?


Johan

Hello Johan,

Your problem may be caused by several shortcomings such as :
1 - Proper radial alignment of the snorkel tube versus the section & nib. There is a small lengthwise slit at the portruding end of the snorkel tube which has to be radially aligned with the inkchannel of the feed & nib for proper ink transfer.
2- The inkchannel in the feed is somewhat clogged. To check this the Triumph nib has to be screwed off. You can open the ink channel in the feed by gently pulling a razorblade through the slit.
3-Partly clogged snorkel tube ink channel. Since you confirmed the touchdown works properly I expect also that the system pulls & expels the ink very well. In this case snorkel tube clogging is not the problem. One can open the ink channel of a (dis-assembled !) snorkel pipe by pushing/ pulling a 0.2 mm steel wire through the slot.

Hope this will help you

Regards ,Francis

Hi,

You can also use a rubber bulb and flush out the feed and snorkel tube.

Dillon

Hi Johan,

Please don't use a razor blade through the slit of your pen, as this may damage the nib. Rather use some thin plastic, like a part of an overhead sheet. Just make sure you don't increase the ink flow while doing this (but that is also true for the razor).

Finally, you may have a slight partial baby bottom on the nib. Try writing with it while holding the pen at different angles to the paper, and write a line or so consistently at each particular angle. If the pen has this behaviour only at one point or so (maybe two, also possible), it is very likely to have a baby bottom feature at the point where the tipping hits the paper. Once the ink flows, it may keep on flowing, until a long enough rest.

Now, you can check this by looking at the part of the tipping that touches paper when it doesn't write immediately. You'll need a decent loupe for that, 15X at least, max 30X. Check if the slit width of the tipping at the particular point where this happens is slightly wider than elsewhere on the tipping. That is the spot likely causing the problem. You can use some nib smoothing mylar to fix it, fairly easily.

HTH, warm regards, Wim

In this case there is no indication of a problem in delivery of ink from the sac to the feed or nib, since the pen, once started, seems to be working quite well. Most likely the nib has not been sufficiently well cleaned; Wim's suggestion of flossing the slit is a good one, and I would suggest applying some uncut ammonia there with a cotton swab as well.

The only comment I have is to point out that Francis was referring to the FEED when he advised to use a razor blade - and Wim was referring to adjustment of the NIB when warning against using a razor blade.

I find both recommendations to have merit, although if cleaning only of the feed is desired, plastic flossing material might be used (you'll need pretty thin plastic). Due to the thinness of some channels in the feeds, brass shim stock might be best. Finally, if widening of the channels or other alterations are intended, the razor blade or exacto knife point may be required (I use a scalpel blade myself - thinner and sharper).

Gerry

WOW , thanks for all the advise! I will try the safest approach first and soak the POINT of the pen first. If this doesn't work, I will follow the more technical advise...

Hi Johan,
As Gerry rightfully remarked I was indeed referring to the FEED when suggesting to pull a razor blade through the slit. One should logically never do that with the nib !
Gerry's suggestion to use thin flossing material is surely a good one, on condition the slit is not obstructed with dry & hard clogged ink remains ! In the latter situation the use of a razor blade, a scalpel or - better, as Gerry suggested - a 0 .1 mm thin brass shimm might be neccesary.
Flossing the slit of the nib - as Wim suggested - is surely also worth a try.
Whishing you succes,

Best regards, Francis

I’m afraid I have discovered the cause of the problem. I have soaked and flushed the pen for over 80 hours now. With normal water, with a soapy solution and with an ammonia solution. <_<
Yesterday evening I noticed that the inside of the cap was extremely dirty. So I soaked it in ammonia & water. An enormous amount of dried ink came out, and in the end also rust. When the cap was clean, I still noticed a stain in the top of the cap, on the same place where the dents are on the outside. But it isn’t a stain. When I flushed the cap, lots of water came dripping out from beneath the clip. So I’m afraid the cap is broken, and that it is not air-tight anymore.

Do you think this is a correct observation?

Best,

Johan

Another illustration, I'm afraid, of why one shouldn't soak pen parts indiscriminately.

Sheaffer caps of this era have their clips held in place by an internal metal spring -- made, if I'm not mistaken, of eminently rustable carbon steel. Dunk the cap in water, and you'll have a hard time getting it out from the space between the outer cap and the inner liner.

If you want to clean such a cap, use a test-tube or bore brush and an ammonia solution, so you can wash out the inside of the cap without getting liquid all over its outside.

Hi David,

Well, It wasn’t me who soaked the cap in water for the first time! I’m innocent.

But can a broken inner cap be repaired? :bunny1:

probably best to replace it with donor part.

Kendall is sending me a new cap. HURRAH!!!